The Prey and the Predator

Evoni, but a child, rose from her bed happily.
Now, in these days she had a simple mind, a childish happiness that smiled at anything and was easily pleased. This morning she was going to try and show Cedric just how much she had grown up. Everyday she had to call out to him to help her change, to brush her hair, to tie her shoes...
But she realised yesterday that he didnt seem too happy about always helping her, so she was going to try for herself this time.
When she raised herself from the bed and walked around the cold circular stone room to the drawers she walked on tiptoes the floor was too col for her sensitivity.
She found the first top closest to her in the draw, a jumper and black skirt. It took her much longer then she thought to put her topon . It was confusing at first, head through one hole, arm in another, and her other arm in another...how was she supposed to know which one went in which? But once she had succesfully put on the top, she could work out the grey jumper.
And the skirt was easy, she just had to step in it and pull it up...but still, when she put her thoughts into actions it seemed harder, she fell over three times onto the floor, each time crying out. And finally she stood in front of the mirror, proud that she was finally able to dress herself.
Truth was...after Cedric had tainted her memories, it was like Evoni's mind had been wiped clean, her thoughts...her memories of even the most basic of things... it had been 3 weeks now since she had moved in or as Cedric put it “Rescued” her. Everything in this world was so unsure to Evoni...nothing quiet seemed...real. Well, it did, but not right.
She was learning what objects were, what they were called, what they did and how they worked. She was a lot better now.
The only thing Evoni was sure of though was the fact that she cared for Cedric. She loved him... Well...at least she thought she did...even that she was unsure about...but those feelings still seemed more real then anything else in her life, so that was what she held on to.
She rushed out of the room, down the spiraled stairs of the tower where her room was until she reached the lond stretch of a stone corridor, the high ceiling held up with thick pillars. She skipped through it all...her feet echoing throughout the castle..
she came to a bend, followed it down until two large doors towered over her, it took all she had to push one open...

“Cedric! Cedric, Cedric, Cedric!!” she ran to him. “Look, look, I -!”
“You dressed yourself.” He sat back in his large arm chair by the empty fireplace. “Good, Evoni, You'll no longer need me to do that for you.” He turned back to his book.
Evoni faultered for a moment, she had expected...something a little more. But she smiled.
“What are you doing, Cedric-?”
“Reading, Child.”
She stood on tiptoes in front of him, trying to look over the book onto the pages.
“Evoni..you know I don't like you doing that.” he said dissaprovingly. Evoni moved and slipped under his arms holding the book and sat on his lap. She took the book out of his hands into her own.
“Whats this?” she trailed the letters
“Thats a language.” he sighed, he wasnt in the mood for teaching a first grader.
She frowned. “A language is something you speak, though.”
“Yes, and read, Evoni.” he took the book back out of her hands forcibly.
“Can you read to me?” she asked looking up at him, he laughed.
“You wouldnt understand half of what I would say. No, go along, Evoni, I'm busy today, go play.”
“But, I-”
“Evoni!” he hissed. Evoni jumped up, upset, she didnt mean to annoy him, she only wanted to play and be with him. He looked up at her for a moment, then sighed and smiled that heartwarming smile. “I love you, you know that.”
Evoni smiled and nodded, skipped out the door and closed it softly behind her as she went to play.
Cedric's smile faulted when she left. She was completely devoted to him, her whole life was centred just on him, and he knew it. It was all he needed, all he wanted in order to win this war. But then why was he so worried, so concerned that Evoni may fail him?
Had his powers on her mind start to fade? May be he should try again...

Evoni wondered through the castle...she just walked through the emptry corriders staring out the windows unto the grey half dead trees of the courtyard. From what she could see of the garden surounding the mighty stone castle that belonged to cedric, the ground always looked dry, but was murky damp whenever you stepped on it. The trees were looming and dark grey, always creaking in the wind... there was no colour, no fllowers, the only green that could be seen were the sicklly palid colours of the weeds growing by the castle. She walked her way through the garden and knelt in front of them. Ussually when she had to play by herself when cedric was to busy to, she would come here. Draw figures in the sand, fina a broken class or jar and attemp to make sand castles, though they always fel down and crumbled when she did.
