October 2nd, 2013

Oolong had a good long nap and a good long think about his predicament. On the one hoof, he couldn't spar with the other deer the way they did with one another as his instincts told him that his horn was far too dangerous. He understood that though the rutting was mostly a game, it was a serious game... but that the stags did NOT fight to kill one another.

On the other side, he still felt that to become a true stag, one who would be respected, he had to somehow assert himself as a powerful creature able to defend himself and his territory. This was his forest, after all.

So he set off to his favorite hilltop near the ruins - and paid his respect to the tree-that-had-bested-him. Then he spotted Starfox asleep on the hilltop. He tried to wake her, but she was sleeping so deeply that he finally decided it was best to simply let her rest. He noted Ramsus and Isiel sitting together, but they seemed disinclined to acknowledge him, and truth be told he was a bit wary of all those teeth.... so he mostly left them be.

No sooner had he sat down near her when a pair of rutting stags charged up and around the hill, marking trees and bellowing at each other as they raced off again. Oolong was enraged at their flagrant invasion of HIS hill! Didn't they realize Starfox was tired and SLEEPING?! He rose and chased after them for a short way, just to ensure that they got the message. Then he returned to the sleeping fawn and checked to be sure she had not been rudely awoken.

Now he was mad. He thought for a few moments and then took a lesson from Reate and began to scent-mark his hillside. Rubbing his hooves and legs and side against all the trees until he smelled richly of pine and oak. (do note... he has this a bit backwards. But Oolong himself has no scent of his own, lol. - this is a protective gift of nature apparently.)

Then he proceeded to flail his hooves and bellow at any stags that ventured too near without showing the proper respect. It seemed to work, and the little kirin was proud of himself. Maybe they WOULD take him seriously. He tried expanding his territory by picking up the scent of a nearby elm, but he didn't want to risk claiming too much as he wasn't sure how much space he could really defend without loosing sight of Starfox in the process.

Later when she woke he paraded proudly around her, and even presented her with fresh flowers for her head, hoping to win some favor in her eyes. They played together happily for a while, and then were found by a mini fawn with the most AMAZING antlers Oolong had ever seen! He secretly wondered how the little creature didn't just topple right over from the weight, but apparently his neck had enough practice to keep him upright. They danced in a tree together and threw around masks and pelts until, tired out from all his guard duty, Oolong finally had to leave to take a rest.

September 30th, 2013

Today the little kirin set off to continue his studies. He watched a pair of stags sparring for a time, and watched in confusion as they then chased each other round and round a trio of does. Oolong thought this behavior was rather strange as the does seemed rather disinterested in the goings on around them. He might have investigated further, but a familiar scent caught his nose and he set off in search of his Oolong-appointed-mentor, Walter.

After spotting the old stag slowly lumbering his way past the great oak, Oolong [strike]stalked[/strike] followed after him, watching carefully the ways he interacted with the forest and the other deer. When Walter bowed, the little kirin bowed; if Walter sat, Oolong sat. When the stag got up and moved from the rocks to the twin gods hill, and then later took a long walk through the forest, the fawn was trotting slowly behind him, keeping pace and trying to look regal.

This worked for a while, though from the god's hill they watched an even bigger herd in-session - stags chasing about aggressively and does munching away at the tall grasses. Though his kirin patience was long, his fawn patience was not, and so after a time Oolong rose and tried to practice his arts of 'intimidation' on a nearby tree.

He stopped when another fawn approached, afraid that he might just be so terrifying that she would run away. (He assumed the amused look on Walter's features was due to the new fawn's bowing.)

Later however, when he resumed his practice on a different hill, he discovered one of the differences between stags and kirin....

Oolong's horn was not a pair of antlers, branching out on either side of his delicate head... It was a sharp and only slightly curved prong, with a small hook branching off near it's center. After quite a few misses and several jarring knocks against a nearby tree, his 'opponent' finally bested him with a wickedly underhanded move! Oolong rammed the tree head on - and his horn pierced the tree and STUCK TIGHT!



