Get out of here you

:'D

Hi you sweet thing <3

*globbers*

Feel free to <3 Whoop

He's a gentle giant, you can just consider him the teddy deer :'D

Pfft :'D

Ahh, definitely!

Would you prefer to begin or do I?

Yep, that's fine. I like to do RPs here, but only if you're comfortable with that

The orange stag was getting more stressed by the day. Winter had not been in favor of him or the deer that he considered family. The young stags were infected by something - it was like a disease of the mind. He couldn't get the imagine of the last fight from his mind. The way the other stag had acted, the way that saliva had sprouted from his gaping mouth - it just wasn't natural. The Forest just didn't act that way. The stag was worried it'd be a new disease the Gods had sent to clear their home of unwanted individuals. It sounded rude and sorrowful when you put it that way, but the law of nature was cruel. The wanderer just wished he wasn't infected. He had been forced to defend his friends, after all. Not to mention he had already died once this winter.

Please don't think about that. You're still here. You're still alive, and you've still got work to do.

Rubbing his big antlers against a birch, the stag focused on his current mission. He'd have to find more herbs, even in the middle of this whiteness. The plants he needed were still there, sleeping quietly beneath the snowy blanket where they had hidden themselves. The new Forest was not on his list of favorites for it was dry and especially cold during the winter. The birches looked almost dead with zero leaves on them, and all the birds that inhabited them during the more flourishing seasons had flown away until spring. It made the birch dead silent. The only sound was the occasional phoof, when piles of snow dropped from the trees' branches. It helped the stag to focus on his mission, but he knew predators could lurk around these parts. They knew hardly anyone came here during the cold season - and loners were usually easy pray. The wanderer felt confident, though. He could defend himself -and others - just fine.

"Please be there." He whispered to himself as he began to dig under the tree. There had been so many cases of poisoning this winter, and the stag was running out of all his stock for suitable herbs. Not only that, there might be a fair chance he could find the answer to the young stags' competitiveness. He sincerely hoped he had been the only one to experience that, no-one else deserved to face such anger. The bruises on his body were the mark of all the hatred they had carried. As if the cold hadn't already taken its toll on the Forest.

Little, irritating sounds made the stag's ears move from one direction to another. Were the squirrels playing in the trees again? The sound of this much snow dropping at once couldn't have been right. It didn't make him nervous, though. If it would have been a predator, the maker would have surely concealed their presence more efficiently.

The stag continued his work, not taking his eyes from the ground for even a second. His sharp ears did all the work. Someone was certainly heading this way, but it didn't seem like it was anything dangerous. It was certainly not another stag, which Manda was grateful for. He couldn't stand another fight in this weather. He contined digging through the many layers of snow, feeling as though there was no end to it. Some of it had been frozen in place, forcing him to kick it harshly with his hooves. It was slightly painful, but he reminded himself of what it was worth. If he could only find the herb, it'd solve a good few problems troubling his mind. All the sick that had wandered through the blizzard alone with no companions, eventually collapsing from the exhaustion of traveling by themselves. The stag hated to see anyone on their own.

The other one was really close now. The stag's ears found the target with ease, and he slowly raised his head. The light of his candles illuminated his skull mask, making it seem far less intimidating than usual. He didn't bother to stop his work, but he did direct his words to the other one lurking near him. "Hello there, stranger. Did you come to look for herbs, as well?" His voice was like a gentle breath, pleasant to hear as he was calm. The other one had caught him in a better shape that he had been just a few nights ago.

The reply took the stag by surprise, as not many were that interested in talking to him - even fewer had offered their help. It seemed that the snowy season made everyone edgy, hungry and only willing to be interested in their own well-being. Now fully focused on the other one, the stag was intrigued by her feathery wings and strange antlers. He wasn't one to judge by looks as he had seen many different beings during his time here, but he had to admit he had never seen a winged creature before, if not counting the birds. Maybe this female was a bird, though - you'd never know what you would encounter in here.

The orange stag realised how silly he must have looked, chipping away at the ice as if there was an ancient treasure buried underneath. His ears twitched in slight embarassement as he continued his work. He was always terrible at accepting others' offers to help. It wasn't because of his manly pride, but his unwillingness to bother others. It was his turn to help others now. Yet he didn't want to turn her smiling face away. He didn't want to be rude. "It's milk thistle I'm looking for - a perfect cure for toxins that might enter one's body. It doesn't grow during the winter, but you might find the seeds if you're lucky. They often get buried in the snow before they have a chance to begin growing." He continued his work in a steady pace, curious what the doe might think of him. Males in general had become a heated discussion after the autumn's rut had ended. Though the orange stag hadn't participated, he was definitely in no favor of the females. He still seemed like a monster to them.

