noticed before, but now, she could distinctly hear other voices nearby, calling out the name 'Raven'. The doe lowered her head apologetically. Geno noticed this and tried to walk past her again. But the doe blocked his path with an outstretched leg.
 

"I'll make you a deal." She said calmly. "You let me join your herd, and I'll help you find your little brother." She straightened up proudly. "Have we got an agreement?"
 

Geno rolled his eyes and made a face. This doe was strong minded and refused to be pushed around. Just what I need, Geno thought to himself. Another doe to tell me what to do.

"What's your name?" He finally asked.
 

"Tobiano."


"Well, Tobiano...what are the odds of you leaving me alone until you get your way?" He asked with a semi-friendly smirk.
 

Tobiano just smiled.
 

Several minutes later, Geno was back to his search. Only this time, Tobiano was at his side, calling out Raven's name along with him. Suddenly, Gurri bounded into view with Syndica close behind her.
 

"Find anything?" Gurri asked as she approached her brother.
 

"Well..." Geno started. But before he could finish, Tobiano popped up from behind.
 

"He found me!" She beamed, her tail curled proudly over her back.
 

Gurri and Syndica looked at the doe, then looked at each other with raised brows. It was Gurri who spoke up.
 

"Uh...who's this?" She asked her brother.
 

"This is Tobiano. Tobiano, this is my sister Gurri and my---uh...her friend, Syndica." Geno tripped over his words, not knowing what Syndica was---or would ever be--- to him.
 

Syndica merely looked down at the new doe with disgust and turned away rudely, flicking an ear. Gurri narrowed her eyes.
 

"What herd do you belong to?" The buckskin doe inquired suspiciously.
 

"Geno said I could join this herd." Tobiano said with a nod, smiling at Geno. "Isn't that right?"
 

Gurri chuckled. "Did he now?" She looked at her brother, grinning devilishly. "Gee, I wonder how mom is gonna react to this decision."
 

Tobiano glared at Geno. "Your MOM? I thought you said your dad put you in charge of the herd?" She questioned.
 

Geno grunted in distaste. "He DID put me in charge of the herd! He just...didn't put me in charge of mom..." He looked back up at his sister angrily. "But I'm sure mom won't mind considering Tobiano's helping us find Raven."
 

"Well, unless someone finds him soon I doubt Faline will be in a good enough mood to allow ANY outsider in the herd." Syndica barked with malice. "No matter how 'pretty' the young Prince thinks she is." She growled with even more jealousy.
 

Geno gave an annoyed laugh and threw his head back in frustration. "Oh, come ON, Syndi! It's not even like that!"
 

"Yeah!" Tobiano broke in. "Besides, I'm not even attracted to him." She eyes Geno up and down with distaste.
 

"Pfff..." Gurri snorted trying to keep in a laugh.
 

Geno glared at them both. "Thank you. Now if you're all done ganging up on me..."
 

"Yeah, y'all, what's happenin'?" Wylee came out of the bushes, grinning like an idiot. "Oooh-ee, I feel good---oh my damn!" He stopped when he noticed Geno. "What the hell happened to you?"
 

Geno frowned and rolled his eyes. "I had a less-than-successful fight."
 

Wylee smiled. "Big boy kicked yo' ass, huh?" Wylee then looked at Gurri. "Does that mean you got some?"
 

"Oh shut up Wylee." Gurri snapped.
 

Wylee laughed. "I take that as a no. As for me..." He sighed. "I got mine."
 

Suddenly, River appeared, her head-fur in a mess. 
 

"Wylee, who're you talking t...oh..." Her eyes bulged upon seeing her siblings. "Hey guys! What's up?"
 

Geno, Gurri and Syndica gasped, their jaws on the ground. Tobiano smiled and raised both brows suggestively. She wasn't really sure who any of these deer were, but they sure seemed fun.
 

Geno spoke first. "Wylee! With my little sister???"
 

Gurri spoke next. "River rutted BEFORE me?!?!" She turned and kicked Geno in the knees.
 

Geno howled in pain and sunk into the dirt. "AAHHHH!! What was that for?!?!" He yelled.
 

