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Finally... everything was quiet. The sun was setting and the fawns had all gone home. The couples went off to find their little hidey-holes and the chatterers have gone off to rest up for another day of chattering. Vatican lounged in the shade beneath his tree, his single eye closed as he meditated. The heather under the tree grew tall everywhere, except for where Vatican lay, as always, unmoving. A soft breeze rustled through the leaves over head and moved the clouds quickly across the sky, which was tinted red by the dying sun. It would be a perfect day for contemplating the complexities of existence.

Time passed by neither quickly nor slowly, for Vatican had no mind to ponder its passing. Instead, he allowed his mind to wander, to be captivated by his guardian, regaled by stories of their dead breed. How queer they had been, he thought as he tried to grasp these concepts of science and religion that his guardian so often discussed. When the new information came to be too much, he recited poetry to relax and order his thoughts, quietly speaking aloud, "

Vatican knew there was someone near by- he could hear their hooves in the grass. Nevertheless, his eye remained closed, hoping that they could just be on their way and not interrupt his musing. Usually those who approached him were overly friendly or overly obstinate, neither of which were qualities that he particularly enjoyed. It was with slight surprise that his ears perked at a simple question that he had not been expecting. No one had ever been interested in his poetry before. Pausing for a moment to master his surprise, Van's single eye peeled open slowly and he looked up at the hind who had so callously approached him, "It is of my own creation... yes."

He looked her over in curiosity. While the markings and flowers that graced her body were pretty, it was her eyes that were truly captivating. "Though once shared... are any words ever truly our own?" he continued with a slightly misty tinge to his voice, still somewhat lost in the meditative state he had been so deeply in only moments prior.

If it was possible, Vatican would have looked utterly shocked with surprise. Someone... with a shred of intelligence to their name. This was a first- a magnificent first. Had he not so long ago trapped every emotion into a steel cage at the back of his mind, Van might have actually been pleased. Instead, the only outward show of any sort of appreciation was an interested gleam in his eye and a slight pulling at one side of his mouth that may have been called a smile. "And yet words themselves are such an enigma... for they are only as important as we make them out to be. Language is such a strange discovery... or is it an invention?" Van pondered half to himself, though he spoke the words as though he were asking the universe rather than anyone in particular.

He watched as the hind looked from the sky and back to him, her new question entirely unrelated to the rest of the conversation. After a moment's thought, Vatican replied, "I am home wherever my mind is... but... I do reside in this particular spot for a great deal of time compared to others." After another few seconds of pondering, Van decided that this hind might actually be worth a question. He usually did not inquire things of other herla for their answers tended to lack ingenuity or any sort of intellect whatsoever, but this hind... perhaps she would not disappoint. "And what of you? What is your definition of home?"

Vatican listened quietly, wondering about this... swampland. He would have liked to know more. Van enjoyed collecting knowledge and this hind not only seemed to have a lot of it, but she also seemed willing to part with it. "Fascinating... a swamp..." he mumbled as he nodded to her comment about the lack of interruptions. "As much as I enjoy solitude, it seems as though there is a lot to learn from observing the world as it is. Which is why I sit here, at a cross-roads of sorts."

Her next few comments seemed to catch him off guard again... enough so that he had to take a few moments to ponder his reply before he gave one. "I am... pleasantly surprised. I have not often, if ever, encountered someone quite as.... intellectually stimulating. Plus, it is pleasant that for once a herla isn't trying to test out my claim that I am unable to feel pain by kicking me," he said with almost bored nonchalance, as was usual for him.

Vatican would have signed inwardly if it hadn’t been entirely his fault that this was now a subject of discussion again. He grew weary of such inquiries quickly; for they always ended the same way- they didn’t believe him and wanted to test the theory. But, again, it was his fault for mentioning it in the first place, and he replied with all due patience, “Through extensive meditation I have developed the ability to feel no pain… along with any other mortal urges. I do not grow hungry, thirsty, or weary. Yes, I do eat, drink, and sleep- but on my own terms, not when my body wishes me to. It comes in handy if I am pondering a particularly complex problem and do not wish to wander off in search of sustenance.”

Vatican blinked- this hind was just full or surprises. She was quiet, contemplative, intelligent... what pleasant company! Goodness, he never thought he'd say that... pleasant company... what a strange notion. As she looked at the tree, a weeping willow, he observed he flowers adorning her body. They reminded him so much of something he had seen before, but he could not put his hoof on it. After a few moments of pondering, Van voiced his idea aloud, "Your flowers... are reminiscent of something... I feel as though I have seen something similar before..."

Vatican nodded as the answer was given. Of course! Pumpkins. Why hadn't he thought of that? He liked to believe he was well-versed in botany, his guardian having given him many lessons on the topic. Ah well, no use dwelling over what has passed. Pondering for a moment he turned his head to stare off into the distance as he replied, "A pumpkin patch... a few hills over I believe. I am not sure how it looks now..." The words trailed off and a slight curiosity itched in his hooves- he wondered what was there now...

Vatican blinked at her question, surprised not that she asked, but that he might want to say yes. He almost never wanted to leave his tree... It just sometimes happened. Turning to look at her for a moment, he finally just shrugged and replied nonchalantly, "Certainly... why not? Would do me well to refresh my memory on the details of said plant..." Trailing off, he looked down at his hooves, wondering how well they would hold him up; it had been a few days since he had stood up. With a soft sigh, he closed his eye and bunched up his muscles, lifting himself up with a sharp exhale. His body was petite, almost emaciated, but that's what one gets for not eating when they should. He stood for a moment, then stretched slowly and began to walk slowly but primly along the edge of the trees, towards a nearby hill, "This way..."