Surrounding the grounds of the castle was the large tall metal gate...the metal was rusted, but still it held an authorative power that scared Evoni, she never went near it, all she knew was that she was scared of it, like she would get in trouble or be hurt if she came to close.
She looked out at the forest beyond it though... the trees almost grew higher then the castle, so large and towering... beautiful, a vivid green. When Evoni had first came out here they had hurt her, almost blinded her, it was one of the first times she had seen colour that she could remember. In the castle, everything was black and grey and white. With very few colours, and if there were any they were faded with age. Whenever she asked Cedric why there wasnt any he said simply that he hadnt been here for a long time, and that when she stayed there longer he would make sure the castle would be as lively and beautiful as possible.
Evoni turned to the sandy dirt in front of her, using a glass shard to dig a small trough. She had seen in one of Cedrics books he had left open a picture of a person putting seeds into soil. Evoni didnt have any seeds, but she'll get around to that once she had finished digging the hole.
She frose and her head snapped to the side...fear pounded through her. She stared out beyond the towering gate into the forest and from the shadows stepped out a monster. A whimpered scream came from her lips.
She had never seen something like it before. It had four legs, no arms, a odd body and head...with antlers.
Antlers? She asked herself...how could she describe a creature she had never seen before by a word that could only be associated with that animal? Instead of fear, curiousity flamed within her. Very slowly, very caughtiously she crawled through the dirt towards it, caking her legs and hands in dirty patches. She had seemed to have forgotten about the gate. How stupid of me, she thought. To be scared by a perimiter of a hunk of metal. The reason she had been scared about it was the notion of a fence – to keep something in, or something out. But there was nothing really to fear about it.
She reached the fence, both hands around two of the bars. Staring at the strange animal. It took a few careful steps towards her. Strange...its almost as if this animal is afraid that it will care me off...isnt ussually the other way round?
Evoni's head suddenly spun. All of her sudden her thoughts and reasoning within her mind had matured, along with knowledge she knew about how animals ussually interacted...
She stared at the Stag, and realised that it was very aware of her, not in a predatorial state, or a scared state, but in the way that it realised just who and what she was. It was intelligent.
She held out her hand through the gate as far as she could reach, it came towards her until his head was in touching distance, and he let her stroke her.
Evoni frowned, animals werent supposed to be this friendly...and...thought she knew that this creature was a stag she couldnt conjur up any images of them in her mind besides the one in front of her now. And even though she knew there were other animals out in the forest, she couldnt picture any of them.
“You look as though you have never seen an animal before.”
Evoni screamed in terror and reeled back, but too fast for her and she fell. She had only just learnt how to walk again, but running? No not that was too beyond her at the moment, not under the pressure of fear.
“Yo- you're not supposed to talk!” she yelled, frantic, she couldnt handle this.
“Calm, little one, calm. I'm hear to help you.”
Evoni just sat there, in the dirt staring up at it. It didnt make sense, none of it...
The creature sighed... “How strange.” it said. “You were able to take Conan talking very calmly, and that was before you were even introduced into the supernatural world...why is it so different now...?” it took another step towards her, coming even closer to the gate.
Evoni stuttered a scream and tried to scramble back. She should never, never have gone near the gate!
The stag looked at her thoughtfully. “I am not going to hurt you child...please, trust me.”
Evoni just stared, to afraid, to scared to even move, to make a sound. The something dawned on the stag's face.
“What have they done to you?” it asked. “What sort of mind control have they used on you? Evoni? Evoni!” She jumped at hearing her name
“H-how...how do you know my name?” she cried.
“I know a lot about you, we all do.” The stag stared. “This changes many things...Evoni? Do you know who you're staying with? Could you please tell? I would very much like to know?”
Evoni stood up slowly, a little less afraid, but still didnt approach the fence. The stag was suddenly speaking very nice to her, she smiled.
