There was something ill in the air; Lemon had been feeling it all day. Now that her daughter had gone to sleep, the little silver doe suddenly felt quite ill at ease. She didn’t want to be alone, when such a bad feeling was surrounding her. There were no other deer around that Lemon could sense. Perhaps she ought to seek the refuge of the Twin Gods’…

Suddenly, the forest fell silent, and dark. Lemon blinked, her heart pounding against her chest. They had arrived – the forest spirits. It had been a long time since their last visit. Lemon backed up, and felt her rump brush against the cold bark of an old tree. Suddenly, she was surrounded by a blue-white glow; a swirling mist of skulls and hooves. The mist grew brighter and brighter, until it was nearly blinding, and collected into the shape of a large, male deer. Lemon fell to her knees, kissing the ground at the misty white stag’s cloved hooves.

”Gilda,” the spirits whispered. Lemon trembled, and slowly rose to her feet. It had been a long time since she had heard her Celtic name. The sound of the spirits pronouncing that long-forgotten name brought back memories of the mortal world, and Lemon felt fear bubble up within her. ”You’ve become distracted. What is this nonsense you’ve gone and wrapped yourself up in? We did not intend for you to become partnered with that male; and that child doesn’t belong to you. This is not what we had planned, Gilda. What have you done?” Lemon took a step back, startled.

”I… I didn’t know I was not permitted to have a mate. Seth and I f-fell in love, w-we.. and Peppa isn’t- she didn’t- she wasn’t…!” Lemon found herself stumbling over her own words, and the spirits were growing impatient. The gentle buzzing in Lemon’s mind suddenly turned to a sour hiss, and she cowered in terror.

”GILDA! We told you what your purpose was. And you are becoming distracted.”

Lemon’s lower lip trembled. How could her beloved spirits betray her this way? ”I… I’ve done everything for you! Everything you asked! Why do you despise seeing me happy?”

”WATCH YOUR TONGUE, YOU INSOLENT, YOU UNGRATEFUL CHILD!” A flash of brilliant, blue light struck out against the fragile doe, and she was thrown against a nearby tree. She lay limp for a moment, more frightened than she was physically hurt. Her heart hammered relentlessly against her narrow chest, her sides heaving with pain and adrenaline. She could feel the spirits drifting nearer, hissing at her, whispering a thousand different whispers that she couldn’t understand – languages that she would never learn, words she would never know. And then, another brilliant flash of light, and the spirits surrounded her, swirling around her and through her. Lemon thrust her head upwards, whimpering in terror. The spirits encircled her, pulsating with a strange rhythm; a blue-white aura to surround her. Lemon’s legs trembled as she attempted to stagger to her feet, and the spirits moved away. She stood with her head hanging low, her legs quivering, her tail tucked tightly beneath her belly.

”What… what do you want from me?” Lemon’s voice was full of contempt and desperation.

The spirits were quiet, for a moment. The sound of Lemon’s ragged breath filled the air between doe and spirit creature. Finally, the spirits spoke again, their wistful, terrifying voices lighting the night air. ”There are some deer whose souls are darker than others. But there is a deer here, who’s soul is as black as night, and it reeks of rotting flesh. You’ve met him; you know him. His soul is corrupting those of the other deer. We want him dead. If you complete our request; we will repay you kindly. And you, Gilda, know how generous we can be.”

Lemon trembled. ”B-but what am I to do? I’m fragile and weak, and I have no desire to kill. P-perhaps this deer isn’t all bad. P-perhaps there is some good to his soul? Surely it isn’t all black. He d-doesn’t deserve to die! Perhaps there is s-some good!”

The spirits fell silent, once again. They drew closer to Lemon, curling around her like a mist. ”Gilda, what have you become? You argumentative child. You ungrateful brat. You have become so much like your father.”

Lemon whimpered, trying to hide the tears which stung her eyes. She was nothing like her father – she didn’t even want to be reminded of that cold-blooded monster. ”But, we will indulge your little plea; generous as we are. Show us that he has some good in him, and we will spare him. If you can prove that this monster is even a little kind; we may have something special in store for you, and that pathetic little thing you call a ‘family'. Mystress knows the way; her soul is white and pure. (We once thought that you had a soul as pure as hers. Now, we are not so sure, Gilda.) She will guide you to the path you wish to find.”

Lemon awoke with a start. The sun was beating down on her back, the birds chirping merrily. ”W-wait,” the little doe whispered, though she knew that it was already too late. Lemon was alone. The spirits were not happy with her; and though she did not fully understand their request, she knew that she needed to find her favor with them, once again. And quickly.

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[ooc: Mm. Not really my best work, at all. .______. But I thought it was about time to post some interaction with the spirits.

This is an introduction to a series in which I explain a little more about Lemon's purpose in the forest; and, of course, everything I write about will be based on actual events in-game (except for meetings with the spirits, lol). So, in essence, this will take the place of her journal -- the only difference being that this is in 3rd person, and will have a little more imagination to it.

Also, it's up to you to decide if the forest spirits are real, or if Lemon's just delusional. xDD Either way is fine with me; it's kind of up in the air, right now.]