A Change Born Of The Forest

moonsoverwater's picture
The golden doe squeezed her way between two rocks to lay down. Her eyes were laden with golden tears, though she dared not cry for the pain of it. Phion nearly sniffled, but grunted instead as she threw her head on the ground, nuzzling her face in to the grass and huffing out a sigh.

Why was she here?

Her mind cried in anguish. Longing filled her heart, beating for a purpose in this forest. The enemies of the forest were long gone by now. Her eyes spilled tears so hot that they sizzled on her skin, wafting up in to the air of evening with a smell like hot soil and burning leaves. She was sick of being made of the forest.

WHY? Do I have to be like this anymore... do I have to.... can't I.... I am ugly.... My face... My scent... My....... Jumbled thoughts.

Another waterfall of gold started to eat away at the red lines again. A pitiful cry echoed through the birch as the Spirit Heart of the Forest bleated a lament. Her feathers shook and shuddered as sob after sob wracked her frame.

This was shameful. Phion knew that crying was a fawn-like thing to do, especially when she knew what it was doing to her face.

Could... Coould you change me... plea-ase? I am s-i-ick of be-eing a mon-onster. A harsh, shaky whisper muffled itself in the grass. Phion pressed her nose in to the dirt, her lips kissing the ground as she spoke to the Gods that created her.

A soft warmth brushed against her, wind from the higher air. The doe pricked her ears, listening to silent words and responding with an out-loud speech that made her seem crazy. Right now, she could have been plagued with insanity.

Face.... My.... Face... My Voice.... My face my voice... my face... my voice... I want to be a littlemorenormalmyfacemyvoicemyfacemyfacemyvoicepleasepleasemyfacemyvoiceIwillIwillIwilllll..
.myvoice....formyface....Iwillbecomereallforit....myfacemyvoicemyvoiceitba...h.....ga.....h......mmma.....hnnnn......
huff.

Her face lifted from the ground, peering around at the world from a different angle. Tears spilled happily from her big, round eyes. The black feathers cascaded to the earth before disappearing in to it. She gave it all up for this... this face.

*A doe stared out at the world from between two rocks, her eyes rimmed in long doe lashes, face tapering in to a long doe nose.

Would anyone be happy that she changed? She was quiet now except for her gravelly doe call.

Would anyone, especially her friends, understand why she changed?

A doe stared out at the world with doe-eyes beneath doe-lashes. Her tear-ducts led down her doe-face to a wet doe-nose. A hint of a smile pressed up the edges of her doe-lips as she let out a joyful bugle from her doe-jaw.

Phion had become what she secretly most admired... the semblance of a real doe... a red doe. Fur on her neck fluffing in appreciation, the new-faced doe stood and crept from the rocks.


((FEEL FREE TO RP THIS IF YOU KNOW HER, ANY TIME AFTER THE ASTERISK
I EDITED IT TO INCLUDE A SENTENCE ABOUT LOSING HER FEATHERS AS WELL))

Zera had, once again escaped

Zera had, once again escaped from her brother. She really would have to talk to him about it... Her mind was still elsewhere as she came into the Birch Forest. She always came here when escaping from her brother, for he hardly ever came here. She looked up to see another doe, one with a red doe face.

But... she was familiar... very familiar.

"Phi!?"

((So she's changed, huh? At the moment in time, I don't know how Z will react. I'll just wing it XD))
Hart's picture

Woaah, so Phion looks like a

Woaah, so Phion looks like a real deer now? What does this mean for her powers?
This is interesting...
moonsoverwater's picture

Zera's scent drifted in to

Zera's scent drifted in to the new doe-nostrils, and the nose told Phion it was her sister.

The doe nodded her head, trotting over and embracing her sister before stepping back so that the other deer could see her new face better. Tilting her head, the doe was about to ask Zee if she liked it.

As soon as she tried, though, Phion realized that would not work. A bark came from her muzzle. Shifting on her hooves, the doe shook her head in a semblance of embarrassment.

I will have to learn another way to talk, I suppose. Phion thought to herself. A moment of inspiration chased that thought like a wolf springing out on a herd of elk.

Spinning in a slow oval, Phion showed her sister her entire body as if to say 'look at me' before tilting her head. 'So do you like it?'