"What brings you to these parts? The birch is like a snowy tomb during the winter. No shelter, no company and no warmth. Only lunatics like me come here during these months. " His short laughter echoed through his mask, the emotion creating strange patterns in the fires of his candles. They always reacted to the stag's mood. Though he tried to focus on his mission, the doe's appearance made his eyes escape to her direction again. He felt childlike curiosity rising in his mind.

Watching quietly as the doe's beak did its work, the orange stag could feel nothing else but admiration. The way the ice crackled under the pressure - this doe must be strong. It was now when she came closer that the stag truly noticed her size. His ears twitched in amazement. The doe wasn't much smaller from himself. She couldn't have been an ordinary deer, the way the muscles contracted as she stood back and especially those wings... The orange stag wondered if she could fly.

"Thank you. You wouldn't have needed to do that." His voice was a sincere whisper, yet there was a little hint of sorrow in it. He looked away for a minute, watching as another snowpile fell from a distant tree with the satisfying sound of hitting the wet snow under it. A big lump of snow now adorned the previously untouched snow's surface.
Others helping him was just foolish, but he tried to reassure himself with the fact that the doe had offered the help herself. And it was certainly true it had made his job easier. He was still taken away by her kindness, though. Winter was certainly not the time to think about others. That seemed to be an accepted norm around here, at least. The stag grunted to himself with disgust for his fellow deer. He just couldn't understand their selfishness. Not nowadays, anyway. The past was always different for everyone.

Giving the iced snow one last kick, he heard the reassuring crackling as the icy panel finally broke, scattering away in several little pieces. They sparkled like little crystals when sunlight hit their surface, almost making one blind for a second if they attempted to look at it for too long. It was such a shame ice had no real value. It was awfully pretty to look at, but it caused trouble for the animals and plants in the Forest. Nature was a cruel thing.

Turning his attention from the sparkling ice back to the spot he had digged, his tail rose up from mere delight. They were still here - the birds hadn't stolen the seeds the stag had left here during the autumn. Tilting his head to the doe as an encouragement to come closer, the orange stag spoke: "These are the seeds. I wish to find as many of these as I can." There was a small group of gray and yellow seedlings in the small pit. Their surface was smooth and shaped like a tree's bark. The shape was like a small cucumber, but they were as dry as the earth itself. A sweet, relaxing scent rose from them. It was like nature's way of creating incense. They looked like small, smooth rocks when seen from above.

As the orange stag started to gather the tiny seeds into the leathery bag he was carrying around his shoulder, his ears were fully drawn to the doe's voice. It chimed beautifully through the birch as there was no background noise to distract him from hearing it. He smiled as he heard the female mentioning the Gods, though his mask must have made it unvisible to the other one. "I hear that a lot - many are brought here through their power. I think the Gods want to teach them a certain lesson by bringing them here. " He paused to pick up a new patch of seedlings before continuing: "I was born elsewhere, too. But I chose to came here." A memory of his first day ran through his mind, forming another smile on his face. How young and foolish had he been. The Forest had taught him a great deal of lessons, one of them being respect for everything that lives. Even plants were to be treated with respect, as they could stop growing if you disturbed their environment too much. The orange stag never took more than he needed.

"You're lucky. Most creatures here are used to long, warm seasons and can't adapt well to the cold, despite growing more fur." The stag thought about his adopted daughter, who had had great difficulty in accepting the cold. Her fur had been thin and still in its fuzzy fawn state, making it impossible for her to go on without thick-furred company around her.

He smiled gently as the doe looked at the seedlings with curious confusion. He couldn't really blame her or anyone else for their suspicion. The herb trade was an unusual thing for a deer to do, especially since it started as an innocent hobby a few years back. But he was glad he did. Maybe he could repay for all the things he had done in the past by devoting the rest of his life for helping and protecting others.

"Yes. I've been doing it for a long time. I gather all the necessary flowers and leaves during the greenier seasons, and stash the plants I can't carry in pits like these. " He pointed at the now empty hole in the ground with his antlers. "Birds eat most of them, but I always make sure I leave quite a few around the Forest. They're really valuable in the winter. " His smile turned into a tiny frown, as he knew he had revealed one of his secrets to the doe. She didn't seem bad and her curiosity was genuine, but you could never know a person based on first impressions. "I hope that you won't tell that to anyone else, though. It'd be terrible if they ended up in the wrong hands." The orange stag felt a shiver going through him. It hadn't been the sudden cold breeze that had triggered it, though. Some of the herbs he had hidden were poisonous without proper handling. Who knows what some creatures could use them for.

