The first step

The stag thankfully did not appear to see Lumi's flush and she silently thanked the stars. That would have been so embarrassing! He said her name was beautiful and the young doe gave a small thank you in the form of a head tilt that cause her bow to ripple lightly at the fringe of her neck.

The man told a story about himself, that he had been here for four years now, and that he didn't remember his birth place, but like hers, it was far from here. "I'm sure you can tell, but I'm also from somewhere far away," she offered, feeling the need to support him somehow as his voice dipped into sadness. He also said there were more deer, but none that could hold a conversation like her. Lumi gave a small, warm smile, taking it for a simple compliment and not meaning that the other deer of this land couldn't speak at all. He said he was the last of his kind, that the rest of his herd returned to his birthplace. Lumi thought on that for a while, her eyes downcast. "My mothers want me to return after a year," she admitted. "I'm... not sure about it yet." Her eyes lit up to the staggering stag. She debated for a moment on whether to voice what was in her mind, but eventually gave in to her curiosity.

"I'm not sure I have the right to ask, and you do not have to answer, but... what made you stay here?"