The morning brought a light drizzle that bathed the deer just slightly. The slumbering deer were not bothered by it, and most stayed asleep, their dreams suddenly becoming more wet than they were due to the damp smell. Another hour passed and the drizzle ceased, though it produced a fog that blanketed the Forest. Slowly everything awoke and came to life - birds began to call and fly around, insects started to chirp, and even a few deer were up and greeting each other. Twenty-One and Demon had already awoken and walked off together, leaving Quad alone by the tree. He slept for a little while longer before awakening and stretching.

He felt different than usual, but he ignored it and made his way to the Pond for his usual morning drink. As he walked, he thought the Forest looked a little...smaller than usual. He also noticed his head was a bit heavier, but he ignored that as well. Making it to the Pond, he saw some other deer hanging around in the distance, but no sign of his adoptive parents. He bent down to the water to drink, and upon raising his head, he looked at his own reflection. Water dripped from his face as he glared at the deer that was looking back at him. His face seemed a bit longer, his chest more full, and he had antlers.

Antlers? He had antlers?!

He was a stag!!

"I'm a stag! I'M A STAG!!", he exclaimed joyfully, hopping around and laughing loudly. The other deer in the area looked at him curiously, unaware that today was his Stag Day. Quad turned and ran, feeling the wind brush through his new antlers. He passed several deer who had just awoken and continued without stopping. He wanted to find his parents, to show them what he had become!

Unlike the world outside the Endless Forest, the deer grew in stages rather than gradually. It was something the Twin Gods felt was necessary for them, something the deer did not understand but accepted nontheless. One month after their first day in the Forest, they matured from a fawn to a stag - their Stag Day (or what the does called their Doe Day).

Quad soon found Demon and Twenty-One sitting at the Old Oak. "Mommy!! Daddy!! Look at me!!", he exclaimed happily. The two looked over to him and smiled. They already knew he had become a stag, but they wanted him to find out on his own. "Are you ready to have your own set of enchantments?", Twenty-One asked him. Eagerly, Quad nodded without hesitation. The two parents rose and seperated, Twenty-One going toward a nearby tree with pinecones while Demon approached another tree with fungus growing from it. Eating the necessary items to gain the enchantments, the two turned to Quad and tilted their antlers toward him. Both set of antlers began to glow at the same time, and at once Quad's appearance changed - Twenty-One's enchantment giving him the slender antlers his father had while Demon's giving him the long, brown mask that both parents wore.

Quad was almost giddy! He already had the mask and antlers he wanted. Now all that was left was the pelt. Both parents found a sleeping fawn nearby. The two sat beside the fawn, arising nearly at the same time. "You go first.", Demon said to Twenty-One, who nodded and enchanted Quad with the pelt. He acquired a strange brown pelt with a red line that wormed its way from his face to his lower legs on either side. He looked at the pelt curiously - it was one he had not seen before. Twenty-One shook her head. "It just doesn't seem like him.", she stated. "Well? Do you like it?", Demon asked Quad. The new stag thought for a moment - he liked the red, but he agreed that it wasn't what he was looking for. He requested, "Let me try another one." Demon immediately enchanted him with a second pelt spell, which gave Quad a different look - he had a dark blue, almost black body with a white underbelly. The two parents were about to sit by the fawn again when Quad stopped them, "No wait! I kinda like this!"

The two adults tilted their heads, but then said to him, "Okay, if that's what you want, we approve." Quad smiled from beneath his mask. It was his first set of enchantments, and many deer would recognize him by his look rather than his pictogram.

Little did he know that the pelt he wore had much more significance than he expected.

-=|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|=-

The nightmares Quad had as a fawn seemed to disappear after a few days. He soon found himself not dreaming of anything, but instead feeling like he would go to sleep and awake to find it morning within a few minutes. He started sleeping on his own again like the first night, going back to the pillar at the Ruins he loved so much. His parents didn't mind that he moved back to his first sleeping spot.

In the middle of the night, Quad awoke. He was strangely thirsty, so he got off of his pillar and went to the pond. Taking long sips of the water, he happened to look to the sky when he saw a strange, mystifying sight. The night sky had illuminated due to a large, glowing object that streaked across it like a fireball.

