November 30 [ L E M O N ]
December 1, 2009 - 2:45pm — lemon
November 30
It was a fairly chilly day – even for early winter. My silver winter pelt had already begun to grow shaggy and soft in preparation for the coming season. After a night of snow, the earth had accumulated a thin dusting of ice; and there was nothing I liked better. The muffled crunch of snow beneath my hooves was always so exhilarating, and I had already determined to make the best of the day by seeking out the areas of the forest which had not yet been trampled down by the other deer.
I moved swiftly, cutting directly through the birch forest. The air was bone-chilling; but I liked the way it felt against my skin. There is something fresh and friendly about cold air. Suddenly, a gruesome, hoarse call lit the air around me, arresting me completely. I stood rooted to my spot, one hoof lifted in preparation for the next step. I waited with baited breath, hoping to hear the eerie sound once more. After a few moments, my patience was rewarded by another croak, and my skin crawled with sheer horror. Never before had I encountered such a raw, deathly sound. I lifted my head, testing the air carefully for any clue as to what sort of creature could possibly create such a terror in me.
But there was no one around – not even a finch stirred – there was no one but a single, large bird situated several yards to my left. I could hear his feathers rustle as he moved, along with the tell-tale light scratch of his claws against the icy earth.
As far as I could tell, he was extraordinarily large for a bird; larger than any bird I had ever encountered, before... I could feel his deathly eyes on me, watching me intently. I took a single brazen step toward him, pressing my undersized cloven hoof into the cold earth as if my feet had suddenly turned to milky porcelain.
The air was as still as death – suffocated by the wringing, icy hands of winter. Not a sound could be heard; not a sound except for the shrill rasp of my own breath rising from the depths of my narrow chest, leaving droplets on the leathery under-side of my mask. Though I could not see the object of my curiosity, I knew that he was watching me. He seemed calm – unusually so – and vaguely curious about my intentions. I, on the other hand, felt absolutely bewildered and alarmed. I had not expected to encounter anyone today, let alone such a highly distressing creature. My mind raced, attempting to piece together the information it had gathered. This thing standing before me – so astute and demure, and impeccably oblivious as to it's unnerving manner of existence – was certainly neither of my beloved twin Gods.
But surely he is a God. A spirit of some sort.
There was simply no other explanation.
In the forest, there are no exceptions. There are no changes.
Yet, here... here was an alien creature, unlike anything.
A bitter wind whipped against me, urging me forward. Another few steps took me hesitantly in the general direction of the peculiar animal, my heart thumping restlessly against the walls of its bony prison. The bird shook its weighty feathers out and hopped toward me, and I froze. Again he moved toward me – his movement seemed reminiscent of the plucky little finches, only amplified and mutated by his great bulk. And suddenly he was right in front of me, peering up at me with that piercing gaze. I felt his silky feathers brush against my skin, and I drew back a little in fear.
What is this... thing?
I lowered my head, sniffing carefully at the bird. I nudged him gently with my muzzle, lipping inquisitively at his glossy feathers, and then gave him one more investigative poke. He did not seem to mind my obsessive prodding – in fact, he seemed quite interested in me, as well. I drew back, attempting to decide whether he was friend or foe. For a moment, I merely waited, weighing my thoughts. The bird remained motionless, seeming to study me in a similarly thoughtful fashion. Then – slowly – I circled the bird, keeping my ears trained expertly in his direction. Finishing my apprehensive lap about the thing, I was startled to find that he had begun to circle me! I turned my head in tandem with his movement, listening intently to his footsteps as he went. I still did not trust this strange creature. Not yet.
Then, with a great flurry of movement and sound, the creature had vanished entirely – in it's wake was something much larger. Startled, I reached out and touched my nose gently to his skin, discovering that the bird had transformed himself into a fairly large deer. I backed away, my fear newly redoubled.
There was no doubt about it, now – this was clearly some sort of previously unencountered God.
I had never heard of such a truly fascinating creature, and I found myself both awe-struck and fiercely terrified. He did not speak – and neither did I. We resumed our previous preoccupation of meddling nosiness about each other, sniffing and circling one another questioningly. I think that I was probably the more frightened of us – though he did seem rather uncertain for someone so obviously in the possession of power.
Finally, my nerves began to settle, and I decided that I rather liked this strange new companion. Regardless of whether or not he was some sort of curious mystic being, it was clear that he was a likable fellow at least, and I decided that I would quite enjoy his company.
He, having evidently satisfied his own curiosity, settled down in the ice-tipped grass. I moved quietly to his side, and – dwarfed in comparison to the much taller stag – settled down beside him.
I felt comfortable, now that the creature had retained a familiar shape – but my memories of his prior form still troubled me. So many bizarre events had been occurring, lately, and I had begun to feel on edge. More than usual, that is.
The forest, my children, is changing.
Can you feel it?
Ephire~ Woah sounds like an
Woah sounds like an incredible experience Lemon had yesterday! Saw you, Ephire and Queze hanging out/sleeping on Red Hill last night. ^^
God your writing skills are incredible. o.o
I love your writing! Seed
that was awesome. xD
Thanks, guys! C: VCG: I'd
VCG: I'd been wanting to meet Ephire for quite a while; I'm glad Lemon finally ran into him yesterday. Even though she was a little freaked out... xD
Seed: I know, they really need to get together soon. :c
We'll see what we can do.
So that was what Lemon's