((EDIT: She has lost her voice and her power to talk to woodland creatures. She can still heal and disappear and all of that, as well as control light.))


(thanks, starling! The avatar is amazing! And Thanks Pretzil for the siggie!

"Phi wha- Oh. Oh." Z was

"Phi wha- Oh. Oh." Z was confused for a moment. She had lost her voice! Well, that would make it alot more difficult, but there wasn't much she could do now.

"Well, sister, I like the face - very nice, yes. You really could be my sister now, haha!"

Her laughter died away.

"I just... don't know how we'll communicate properly now..." She pulled a wistfull face. "Still, I like it!"
moonsoverwater's picture

Phion lowered her head in

Phion lowered her head in agreement. Communication would be more difficult now.

At least Zera appreciated her new face. The doe snuffed happily at that, eyes half-lidded in a form of joy. Her pictogram winked in and out of vision.

Another idea flew from the foliage like a spooked pheasant. She would use the language that Endless Forest Deer knew.... pictograms!

Phion began to nose leaves away from a spot on the ground, digging light lines with her glass-like hooves. An intricate set of symbols formed very quickly and deftly in the dirt.

I can use this, I am still intelligent. It will be really awkward to converse, but we can. The set of pictos read, each word a jumble of basic letters that connected in to beautiful shapes and patterns.

Looking at Zee's face, she discerned a reaction.


(thanks, starling! The avatar is amazing! And Thanks Pretzil for the siggie!

Z looked at what her sister

Z looked at what her sister was doing, a mixture of confusion and amazement contorting her face. When finished, Zera's face lit up in wonder. Her eyes tingled and suddenly all the symbols on the ground suddenly made sense.

"Awesome! This is great, Phi! I still loved your old voice, though, but great! Real great!"
moonsoverwater's picture

Phion scrawled more

Phion scrawled more pictograms in the dirt.

I did not like my voice. I like this much better. MUCH better. The "MUCH" was emphasized by how much more deep it was gouged in to the soil. As soon as it was read, Phion smudged it away to dictate again.

Why are you speaking that way, Zera? Her sister's pictogram was gently scraped in to the dirt. The question would have had an inflection of doubt had it been spoken instead of written as it was. Do you not like how I am now? She was sincere, her deliberate strokes an inflection of their own in the way she scraped them.


(thanks, starling! The avatar is amazing! And Thanks Pretzil for the siggie!

As Phion scrawled the

As Phion scrawled the pictograms in the dirt, Z saw them flash a lovely pale yellow colour. The colour of her sister's old voice.

"I did not like my voice. I like this much better. MUCH better."
Zera stayed quiet as she wrote this, contemplating. What if Phi had been like this in the beginning? Would she, Zera, have ever discovered her power? Would they ever even have met?

Z shook her head and carried on watching Phion scrape at the dirt. These symbols were lighting up in a more orange colour... doubt. Something told her Phi was feeling just a tinge of doubt. But then, a bright purple flash - Zera's name. She glanced at her sister who was rubbing away the most recent ones, unaware of the light show Z was watching.

Then more, a bit more a sky blue now - sincerity.

"Phion. You are my sister - biological or not, you are family! I will support you in every way possible!" She sighed gently, "Personally, Phi, I prefered your God given face... and the voice... it helped me alot

You once complained to me about not getting a mate with your face and voice. Ha! I should have told you this then, but if any stag vain and stupid enough to let you go because of the scars - well, it's their loss!
"

Zera shook her head again.
"Like I said, though, Phi, it's your choice. Whatever you chose, I will support you."

She smiled at Phion and, after slipping off the mask, brushed her cheek against her sister's.

"Mm... Just like Erza..." she said quietly.

((Sorry, extremly long post! XD
On a seperate note, would you mind if I brought Erza into this?))
moonsoverwater's picture

((Not at all! Go right

((Not at all! Go right ahead.))

Phion sighed, before taking in a sharp breath.

Zera. I am sorry. I know you did like being like someone. The pictograms sat there in the dirt, each heavy.

She nuzzled her sister, nibbling behind one of Zera's ears in a vain comfort to a problem Zee might never get over. Her sister might never be a doe with a deer-face, but she would always be her sister. So much could have been communicated through this comforting touch, but most was lost in translation to talking deer.