He heard other deer nearby make sounds of wonder and awe, assuming it was something the Twin Gods prepared for the deer to see, but Quad knew it was something much different.

He remembered what they said to him the first day he lived in the Endless Forest:

"When fire falls from the night sky, your journey will begin."

He knew this was the sign, the prophecy the Twin Gods gave that it was time to learn the truth about his past, though he did not know what lied ahead of him. Swallowing the last bit of water he had in his mouth, he turned and ran towards the hill where Twin Gods sat and awaited him.

A crowd had already gathered there and were chattering amongst themselves as to whether the fire in the sky was a mini-abiogenesis or not. "It had to have been! Only the Twin Gods could produce something like that!", some deer were exclaiming, while others were more skeptical with, "There could be a natural explaination. Don't be so sure the Twin Gods are up to this." The area seemed to be illuminated by their many pictograms. When Quad arrived, the deer suddenly stopped and looked to him. He didn't speak, but rather continued forward through the crowd. The deer standing in his way stepped back and formed a path, while they spoke softly to one another while staring at Quad. He was uncomfortable about this but ignored it and made his way to the center of the hill, where the statue of the Twin Gods rested.

Three deer stood between him and the statue. Quad knew who they were - some of the Endless Forest Elders. The Elders were appointed not for their age but their wisdom - they spoke to the Twin Gods on a daily basis and knew all that was happening in the Forest. The first wore great white antlers that twisted and vined away from his head. He wore the same mask Quad had but had a golden pelt that wrapped around his body. His pictogram read "Magnet". The second was a younger stag that had a grey body with a long mask that sported an intricate design on it. He had the dark antlers that grew downwards, and his pictogram stated "Silent". The third had long, black antlers with the brown and red pelt and a peculiar smiling mask. His pictogram read "Vessel".

The crowd around them grew quiet and listened attentively. Vessel leaned to Magnet and spoke something into his ear. Magnet nodded and said, "This is the one whom the prophecy called for. The Twin Gods wish to grant him a journey outside the Endless Forest." Silent glared at Quad. "He is too young. The Twin Gods must have made a mistake.", he stated. Magnet shook his head, "No, they said it was a young one. Perhaps Vessel could verify it is him." Vessel stood and approached the stag, walking around him, examining his pelt, mask, and antlers. Quad shook his mask off and let it hang from his neck so the Elder could see his face clearly. Vessel looked at his face closely, then turned and nodded to the other two before returning to the statues.

As Quad put his mask back on, Silent was still unsure. "What do they see in him? He is just like any other deer in this Forest." "Remember what they said about him - he can see his past life through his dreams. He does not know what happened to his mother, and it will haunt him until he either learns the truth...or dies.", Magnet replied. Vessel leaned and spoke to Silent next. Silent nodded, "Vessel wants to know what the stag thinks of his situation."

Magnet stood. "Young one, what do you remember about your life before the Forest?", he questioned. Quad spoke, "My mother was covered in red." The three immediately chattered among themselves. Quad heard them say things like, "It may be too late." and "She's probably dead already." He interrupted their conversation, "I will go on this journey no matter what you say. I must know what happened to her...and me before I found myself here." Silent laughed. "You don't even know what is out there." Quad nodded, "I do.", as a memory awoke in his mind - he saw the man's face before he was shot that first moment he was alive. He knows what they look like. "I saw the creature that killed my mother.", he continued. "And even if you find this creature again, what will you do? You will surely be killed yourself.", Magnet asked him.

"I intend...to bring vengeance to them.", Quad stated. The crowd behind him began to whisper to each other in concern and shock. Silent sighed, "We have no choice but to allow you to go, since you cannot be reasoned with as far as that goes. However...", he shook his head at this point, "you will not be going on your own." Quad tilted his head, "I can handle this by myself." Magnet agreed with Silent, "No, it's too dangerous out there. There are creatures out there who eagerly attack solitary deer, but are cautious when they see groups of them.", and he gave Quad a stern look, continuing with, "You would not make it to your destination alone. None who ventured out there alone has ever come back."