The question about lavender perked the stag's spirits up again, and he quietly whispered the name of the plant to himself as if to taste the word. That's exactly what he did - tasting the given name of the plant in order to process the taste of the plant itself. It was his way of memorizing all the effects the plant may cause to its consumer. Keeping his eyes closed and focusing on the taste in his mouth, the orange stag replied: "Lavender is a plant that can be used in various ways. It's main purpose is to heal stomach pains and relieve the symptoms of stomach flu in general, but it can be used to heal irritated skin. Especially if your skin can't handle too much sunlight or gets in touch with a poisonous plant." He opened his eyes slowly, feeling as the sweet, mild taste flew away from his mouth with the next breeze of wind. He turned his gaze to the doe. "If you don't mind me asking, why lavender?" The stag didn't know whether it held some deeper meaning to the doe or if it was the first plant to come to mind, but he wasn't usually directed with straight question like that. He was awfully curious.

When the doe asked for his name, his whole body twitched with instant embarassment over his actions. He should have introduced himself a way back. He had been wandering alone for the last few days, so it must have taken its toll on the stag's manners. "Oh no, I'm sorry! My name is Manda. What about you?" His voice stuttered slightly, as he tried to recover from his little blumber. Gladly the mask was there to hide his blushing cheeks.

The stag stared at the pit for a long while, listening to her words with great interest. He wasn't good at taking any complements to his work, so he hid his insecurity with a quick shrug. "Hmm, I wonder. Some creatures are extremely smart - not to mention some have those extraordinary powers." The thought of others holding magical powers always made him uncomfortable. Not for his own safety, but because most creatures here couldn't handle that. Their bodies were not meant to fight off forces unknown to them, and so they were easy prey for most beings that arrived from the Outer worlds. The stag was an ordinary being himself, and every skill that he posessed had been learnt through hard experiences and intense training. It just didn't feel right to him others were born with powers unreachable by the "ordinary" people. It didn't help much that most of those creatures preferred to show off instead of using the power they had been blessed with to help others.

He wondered if the doe had a power unique to her kind.

"You gather things, then?" He asked while moving to another spot, a few metres away from the last one. This one was at the base of a withered berry bush. The snow seemed touched and trampled, indicating someone with small feet had been here. He grunted in frustration - a little rabbit had probably been tampering with his stash. Maybe there was something he could save in there, though. Though his leg was now swelling a little from all the work it had been doing the whole morning, the stag continued without showing a sign of feeling the pain. In fact, he almost didn't feel it, thanks to the cold air.

Jezara was the name, then. The orange stag would remember it, as he hoped to keep a simple list of everyone going in and out in the Forest. Running to a new face once in a while like this was refreshing. "That's an unique name. Make sure to hold onto it. Some forget their name.. no, their whole being in this place." His attention was brought back to the young stags who had been acting like madmen. Maybe the doe had run into one, though the stag really hoped she hadn't. "You haven't experienced any dangers in here, have you?" The question escaped his mouth as he exposed the - now empty - pit with his hoof. Darn it, nothing to use in here. He looked at the remaining seedlings with a sorrowful expression. The rabbits and squirrels had left nothing but some of the peels behind.

The orange stag was curious about the things this doe considered treasure. It was intriguing how different it was for everyone. One's interest could be aroused by powder snow, jewels or colourful feathers, maybe even rocks. The stag wasn't one to judge anyone based on that.

The feeling of dread didn't leave him alone, though, making him unable to focus on his work. The candles on his antlers shed more light than usual, and the fire created strange, circular patterns in the air. The last encounter flashed so clearly in his mind, and the way that the predator had growled at him - he just couldn't be at peace knowing a monster like that was roaming the Forest. It had probably eaten someone by now. Maybe even a little fawn.

His voice turned into a deep, stressful warning as the words echoed through his long mask. "Please be extremely careful around here, Jezara. This place may seem like a paradise, but it's far - far away from being one. The stags have gotten reckless, and they threaten the females in particular." He sighed, the candlelight almost fading out to nothing with his sorrowful mood. "I hope you've got family.. or friends in here. You could be in danger if you're alone." He turned to face the nearby tree again, this time his side fully exposed to the doe. He wanted to show her he was not speaking pure nonsense. The huge scar that adorned all the way from his shoulder to his underbelly was now shown to Jezara. He didn't want the same fate to fall upon her. Or worse - one of the males could try to manipulate her and take her by force. The extremely cold air had left everyone edgy and aggressive, as it messed up the hormone system of those few who didn't know how to look for food. They then turned into beasts, capable of only taking more than they needed.