Walter had fallen asleep, and the other fawn on the hillside simply watched in surprise as the little kirin fought and struggled against the tree, pulling with all his might, until at last with a scattering of bark and beetle he was finally able to pull his horn free.

As he rested his aching neck and inspecting the deep gash in the side of the elm the most horrifying thought suddenly occurred to Oolong... one that made his blood run cold and his sides shiver with terror. What if he had been sparring with another stag? His horn was special... it was sharper than antler, sharper than tree... and most stags had two great branches that caught at each other and held the other fighter at bay.

My horn would have pierced my opponents bowed head! He realized with shock, remembering the ways the other stags charged at one another. He shuddered again at the thought of the gashes they inflicted on on another, even in relatively ordered sparring. The blood always made him feel ill, and he was suddenly terrified at the damage he could have inflicted on another being.

His heart sank with these thoughts. How could he spar? Or even learn to fight? He could use his hooves, yes... but every competition he had seen thusfar involved the charge.

Later on he sought out Reate, hoping the unicorn/bicorn might be able to offer him some advice on the matter - being like a kirin himself with his centered horns. But Oolong was too embarrassed to admit his worries to the adult and so he sat in awkward silence until at last sleep overtook him.

September 27th, 2013

Oolong rose late in the afternoon, having slept through the morning while the bruises on his side healed. He was still achy when he took deep breaths, and the little kirin was a bit mystified at this new experience. He was definitely learning, however. Pain hurts, sometimes even long after it's been inflicted... Maybe this was not something he really liked the idea of, but it was life and he was beginning to understand that it was a great deal more complex than who snuggled you next or what you would eat for breakfast.

After gingerly stretching the aches out of his side and legs, the kirin faun set out into the forest in search of someone who could teach him about this new thing. What were the rules? Charging someone so much smaller than yourself seemed to Oolong to be something that didn't make sense. Before now all the fighting he had seen was in the form of friendly sparring between stags preparing for the rut. This was different... Why would that stag have been intimidated by ME? he wondered to himself as he searched. Intimidation was the only conclusion he could reach... after all, who would attack someone smaller than them-self simply for approaching?

Oolong tried greeting a pair of stags bounding between the trees, hoping they were friendly. They ignored him however, so instead of pressing he moved on. A nameless stag was no help either, he seemed more interested in chewing on the trees and rubbing his antlers on everything in sight.

The fawn finally spotted a group of deer lounging near a log, and decided that the large stag with the broad red antlers might be a good fighter. He approached and bowed, and was ignored yet again. This frustrated him. How was he supposed to learn if no one was willing to teach him?

Off to his side, the great stag Walter rose from a nap and shook himself off, bits of twig and leaf tumbling off of his large horns. Oolong eyed the scarred creature cautiously. He looked strong, and he looked tough... but he didn't seem to be bothered by the fauns playing so close to him. So the kirin ventured close and bowed.

"Excuse me... um... Mr. Stag?" he said, trying to think of the most polite way to approach the subject. "I... I want to learn how to fight. I need to know the rules, and how it's done, and why stags don't like fauns and..."

The large creature cocked his head curiously at the fawn, his eyes not quite meeting the spot where Oolong stood - and the kirin realized that his chosen mentor was blind.

"I... I got beated up for following a stag... and... and I want to learn what I did wrong... and how not to get beated up, because it hurt." the little one stammered, uncertain how to proceed. The stag gave a slight chuff that Oolong realized was a laugh, and nodded as he turned to begin venturing forward, an amused look playing across his chiseled features. The kirin took this as a non-threat, and decided to accompany him.

Oolong followed in amazement as the old stag navigated his way around the forest, even easily avoiding trodding on the other fawns that seemed comfortable in trotting after him. He received no challenge as he made his way about, and before long the kirin had decided that this was a good choice in a teacher.

They settled down finally on the big rock at the playground and watched the birds flitting through the birch trees until the great stag finally faded off with a sigh. Oolong gave a strong leap and agilely landed on the closer branches of the nearby tree, settling down in the nest-like bowl that they made.

He contemplated what he had learned so far. A good fighter doesn't go LOOKING for trouble.