The next day, Nevaeh was out early. She couldn't help herself from pulling her way out of the burrow and almost bounding to the hiding place that she had found. It took her a little while to find the exact place that she had snuck in. Once she found it she pulled herself forward with the branches and twigs started to pull at her fur. She shrugged it out before she looked around, hopeful to see Barrow again.

    Sure enough, the young stag leaped through the brush that he had the day prior and brightened when he saw Nevaeh. He romped toward her and leaped over the stream easily before walking over to her. "I hope you haven't gotten into much trouble when I've been gone," Nevaeh told him.

    "Why would you think that," Barrow asked, feigning suddenly abashed.

    Nevaeh snorted a bit in amusement. "How about the fact that you're favoring one hoof," she questioned as she flicked her own hoof toward his right front off.

    Embarrassment seemed to spread trough Barrow as he flung his head a bit to the side. "It's nothing," he reassured quickly. "I just trotted on a thorn and it wedged between my hoof. I can't reach it." He seemed to mumble in his chest fur so that Nevaeh hardly heard him.

    Her gaze flickered down before she lowered her head. Surprise flashed in Barrow's eyes as he watched her. "What are you doing," he asked as he lifted his painful hoof quickly.

    "Stand still," Nevaeh commanded him as she reached her neck around and saw exactly where the thrown was, pressed deep inside a gap between his hoof and flesh. Her neck craned ever so slightly as she grasped the thorn strongly in her teeth and yanked it out quickly before Barrow could pretest.
   
    Barrow gasped in surprise as he flicked his hoof, beads of blood falling on the grass. He set it down and let out a sigh of relief. "That's much better! Thank you."

    Nevaeh spat out the thorn and flicked her stubby tail. "Of course. I didn't think that a thorn could take you down, but  I guess I was wrong."

    "Well, it was a pretty mighty thorn," Barrow pointed out, trying to keep his voice serious.

    The broke out laughing almost hysterically before Barrow suddenly halted and swung his head around to Nevaeh, who was still laughing. "Shhh!"

    Nevaeh had never heard him use a tone like that and it frightened her. She did as she was told before Barrow started to coral her back toward the brush. "Barrow, what are you doing," she asked in alarm.

    "Shhh! Get back," Barrow commanded once again with his rack almost pressing against Nevaeh's chest. While he barely had anything there, it was still the motion that was fearful. She jumped into the brush with Barrow doing the same. They stayed there, absolutely silent, watching for trouble.

    Sure enough, a mature looking dark brown furred canine crept forward. It lifted it's head into the air and it's gaze pivoted around. It began to prowl in the fawns' direction and Nevaeh found herself shaking while she pressed her head into Barrow's shoulder. Barrow stayed as still as a stone, nothing showing on his gaze as he seemed to wait patiently for it all to pass.

    The canine was almost upon them when there was the sound of rushing leaves elsewhere as if squirrels were scurrying around the undergrowth. The canine gave up on stalking Barrow and Nevaeh and turned to track what was making all the noise and what might be easier to pick out. It charged out of their hiding spot, but Nevaeh didn't move until Barrow gave the all clear.

    "Alright, I think that we're good," Barrow reassured as Nevaeh's head was still pressed against his shoulder a she breathed hard in alarm.

    She opened one eye and turned her head toward him. "H-How can you be so sure," she stammered.

    Barrow chuckled as he touched his nose gingerly to her ear. "I just know. Come on, I'll show you," he replied as he rose to his full height.

    Nevaeh removed her head from his shoulder and reluctantly rose to her hooves. Fear still prickled on ever fur ending, but she couldn't let Barrow know that. The young buck had leaped over the stream and was waiting for Nevaeh to join him.

    She reluctantly did so on wobbly legs as if she was a newborn fawn. It embarrassed her, but to her relief, Barrow said nothing about it. She leaped over the stream and nearly stumbled in before leaning forward and bringing herself out of it, breathing heavily in alarm.

    "It's alright," Barrow consoled. His voice was gentle and warm and held no malice or frustration at having to reassure Nevaeh. "Now, feel your hooves against the ground."

    Nevaeh looked down and tilted her head in confusion. "If course they're on the ground. They're always on the ground," she pointed out.

    Barrow couldn't help but let out a low snort of amusement. "Yes, but you have to feel the vibrations underneath you," he instructed.

    Nevaeh tried her best, but all she could feel was that her hooves were touching the ground. She sighed as she spun her head to him and shook her head. "I can't feel anything," she confessed in embarrassment.

    "I have an idea," Barrow announced excitedly. "First, close your eyes and just focus on feeling anything with your hooves."

    Neveah's eyes rounded. "Barrow-"
   
    "Just trust me," he broke in with his head slightly inclined forward. "Trust me."

    Nevaeh nodded as she stood firm, her hooves pressed almost into the dirt on the ground. Barrow seemed to scamper away as she closed her eyes and just focused on her hooves. It only took a moment before she felt the ground vibrating underneath her as if someone was coming. She turned around and saw Barrow leaping and drumming his hooves against the ground, far enough away that she couldn't directly hear him, but she had felt the vibrations ripple through the ground.

    "I felt it," she announced proudly.

    Barrow bounded back over to her and nudged her good naturally. "See! I knew that you would get it. Sometimes feeling with our hooves like that is better than trying to see, smell, or hear something going on. It's another sense that we have."
   
    Awe sparked through Nevaeh as she lifted her hoof as if to examine it. She nodded slowly and beamed. "I understand," she announced. "You make a pretty good teacher."

    Barrow shrugged. "I'm not sure about that. You're just an exceptional learner if you ask me," he replied with an almost bashful smile.

    Nevaeh laughed once more before she snuffed her hooves against the ground, knowing that she should be getting back. "I should probably go before my Mama wakes up and finds me gone," she told him gravely.

    Barrow expression seemed to fade to disappointment. "Can we meet up again tomorrow?"

    "You bet," Nevaeh announced while bounding out of the hiding spot with spirits high and hope sparked.