I looked around as I heard the voice - it sounded close - but I could see nothing. I then found myself looking at the ground at all the fallen leaves around me, slowly trailing my eyes away from where I was standing. The layers of reds and golds thinned out as my gaze wandered upwards until I could see grass, and then finally, the truck of the neighbouring tree. Suddenly I could feel a warm, muggy heat behind me and toxic breath heaving over my shoulder. Her words dripped heavily into my skull and gave me an unpleasant reminder of the year before; I could taste it.
The last tree to shed its leaves
Such a thing never occurred to me before. But I suppose there must always be a "last" of everything... I looked up and saw how brilliantly green it was, now the outcast of its brethren in the bright royal hues of the forest. The leaf litter on the ground was an exquisite red carpet, and the tree canopies - or what was left of them - were grand jeweled robes that bellowed in the wind and draped themselves delicately over passers by. I had found a greater appreciation of Autumn's craft in just a few short minutes, though I did not know what she had in store for me. All I knew is that is somehow involved this last tree.
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I had to... persuade the leaves to fall? To die? How can that be - how can anyone persuade anything that it must die because... because that is how it is.
Wide-eyed and scrambling to her like a child being left behind, I watched her vanish and sink into the earth. I was alone again... aside from them. Those... T-Those... The leaves. And their tree.
I can hear them all, now. The tree crying for its leaves pleading for them not to go, at the same time begging me to go away. The leaves in return wail and cling to their home, their loyal branches that have secured them on high during the year though all weathers. They will not let go, and the tree will not give them up.
We all have to do things we don't like at some time or another. Some have to bear a heavier load than others, and do dreadful things because someone simply... has to. I understand, now, that Autumn is not so harsh and malicious as she seems. Someone has to do it.
But... I don't think I can. What can I do? Say?
I slump heavily between the two intertwining trees, leaves pitter-pattering through the branches as I dislodge them with my weight. With an exhausted sigh, I lay down my head.
Community Site Task:
The tables have turned, and Dag is now being enlisted to aid the weakening seasons. A small change in the grand scheme of things; Dag's life, as always, hangs in the balance. He needs your creativity to help him complete his two-fold task of making the leaves see that they must fall, and also making the tree see that it must let go of them.
What would your character say to the leaves?
What would your character say to the tree?
You can express your character in response to this in any way you like in a reply to this blog. Not so fond of writing? Company is a powerful thing, so if you want to take part by posting a screenshot of your deer keeping that tree company in forest, then please do. Anything and everything counts! To the leaves, to the tree, or both if you're feeling creative. Don't forget to make it clear which one of your deer characters is replying (:
Every deer who aids Dag in this task will be documented below, and the deadline is today, the 14th of November.
This task is complete!
Responses:>>>> Pandora
She has seen Spring, and the wonders of flowers, and leaves, and beauty that it brings upon sunlit shoulders; she was fascinated by the warm embrace that summer bade her, delivering long days and shorter nights (to her appreciation, for the Grays do roam in the darkness). The oil black fawn danced in the rains of Autumn's first coming- she has seen the ailment of the trees, how they lose their beauty, how they discard their friends.
Recently Pandora has taken to collecting every leaf she can- attempting to stuff them into the orange scarf she wears about her neck, using her tail to hold not just the candle, now, but handfuls of the loam upon the forest floor. Her mouth is full of the bitter birch leaves she has recently discovered, and in the manner of any child who does not understand limit, she continues her quest to save every leaf there is.
A vast adventure for one so small, so alone, no?
The skinny creature giggles as she prances to the first forest, near the Ruins she so very much adores. Doing so sends leaves spinning from her mouth, but she is not worried, for she will pick them up after she found a place to store her new friends. That is, of course, until she sees a great big tree, a misfit to its companions, standing out in the naked forest. Her white eyes widen in curiosity, and she bounds nearer to the tree, watching as its leaves make no attempt to fall.
Pandora tilts her head, mouth agape in wonder, and then she smiles, and giggles.
"Leaves, leaves, come down to me,
you won't get hurt when you fall, you see."
She runs her gaunt cheek against the riveted bark, humming her sweet lullaby- the one her butterflies sing to her- against the tree, not in any sort of a rush, resting easily against the mighty being.
"I had to leave momma too, yessum. It isn't so bad, no, no. I will catch you, you will see. If you come down from your tree."
She watches the trunk now, and presses her head upon it. Never could there be a more trusting creature than she. "Let them go, and they will grow. Find new places and new adventures, yes, yes!" The black fawn smiled on, folding her emaciated, bony legs beneath her as she laid down to wait for her new friends to fall.
>>>> Aurora
A cold day. A fresh breeze.
And Aurora would hear Dag's call. Oh, how she listens when people call. The sweetest music to her ears when she is able to help, but the heaviest chains around her heart that would keep dragging until she fufilled her purpose. Helping.
"Leaves, heed my call!"
With silent crystal drops she quickly hops off... would the leaves fall?
>>>> Starling
Starling tilts her head upward to the towering trees. Every tree is clean and naked, all but one. Golden leaves hang from the tree, lifeless and still. All the energy has been sapped out of them but still they grip tightly onto the branches. They will not come down. They do not want to die. They would much rather stay and watch the forest grow old.
It makes your heart skip a beat, thinking of death. The thought of being nothing, but yet not even nothing. Because nothing is something and when you are dead, your are non-existent. You are gone forever and everything about you leaves with you. No one knows where you go, maybe to a better place. But maybe nothing happens. Absolutely nothing. You won't even see darkness, a black blur, like the back of your eye lids. You will see nothing for you will be nothing. And when you think so deeply about it, you escape the thought as soon as you can. It's the scariest thing you can think of. And to know that death is near, is just as scary as the thought. But the leaves must go...
