Alright so…I’ve been wanting to write about Darcy’s past since I joined here, but I’ve never been much of a story teller ^^’ He ’does’ have one! A vivid one, too, in my head…so it’s sad not to at least get SOME of it out there. Recently I’ve had some severely backed up muse and a strong desire to write though so…ta da? XD I don’t think it’s all that great, it sorta just spewed out in the most unorganized fashion and never got a flow to it BUT it’s out there so I feel good! Even if only one or two people will read it. That wasn’t really the point :3! For once…lol.

SO without further delay, I give you the first ‘chapter’ of Before the Chrysalis. It may be the only chapter too XD Who knows! Also, I’ll probably ‘decorate’ this later, I just want to post it in a hurry before I tlak myself out of it :3

~________-----------Ch. 1----------________~

Zharie was the most beautiful thing young eyes could behold...

What did a mere child know of beauty? Well, they knew Zharie. Svelte, graceful, kind…her green eyes always smiling. Darcy saw a glimmer of light amidst darkness as he watched the young doe frolic at the water’s edge. Her face lit up as she peered into the crystal clear flow of the stream bed, her flushed lips parted in wonder. Admiring the sparkling scales of minnows as the darted beneath the surface no doubt. It was one of Darcy’s favorite activities, after all, and knowing she enjoyed the same made the young stag’s heart flutter in his chest.

What was that, that feeling? So light…so free!

He leaned in closer, ever so careful not to disturb the leafy brush he hid behind. This was becoming far too common a practice. What was he doing? But he couldn’t resist. His young heart ached for the most natural things being denied it. Company…no, companionship. For someone to smile at him the way she smiled at…her friends. She was not alone. Two other young does stood near her, laughing and filling the void of silence with senseless chattering. Zharie didn’t mind the silence…he’d watched her time and time again on her own, reveling in it, dancing to its noiseless sound.
The same way he did.
But she didn’t seem to mind it, giggling along with them, splashing and hopping the stream, dancing like a fish and other silly things. Darcy’s eyes barely strayed to the others as the practiced the same activities. They were pretty, sure - Zharie rarely ever kept unattractive company- but nothing compared to her loveliness. Their hearts were not so pure.