Gurri pointed to Wylee and River. "Because THAT'S your fault, you big jerk! If you weren't so busy sticking your nose in MY business, you'd have been able to protect your LITTLE sister from your perverted friend!!"
 

"I'm NOT little anymore!" River shouted.
 

"Hey, if anything, your little sister here is the pervert." Wylee shrugged.
 

River shot him an angry glare.
 

"What does that mean?" Geno sneered.
 

"It means your sister's a freak..." He sang playfully, laughing when River head butted him gently in the shoulder.
 

"HEY!" Syndica roared, making everyone jump and look at her. "I think we're all forgetting the mission here! Raven is still missing and we have to find him!"
 

River gasped. "Raven's missing?"
 

Syndica stood tall  and dominant in front of the herd. "Now here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna pair off and sweep the entire forest all the way to Northern Point. Gurri, you come with me. Wylee, you and River take the new one, and Geno, you stay on the path you were on before little miss fancy-coat barged in. Is that understood?"
 

No one felt like challenging Syndica's orders. When it came to being in charge and giving orders, Syndica was always the most organized. Obediently, the groups went their separate ways and continued the search.
 

"I like this herd." Tobiano gushed. "It's exciting."
 

River smiled in a friendly manner at the newcomer.
 

Wylee simply shook his head. "You think it's exciting now. Wait. It gets better."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

Eric ripped at his own hair frantically, his eyes locked on the free-loading deer.
 

"WHAT IS THIS?!" Eric squeaked out, shaking.
 

"Well...he's  a deer, Eric..." Tommy said slowly. "A white-tailed deer."
 

"WHY IS IT IN THE HOUSE??"
 

"He was on the porch with Frostbite when I came home. So I let him in and he jumped on the couch." Tommy hugged the buck lovingly. "His name is Popcorn!"
 

"You NAMED it?"
 

"Do ya think Aunt Sally will let me keep him?"
 

"Of course not, it's a wild animal! Get it out of the house, now!!" Eric pointed frantically towards the door.
 

"But he wants to stay here!" Tommy argued. "I wanna bring him to show and tell tomorrow!"
 

"Are you INSANE???" Eric screamed. "Sally's gonna blame ME for this!" He shakily held out his hand. "C'mon, Tommy. Get away from it."
 

"No!" Tommy held the bucks neck tighter. "He's my friend."
 

"He probably has Lyme disease!"
 

"He does not!"
 

"Oh yeah? How do you know?"
 

Tommy held his head up proudly. "Because I tried to feed him the limes in the fridge and he wouldn't eat them. So there."
 

Eric was too excited at the time to even contemplate the childish innocence of Tommy's answer. The older boy simply stood there, jaw agape. And then, he noticed the truck pulling into the driveway.
 

"Oh...oh no...She's home! She's gonna kill me!" He quickly flew down the hall and opened the back door. He returned to the living room and nervously approached the little spotted buck. He clapped his hands together and began shouting at the deer. "SHOO! GO ON! GET OUT OF HERE!! HYYYAAA!!!"
 

The buck looked up at Eric boredly and belched up some cud, chewing contently. Eric flopped his arms down and groaned.
 

"Stupid deer. You want my Aunt to kill me, don't you?"
 

The deer continued to chew. Tommy sighed and slid off the couch.
 

"Fine. I'll get him out." He looked at the buck. "C'mon Popcorn. You have to go home now."
 

Instantly, the deer got up, hopped off the couch, stretched, and followed the boy down the hall. Eric quickly ran to the front. Sally was pulling groceries out from the back of the truck.
 

"Hey!" She called when she noticed him on the porch. "You wanna come help me?"
 

Eric ran to the side of the truck and began pulling bags out slowly, looking over his shoulder to see if the deer had passed the house yet.
 

"You alright?" Sally quipped. "You look like you just saw a ghost."
 

Eric smiled nervously at his Aunt. "I'm fine. Nothing wrong here. Did you get your hair done? Because you look like..." Eric paused, seeing the reflection of the deer in the side-view mirror. "CRAP!" He turned quickly to see the deer lumbering across the highway and into the park. He sighed in relief.
 

"Excuse me?"