Quad sighed, "Fine.", he remarked. The Elders, satisfied with this, all stood. Magnet spoke to the crowd now, "Who wishes to journey with this stag? You heard our conversation and know what he wants to accomplish." The crowd of deer started to speak amongst themselves again, their voices louder than before. After a few moments of this, Silent questioned them, "Well? Any volunteers?"

One deer had not spoken to any others, though she stood next to her brother. She immediately stepped forward, as the deer in the crowd grew silent and looked to her. "I will.", she replied. She had a strange white, smiling mask with the same darkblue and white body Quad had, as well as small, feathery antlers that seemed to hover above her head. Her pictogram identified her as "Auge". Auge walked forward and stood next to Quad. "Any others?", Magnet asked the crowd. "Sure, I'll go.", another deer spoke up. One with a skull mask one came out of the crowd, also wearing one of the "real deer" brown pelts with the lighter belly. A candle sat on each point of his antlers, each one with a small flame on it. His pictogram read "Dim".

Before the Elders asked for a third, one more deer stepped forward. He wore no enchantments, and the only thing that distinguished him from the other deer was his pictogram - "Scorn". Silent smiled, "Now you are ready for this journey.", he spoke. Before another sentence was said, one more voice came from the crowd, "Wait wait!! I want to go too!!" It was a young voice, and the crowd parted and revealed who it was - a fawn. The fawn stepped forward, bowing to the Elders and saying to them, "My name is Mazey, and I am a friend of Quad. I want to go with him." The Elders shook their heads, "Absolutely not! It's too dangerous out there for such a youngling as yourself!", Magnet remarked. Even Vessel was shaking his head in disapproval. Mazey stood her ground, "I know Quad! He has told me all about his dreams! I...", she let out a short sigh, "I want to meet his mother."

The Elders continued to shake their heads when Quad spoke up, "She'll be a big help to this journey. Let her come." Mazey's face rose as she smiled to Quad. Silent replied to this, "She will be yours to defend. Should anything happen to her...", but Quad interrupted with, "Nothing will. I'll guard her - as well as Auge, Dim, and Scorn - with my life!" The three looked to him when they heard their names, though none spoke.

The Elders looked to each other one last time, and then turned back to the group of five. "It's settled then. Take care of any business you need to attend to and meet back here when the sun arises. You will depart today.", Magnet said to them.

The crowd began to disperse, as the five looked to one another. Quad nodded to them all, "Thank you." The others nodded and the group went their seperate ways, planning to meet later that morning.

-=|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|=-

Quad woke his adoptive parents up and told them what happened. Twenty-One was shocked about this. "What if you don't come back? What if something happens?", she began to question when Demon nuzzled her, "This is for the best. Quad must do this - the Twin Gods want him to discover the truth." Twenty-One closed her eyes. She had to accept this fact, but she reopened them and spoke to Quad very sternly. "No matter what happens, you're always our little fawn.", she said, her eyes begining to tear up. Quad smiled, "Always.", and as he nuzzled her, he softly cried. Demon stood and walked with Quad away from the tree. Twenty-One rested her head, looking to Quad one last time.

Demon went over what he taught Quad about survival. He had learned from his adoptive father for more than a month now, and knew his words by heart. By the time he had finished the review, the early daylight was starting to peek through the treetops. The two had made it back to the Twin Gods statue, where Auge, Dim, Scorn, and Mazey were already waiting for Quad. The Elders were still there, also awaiting him.

Demon and Quad stopped and looked to each other. "Well, this is it.", Quad said to him. Demon gave a slight nod, and said "Yes..." They did not know what to say to each other, but Quad broke the silence, "Thank you, for everything you've taught me." Demon smiled, "You'll do fine." The two nuzzled, and then Quad turned away and joined the group. Demon stepped back and watched.