" You may be golden but you are crisp and dying. Your life ahead is not much to look forward to. You will only be weak and you will never grow strong again, would you rather not continue and find a new life? A better life. And healthy leaves will then take your place, and they too will die. We all have to die, some day or another. If we didn't, others wouldn't get a chance to live their lives and see how amazing it is. Don't you want to share your experience and let others see how amazing this forest is? You cannot keep it all to yourself. You must pass on and let someone else take your place. I'm sure it will make you feel good. "
Starling wasn't too sure what to say and wasn't entirely sure what she had just said. But she hoped it would somehow do some good...
" Please, tree. Let your children go. "
>>>> Noelle
Weariness. When she is not in the Birch or at the pond or by her own tree whose roots are blanketed with cold, dried ragweed, Noelle is with Dag, resting in the scented carpet of withering leaves. Autumn was her favorite time of year and sometimes she wonder why. Why, when Autumn was the dying breath of nearly everything green, the prelude to cold and hard times, the welcoming symphony of death’s icy silhouette just on the horizon. Autumn was a time of loss, and that had been made all too clear to her in the past few days when she lost something she never wanted to lose, someone she never wanted to let go of.
Perhaps Dag had heard her many musings. And there were indeed many as she tried to pull her mind into some habitable state, to carry on and fulfill the promises she had made to her sisters and friends.
“The trees keep and give good company, don’t they? They never speak, but the always listen. They never follow you, but they’re always there, offering their trunks to be leaned on if one should ever need their support. Somehow, it’s fitting that you have a tree, now, Sir Dag. You were very tree-like; not just in your size.”
A hushed, forced chuckle follows. It was hard to smile, but she’d found the strength to do so from her deepest reserves. She reaches up with her black nose to nudge a toadstool back into place that had been knocked loose one way or another.
“It will probably fall, anyway,” she whispers. “But it will come back.”
Her eyes, once vivid emerald, are now dulled and murky. Maybe it’s just the dappled, red-toned light shining through the royal red screen that blotches the underbelly of the sky. It’s to the leaves she’s looking now and it doesn’t take her long to see the single tree who has been left its many prizes. “Look, Dag: there’s one who’s still green-haired.” She smiles for the extra time it was given to keep its closest friends, but then frowns as realization sets it. It would have to loose them. If not by will, then by force. Winter would not allow such color to mar the whitening of its canvas.
“It must hurt so bad,” she coos, her voice choking as she’s reminded of her own pain. “You must have heard Aurora’s philosophic mention of pelt colors, Sir Dag. Hmhm.. I can’t imagine anyone hasn’t… We spoke of seasons once and she wondered why the trees had to lose their leaves. I wondered why when I was young, too. I wondered why fall was my favorite time of year. Sometimes I felt ashamed to revel in the brittle leaves and love the smell of their decay. Especially one year, when I’d grown very attached to a leaf whose span was nearly greater than that of your head, Sire. And there was a spot of transparency just near its center. Ah, I loved to look through it at the sky.
I was so sad to watch its colors change no matter how marvelous it was and my heart fell along with it when it floated to the forest’s floor. I tried to keep that leaf safe for so long, tried to keep it in its tree’s branches, but every time I found it on the ground again, more broken than the last time.
The frost shattered it and melded its remaining pieces to the freezing soil at its tree‘s roots. Snow eventually saw to its entire disappearance by working it into the ground. All winter, I was sure to never see another like it again.
Winter passed and spring came. And though I was excited for the new growth and waited impatiently for the trees to bud and blossom their new leaves, my heart still held a place within it for that certain leaf, even dared to hope that spring or summer might see its return. Neither did.
Two years passed. Spring had reached its final leg and just before Summer arrived in the forest, my heart leapt at a familiar sight when I visited that tree simply to remember an old friend.
High in its branches there was a certain leaf with a spot of transparency toward its center. Not in the same place exactly, and the leaf had nearly doubled in size, but the way it spun when we saw each other- there was no doubt in my mind. It was my friend from the year before.”
The doe closes her eyes and sighs, finding some contentment in that old, childhood memory. Her eyes shine a little more clearly when she opens them to look at the last emerald tree again.
“While it must be hard to let go of someone dear, sometimes that is best. And letting go does not mean that it must be forever. In that time apart, the leaves are able to experience something new and are given the opportunity to change into something better, something more magnificent and when the roots of its tree reach out into the soil and meet it again, that leaf can provide more for its friend and loyal support than it ever has. And if it were not for the pain of their separation, their love for their time together would be dulled or saccharine. Like too much honey: sickening in its own sweetness.
“I wonder if the trees and leaves know this.
Would it ease their parting that must come to pass?”
>>>> Virgil
"Leaves do not fall to die.
Leaves fall to bring life to Springs children."
"Life is the greatest gift a mother gives to her children, and by falling, it is the gift the leaves will give to their children."
The Hart looked away from the leaves in the direction of the twin trees, he knew his friend was there by sense of presence, not by sight.
>>>> Queze
"Silence."
The stag glares up at the tree, confrontational and stern. Under the snarl of his mask his brow is knotted and jaw clenched. "Leaves die. They fall to the ground, get walked on, rot, become dirt, sink down. This is death and it is unavoidable. There is a...tauntness about him, he is coiled and steeled. "You will die, and the tree here that birthed you will die, and the trees that were seeded here ages before have died and fallen, rotted and it is from that soil that you came." Putting the fact that he is talking to a tree from his mind, Queze lets out a hissing sigh from between this teeth. "The stag, Dag, he too will die because everything passes from this world eventually in some way...but keeping him in this in-between will not save you from your own passing." The anger in his voice fades, softening. "Death can not be avoided, the pain and fear of death only comes from avoiding it. Let yourselves pass and let Dag return to those who miss him."
