The Moon and Pine Tree [A Forest Fable]

"Today I will be entertaining with a short fable about the beginnings of the forest.

It is loosely based on a tale that my great-grand mother once told me when I was young.

If you wish to join me at the ruins to rest and listen to the story, then feel free to.
I will not turn you away, though I may fall asleep. "

-Dewydd Rhys

(The story will be updated every time a paragraph is finished. )

When the forest was young the first two beings were created.
The first deer the Twin Gods made was large.
He held many points on his head and strolled around the forest with self-satisfaction.
He was a powerful beast with the appearance of a real deer down to the muzzle.
The Twin Gods found him favourable, so they named him Velocity.

The second deer the Twin Gods made was smaller.
He was more plain, had fewer points, and had no set out personality in mind.
More importantly, he was made in their image down to the perfect sculpted face.
He was given no set name, and he never requested one.
He was a deer of the forest and that was satisfactory.

The two deer were weary of each other at first, but managed to live together in the small forest in harmony.

The Twin Gods left the two beings alone for a long time before finally making the choice to address the lone inhabitants of the world they had created.

One night the Twin Gods appeared before the two beings in the reflection of the lake. The two deer were startled by the appearance of their Gods and could only stare in stunned silence.

"This is your home now. You have managed to preserve the harmony and avoid conflict. There is only one matter left to decide. A cycle of renewal is necessary to ensure The Forest remains Endless."

The two deer thought hard on what this could mean.
The larger deer, the one known as Velocity spoke first.
He was created to be wise beyond his years and highly intelligent.
He raised his crown skyward and bellowed towards the starry sky above.

"I want to live as the moon!"

The Twin Gods nodded sagely in full understanding, but the smaller nameless deer could only give him a confused stare. He was not given wisdom at birth.

The Twin Gods sensed the confusion of their second creation, and weakly smiled as they addressed their creations again. "So you wish to love as the Moon. You will rise for a brief time before disappearing to rise again at a later time. A never ending cycle of rejuvenation."

Velocity nodded enthusiastically and could not hide his smug satisfaction. "I will live and rein over the forest forever!"

The Twin Gods accepted his decision and turned to the smaller Nameless. "And you? Do you too also wish to live as The Moon?"

The Nameless considered this for some time. It was tempting. A cycle of endless life and rebirth for the rest of time.

And yet...

The nameless looked to the sky, to the forest creatures frozen in time running a long their set paths, to the fish in the pond, to the surrounding trees, and finally to his lone companion in the forest. He thought for some time before he finally spoke. "No. I would..not enjoy that."

Velocity snapped his head around and bore down on the smaller deer accusingly. "You will explain this foolish decision!"

The Nameless Deer kept his eyes locked with his creators and tried to ignore the attempts of Velocity to influence his decision. "W-well look at the moon. It has no friends. It just rises and falls. It has the sun, sure, but the sun can't hang out with the moon. It only sees it once in a while and maybe you know, the moon does not always want to be around JUST the sun. I would rather live as..." He paused and surveyed the surrounding landscape again before speaking. "The Pine Tree."

The Twin Gods understood this logic also. They gave another affirming smile and nodded towards their second creation.

Velocity sneered and took a mocking tone with his companion. "What, a life of solitude followed by a slow rot? You are still just as naive and foolish as when you were created!"

The Twin Gods remained silent only allowing the faintest cow smile to rest on their lips. Their hand was not necessary in this matter.

The nameless quivered under the accusations of Velocity and tried to control his trembling lips as he spoke. "N-No. That is not the life of a pine tree! The trees love alone for only a short time. Annually it drops it's cones and more trees grow. The animals of the forest scatter the cones far and wide until the trees outnumber the bare landscape. As the tree ages it continues to spread it's seeds. When it's life comes to an end it returns to the soil to nourish the other trees of the forest."

The explanation only seemed to enrage Velocity further. He acted out in ways never before seen in the forest. He roared an eerie call and stomped the ground with his massive hooves. He lowered his tines on his companion and spat out words of hatred. "YOU WILL DIE! YOU WILL CEASE TO BE YOU FOOL! YOU WILL DISAPPEAR AND NO ONE WILL EVER REMEMBER!"

The Nameless Deer bravely lowered his head to match the gaze of his larger companion eye to eye. He took the calm tone of one addressing a child. "Will I? I will give life to children. They will give life to their children. There will never be a lonely deer in this forest who does not wonder about his origins. His or her parents will sit him down and tell him the story of The Moon and The Pine Tree."

The Twin Gods made it as the two deer desired and the forest lived on.

As desired Velocity entered the forest only during the Autumn Month of Souls. The next time he entered the forest he was met by The First Nameless and..The First Nameless Deer's Companion.

Every year the larger deer returned and was met by more tiny deer. His initial companion in the deer was gone and in his stead stood a multitude of brightly coloured deer. The holiday passed with with it passed Velocity until the next year.

Velocity's heart grew cold. His expression bitter. His body torn and ravaged by age and the wounds he had acquired over the years. The moon does not rejuvenate nor heal it's injuries each night. As such, neither did Velocity. In time his name was lost to the ages. Velocity became only known by his appearance, that of a "Big Zombie Deer". His coming heralded the darkness and fog of a bitter soul.

And yet...Each year brought fresh young faces who crowded by his side and clamored to share his appearance. They slept with him. They ran with him. They traveled with him in the ever expanding forest and he was never alone when he entered the forest. As the might pines stretched their branches longingly for the sky to embrace the moon, so did the deer for Velocity.

"And that, my children, is the story of The Moon and The Pine Tree.
I will now bid you farewell to play in the forest to your heart's content.
Thank you for listening to my fable."