Elain sat over a tree stump near her house, surrounded by an eternal snow about a hoof thick to which the deer were used to. The night was crystal clear thanks to the lack of light pollution, allowing for a brilliant starry display underneath a bright full moon.

The stars reflected off her blue eyes as she gazed up into the night sky, while the moonlight barely illuminated her cyan horns and white spotted hazel fur. Elain could feel the weight of her coat upon her body, the white trimmed, cyan hoof stitched fabric kept her warm enough as it reached just down to the bottom of her flank. It also had a neat clasping cord to hold it around her neck, which she briefly paused to adjust.

The silence was suddenly interrupted by a high pitched voice behind her.

"What are stars for?"

Elain flinched and almost fell off the tree stump. She turned around to meet her little brother.
The fawn burst out into laughter after witnessing her sister's overreaction. His hoofsteps on the packed snow made no sound due to his light weight, which made it easier to approach without being noticed.

"Elmer? What are you doing? You should have gone to bed an hour ago." She asked the young fawn

Elains brother was only 6 years old, like his sister, he also had cyan horns and blue eyes. If it weren't for his masculine buck frame and the dark brown fur he could have been easily mistaken for her twin.

"But, Eli, I'm not tired!" The fawn complained after regain composure. "What are stars for?" He asked again, moved by his stubbornness and curiosity before the doe could reply.

Elain sighed and focused his gaze again on the starry sky. She started with a soft voice. "I am not sure, The parishioners say there's a God that created everything. . ." She narrowed her eyes and paused to think her words, She wasn't interested in religion and her close family never went to the local parish. "I think the stars are our deceased ancestors, They watch over us to protect and guide our way through the darkness of the night"

Elmer gaped at the stars with a bright look and full of innocence. "Do you think granny is up there watching us right now?"

Elain wrinkled her muzzle at the question, although her brother couldn't see because she was turning her back on him. Elain didn't actually believe on what she said, she just made it up to content the fawn. She nodded and turned around upon the tree stump to meet her brother again.

"Now it's your time to go to sleep, or else I won't take you to the trade fair tomorrow" She said with a frown.

"Aw! That's not fair!" Elmer looked back at his sister in disgust, but the frown on her face made him reconsider and he just walked into the house.

After that, Elain smiled in amusement and turned around again to continue gazing at the stars a few more minutes before going to sleep, this time mulling over what she said to his brother about them.

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Dawn comes, Soft sunrays goes through the window into Elain's room. She woke up and yawned, then sat on her bed with tired eyes.

Her room was pretty simple and practical, The bed was vertically next to the window. At the end of the room opposite the window she had a desk with a small wardrobe on its right and the room door on its left, upon the desk a few old books about agriculture and a calendar that marked October 25. The house was a cabin so the ceiling and walls were made of wood.

She got up from the bed and stood up on the sanded wood, then walked to the wardrobe to wear on her coat.

A female voice called out. "Elmer! How many times do I have to tell you not to eat like that? No one is going to steal your food"

Elain walked towards the door and opened it. She saw the wooden table in the middle of the living room with a bowl of fruit on it. Her little brother was sitting around it, next to a doe with completely brown fur, brown eyes, and cyan antlers larger than Elain's, it was her mother, she also wore a black coat, the same kind of coat Elain has. The older doe glared at Elmer, he was chewing with his mouth open, completely filled with a mixture of fruits, while he grabbed an apple and a pear with both forehooves at the same time, both nibbled.

Elmer noticed Elain with the corner of the eye, he left both fruits on the table and grabbed a tomato, then turned his head to look at her, he almost choked in the proccess. Elain giggled as she saw her brother approaching her on three hooves while grabbing the tomato.

"Here" He swallowed before continue talking. "I saved it for you!"

Elain petted his head and grabbed the tomato. Raw tomatos were Elain's favorite food, Elmer knew that so he always saved one for her breakfast.

"How kind of you, thank you!" She smiled warmly at him, Elmer looked happy and proud after her reaction.

Elain's mother sighed and looked at her.

"Good morning, Eli"

"Good morning, mother"

"Are you taking Elmer to the trade fair today, right?"

Elain nodded.

"Keep an eye on him, he could get lost at any moment"

"I won't!" Elmer interrupted and stood next to Elain as she took a bite of the tomato with indifference.

"I don't know how you make him listen to you" Her mother chuckled.

"Maybe I have a natural talent with fawns" Elain shrugged. "We should go now, Östskog is an hour away" She swallowed. "I will eat on the way" She walked to the main door, then opened it. Elmer followed her"

"Be careful!" Her mother called out, Elain didn't turn around to meet her mother eyes but nodded instead as she walked out. Her brother closed the door.

Both siblings began to walk along a path that went through the forest after leaving the village. None of them saw their father, but they were not surprised either, both assumed he would be felling wood or picking fruit, like any other morning.

Around them, the whole village could be seen from their view. There were around two dozen cabins similar to their own house. Among them, a blacksmith shop and a herbal shop. To their left, behind the cabins, a snowy plain disappeared into the horizon, infront of them and to their right they had the forest, there was also a pile of felled logs close to their house, maybe for firewood.

"So. . . What do you want for your birthday? We are only a week away" Elmer reminded her after a few minutes walking through the snowy path, looking at her eyes, She kept looking foward.

Elain thought about it for a few seconds. "I want to visit the capital, the big city of Hjortland. I heard about buildings that touch the sky and huge crowds of deer, they also have a lot of shops with any kind of item" She said excited.

"More crowded than the fair?" Elmer genuinely asked.

"Way more crowded!" Elain patted him on the head. "There's a new train station in Östskog that connects directly to Hjortland, I want the four of us to travel"

"Eli, What is a train?" Elmer looked confused.

"A big metal machine that transports things" She looked away. "It's hard to explain, it will be easier if I show you instead"

And they kept walking into the snowy forest through the path as they chatted, Elmer kept changing the subject while Elain tried to answer all his questions.

Author's Note

Hi there ^^, this is my very first fanfic. I am not a native English speaker so I have decided to start this new project to improve, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.
All reviews are appreciated.