((The Fawn))
I woke up today, aching dully. I walked slowly, trying to get it to go away. It didn't. Instead, I kept wandering, as usual.

My hooves led me to the ruins. A deer was sitting there, dark pelt with bones, brown spiky antlers, and a skull for a face. This was the first thing that made me stay. I watched him for awhile, wondering whether to go closer. I didn't particularly care for stags, after all.

Then I saw him go up to a sleeping stag and begin to eat it.

I should have been scared, but instead this drew me closer. I was sure that the Twin Gods would not want this to happen. And if he was a rebel, perhaps he knew the way to go against the statues. Perhaps he even knew a way out. I approached slowly, less cautious, and greeted him.

He greeted me back, and I nuzzled him. I had found someone to be around, someone that was perhaps a little bit like me. I sat next to him for awhile, until I decided to go to the pond. I said goodbye to him. Strange how I was no longer afraid of pelts and masks like his. I fell asleep by the Crying Idol.

That little pain I had been feeling suddenly blossomed into an all-over ache. When I got up it got even worse. My head was pounding, as always. I was able to get a few feet before I blacked out from the pain, landing ironically by the Twin Gods hill. I only had time to wonder if this was my punishment for going against the statues.

I awoke a little while later. The pain had dulled to a small ache, though it was still all over me. I felt different as I stumbled to the pond. I froze, staring at my reflection.

My pelt was darker, much darker, a chocolate brown. My antlers...my antlers? I had antlers now, covered in the purple flowers that I had found that one day. Now them seemed to have sprung into full bloom though. My eyes and face were outlined in orange, making my eyes look more vacant. I kept staring, then started shaking.

This couldn't be happening. I didn't want to become even more like the deer here...This growing up seemed to mark something more permanent, as if I'd be here forever. So I ran to the Twin God Statues.

“You...You're making me stay here...You aren't gonna let me go home, are you?...Someday, I'll make you let us all go. You probably made the others forget too, which is why they're still here! But I won't. I'll make you let me go back sometime!” I attacked them again. I wonder if my antlers made a difference. I was too blinded by anger to notice.

Then came a stag. I suppose that growing up had caused my fear to intensify. He stood between me and the statues. I suppose he was brainwashed too. So I ran....

And he followed. I kept running. I don't know whether he wanted to harm me or not, but I panicked. I soon slid to a stop, head pounding again. I cursed it, and he caught up to be. He jumped in circles around me, and I felt trapped. I tried to tell him to go away, but he didn't. I ran again and this time, he didn't follow.

I roamed more. It seemed as though everyone was out to get me. Then a thought came to me: what if they were? What if the God statues had told them about what I had been doing? What if every single deer in this forest was on my trail, hunting me...?

I ran more. All the encounters from there were vague, blurs. Running, pounding head, resting, more running. I don't remember much. I was only interested in running. So I kept going and finally came to rest in a beautiful patch of purple flowers by the pond.

I awoke the next morning, getting a little more used to my body. I roamed a little, trying to avoid any contact with anyone. I found myself by the ruins and perked up my ears. Someone else was here...In fact, two. I walked closer. Skull masks and those huge red antlers.

One of them was the stag I had shadowed earlier. I cam closer, waiting until they had fallen asleep, then laid next to the deer I had seen before. I wonder whether these deer are against the Gods or not. I can't really tell, though their mask and antlers seem to say that they might have something dark about them.

I leave them soon after and go exploring. I find a group of stags, dancing and playing around. I watch them from a distance, attracted by the skull masks and various pelt. Then they notice me an I begin to panic. What if I was wrong about them? What if they are servants of the gods as well, sent to...I don't finish the thought, instead watching.

One other deer runs towards me and my instincts kick in. I bolt. I go as far as I can before that headache comes back, forcing me to stop and catch my breath. The stag comes up behind me, and I am reminded of what happened a few days ago. I back away, but he remains cordial. I would have bolted again, but I had noticed his set. Fully zombie. It was enchanting, for I had never seen the full set. I wonder if he was evil, but his mannerisms didn't exactly spell out “bad”. So I let him approach and even sniffed him, though I couldn't force myself any closer. He left soon after that, and I laid down next to him. When deer are sleeping, they cannot harm me.

I suppose I fell asleep soon after that, because the next thing I remember is waking up and wandering. A line of dancing deer had formed and I watched, attracted by the skulls and various dark pelts. It was rather interesting, but I wandered off soon after.

I walked through the forest, resting from time to time, ears perked up. I found the giant stones and decided that it had been a long time since I had last played. So I ran and jumped, enjoying myself until my headache came back.

Then I headed off into the woods. I felt a little more comfortable with this new body now, almost used to it. It was more powerful than my fawn-body. Then a fawn decided to come up to me. I remembered the time that one fawn had shot a beam of light at me, and all the times I had seen fawns do the same thing. So I ran for my life, hoping not to experience that excruciating pain again.

Turns out I was right to run. When it caught up to me, it shot that bolt of light at me. I ran, head pounding yet again. I stopped after a while, letting my head calm again. Then I started walking again, finding myself by the pond. This time, I was caught by two bolts of light. I reared, then lay down in the pond, head throbbing. I suppose I blacked out after that.

I really don't want to be here anymore.