>>>> Spyrre
Screenshot
>>>> Celeste
Hoofbeats.
badabumbadabumbadabum
The winged doe galloped, approaching the tree.
She skidded in the dirt, sending dust clouds into the chilly autumn morning. The sky was gray, and the leaves on this particular tree had already faded into their red and golden hues. They had lost their green vitality, and were now fading into gold for the winter to come. A light breeze blew through. They doe half-smiled, raising both of her wings to savor the wind. The leaves rattled, blew in the wind. The breeze faded. None of the leaves had fallen off. She walked slowly to the tree, her hooves crunching on the crisp grass.
"My dear leaves...let go. Death is part of life. When you drift to the ground, you will eventually help your tree. The soil you will transform into will help your tree grow and thrive. It is okay... let go. You will fall to the ground...sooner or later. Nothing lives forever... Let go. Don't worry...you will help your tree, the forest. Please."
The small doe paused slightly, watching the golden leaves waver in the air, watching the leaves on all the other trees drift down in a spiraling, beautiful dance before her eyes. She sighed, closing her eyes, then bent her legs and lay down, placing her forehead on the tree.
"Tree...It is okay. This is part of the cycle, the seasons cycle. Yes, you will loose your leaves in autumn, then pass through the cold winter. But in the spring, your new leaves, your new vibrant green leaves, will grow...These wonderful leaves you have now will help you...They will provide the nutrients you need to live. They will be gone... but I'm here. We're all here...Let go."
While she waited, the sunlight wavered in the air, over the autumn leaves, like a golden ocean. The leaves drifted down in front of her eyes, like golden rain from the sun itself. Yes, it was a truly beautiful season. She stood up and turned to the tree again.
"...Let go."
Badabumbadabumbadabum
She was gone.
>>>> Vendetta
Drift.
>>>> Kahlan
You Must Fall
>>>> Iko
Screenshot
The black doe walked to the tree, dwarfed by it's size.
"Pretty leaves, pretty leaves, come play
with me! No? ...I see. You wish not to fall. But why?
Why when you to soon go brown and numb? Why not play
with me, pretty leaves? And let the new ones grow, so that
I may play with them, too."
iko looked into the high canopy, seeing how the sunrays cut through the openings
of leaves and branches. She decided to lay at the foot of the trunk's roots
and nuzzled one with the side of her cheek.
"Pretty leaves, pretty leaves. Come play with me. While you still have a heartbeat, come play. Play with iko."
>>>> Lost
"Hmm?"
The ancient stag lifted his head, hearing the chatter of birds; an endless chorus that would soon herald the coming of winter.
"Everything has its time...and everything dies..."
He whispered to himself, a reflective tone only heard by the tree.
The tree.
"My dear sister? What trouble befalls you this day?"
In his heart, he knew she could hear him.
"Sister tree. You are indeed a strong soul. I watched you grow. Remember? Do you remember the songs we sung to you, and all the seedlings around you?
My dear sister. Why do you fear? Your children have lived a long, fruitful, rich life. Everything has its season.
A destiny, a purpose. One you cannot avoid.
You can only embrace it. Fall into it. That is our purpose.
Your children will make way for a new generation. And the forest will be thankful.
For it is you,
and only you,
That paves the way for the future.
Let them fall. My sister."
>>>> Kaoori
Letting Go
>>>> Snow
Snow and the last tree.
>>>> Seda
The little fawn looked up at the tree that's leaves did not wish to change.
Violet eyes blinked and widened as he saw other tree's losing their foliage.
His little tail wiggled. and he stood with his long thin legs. Trembling and shaking with every movement.
He made his way to the tree. his breath was strained behind his mask.
He rested his head against the base of tree. little stubs rubbing against the bark.
"...l-l...leaves....f-fall..." he murmured coughing and watching the leaves
" or...else...you'll be left behind" he smiled to the tree. and in some way the little fawn felt like he had accomplished something, Or so he hoped.
>>>> Ignis
A soft whisper from the last, withering leaves reached her ears and seemed to fill her heart with sorrow. Their cry was weak, it was desperate and their oxygen felt like toxic in her lungs. All that Ignis could feel was pity though, for the tree and its yearlings that were forced to said goodbye. Slowly she made her way to the last tree standing, her long tail swaying elegantly above her back. Upon her arrival, she sat down quietly and didn’t speak. She laid her head against the trunk, a rapid heartbeat drumming through her head. The doe smiled slightly and gazed up to the branches with crystal and peridot eyes. Half green, half golden were the leaves that had crowned the proud tree. But now the king was forced to lay down his crown, his pride, his everything. Without it he would look dead, no different from his ancestors that passed away a long time ago. Deceased and forgotten, his biggest fear.
‘Sweet, sweet darling,’ the doe spoke, a typical melody in her voice. Lovingly she wrapped her long tail around the trunk, as if she was holding the tree in an embrace. ‘Fear not, I am on your side.’ Her smile grew wider as she heard the pace of its heartbeat slowing down. ‘That’s right, my dear. I have come here to protect you against the claws of Autumn. Never has she showed mercy on any of you, ripping of your beloved ones like they were meaningless,’ Ignis spoke softly against the tree. Somehow she was at peace, as if it was just her and the tree. The outside world didn’t seem to exist to her. She simply denied it, as if it was never there. Never had she felt anything like this before. The emptiness, the loneliness. Completely isolated from the forest.
But she felt it for a reason: that it shouldn’t be this way. Both she and the tree were standing alone, even though they were part of something bigger. Something they both seemed to deny. Ignis closed her eyes for a brief moment and opened them again, looking across the silent landscape of the forest. Weakened sunlight let up the lonely tree and Ignis noticed she could no longer feel her burning warmth. Even the sun had known it was time.
