Glancing everywhere around the hallway, I creep across to the armoire. It’s not that tall… but I hope my antlers aren’t visible. My antlers fit behind it alright, but I never can judge how tall they are. I close my eyes and listen, hearing Ever’s wings brush against the wall as she slips into her favorite hiding place. I giggle, because I know dad won’t check there, as she was there last time. She usually switches it up, so I admire her strategy.

As for me, it’s hard to find anywhere that will hide my antlers. I hope this armoire is big enough…

And then I hear footsteps.

I focus on quieting my breathing. Hide and seek is hard enough with us having to hide our horns and wings, but on top of that, Dad has super great hearing. Closing my eyes, I focus in on my animal. I know it’s risky to turn on my senses, because my sense of self diminishes unless I’m very, very angry. I do become colorblind as well, but that’s minor.

The good thing about my senses as a deer is that I can see 200 yards further, I can sense movement, and I can smell you from half a mile away. I smell Dad coming closer, and I restrain myself from giggling. This armoire holds our oldest china plates, they’re actually from the Human world. They’re from the same time as the pact, around… 2 centuries ago. In their time, they’re over 3 millennium old.

The point is, they’re really, really old. And they smell. So it’s making it harder and harder to smell dad every time I think about them, because my senses focus in on them. I decide to move away from them, and away from dad. Most hiding places Ever likes, I can’t fit into, so I head into the Hall of Remembrance, hoping to find another place to hide.

Footsteps echo off to the left, and I know he’s in the parlor. I turn my senses down, because my power is specifically connecting with my animal, and I need to be able to focus. I creep into the hallway, looking behind me, and walking to the Hall of Remembrances.

“Oof”. It’s an involuntary sound, caused when I ran into someone. I look up, immediately shriveling away from her gaze. I look down at my bare feet and repeat what I’ve been taught my whole life.

“Good afternoon Your Highness, to what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?”