“Would you like to come inside?” she asked. “I could show you, he's really nice, and-”
“Do you know his name?” The stag cut it.
“Of course, but you should really meet him! He's really kind and...he rescued me, did you know?”
“Rescued you?”
“Uh-huh. I was lost in the forest...i...i don't how. But I was, and he found me and I was sick so he made me better.”
The stag watched her curiously. He had seen these affects on children before. It was the younger ones that were overpowered so easily by the affects of mind control. She had the mind of a simplistic child, though the potential to be so much more...
The Stag was a magnificant creature, who had been around for sometime and was very wise and new much about magics... the question was, just how strong was the person who had bewitched Evoni? Who was it who would do that? What were there reasons and just how strong a being were they?
From all her had heard about Evoni, she was a strong willed person, who was not easily overcome...plus she wasnt human, she was an Eribus child...for a person to pull a blind over Evoni's eyes to the point where she couldnt recognize an animal, had forgotten all her basic memories and feelings, they had to be extremely powerful...a noblest vampoire perhaps? Or maybe a Siren wanting her as a companion? Even a powerful Daemon...He had to find out before arranging plans with Alistair to claim her back.
Because all those creature each had a right to their own find...it meant a lot of formalities if Alistair had to claim back his human fledging off another species.
“Evoni...do you mind if we become friends?” The stag asked smiling.
The only way this was going to work meant a lot of effort on his behalf to learn all her could from Evoni. Evoni had the mind of a child at the moment, so he unfortunately had to treat her like one.
“...Friends?”
“Yes, Friends. It means we like one another and are nice. Play together, that sort of thing.”
“You'll play with me?” she brightened up.
“Yes. And i'll talk to you so you don't get bored.”
“Really? You would really do that?” The stag nodded. Evoni jumped up. “Yes! Let's be friends, when can I next see you?”
“How about tommorrow? When you come out of the castle I'll be around here, at any time of the day. Would you like that?”
“Yes, please...but what else does being friends mean?”
“It means you're happy to be in there company, I guess.”
“Oh...” she looked down.
“Child, I must leave now, but will you do something for me?” he asked. “Will you keep a secret from me? Thats something else friends do, they help each other.”
“Oh, ok...yess, i'll help you, i'll keep a secret.”
“Don't tell anyone that you saw me here, ok? I only want to be your friend, So I don't want other people to know about me. Lets keep our friendship a secret, ok?”
“Ok!” she smiled and ran off back into the castle.

Evoni trottered back into the library, it was after Midnight...nearly time for lunch. Cedric had taught her only to get up when the sun had set. When she came into the library the frist thing she heard was Cedric's dissaproving tone.
“Evoni, have you been in the garden again? I can smell the soil.” he turned around and froze when he saw her. “EVONI! You're covered in filth, you know not to get so messy!” Come here, now!”
Evoni looked at him, scared. She had gotten dirty, completely covered in it. She slowly made her way over to him.
“I'm sorry, I-”
“What is this?” he grabbed her wrist, she cried out. “Child, why would you do this? Come with me!”
He pulled her all the way back to her room which led to the bathroom, he started the water in the bath.
“I thought I could leave you to yourself for one day. Obviously not. Get in.”
She frowned at him. “I would'nt have gotten so dirty if you had taken time to play with me for a change.”
Cedric faultered. This was the first time Evoni had dared back talk to him. Had ever defied or questioned him. “Excuse me?” he answered chillingly.
“I just want to be with you, Cedric.” Evoni whined. “But you're always busy and, and..”
He pulled her close and smiled. “Now, child, you know I care for you, very much. But you know I'm very busy, don't you?”
Evoni nodded, not looking at him.
“And do you know the reason why you are angry at me? Why you always want to be with me?” She shook her head. “It's because you care about me very much too. Now, be a good girl and get in the water.” she slowly slipped in the the water not looking at him. Only nodding.
“Im sorry.” she said.
“Thats allright, stay here for a moment, i'll be right back.” she nodded.
When he went out of the room, Evoni thought about the Stag...what he had said about friends. Cedric wasnt a friend.