‘Listen carefully, my tree. Listen to the voices that whisper trough the breeze. Those are the voices of the ones that have gone before you, sacrificing their selves for the greater good,’ the doe said, while turning her head to the tree. ‘Don’t get me wrong, I am still by your side. But I realized that nothing lives purely for itself. We live for each other. Therefore we must also die for each other.’ She felt her tail aching, as if the tree was trying to free itself from her embrace. Slowly she let go of the trunk.
‘Please forgive me, dear tree. I do not mean to betray you. But think about it like this: your fallen leaves will feed the earth and keep her fertile. The same earth from which you have once risen will give birth to others like you.’ She was surprised to feel the tree shaking, even though it could be her mind playing tricks on her. But it did not matter, she just hoped her message had been clear.
‘I’ll promise, that I’ll stay with you until you are ready. Say goodbye, to each one of them before you let them go. They will return to you eventually,’ were her last words, before she crawled up next to the tree and closed her eyes.
>>>> Cloud
Cloud looked up at the tree, its leaves still striking emerald against the sea of rusty reds and fiery oranges. It still clung to spring...to the past.
"You and I have a lot in common," He said quietly, "We cling to what was, afraid to move on. Afraid to let go."
He frowned and moved closer, settling himself down among its roots. The buck leaned against the strong trunk, closing his bright blue eyes and letting out a sigh. How could he tell a tree to let go of its leaves?
I can't do this.
Cloud opened his eyes and glanced up at the tree. He could do it, he had to. For Dag.
"It’s hard to let go," He began slowly, his voice shaky. "But sometimes...we have to. The seasons change, life goes on," As the buck spoke, his voice gradually became stronger and more confident, "Even if we're afraid we have to carry on, we have to let go of what was and face what will be."
Suddenly, something his mother had told him came into his mind. She had spoken it to him when they had witnessed another deer taken by wolves. It had calmed him then, perhaps it could do something for the tree.
With a gentle smile, he raised his head to look at the leaves still clinging to their home. "Where one life ends, another begins," The buck said, "The cycle of life is endless, a dance of endings and beginnings. Death is but another beginning."
Cloud lowered his eyes and raised himself from the earth. He took a few steps away from the tree then glanced back, a small smile upon his muzzle.
"Life will always go on."
>>>> Amary
Screenshot
"It will be okay."
>>>> Vipin
if he wished, the stag could break the tree down.
he could throw himself at it, full-force, with those great ram antlers and those glowing blue eyes. he could scream and shriek and thrash all he wanted, and, eventually, the tree would fall--it may take days, weeks, but the tree would fall and the leaves would tremble and cry and die upon the ground. but he was not like that, no--he simply was. he had watched today as deer--a gossamer blue doe, a winged black fawn, a purple, heart-antlered female, a silvery buck, some of his own--had approached the tree he now lay beside, tears in their eyes, some of anger, some of sadness and some just of hope. he hoped, that if any tears had been shed, that they were hopeful tears. because he knew Sire Dag, the stag with the Seasons upon his shoulders, the stag with oak branches for antlers and a heart as large as his pride, would return.
he had promised that he would return. and Vipin had conveyed that message to the others that, as always, Sire Dag would return with his amiable grin and passive nature and admirable personality. he had promised Kaoori, and he had promised others. he was not one to break these promises.
by word of ear, Vipin had heard of the others willing the leaves to fall to the ground. many still clung firmly to the towering branches he stood beneath, mockingly colorful, with their green-hued centers and burning lips. he admired them, appraised them briefly with those whimsically blue eyes, rubbing against the huge trunk, circling it with certain grace. he was not one to destroy such a beautiful thing. it didn't wish to die. no one wishes to die. and yet the leaves held, even against such an imminent threat of darkness, expanding over oceans and hills and trees and meadows. no one wanted that. perhaps the darkest of creatures, but no other creature.
the future is called "perhaps", because that is all it can be called. he cooed, still looking up, unblinking. you must not be afraid of it. the future comes soon enough. and in today walks another tomorrow. I will catch you on the way down, you see. no need for fear and terror, my dears, for you are giving birth to new life for those in the spring. you will watch as they grow and thrive, and then they will join you, in a content world of bliss and joy. he sways slightly, eyes closed placidly. doesn't it sound nice?
mother, let your children go. they are safe.
>>>> Toukan
To Coax the Reluctant
>>>> Pent
My silly friend...
>>>> brd
You
and I
both have branches
both shelter little ones from the rain
both are homes for the birds.
So why
do I change colors
and you do not?
Why
do I sleep deeply
and you do not?
Why
am I free to change
and you are not?
I
was once afraid.
You are afraid now.
I changed,
but I am still here.
And I
am no longer afraid.
>>>> Santiago
Santiago approached slowly. At first, his figure was nothing more than a lumbering shadow. However, his form became clearer with each footstep that he took, until the creature was dappled in sunlight that had found its way through the maze of leaves that clung, so desperately to the branches of the small tree.
"So, you're what all the fuss is about." His voice was smooth like ink, curious, but at the same time judgmental. "I've watched as so many deer approached you, offered their advice, unearthed dark little secrets. Spilled their guts, so to speak." He continued, circling her trunk as if to look for a weakness. "It's funny. I was expecting some great oak. You're just a stubborn little tree near the ruins."
He paused before shifting his weight and throwing two great paws upon her bark. There was a sharp smile upon his beak as he cast his gaze upwards, towards her children. "And honestly, I'm surprised that no one's tried to rip the leaves from your limbs." His claws crept closer, finding layers to wedge themselves into. "How easy it'd be had I still had my wings..."