It was something that she always found horrible and never would miss.

Erza is not like me, Zera. I will always be here for you. Erza will be off chasing doe-tails soon

Phion took off, hopping playfully around in a mock of Erza. She sniffed a bush, before laughing in her huff-huffing way. Strutting back to her sister, the doe bowed flourishingly, looking up and wiggling her eyebrows.


(thanks, starling! The avatar is amazing! And Thanks Pretzil for the siggie!
eyestrain's picture

((This is interesting and I

((This is interesting and I enjoyed reading your writing))

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

((Ah, I have some maths

((Ah, I have some maths homework to do D:
Hopefully, I'll be able to reply later, because I've also got to pack some bags, but, yeah, hopefully XD))
moonsoverwater's picture

(( Thank you, Eyestrain! hehe

(( Thank you, Eyestrain!
hehe it's fine, Blue. Have fun with all the work!))


(thanks, starling! The avatar is amazing! And Thanks Pretzil for the siggie!

((I'm back! Work is all

((I'm back! Work is all finished XD))

Zera let out a laugh as she watched her sister mess around, pretending to be her brother. Her laughter fell when a farmiliar scent came into the air.

"Chasing doe-tail, huh?" Zera's brother growled at them, clearly in a bad mood.
"What have I told you about straying? And who's this?"

He scowled at his little sister who grimaced before speaking herself.

"Brother, this is Phion - remember her? She helped us when Quad got infected!"

Erza snorted.

"Oh, yeah - she was the other fawn... Hello, Phion - Why are you drawing in the dirt?"
moonsoverwater's picture

Phion let out a grunt. She

Phion let out a grunt. She was not letting Erza talk this way. She did not like his inflection. Making her way to Erza, the doe looked him in the face as her forehooves did the work on the ground.

I do not speak anymore. Look at my face. And get out of your grumpy mood before I poke even more fun at you. The pictos were clear.

Standing back, Phion motioned for Erza to read what she had written. As he read, Phion nibbled on Zera's neck to remove a knot of fur and to calm the little doe. Her mood was much clearer without the thoughts of speech clouding Phion's mind.

Mean. Phion scrawled quickly in front of Zera before quickly wiping it away so Erza could not see.


(thanks, starling! The avatar is amazing! And Thanks Pretzil for the siggie!

Erza grunted at Phion and

Erza grunted at Phion and made to move away, suggesting that Z should go with him. She took a deep breath and did something she had never done before. She shook her head at him.

"Brother, Phion is a very close friend - a sister even. We're having conversation... I intend to finish it. If you don't want to be here, just... go."

She went to give him a nuzzle but he turned his face away. She returned to Phi and nodded slightly at her last scribblings.

"If that's how you feel, Z, I- I won't stop you. But I'm not leaving, no." His voice suddenly went soft and lost all trace of it's grumpiness. he turned ans sat, staring at the two does.
moonsoverwater's picture

Phion's tail shot high, her

Phion's tail shot high, her eyes glittering happily. Finally, Zera had found the courage to say no to her brother. Her sister was growing.

Zera, you are really growing. The pictograms were happy on the earth. The doe nuzzled her sister, motioning that they should probably sit down as well.

Comically, the doe sat on her rump much like Jergens had days earlier. It would make it easy for her to write and to relax.

I hope he is not sore with me. The doe thought. She had been kind-of rude in her words.


(thanks, starling! The avatar is amazing! And Thanks Pretzil for the siggie!

Zera tilted her head at her

Zera tilted her head at her sister. What in the god's names was she doing? With a high pitched giggle, Z tried to follow suit.

With a crash, she feel backwards, dust rising into the air.

"Oh, uh... oops?" she laughed again, picked herself up and shook herself of dust. instead of adopting the odd position Phion had, she plonked herself next to Erza. Even he had managed a chuckle.

With a gruff vioce, he finally spoke.

"So, Phion... how's life been for ya? I see the gods have... changed you."
moonsoverwater's picture

Phion chuckled, though it

Phion chuckled, though it sounded like a gruff half-bark. Zera always made her laugh.