The stag sighed as he remembered the situation. "I'd call it a monster. It didn't have the slightest hint of remorse as it attacked me - and it's still out there somewhere with the other predators. " He didn't want to go in too much detail as he could have scared the doe away. It was obvious she hadn't seen any of it. What a relief.

He corrected the position of his leathery bag as the light of his candles returned to normal again. "I'm glad you haven't seen it. Keep your friends close - they might just save your life." The stag tried to return to his work and forget about the grim mood. Her last sentence reassured him a little, even if he disagreed with it. Maybe it was different for the does, as the maddened young stags tried to locate another males in order to test their strength and prowess in battle. To the orange stag, it was nothing but a foolish attempt to show off. "Truly? The stags are genuinely interested about you and your wishes?" His voice had a hint of suspicion in it, as he didn't converse with other males often. They made him nervous, but only because they turned into beasts in his own mind. There was no guarantee whether his suspicions were true. Maybe this was a good chance to learn more.

Moving over to the next spot next to a snow-covered rock, the orange stag grinned with slight amusement, the fire beginning to dance over his antlers. "You're sure they're not just flirting with you?"

(Anyone you would like to have some one on one time with Elliot? They don't need to be friendly. After all, Elliot's original incarnation is my most heavily abused character)

@ Chromai:

The orange stag didn't mind her staring nor her words at all. He had learned to accept the past as a part of him, and even if some memories were best left unspoken, the stag wouldn't turn down a curious mind. Everyone had the right to know him - know everything about him if they so desired. Only nodding at her mention of the monster, the stag didn't want to boast about the battle. Ah well, not like it would have been heroic, anyway. Battles were never heroic unless you chose to boast. Instead he replied simply by saying: "I've fought many battles, so I guess I was lucky to have trained so much." This time he wasn't modest, as it was the truth. If he hadn't know the exact herbs to stop the bleeding in time, he would have died..for a second time. It could have been final that time, too.

Digging away at a snowy spot once more, the stag kept a constant smile on his face. Her reaction seemed really sweet to him, even cute. This is why he preferred the company of females and fawns. They were so different, focusing on the wonder of emotion and feelings above strength. They had mental power, which was something the orange stag wished to have. He had learned so much from everyone he had met, but still couldn't understand the emotions of females. They had some kind of natural knowledge the stag couldn't learn, no matter how hard he tried. While pushing the snow away with his legs, the stag replied with a calm, understanding voice. "It's important to know when your companion is lying. If he seems greatly curious about you, can't get his eyes off and boast's about his achievements, it's most likely that he isn't interested in your life. He just wants to have your attention. True friendship is listening to the other one and keeping quiet when your friend talks, while putting the other one's needs above your own. Being flirty is just thinking about your own fortune. Yet it is still often mistaken for 'good manners'." Realising he was blabbering, the stag looked away and muttered to himself to keep quiet for once. "I'm terribly sorry if I bore you - would you like to have a drink by the Pond? My work in here is just about done." He said his words as he finished picking up the last seeds from the pit he had just digged up. The leather bag he was carrying was getting heavy around his neck, but it only aroused pure delight in the stag's heart. He had found more seeds than he originally thought, and this many would surely last until spring when the actual flowers would begin to sprout. "Though, it is you does that usually know about these things. You're very well trained to understand emotions from the moment of your birth, no?" He added quickly, afraid he might have insulted her ability to think for herself.

I'll make a separate blog

(Alright. :3)

The doe listened to his replies and waited for the next question to come. It surprised her, and she wasn't quite sure how to answer it. She'd never really been in the company of another stag before, and so she didn't really know much about them. Manda was a good stag, though, and so was Luhan. "It depends on the person," she said after a while of thought. "Stags cannot be all good or all bad. There must be an equal balance. Unfortunately, that means you have an equal chance of meeting a bad one." She looked up at Manda with a little smile. "I seem to have been lucky, and I've either met decent stags or none at all. Come to think of it, everyone I've met so far has been polite and well-mannered, nothing like those stag's you mentioned."

Jezara tried to think back to the Rut. She had been confused at first, but then she understood what was happening. She'd witnessed a fight, too, and she got rammed in the shoulder. The male did shout an apology though, but it still hurt. She was tempted to try and break it up, but she just watched instead. "Yes, the Rut is one thing I have seen. And yes, they are driven by their instinctual desires, but they do have some common sense left in their heads." Her last words seemed to become lost as she stared at the untouched snow. It was more beautiful than she could imagine.