But that was the thing: He didn't. He retracted his claws, paws falling, weight shifting, and instead took a seat near her roots.
"Maybe you and I aren't so different," he scoffed quietly as he crossed one foot over the other. "You're the last tree with leaves, and me? Well, let's just say that I'm the last of my kind. Here anyway."
"Sometimes, sacrifices must be made. I surrendered my wings for a pictogram. Just let your leaves fall, so we can get on with this show. No one will hold it against you."
"Besides, falling ain't so bad." His striped tail curled and unfurled lazily. "I've always seen it as somethin' like flying. You might find that your leaves like that kind of freedom, to feel the wind underneath their wings. I always did..."
"Tch, I'm no better than the deer that came to tell you stories." The laughter rolled out of him as he laid his head down upon the earth. He would spend the rest of the day in her company.
>>>> Fay (& Noelle)
"It's time to let go..."
>>>> Sterre
:First Autumn:
In Forest Event:
Monday the 15th - TODAY - everyone welcome!
It looks like the leaves are well on their way to falling, so why not encourage them and welcome their arrival to the ground?
Everyone is welcome to come to the area where the tree stands (pictured at the top) at 10pm UK time / 5pm US Central time onwards (Time Converter) to basically have a party! Show the leaves that really, it's not so bad being on the ground, and show the tree that they'll always be with good company even when its leaves are gone.
I want to make it clear that you don't have to participate by posting here in order to attend - these season events have always been about getting everyone together, so please don't by shy and think you're not welcome.
I cannot be there until 11pm UK time, but someone will be taking screenshots for me which will be posted in the third and final part. Don't worry if you can't stay until then (:
Thank you everyone who participated here, there were far more than I thought!
Thank you everyone ♥
The last part will be posted tomorrow. I'm sorry this wasn't as epic as the others <3
tracking so I can come up
woa first of all... again
first of all... again you amaze and stun me dag &hearts wow.
and then.. gnghn... i want to contribute something, but at the moment my head is copletely overflowign with my own little arc... i have to get them out first i fear |D hope i make it in time...
/trackertracker *runs off to
*runs off to PS to doe sumtin'*
OH. Before I forget.
...
*fangirl-squeal* <333
She has seen Spring, and the
Recently Pandora has taken to collecting every leaf she can- attempting to stuff them into the orange scarf she wears about her neck, using her tail to hold not just the candle, now, but handfuls of the loam upon the forest floor. Her mouth is full of the bitter birch leaves she has recently discovered, and in the manner of any child who does not understand limit, she continues her quest to save every leaf there is.
A vast adventure for one so small, so alone, no?
The skinny creature giggles as she prances to the first forest, near the Ruins she so very much adores. Doing so sends leaves spinning from her mouth, but she is not worried, for she will pick them up after she found a place to store her new friends. That is, of course, until she sees a great big tree, a misfit to its companions, standing out in the naked forest. Her white eyes widen in curiosity, and she bounds nearer to the tree, watching as its leaves make no attempt to fall.
Pandora tilts her head, mouth agape in wonder, and then she smiles, and giggles.
"Leaves, leaves, come down to me,
you won't get hurt when you fall, you see."
She runs her gaunt cheek against the riveted bark, humming her sweet lullaby- the one her butterflies sing to her- against the tree, not in any sort of a rush, resting easily against the mighty being.
"I had to leave momma too, yessum. It isn't so bad, no, no. I will catch you, you will see. If you come down from your tree."
She watches the trunk now, and presses her head upon it. Never could there be a more trusting creature than she. "Let them go, and they will grow. Find new places and new adventures, yes, yes!" The black fawn smiled on, folding her emaciated, bony legs beneath her as she laid down to wait for her new friends to fall.
OOC|Not sure if I did this right... But I couldn't resist trying. Fall, leaves, fall ♥ (:
(No subject)
I'm excited to see what people will come up with in such a short time frame... I know it's mean me only giving four days, but... Autumn is a bitch? 8D
Seriously, even a paragraph of text will do if anyone is worried about time. I'm interested in everyones thoughts about this subject (:
EDIT:
Panda's a prime example XD
Tracking this so I can post
I love this ♥ I'll
I'll try to contribute something as well...
Tracking for now~
A cold day. A fresh
And Aurora would hear Dag's call. Oh, how she listens when people call. The sweetest music to her ears when she is able to help, but the heaviest chains around her heart that would keep dragging until she fufilled her purpose. Helping.
"Leaves, heed my call!"
With silent crystal drops she quickly hops off... would the leaves fall?
Tracking for later. c:
Starling tilts her head
It makes your heart skip a beat, thinking of death. The thought of being nothing, but yet not even nothing. Because nothing is something and when you are dead, your are non-existent. You are gone forever and everything about you leaves with you. No one knows where you go, maybe to a better place. But maybe nothing happens. Absolutely nothing. You won't even see darkness, a black blur, like the back of your eye lids. You will see nothing for you will be nothing. And when you think so deeply about it, you escape the thought as soon as you can. It's the scariest thing you can think of. And to know that death is near, is just as scary as the thought. But the leaves must go...
" You may be golden but you are crisp and dying. Your life ahead is not much to look forward to. You will only be weak and you will never grow strong again, would you rather not continue and find a new life? A better life. And healthy leaves will then take your place, and they too will die. We all have to die, some day or another. If we didn't, others wouldn't get a chance to live their lives and see how amazing it is. Don't you want to share your experience and let others see how amazing this forest is? You cannot keep it all to yourself. You must pass on and let someone else take your place. I'm sure it will make you feel good. "
Starling wasn't too sure what to say and wasn't entirely sure what she had just said. But she hoped it would somehow do some good...