Life is good. I asked Mom and Dad to do this so I could live differently. I like it. The doe managed to draw the pictos upside-down and backward so that Erza could read them.

Life has been treating you alright? It has been awhile. She inquired, wondering of the answer due to Erza's foul mood. Gee, she hoped the stag could read.


(thanks, starling! The avatar is amazing! And Thanks Pretzil for the siggie!

"Mm, life... I haven't been

"Mm, life... I haven't been slepping very well. Damn deers mooing so early in the morning... things have been... bouncing back and forth in my mind... things are becoming... difficult" He gazed off into the distance, eyes glazed. He then shook his head and spoke some more before falling silent, "Sorry, I don't mean to ramble..."

Zera looked over at her brother, concerned.

"Are you alright, Brother?"

He shrugged off the question with a grunt.

((Also, what's happening with Phion atm? Z saw her by the pond but didn't understand what was she was trying to say, and seeing as Phion ran off, Z left her so she could have some privacy ^^))
moonsoverwater's picture

There is no rambling. It is

There is no rambling. It is better to talk about your upsets. And you know that now, that it takes me long times to talk back, I can just listen.

Phion stood, walking over to Erza, and lay down next to him. She pressed her muzzle in to the fur between his shoulders, blowing through her nose comfortingly. No matter how grumpy anyone was, Phion could not stand to see them upset.

((Oh. She acted improperly today at the birth of the fawn and now feels guilty for it. She is at the rocks in the birch right now pretty upset about her actions in all that excitement and that she disgraced herself in front of The Red... so... yeah. She ran because she is afraid to make any more mistakes with anybody.))


(thanks, starling! The avatar is amazing! And Thanks Pretzil for the siggie!

"...Okay. Fine. I've been

"...Okay. Fine. I've been thinking about my sister - Not Zera. My real sister. She's in a forest far away with a load of obsesively neat deer who hate me. and i asked Hex if I would ever see her again and she said it was my choice, but I should stay here until I'm stronger with friends that would give up their lives for me. Then she told me that if I left right away there would be nothing but pain on my journey!" He let all the breath leave his body, then spoke quietly "It's just I really miss her..."

((Ah, so that's what happened - I'll see what Z can do to help her, if you want me to.))
moonsoverwater's picture

The doe nuzzled Erza, her

The doe nuzzled Erza, her ears back and eyes closed in reverence. Phion could have no way of understanding exactly what Erza was going through, but she would be happy to help in any way she could.

You know, though, that your journey will be full of pain either way. You wait, pain. You go, pain. Your sister... well, Zera is your sister. We all leave our lives behind when we come here.

Though her words could be easily brushed away back in to the dirt, the doe hoped they would stick with Erza.

I am not saying to forget, just to realize that you have family here. Pull your head away from the past. It hurts to stretch your neck that far back.

The doe lay her head down on the grass, worried about what Erza might say to her.

((She is gonna be moody and throw herself around, but you are more than welcome to try and help))


(thanks, starling! The avatar is amazing! And Thanks Pretzil for the siggie!

He understood what Phion ws

He understood what Phion ws saying to him, but didn't want to. Tears welled in his eyes and his throat burned but he pushed it away.

"Thank you, Phion. I know you're trying to help and, yes, the past is the past - but I have to know how she's doing. I have to, I have to, I have to..." His voice trailed off into silence.

Zera stood up.

"I'm sorry, Phi. I think we should go. Don't worry, it's not your fault or anything, I just think Erza needs some time to mull things over... Again, I like the change." She smiled at her sister, before pulling Erza off the floor. They turned to walk away and Zera called over her shoulder.

"We'll talk soon, okay, Phi? I hope to see you more often!" She smiled once again at her sister, before disappearing over the borderline between the Birch Forest and the green one.
moonsoverwater's picture

Erza... Phion would have

Erza... Phion would have whispered his name if she could. The doe licked a tear from his cheek, nodding to Zera after. She nuzzled her sister once more, before allowing them to go.

Phion sighed and curled up on the forest floor. She could not help, not in the right way. The doe grunted, standing to brush her speech off the ground.

I hope he is going to be okay. The doe thought, before disappearing herself in to the empty birch forest.


(thanks, starling! The avatar is amazing! And Thanks Pretzil for the siggie!