"So everyone's here?", Silent asked. The five nodded almost in unison. "Very well.", Magnet started, "Vessel will show you to the edge of the Forest, where you will be able to exit." Vessel stood and walked south-ward, and the five followed behind. Silent called out to them, "Remember who you are!" Of the five, only Mazey looked back. Vessel stopped close to where the trees change into the Playground. He motioned for them to continue. Quad took the lead, followed by the others, and as they walked, the Playground soon disappeared, and a new area took it's place - the trees were darker, the ground was more solid, and the air smelt musty and stiff. They did not look back, as the Endless Forest soon disappeared, and they were in new territory.

The Elders watched as the five vanished, and when they could not be seen anymore, Magnet looked to Silent, "I hope we made the right decision here." Suddenly, the sky became cloudy, rain began to pour, and several bolts of lightning shattered the peace. As Vessel returned to the hill, Silent grinned to them, "The Twin Gods are watching over them."

Demon looked to the sky. The lightning continued for a moment longer, and then ceased as the rain became more heavy. Please...keep them safe..., he prayed to the Gods, before turning and heading back to his mate.

-=|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|=-

The crew of five marched on, none of them speaking for several moments. Quad walked first, followed by Auge and Scorn, who walked after him. Dim and Mazey walked behind them. This new forest was much different than the Endless Forest. The air made the deer cough at random times, while the horrid pointed and drooping shape of the trees pierced each of their inner-most fears. Vines coiled and wrapped around the trees, dangling from the branches like long, slender snakes. The deer had to step over several roots that grew from the ground, being careful not to trip or get caught on them. The path they walked was also littered with decaying leaves and vines.

They soon found a small pond. Quad was the first to speak among the crew - "Let's rest here for a moment." Auge and Scorn moved to the side, sitting down and keeping to themselves. Quad walked off to the pond - the water was dark and murky, but he decided to taste it anyway. Dim eventually followed behind and sipped the water as well. They both spat it out in disgust, but tried another sip, considering that it may be the only source of water for miles. While they braved drinking the water, Mazey plopped on a rock, resting her hooves. She sat across from Auge and Scorn, who began to whisper to one another. Auge began, "I wonder if Quad is doing this for the glory." Scorn chuckled, "Or maybe he's trying to impress some doe." Mazey heard this, but did not speak about it. Instead, she changed the subject, "So why did you come along?, she asked both of them. Scorn shrugged, "I was bored.", he replied. Auge laughed, "That's a good reason to come along.", she said. Mazey tilted her head, "I don't understand...", she began to state, but the two adults shook their heads. "Anyway, I thought I'd come along to be some extra muscle for Quad. I didn't think he could handle something like this on his own.", Auge stated. Scorn nodded, "He does seem to be a little soft. I guess we'll see what happens later on." Mazey began to wonder if she made a mistake coming along, but she ignored those thoughts - Quad definately needed some friendly company on this trip. Upon thinking this, she felt much better.

Dim and Quad soon rejoined them. Quad knew Auge and Scorn had been talking to one another, but he decided not to ask what was going on. Dim noticed some mushrooms near one of the trees, and immediately walked over to eat from them. Quad saw this from the corner of his eye and suddenly called to him, "Hey don't eat those!" Dim was about to when he looked back and said, "I'm hungry..." Quad walked over, examining the mushrooms before shaking his head. "These are poisonous. You'd get sick if you ate them.", he stated. The others overheard this. Auge questioned, "I wonder how he knows that. He's probably never seen those mushrooms before." Quad turned, replying with, "Demon Gazelle taught me how to spot bad mushrooms." Dim stepped back, saying, "I wouldn't have known." He then asked Quad, "Next time we see mushrooms, tell me if they are okay to eat, okay?" Quad nodded, and soon the crew arose and continued on their way.

-=|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|=-

They were slowly losing daylight. They had found a little edible foliage and fungus along the way, but all of them were still hungry. Unlike the Endless Forest, this new wilderness gave little to eat and drink. Groaning, Scorn moved to the back of the group and eventually walked off in search of food. The others did not notice him leave, and after walking a little ways, Dim saw that they were missing a deer. "Where did the brown stag go?", he began to question. Quad and the others turned, shocked that they lost one of their crew. "Stay here.", Quad instructed, and he darted off in one direction, calling out Scorn's name. He could hear a slight amount of water moving nearby, but he ignored it, as finding the lost deer was more important.