" Please, tree. Let your children go. "
____________
I'm not entirely sure if this is correct, but I hope it will be okay D:
Weariness. When she is not in
Perhaps Dag had heard her many musings. And there were indeed many as she tried to pull her mind into some habitable state, to carry on and fulfill the promises she had made to her sisters and friends.
“The trees keep and give good company, don’t they? They never speak, but the always listen. They never follow you, but they’re always there, offering their trunks to be leaned on if one should ever need their support. Somehow, it’s fitting that you have a tree, now, Sir Dag. You were very tree-like; not just in your size.”
A hushed, forced chuckle follows. It was hard to smile, but she’d found the strength to do so from her deepest reserves. She reaches up with her black nose to nudge a toadstool back into place that had been knocked loose one way or another.
“It will probably fall, anyway,” she whispers. “But it will come back.”
Her eyes, once vivid emerald, are now dulled and murky. Maybe it’s just the dappled, red-toned light shining through the royal red screen that blotches the underbelly of the sky. It’s to the leaves she’s looking now and it doesn’t take her long to see the single tree who has been left its many prizes. “Look, Dag: there’s one who’s still green-haired.” She smiles for the extra time it was given to keep its closest friends, but then frowns as realization sets it. It would have to loose them. If not by will, then by force. Winter would not allow such color to mar the whitening of its canvas.
“It must hurt so bad,” she coos, her voice choking as she’s reminded of her own pain. “You must have heard Aurora’s philosophic mention of pelt colors, Sir Dag. Hmhm.. I can’t imagine anyone hasn’t… We spoke of seasons once and she wondered why the trees had to lose their leaves. I wondered why when I was young, too. I wondered why fall was my favorite time of year. Sometimes I felt ashamed to revel in the brittle leaves and love the smell of their decay. Especially one year, when I’d grown very attached to a leaf whose span was nearly greater than that of your head, Sire. And there was a spot of transparency just near its center. Ah, I loved to look through it at the sky.
I was so sad to watch its colors change no matter how marvelous it was and my heart fell along with it when it floated to the forest’s floor. I tried to keep that leaf safe for so long, tried to keep it in its tree’s branches, but every time I found it on the ground again, more broken than the last time.
The frost shattered it and melded its remaining pieces to the freezing soil at its tree‘s roots. Snow eventually saw to its entire disappearance by working it into the ground. All winter, I was sure to never see another like it again.
Winter passed and spring came. And though I was excited for the new growth and waited impatiently for the trees to bud and blossom their new leaves, my heart still held a place within it for that certain leaf, even dared to hope that spring or summer might see its return. Neither did.
Two years passed. Spring had reached its final leg and just before Summer arrived in the forest, my heart leapt at a familiar sight when I visited that tree simply to remember an old friend.
High in its branches there was a certain leaf with a spot of transparency toward its center. Not in the same place exactly, and the leaf had nearly doubled in size, but the way it spun when we saw each other- there was no doubt in my mind. It was my friend from the year before.”
The doe closes her eyes and sighs, finding some contentment in that old, childhood memory. Her eyes shine a little more clearly when she opens them to look at the last emerald tree again.
“While it must be hard to let go of someone dear, sometimes that is best. And letting go does not mean that it must be forever. In that time apart, the leaves are able to experience something new and are given the opportunity to change into something better, something more magnificent and when the roots of its tree reach out into the soil and meet it again, that leaf can provide more for its friend and loyal support than it ever has. And if it were not for the pain of their separation, their love for their time together would be dulled or saccharine. Like too much honey: sickening in its own sweetness.
“I wonder if the trees and leaves know this.
Would it ease their parting that must come to pass?”
I hope Toukan is able to move
Think Snow will have to do
Again, beautiful writings, and those edits are love. <3
(No subject)
"Leaves do not fall to
Leaves fall to bring life to Springs children."
"Life is the greatest gift a mother gives to her children, and by falling, it is the gift the leaves will give to their children."
The Hart looked away from the leaves in the direction of the twin trees, he knew his friend was there by sense of presence, not by sight.
"Silence." The stag glares up
The stag glares up at the tree, confrontational and stern. Under the snarl of his mask his brow is knotted and jaw clenched. "Leaves die. They fall to the ground, get walked on, rot, become dirt, sink down. This is death and it is unavoidable. There is a...tauntness about him, he is coiled and steeled. "You will die, and the tree here that birthed you will die, and the trees that were seeded here ages before have died and fallen, rotted and it is from that soil that you came." Putting the fact that he is talking to a tree from his mind, Queze lets out a hissing sigh from between this teeth. "The stag, Dag, he too will die because everything passes from this world eventually in some way...but keeping him in this in-between will not save you from your own passing." The anger in his voice fades, softening. "Death can not be avoided, the pain and fear of death only comes from avoiding it. Let yourselves pass and let Dag return to those who miss him."
(Couldn´t think anything
(Couldn´t think anything smart to write, but got inspired to do a edit.
Maybe I´ll write something later... )
Tracking until I can think of
Hoofbeats. badabumbadabumbad
badabumbadabumbadabum
The winged doe galloped, approaching the tree.
She skidded in the dirt, sending dust clouds into the chilly autumn morning. The sky was gray, and the leaves on this particular tree had already faded into their red and golden hues. They had lost their green vitality, and were now fading into gold for the winter to come. A light breeze blew through. They doe half-smiled, raising both of her wings to savor the wind. The leaves rattled, blew in the wind. The breeze faded. None of the leaves had fallen off. She walked slowly to the tree, her hooves crunching on the crisp grass.