The winged doe saw the first tentative step that Manda took. It left a deep imprint in the snow, that would stay until someone removed it. All passing deer would know they were here, unless the snow melted. After a moment's hesitation, Jezara followed him in. The snow was a shock - it was colder than she thought. She shuddered and took a few more steps in. It was higher than her ankles, and it melted slightly against her heat. She loved the snow - she could immerse herself in the shimmering white powder of the Forest for hours, just looking at the way snow made the Forest so much more beautiful.She didn't even have to worry about getting cold.

The stag's calm voice rippled from under the skull cage atop his own. She silently wondered why he wore it - maybe he just liked it, or maybe he was trying to protect himself. The bone looked thick enough to prevent damage to the face underneath. However, there were more important things to attend to than thinking about his skull mask. "We can all learn from anything," she replied wistfully. "Today, I learnt that I am able to throw clumps of ice, useful if I ever get myself into a bad situation." The doe then looked at him strangely, for a second, and thought hard. An image of trees not unlike those of the Forest came to her. But why? She didn't know her home, and the Forest had been the only thing she knew. The day she woke up, she knew nothing but her name and her location, and even that was hard to get hold of. "I do not miss my home, because my only home is here."

Making note of this. Not sure which of mine to throw in here yet though.

(( Let's turn this into a detective novel :'D))

Listening to her words, the stag did nothing else a first but stare at the clear, untouched water. There was currently no wind, making the water look as if it was a solid being. Just a small touch could turn it into liquid again, breaking the natural perfection just like earlier with the snow. The faint sunlight was dancing just above the surface, smooth as glass. He hated being the first one to do things, be it just drinking or eating. If he sat in a silent group, he would not dare be the first to open his mouth. Maybe it was a worrying sign of his increasing antisociality, but the stag had,above anything else, sworn to never be selfish again. That included this moment.

"Privacy?" The orange stag had a sorrowful smile on his face as he gazed at the water. "That's just a petty excuse to keep secrets." Even though his words were directed at Jezara, he was also trying to convince himself that they were true. There wasn't anyone here but him and the doe, who hadn't been in the Forest that long. It was alright to do it, right? He had to face his fears and his memories at some point. This was as good a chance as any.

Trying to not make too big of a deal out of it, the stag decided to take care of it in one go. With an elegant swing of his head, he threw the skull onto the shore, a few inches away from the water. He watched as the sunlight was reflected from the water towards his mask, making beautiful patterns on the crackled bone. The stag suddenly felt incredibly naked and anxious, but he also felt a small hint of pride. Who knows how long it had been since he had last taken it off in the presence of another? He hadn't even done this in Itzel's presence - it was not because he didn't trust his adopted daughter, it was because he didn't want to scare her. The human face underneath the mask was not a pretty sight for anyone. A messy, thick mess of hair covered most of his forehead, including his right eye. Only the left one was visible, but the lines under it made him look older than he was. A few scars adorned his nose and the corners of his mouth. Though they had almost faded to nothing by now, they would never truly disappear. The stag could accept that.

He kept staring at himself for a long while, the words now flowing through his mouth clearly without the mask muffling them. "Have you ever done anything you regret? Even if it's just a small, meaningless thing?" He felt a little guilty about bothering the doe with these questions, but she seemed trustworthy to him. He needed something to analyze, something to distract himself from staring and remembering things that should be forgotten. What a dumb thing it was, clinging on the past.

Tracking this for later.

(Teddybe-I mean, Mandaaa T.T)

Jezara followed him to the willow, only pausing to gaze in awe at the snow that coated the branches. It was like gems studded onto the tree, reflecting light everywhere. The snow seemed to glow with the sun, creating its own light. A tiny gasp escaped the beak, and she entered the tree-igloo. Inside it was darker, but light crept in and created the illusion of blue hues. The Gods love to make things beautiful, she thought dreamily. The picturesque scenery was sending her into a daydream.

"That seems reasonable," was all the doe said. She was taking her time, glancing about her and drinking the idyllic Forest. Visual beauty rarely slipped past her, but other hidden jewels could catch her eye, too. It was not until she looked back at Manda's face when she realised he had left his skull outside. She smiled. "Perhaps the skull should be abandoned more often, Manda." As she let her head turn away, his words made her jolt. Mother? Fawn? That was unexpected, but she appreciated the compliment. "Fawns are like me. Yet to discover skills, places, people, words, anything."