Scorn heard this and called back, almost happily. Quad found him a little ways off of the path. "What's going on?", Quad questioned. Scorn simply smiled and motioned Quad to look at the area. He raised his head and was suprised - the trees were full of bright colored fruit, mushrooms similar to those of the Endless Forest grew all around, and a small stream of clear water gushed from a boulder like a fountain. Quad was suprised, only saying, "Whoa..."

Quad and Scorn called out to the others, who came and were also awed by the sight. At once the five went seperate ways, filling their bellies and cooling their weary throats with the feast before them. The daylight began to fade, and the crew decided to spend the night there, finding one area with softer ground to sleep on. Fireflies danced through the trees. Mazey and Dim chased after them, occasionally tumbling to the ground and laughing as the insects went on their way. Quad, Auge, and Scorn were already sitting, chuckling as the two continued to play among the glowing insects. Eventually they all wore out and fell asleep. They truely had found a paradise outside the Endless Forest.

Little did they know that the oasis they found was a trap. A pair of eyes watched them hungrily from a distance, shrouded by the darkness of the forest. The fireflies flew past their faces, illuminating them only slightly to show coarse, brown fur and long snouts. The creature then turned and met with four others like him. "The prey is asleep. Shall we feast now?", he hurriedly questioned. The leader of the group gave a quick nod, but said, "We will be silent upon our attack." One of the others grinned and said, "They won't survive the night." The others nodded, and quickly the five creatures seperated, forming a perimeter around the slumbering deer, inching closer and closer with each second.

The creatures who stalked this forest were well known and feared for slaughtering groups of animals. Their slender brown bodies blended well with the environment, and their eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. The deer were unaware that a coyote pack was about to pounce on them.

Auge's ears perked up. She thought she heard something, but ignoring it, she got up and walked to the stream. She accidentily bumped Dim's snout while moving through the darkness, who jolted up, looked around, and snorted rather loudly. This woke Mazey, who yawned and glanced around at the area. She happened to notice something strange - something that was glowing a bright orange. She began to approach it when she realized it was a pair of eyes, looking right at her.

In panic, she let out a cry, waking Quad and Scorn and alerting Dim and Auge. Quad was on his feet, "What is it? What is it?", he kept asking. Mazey backed away from where she saw the eyes. "There were eyes, right there.", she said immediately. Scorn shook his head, "You're probably imagining things.", he said as he began to rest his head again. Suddenly, a strange sound was heard - a loud howl. Scorn's ears went straight up, and he stood. The four adults formed a diamond around Mazey, and all were looking around frantically. Their eyes were already adjusted to the night, where they saw dark figures moving past the trees.

They could hear the creatures talking to one another. One said, "Ah, our cover's blown.", and another said, "So much for the element of suprise." Auge called out to them, "Show yourself!" One of the creatures laughed and replied back, "With pleasure..."

Immediately the five coyotes came out, encircling the deer. They cackled and grinned, their mouths drooling in anticipation. Quad decided to speak to them, "What do you want with us? We're passing through and had to rest here." The leader of the coyotes spoke back, "It's too late for that now. You ate from our reserve." Scorn tilted his head, "You guys look like carnivores. Why would you need fruit and mushrooms?", he questioned. The coyotes began to laugh, one of them saying, "'Carnivores', he calls us. That has such a nice ring to it." Mazey asked, "What's a carnivore?" Quad, not looking back, replied, "Meat eater."

Dim shook his head, "Look, we can settle this like civilized dee....err...animals.", he stated. The Coyote Leader smirked, "Okay." "Okay?", Auge tilted her head now. "We'll let you pass through...in exchange for that fawn of yours.", the leader offered.

Scorn looked back at Mazey, who had a look of horror on her face. Quad immediately answered, "No.", and Auge decided to add in, "You have to go through us first!" Scorn looked over at Auge, saying sarcastically, "Way to go, genius."