"My dear leaves...let go. Death is part of life. When you drift to the ground, you will eventually help your tree. The soil you will transform into will help your tree grow and thrive. It is okay... let go. You will fall to the ground...sooner or later. Nothing lives forever... Let go. Don't worry...you will help your tree, the forest. Please."
The small doe paused slightly, watching the golden leaves waver in the air, watching the leaves on all the other trees drift down in a spiraling, beautiful dance before her eyes. She sighed, closing her eyes, then bent her legs and lay down, placing her forehead on the tree.
"Tree...It is okay. This is part of the cycle, the seasons cycle. Yes, you will loose your leaves in autumn, then pass through the cold winter. But in the spring, your new leaves, your new vibrant green leaves, will grow...These wonderful leaves you have now will help you...They will provide the nutrients you need to live. They will be gone... but I'm here. We're all here...Let go."
While she waited, the sunlight wavered in the air, over the autumn leaves, like a golden ocean. The leaves drifted down in front of her eyes, like golden rain from the sun itself. Yes, it was a truly beautiful season. She stood up and turned to the tree again.
"...Let go."
Badabumbadabumbadabum
She was gone.
Here ♥
I absolutely love the
I'll be adding them into the blog when I have the chance (: each one of your responses will effect what Dag will say to them, by the way.
---
Added music which I forgot to do when I posted :B
http://endlessforest.org/comm
This to me, is how to make leaves fall from trees.
Mick Kreiger: You Know You Love Me XOXO
~track ♥
Aaaamaaaaziiiingg
(Atleast I hope so pfff >8C XD)
The black doe walked to the
"Pretty leaves, pretty leaves, come play
with me! No? ...I see. You wish not to fall. But why?
Why when you to soon go brown and numb? Why not play
with me, pretty leaves? And let the new ones grow, so that
I may play with them, too."
iko looked into the high canopy, seeing how the sunrays cut through the openings
of leaves and branches. She decided to lay at the foot of the trunk's roots
and nuzzled one with the side of her cheek.
"Pretty leaves, pretty leaves. Come play with me. While you still have a heartbeat, come play. Play with iko."
I want your skills.
I have no idea what any of my deer would say. I don't think Amary could even do it. But I can have her at least pay the tree a visit.
"Hmm?" The ancient stag
"Hmm?"
The ancient stag lifted his head, hearing the chatter of birds; an endless chorus that would soon herald the coming of winter.
"Everything has its time...and everything dies..."
He whispered to himself, a reflective tone only heard by the tree.
The tree.
"My dear sister? What trouble befalls you this day?"
In his heart, he knew she could hear him.
"Sister tree. You are indeed a strong soul. I watched you grow. Remember? Do you remember the songs we sung to you, and all the seedlings around you?
My dear sister. Why do you fear? Your children have lived a long, fruitful, rich life. Everything has its season.
A destiny, a purpose. One you cannot avoid.
You can only embrace it. Fall into it. That is our purpose.
Your children will make way for a new generation. And the forest will be thankful.
For it is you,
and only you,
That paves the way for the future.
Let them fall. My sister."
If you don't come down, I'll
If you don't come down, I'll kill your mother.-thinks of what to write-
^FFFFF
http://www.endlessforest.org/
Snow and the last tree. n_n
Um... Which tree is it?
Which tree is it? There are so many that look like it.
The little fawn looked up at
Violet eyes blinked and widened as he saw other tree's losing their foliage.
His little tail wiggled. and he stood with his long thin legs. Trembling and shaking with every movement.
He made his way to the tree. his breath was strained behind his mask.
He rested his head against the base of tree. little stubs rubbing against the bark.
"...l-l...leaves....f-fall..." he murmured coughing and watching the leaves
" or...else...you'll be left behind" he smiled to the tree. and in some way the little fawn felt like he had accomplished something, Or so he hoped.
disregard my previous
A soft whisper from the last,
‘Sweet, sweet darling,’ the doe spoke, a typical melody in her voice. Lovingly she wrapped her long tail around the trunk, as if she was holding the tree in an embrace. ‘Fear not, I am on your side.’ Her smile grew wider as she heard the pace of its heartbeat slowing down. ‘That’s right, my dear. I have come here to protect you against the claws of Autumn. Never has she showed mercy on any of you, ripping of your beloved ones like they were meaningless,’ Ignis spoke softly against the tree. Somehow she was at peace, as if it was just her and the tree. The outside world didn’t seem to exist to her. She simply denied it, as if it was never there. Never had she felt anything like this before. The emptiness, the loneliness. Completely isolated from the forest.
But she felt it for a reason: that it shouldn’t be this way. Both she and the tree were standing alone, even though they were part of something bigger. Something they both seemed to deny. Ignis closed her eyes for a brief moment and opened them again, looking across the silent landscape of the forest. Weakened sunlight let up the lonely tree and Ignis noticed she could no longer feel her burning warmth. Even the sun had known it was time.
‘Listen carefully, my tree. Listen to the voices that whisper trough the breeze. Those are the voices of the ones that have gone before you, sacrificing their selves for the greater good,’ the doe said, while turning her head to the tree. ‘Don’t get me wrong, I am still by your side. But I realized that nothing lives purely for itself. We live for each other. Therefore we must also die for each other.’ She felt her tail aching, as if the tree was trying to free itself from her embrace. Slowly she let go of the trunk.
‘Please forgive me, dear tree. I do not mean to betray you. But think about it like this: your fallen leaves will feed the earth and keep her fertile. The same earth from which you have once risen will give birth to others like you.’ She was surprised to feel the tree shaking, even though it could be her mind playing tricks on her. But it did not matter, she just hoped her message had been clear.
‘I’ll promise, that I’ll stay with you until you are ready. Say goodbye, to each one of them before you let them go. They will return to you eventually,’ were her last words, before she crawled up next to the tree and closed her eyes.
