“Why’d you have to be so mean and force me to walk and talk so fast?” Desmond asked.
“I was doing it for your safety.” Mom replied.
“I’m just a baby.” Darnell moaned.
“Deer must grow up immediately. If you had not learned to walk right away, a hunter would have killed you. The younger the deer, the fresher the meat.” Mom explained. “We must also eat grass all the time to keep up our strength. Unfortunately, the place where the grass is, is also where the hunters would be. Being paranoid and ready to run is our way of life.”
“What if we changed the world so we didn’t have to run?” Darnell asked.
“If you can figure that one out, you’re the smartest deer ever.” Mom smirked.
Darnell continued to munch on grass. He was already bored of it even though this grass was soaked with morning dew. If he didn’t like breakfast grass, he wasn’t going to like lunch or supper grass either.
“We must also make sure to drink water from this nearby stream.” Mom explained matter of factly. “You need to figure out these things as soon as possible. You’re basically an adult already.”
Clearly, being an adult, eating, and drinking, were the only ways to survive in this crazy, yet boring world.
“What does a hunter look like? Darnell asked.
“None of my friends ever saw one. They all died too soon.” Mom explained.
“So, there’s no point in making friends.” Darnell said.
“Of course making friends is important. Especially if you eventually meet a female your age and want to start a family.” Mom explained.
There whole day was explaining. No deer ever knew how much time was given. Especially mothers. Talking about everything in one go was the only solution.
There was a rustling in the grass.
“Quick! We must run to the thicket!”
Fortunately, unlike another well known story, both of them made it. Mom had more time to teach Darnell how to be a deer.
“If we make it to tomorrow. I’ll introduce you to your father. He should be back from patrol with the other stags in the area.
If we make it to tomorrow was the motto of all deer. You had to be thankful for every second you had. Darnell hoped against hope that he would be able to make some friends his age soon. A little gang to cause trouble with. Yes, that would be fun!