The coyotes took this as their cue to attack. At once they pounced on the crew of deer. The four adults pushed them back with their heads and antlers, taking a few scratches from their flying talons and sharp fangs. The coyotes fell back, but regained their stance and leapt again. Auge managed to kick one in the face, which knocked him out cold for a moment. The leader saw this, and went after Auge, at once throwing a powerful slash that cut her face and knocked her to the ground. She slowly got up, roaring and charging at him, but he simply struck her again, and she was on the ground again. Dim looked back for a moment, giving his coyote the moment to leap and bite into his side. He fell as well. Scorn took on two coyotes, who overpowered him and tore a gash in his chest. Quad was left standing with Mazey, against the five coyotes.

The Leader regrouped and questioned him, "Our offer still stands. What's it going to be?" Quad shook his head, "You're not getting this fawn!" "Oh, too bad.", the Leader said, and at once the other four coyotes were ontop of Quad, clawing and biting his back and sides. He let out a cry of pain before falling to the ground.

The coyotes circled around Mazey, who was shaking violently in fear now. Auge, Scorn, Dim, and Quad looked at this through the corners of their eyes, all gasping for air and gritting their teeth in pain. The coyotes were slowly closing in on the fawn, their eyes fixed on her, and mouths drooling more. Quad closed his eyes, and began to pray to the Twin Gods - Please, please help us! We cannot die like this!

He got an answer, something he did not expect to hear. Transformation spell. His eyes opened, and at once he shouted out to the other deer, "Transformation spell! NOW!!"

At once Dim, Scorn, Auge, and Mazey's pictograms glew bright, engulfing the area in blinding light. The coyotes were taken aback, shielding their eyes. When the light disappeared, only the Coyote Leader was standing. He looked at his pack in disbelief - they all had become small animals. Two were frogs, one was a dove, and the last was a squirrel.

Infuriated, the Leader charged at Mazey, his mouth open wide, expecting to sink his teeth into her side, when Quad's pictogram glew bright. The Leader was engulfed in yellow light, and he slammed into Mazey's side, not a coyote, but a squirrel. Flopping to the ground, the Leader squeeked and glared up at the towering fawn above her. "Nighty night!", Mazey said with a grin, lifting her hoof over the squirrel.

"Mazey, no.", Quad stopped her, "We'll let them live, as long as they don't attack us again." Mazey, disappointed, lowered her leg. The former coyotes ran off into the wilderness. A bit of early morning light brightened the area, and the deer regrouped. None of them took any serious injuries, but their wounds stung a little.

"I don't get it.", Scorn said, "How did we have those spells?" Dim looked around, smiling as he replied, "Well, we did sleep in a mushroom circle." They looked around. He was right - the mushrooms that grew around them were the same as the ones in the Endless Forest. They were fortunate to sleep here.

-=|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|=-

The morning came, and the deer awoke from their nap after the fight. They ate what they wanted and soon were on their way towards the unknown. Their wounds had healed a little, though they knew they would form bad scars. Auge tried to laugh it off, "You know, most does think battle scars are sexy." Scorn scoffed, "I don't think any stags do, though. I mean, on a doe of course." Mazey laughed, the first time she had been happy since the incident. Quad walked ahead. He was still shaken up by what happened. He almost lost four deer, all because of him. He wanted to do this alone, so he wouldn't have to protect anyone else but himself...

...but he probably would not have survived the attack last night on his own...

He was deep in thought when Dim came up to him. "Hey I was wondering, do you know your mother's name?", he asked. Quad didn't know, but in the back of his mind, a voice told him. It was the first time he had ever heard the name, and he assumed it was the Twin God's doing once more that he suddenly knew her name.

"Brooke.", he stated. Scorn stopped, Auge and Mazey almost running into him. Dim stopped too, looking back at them. Quad heard them stop, and he turned around and rejoined them. "What's the matter?", he questioned.

"Brooke? You mean the Brooke?", Scorn asked Quad. Quad nodded, "I believe that's her name."

"Quad, your mother is a legend! She's one of the Forest Shamans!"

To Be Continued...