Cloud looked up at the tree,
"You and I have a lot in common," He said quietly, "We cling to what was, afraid to move on. Afraid to let go."
He frowned and moved closer, settling himself down among its roots. The buck leaned against the strong trunk, closing his bright blue eyes and letting out a sigh. How could he tell a tree to let go of its leaves?
I can't do this.
Cloud opened his eyes and glanced up at the tree. He could do it, he had to. For Dag.
"It’s hard to let go," He began slowly, his voice shaky. "But sometimes...we have to. The seasons change, life goes on," As the buck spoke, his voice gradually became stronger and more confident, "Even if we're afraid we have to carry on, we have to let go of what was and face what will be."
Suddenly, something his mother had told him came into his mind. She had spoken it to him when they had witnessed another deer taken by wolves. It had calmed him then, perhaps it could do something for the tree.
With a gentle smile, he raised his head to look at the leaves still clinging to their home. "Where one life ends, another begins," The buck said, "The cycle of life is endless, a dance of endings and beginnings. Death is but another beginning."
Cloud lowered his eyes and raised himself from the earth. He took a few steps away from the tree then glanced back, a small smile upon his muzzle.
"Life will always go on."
"It will be
"It will be okay."
almost forgot to do this
I have nowhere near your editing skills, but I thought I'd at least give it a try.
if he wished, the stag could
he could throw himself at it, full-force, with those great ram antlers and those glowing blue eyes. he could scream and shriek and thrash all he wanted, and, eventually, the tree would fall--it may take days, weeks, but the tree would fall and the leaves would tremble and cry and die upon the ground. but he was not like that, no--he simply was. he had watched today as deer--a gossamer blue doe, a winged black fawn, a purple, heart-antlered female, a silvery buck, some of his own--had approached the tree he now lay beside, tears in their eyes, some of anger, some of sadness and some just of hope. he hoped, that if any tears had been shed, that they were hopeful tears. because he knew Sire Dag, the stag with the Seasons upon his shoulders, the stag with oak branches for antlers and a heart as large as his pride, would return.
he had promised that he would return. and Vipin had conveyed that message to the others that, as always, Sire Dag would return with his amiable grin and passive nature and admirable personality. he had promised Kaoori, and he had promised others. he was not one to break these promises.
by word of ear, Vipin had heard of the others willing the leaves to fall to the ground. many still clung firmly to the towering branches he stood beneath, mockingly colorful, with their green-hued centers and burning lips. he admired them, appraised them briefly with those whimsically blue eyes, rubbing against the huge trunk, circling it with certain grace. he was not one to destroy such a beautiful thing. it didn't wish to die. no one wishes to die. and yet the leaves held, even against such an imminent threat of darkness, expanding over oceans and hills and trees and meadows. no one wanted that. perhaps the darkest of creatures, but no other creature.
the future is called "perhaps", because that is all it can be called. he cooed, still looking up, unblinking. you must not be afraid of it. the future comes soon enough. and in today walks another tomorrow. I will catch you on the way down, you see. no need for fear and terror, my dears, for you are giving birth to new life for those in the spring. you will watch as they grow and thrive, and then they will join you, in a content world of bliss and joy. he sways slightly, eyes closed placidly. doesn't it sound nice?
mother, let your children go. they are safe.
Fall...
To Coax the Reluctant.
My silly friend...
♥! When this is all
When this is all over, I will go through and comment on each one specifically. I'm just short of time now and haven't been able to put as much effort into this as I would have liked!
Everyone's contributions to
You
and I
both have branches
both shelter little ones from the rain
both are homes for the birds.
So why
do I change colors
and you do not?
Why
do I sleep deeply
and you do not?
Why
am I free to change
and you are not?
I
was once afraid.
You are afraid now.
I changed,
but I am still here.
And I
am no longer afraid.
I don't strive to be the best, but instead I strive to do my best, and always give it my all every time.
-faunet
D: I have class during the In
Santiago approached slowly.
"So, you're what all the fuss is about." His voice was smooth like ink, curious, but at the same time judgmental. "I've watched as so many deer approached you, offered their advice, unearthed dark little secrets. Spilled their guts, so to speak." He continued, circling her trunk as if to look for a weakness. "It's funny. I was expecting some great oak. You're just a stubborn little tree near the ruins."
He paused before shifting his weight and throwing two great paws upon her bark. There was a sharp smile upon his beak as he cast his gaze upwards, towards her children. "And honestly, I'm surprised that no one's tried to rip the leaves from your limbs." His claws crept closer, finding layers to wedge themselves into. "How easy it'd be had I still had my wings..."
But that was the thing: He didn't. He retracted his claws, paws falling, weight shifting, and instead took a seat near her roots.
"Maybe you and I aren't so different," he scoffed quietly as he crossed one foot over the other. "You're the last tree with leaves, and me? Well, let's just say that I'm the last of my kind. Here anyway."
"Sometimes, sacrifices must be made. I surrendered my wings for a pictogram. Just let your leaves fall, so we can get on with this show. No one will hold it against you."
"Besides, falling ain't so bad." His striped tail curled and unfurled lazily. "I've always seen it as somethin' like flying. You might find that your leaves like that kind of freedom, to feel the wind underneath their wings. I always did..."
"Tch, I'm no better than the deer that came to tell you stories." The laughter rolled out of him as he laid his head down upon the earth. He would spend the rest of the day in her company.
Figured I'd drop this off
We'll be there! The event
Here, phew! Sorry about how
Sorry about how late it is.
We'll try to be there at the event, I'll have school that day though. We'll see!
I'll be there for a few
Mick Kreiger: You Know You Love Me XOXO