Déa & Lotta

The sun was at its highest. The light was intense.

Déa was lying next to me. She was sunbathing. Her doe eyes were closed. Her breathing was deep. She was more peaceful than I had ever seen her before. She knew I was there to watch out.

We had gone through a last couple of intense months. Running away constantly. Being on the lookout. Living on the edge. We had to take decisions fast, watch our backs ceaselessly, cover our tracks tirelessly.

We had learned to understand each other perfectly, guide one another into the midst of possible dangers and assess every decision carefully.

We had made it through this rough time. It was all over now. We were safe.

We now knew that we had each other forever. I had never trusted anyone like that before. We knew if one fell, the other one would carry her. We knew that if one was sleeping, the other would guard. We shared a powerful bond Déa and I.

-

It all started one morning of September. I was going to the river with my mother. We would always go there in the summer. This year, the summer had decided to last longer. The weather was warm, the winds were mellow. We had decided to carry on our summer ritual and enjoy taking a bath in this beautiful place. It was surrounded with trees. A few massive English oaks, some common chestnuts and countless birch trees. My favorite spot was to lay under the weeping willow.

My mother went in first. I had decided to take it slowly, especially because my right leg hurt a little. On my way there I had jumped on rocks and almost missed one. There was a serene atmosphere. Birds were singing their last songs. Insects were buzzing around us. A couple of dragonflies were showing off their colors. My mother was enjoying the fresh water, relaxing. She was so beautiful.

I was about to get in the water when suddenly, a fresh breeze passed through. The birds stopped singing at once. The dragonflies disappeared. Even the insects had become quieter. The birds flew away in unison. I stopped breathing. I looked at my mother. She yelled at me: “They are here. They are coming for us. Run”.

It took me a few seconds to understand what was going on. I had to run. I had to get out of here as soon as possible. I stared at my mother. I could not leave without her. She shouted: “Lotta. Go. Now. I will catch up. You know what to do”. I did what I was told. I ran.

My mother had warned me before. She lived in constant fear. I always though she was a little paranoid. I had never thought for a second that she could actually be threatened. She was so strong. I also thought that even if she were in hiding, she was so clever that she would always find a way to escape them.

I ran. The trees seem to be so close to one another now. Were they always that close? I ran faster. A few branches wiped my face. My leg was now bleeding. My mother had taught me to cover my tracks but what was I supposed to do now? Should I get to the hiding spot or should I stop and fix my wound? I had no time to decide. What would my mother have done?

The hideout was close now, I decided to carry on and I would fix my wound there. The entrance was hidden behind heavy branches. Mostly brambles. I scratched my skin getting in. I was in. All I had to do now was stop the bleeding and wait for my mother.

A few minutes went by and nothing. I could not hear exactly what was going on outside. I was not supposed to panic, my mother had explained. But that was impossible. How many minutes had gone by? Even if she had taken a longer path, she was supposed to be there. I could not see the sun in here. I lost track of time.

Suddenly I heard some noise. Finally. She was getting in. I called: “Mom are you ok?”. A voice muttered: “Help me”. But that was not my mother. I could not stand it anymore. I decided to go against the rules and check out who it was.

That poor thing was hurting I could see blood. I decided to help her. Once she was in, she began crying. Her name was Déa. She had run away too. These people were looking for her as well. She said they had shot her mother.

I was petrified. Where was my mother? Who were they? Did they also shoot her? What was going on? Why were these people after us? The hours went by. Déa had rested a little. We were beginning to get hungry. There was nothing to eat inside.

After a few hours of sleep, I decided to take a look outside. It was now early morning. Nothing was alerting. Everything was still yet tranquil. We were now starving Déa and I. She was still covered in blood. I decided to go and get some food. Berries, fruits, even shoots of trees. Anything I could find.

I found a lot. I took everything I could back to her. We had our first little feast that day.

The days went by. We had decided to get out in the early mornings and stay in the hideout otherwise. One day we went all the way to the river. We searched the place. There was no trace of her. My mother had disappeared. I started crying. I was shaking. I could not see anything with the tears in my eyes. I could not stop. Déa kindly took care of bringing me back. We were all we got now.

-

The weeks went by. It was getting colder and colder. We were always on the lookout. Flocks of birds were our alert. As soon as we would hear them leaving in unison, we would run to our hideout. It was exhausting. It was nerve-racking.

I took care of her wounds. When we gathered food, I would always leave the best parts for her. When I was sad, she would always cheer me up. We covered each other’s tracks. We made silly faces when encountering other animals. We did not leave each other's sides at any time.

When we were inside, we allowed ourselves to lighten up. Déa was a lot of fun to be around. We told each other stories. We invented games. We laughed until we fell asleep, worn out by our intense days.

-

Winter went by. Temperatures were getting warmer. Buds were blooming. The forest had started to feel safer. Nature blossomed fast. Our spots were completely gone. Our coat colors became brighter. Our tails became shiner. My right leg was now completely healed. I had a perfect hoof to support it. We could finally relax. We knew we would have each other no matter what. Déa was my sister now.