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He remembered the first time he met the young doe. Curled in the tall grasses near the giant rock faces, he nursed his wounds. More hard lessons learned, a little more of his spirit broken, the unwilling student suffered in the silence he’d been forced into. A warrior of The Gods…what a joke.
Footsteps.
He tensed and flattened his oversized ears as he lifted his head, expecting the return of his ‘teacher’ come to rub more proverbial salt in his wounds. Instead a fawn peered over the seed-tassels, her green eyes large and beautiful peering down at him with a hint of apprehension, and, upon getting a better look at him, fear.
“Hey…what happened to you?” she gasped, her voice sweet as honey, genuine concern etched upon her cherub-like face as she pushed through the grass, inching closer to him. Darcy could only stare in wonder, then fear. He wasn’t supposed to go near the others. Mother told him…she had said…The Gods would not like this!
“What’s wrong? I’m not going to hurt you, silly,” she spoke soothingly, a smile - no, the most perfect smile the young buck had ever seen spreading from cheek to cheek. His amber eyes widened, because for once, for once…he believed it. No harm would come to him here…not from her. That couldn’t be right... Mother had said…but…no. How could ‘she’ be…bad? He let himself exhale, dared himself to speak.
“I uh…er I tripped. On the r-rocks…” he stumbled nervously, averting his gaze to stare intently at the ground.
“Tripped?” she questioned, moving ever closer as she tiled her head to stare up at the smooth stone of the boulders that surrounded them, then back at the cuts, black eye and ruffled fur on the fawn before her with skeptical curiosity before something else flickered in her eyes, an emotion Darcy didn’t recognize.
“Hey…you’re… Darsissy aren’t you?”
The young stag winced upon hearing the name given to him by him ‘peers’, lowering his ears and glancing up at her with newfound apprehension. No…she couldn’t be like them…could she?
“It’s… Darcy,” he corrected with a cold edge to his tone before looking away again and gathering his feet under him. He felt suddenly vulnerable at the reminder of how much he truly didn’t belong here. He stumbled towards her as he attempted to rise, his abnormally scrawny limbs threatening to buckle beneath his slight weight. He caught himself just in time though, and gritting his teeth as deep embarrassment washed over him he backed off quickly. What she must think!
But the doe stood there quiet as she could be, her large emerald eyes full of sympathy and sadness as she watched him.
“Oh…I’m sorry. Darcy…I guess that ‘does’ sound much better, doesn’t it? I‘m Zharie. Anyways, you should be careful around the rocks! Daddy said never to go here alone in case I got hurt, though I never really listened…I guess I should now, he was right…Oh! You should come and see Daddy, he‘d know how to fix you right up, I bet,” she spoke quickly and decidedly, her tone becoming more jubilant as she went on. Darcy stared at her in absolute wonder. Her apology, her compliment, her offer? It was all so surreal to him, so deliciously tempting. He smiled despite himself, but only briefly, for as tempting as the offer was, he knew he couldn’t accept it.
“I, err….no that’s ok. Mom said…she said I can’t go…”
“Your mom?” Zharie questioned with a cute, yet disheartening wrinkle of her nose, “Why would she say something’ like that? Daddy’s really nice! I bet if you went and asked her sh-”
“Zhaaaariiiie!”
A deep male voice interrupted her from not far off, drawing both of their attentions instantly. Peering over the grass, Darcy saw the large stag in the distance, searching for his daughter. Gulp. That was ‘daddy’?
“Aww….I gotta go,” the little doe beside him pouted, turning back to him, “You sure you don’ wanna come?”
Darcy stared at her sadly, his eyes pain-filled. With a small frown, he only nodded. Still, she smiled at him.
“Ok…you should tell your mom Daddy’s really nice! We could play when you get all better… where it’s safe next time though! Hehe. See ya!”
With that the little cherub-fawn bounded off through the grass to greet the big, muscled stag with high-winding antlers. He bent to nuzzle her, then they appeared to exchange some words before he turned his head to look in Darcy’s direction. The small stag ducked his head, turning his back on the family to stare at his feet. He felt…lonely, for sure, now that she was gone…but also warm, like nothing he’d ever felt before. Somebody cared.
He found the strength to bound back home in a hurry, filled with newfound hope. He found his mother later that day and told her of the young doe’s offer.
It was a…mistake he would not soon forget.

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Standing there now, spying through the trees, he couldn’t help but remember the foul curses that flew from the old doe’s tongue or the sharpness of her hooves…but he didn’t fear her now. He was older, and bolder - she had made sure of that, after all- and he had earned his freedom. He wasn’t afraid of her, not really…yet a different fear kept his hooves planted and his lips sealed. His every desire wanted him to approach the group of young does, or one doe in particular. He anticipated her heartfelt smile, the light or recognition in her eyes, and the warmth he would feel to be given such a glorious look! He didn’t move. He couldn’t…fear gripped his heart so unmercifully at the thought of doing so he could scarcely breathe. No, not today…today he would merely watch as usual, watch and dream the dreams of young stags and pretty girls and all its normalness he may never experience…
Snap.
A twig breaks just behind him, and leaves rustle. Someone sucks in a breath.
The butterfly-pelted youth hadn’t time to react to his fear before he was shoved violently forward. His legs, caught in a tangle of roots and branches, were of little use to him as he rocketed forward, through the leaves and out into the light. The ground found his chest before his eyes found it, knocking the air from his lungs, and his head fell chin-first with a startling splash as he dove unwillingly into the stream. Yanking his head from the water he drew in a panicked breath, only to fill his lungs with water as his head was suddenly forced down again, his face buried in the sandy bottom of the shallow stream. Completely taken off guard he struggled hopelessly against the force pinning him to the ground, threatening to drown him. His ears picked up laughter amidst his splashing. Then a female’s voice, sweet as honey. Zharie…oh no, Zharie. What would she think of him now?...
The last thoughts of dying youth.

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Go to...
Chapter Two
Chapter Three