Looker
Legacy Name: Looker

The moon slowly travelled its arch across the starlit night, marking its presence in the woods as tree shadows on the forest ground and shimmers on the running creek. In the ground-level hollow of an oak trunk, Church the Chortle rested soundly in pleasant dreaming. The day prior spent with his energetic companion had left him tired enough to sleep for as many years as he was old. Grateful he was, however, for the spark of youth and innocence the youngun brought into his life.

Peaceful now was the darkness and cool breeze. Church smiled in his sleep as night’s silence waned into a singsong of birds. He hoped that come morning, he would slowly make his way down to his favorite spot on the creek and watch as the clouds rolled steadily throu-

“We don’t have all day!!!!” Looker’s phrase bounced a loud echo in Church’s Chortleshell, and he warily poked his head out to peep at his tail-wagging fawn friend. The rays of dawn were just beginning to brush the mossy trunks of the forest. Church let out a yawn and chuckled, “It seems we do. The day is just beginning.”

“Oh, it’s going to be so great!” Looker hopped up and down on his hooves. “What will we find today, Church? Do you think we’ll see another-er-er, ah! Anotherrr manly-bug?!”

“Ladyb-”

“The one we saw yesterday was so-o-o bright! And do you remember the berries by the meadow? And all those purple flowers! Wow! I’d never seen so many flowers like that, Church! And the way those, er, those! Those, ah, uh, er…” Looker paused for the briefest of moments before beginning to hop again, “Well let’s go, then! We’ll have a day of adventuring!” With that the young fawn sprang off through a bush, out of sight. Church smiled and stretched. Ah, to be so young and supple, he thought while slowly taking a step in the direction Looker had disappeared to. Then he heard loud hooves hitting the ground nearby, and Looker jumped back out from the bush, nearly landing on top of the old Chortle.

“Come on, come on, Church!” Looker enthusiastically sang. “Here, here, I’ll help you!” Church gave a small grunt as Looker nudged him onto a nearby large leaf. As his last leg landed on the veiny surface, Looker bit the stem and pulled, dragging the leaf and Church with it. “We’ll find so many mushrooms,” Looker tried to say through his clenched teeth. “And toads and birds and…”

Church nodded his head while Looker pulled and spoke. Ahead of him was sure to be another great day of friendship. He looked up at the flowering trees that were passing them by, closed his eyes, and listened to the sound of the weighted leaf dragging against dirt and gravel. So it goes, he thought, life moves without so much as an effort. As he opened his eyes, he saw the white spots on Looker’s arched back and remembered the fawns of the forest he had watched grow old in years past. Tears swelled into his vision and he smiled once more. What a peculiar beauty it is.

credits

Character, art, and coding by Bug
Story by Jade Childers (off-site)

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