Garden Of Hearts

Chapter 1: Call to Adventure

A/N: This is a new collab with TheFartingRabbit.

It was a chilly autumn eve, the mildew dripping from the dying leaves - they burst in brilliant reds and oranges. The fog was now fading under the last rays of the sun, although none of its warmth filled the atmosphere, only the lingering chill of the fog could be felt.

Amongst the mist a small faun sat on a fence belonging to a pasture that connected to a quaint little farmhouse, rustic in appearance. Glass and logs created it's form; yet the faun would not dare to go near it nor dare to cross over the fence on which he sat, for the masters of the house would not be pleased in such disobedience to the rules of the land. So he sat in a bundle with a book in his fuzzy lap only being able to dream what real freedom from captivity would be.

Oh how he longed to know the forest, streams and mountains that surrounded their lodge no matter how many times he was told it could never be; it never stopped him from dreaming. In his mind he was free. One day he'd leave that place but today was not the day, but one day he'd be brave enough to leave the fence that bound him. One day.

"Brett, come in for breakfast!"

A woman's voice called out into the pasture for him. He honestly felt like a family pet rather than a living being. However, he considered himself lucky considering most other sheep or goat folk were treated as livestock, so maybe it was by grace that he was treated lovingly. He carefully closed the leather bound book then hopped down to trot to the barn where the mistress of the house waited with the food.

"Good morning, Mrs. Wilson" The faun smiled as he approached the lady. His stride was cautious yet he carried a careless attitude that said he was his own master despite the figurative chains he wore.

"Good morning," she smiled before growing more somber, "I saw you on the fence young faunling. What about those woods that starve your curiosity, I do so wonder?"

Brett sensed it was a trick question meant to cause him to stumble into a trap, yet, his lady seemed too kind for such petty ways. Thus he thought it would be the cruel mister who set up his mistress to ask such a thing.

"Nothing about it starves my curiosity. I am merely admiring its beauty. I am sure you also admire its beauty during these lonely and chilly mornings. Despite its beauty, I also know its dangers along with being fully aware that I am only a simple faun with no hope of survival in such a place. The safety here is much more comforting than a certain death out there." The faunling assured with a lie, but he saw something in the mistress's eyes that he'd never seen before: Fear.

As quickly as her eyes showed the unknown emotion it disappeared once she caught the stern look of her husband which made the women hide such a look behind a smile but her eyes could not lie. They were as the leather bound book with the words flying from the pages.

The elegant woman carefully ruffled the fauns hair then brushed it back behind his ears to fix what she had messed up before wiping her delicate hands on her silky apron, "Go run off and enjoy your breakfast my dear. Don't idle around there is always work to be done."

Brett slowly nodded as he grasped the bagel and the jam into his small hands, then quickly trotted off. His mind whirled. This was very strange indeed, the thought let him furrow his brows.

They knit together as the gears in his head turned furiously trying to figure out what the meaning of the look was. It was entirely new to his knowledge but not everything is seen but rather hidden amongst the light; not everything that seemed to be good was good. Some masks hid something more sinister. At least that was what Brett found himself believing, especially after the strange encounter he had.