I cannot remember the last time I went for a stroll with no purpose. I had intended to do just that...but soon found purpose to my stroll, as I sensed the presence of someone very familiar.
I found my dark companion amidst the long grasses of the birch forest. Along with another - Quad I believe.
I do not often venture here, but perhaps I should. It is quite pleasant, much more quiet than the darker side of this forest.
Perhaps that is why I found the two of them within slumber. It did not take long for Darkweaver to awaken. He seemed surprised at my appearance, and greeted me warmly...

...before there was the bright gold of a cast spell.

...I now adorned the bright plumage of the peacock pelt.

Well...two can play at this game...
Feeling a small spark of mischief, I returned the gesture.
He now matched the still-slumbering Quad.
I shall get true "revenge" later.

The Forest seemed interested in continuing with its coincidences, for later, it was Dark and I who matched, he being cast upon by the now-awake Quad.
I also learned that the small stag has been receiving lessons in combat. Somehow, I cannot imagine my dark friend as a teacher. But I suppose even those close to me can still be surprising...

I shall end this here before it increases even more in length.

I remain,

Bastilion

[This was meant to be posted earlier, but I had no chance to.]
That is how it seems. I slumbered for awhile, not quite feeling like taking a stroll quite yet, but let my thoughts wander instead.
There are some missing as of late...
I had seen Amary not too many days ago, as well as Kaoori and Wesker...but where is Darkweaver, I must wonder? And...the Priest... He has long been absent from this Forest. I would say I am not worried...but that would not be truth.
...
It would seem in my time of writing this, I have gained the company of a reptilian-pelted stag with a rather...interesting mask.
We had an...odd conversation that I could not quiet follow. He never did explain what this "Playstag" is... Another, a doe by the name of Ourania I believe, joined us.
Then a fawn baffled me with casting various pelt spells... It took me a moment to figure out that it wanted its own fur changed, as well as to gain a set of antlers to go with its new-found fur and the mask it was adorning. Odd how fawns may keep regaining a change in appearance once it fades...
That green-scaled fellow had to depart while I was entertaining the fawn.

I must write more often. I fear I am beginning to become...rusty at it.


I remain,

Bastilion

I fear my writing has become shaky and unreadable with how long it has been. It is not that I have not awoken within the Forest as of late, though I will admit I am not seen as much as when I first arrived... I cannot remember how long ago that was. How time does fly, as they say.
It is that I do not always think to note my activities. I will usually just find myself sitting in pleasant company, enjoying the peace too much to wish to interrupt it with writing.
Much like now, as I sit in the company of my dark friend. Though I wish to break the habit of not writing. I am not surprised at where I found him, sitting beside Laghodessa's grave. It appeared freshly tended to. He does take good care of it after all.
I am more surprised that I had found him at all. I cannot remember the last time we shared company with one another...
...
I had not intended to drift off, but the quietness of the air associated with snowfall can cause sleep to be quite tempting. Even now, I am finding myself nodding off for several seconds.
Please be assured it is not due to boredom, my friend.


I remain,

Bastilion

PS - the encounter with that unnamed one was quite...interesting.

And to see you at the same time as Amary? It is a privilege.
I do not believe I have seen such a display of affection before this day. Is this what would be called a "group hug"?
It was not long before the three of us were frolicking like fawns. Even I willingly hopped to express the joy I felt.
I am content to sit for now...despite the chaos that appeared to be happening around us.

Hm.

I seem to be writing less frequently as of late.
I shall try to remedy this.
But for now...

I remain,

Bastilion

[=tan][i]I had not had much chance to experience rainfall in my past life. I was never in the best of health you see. Good days for me were...not quite a rarity, but close.
The pond had a pleasant rhythm created due to the droplets. I found a good spot by a tree to gaze at it from.
I did not expect company, but company I did receive.
An interesting youth that was. He seemed to be...testing my patience. Though I do admit, I started it by spontaneously casting that pelt spell.
Perhaps he is another that cousin of mine is acquainted with. Or even related to a certain doe I had encountered before who had the same confusion. They certainly share the same colors of fur...

I continued my observation of the droplets contacting the pond's surface once he bid farewell.

This was not all I observed, however.
It seems this symbol I share with Cousin will cause confusion for much time. Lady Amary was no exception. Bastilion really needs to admit how he feels about her. I know he has figured it out by now. I can tell. And it is good for him to be with her. He had lessened in seriousness considerably since before I arrived.
She seemed to create some sort of game that involved brushing against every tree in her path. Strange... I am nowhere near as serious as that cousin of mine, but even I could not figure it out.
I soon lost sight of her, and had my interest caught by an energetic fawn that seemed to like splashing in the shallow water.
Our short dance grew at Lady Amary's return, and even escalated to levels of silliness.
I have not had this much fun in a long time...
I believe I saw her attempting to sit atop the giant dandelions that dotted the land as well. I shall have to try that some time...

This mask is quite interesting as well.

[=white][i]...in anything less than high spirits when in the presence of Amary. It is as though there is no need to worry about being proper.
I even "greeted" her in the form of a pelt spell.
Soon, the two of us were spelling each other like young ones, and generally being silly with the three she had previously been spending time with.
One of which I learned was a stag with soul of a bird. This was certainly interesting to hear of. Never before had there been a deer as such, or not to my knowledge at least. I have not been here as long as some others after all.
Our fun continued, consisting of more spell-casting on each other. One point of which I appeared...quite silly. I would not have tolerated this as much had it been anyone else to do so. ...though maybe I would let Triston get away with it, if I were in a good mood.
Many of the spells were given to the resident "bird-deer", who merely continued sitting for the moment. I wonder if he enjoyed our company...
During our little excursion with the spells, Amary gained her own silly look. Soon, we decided to regain our normal looks, sneezing off the cast spells.
The end result was Amary losing her mask.
I...did not find myself minding this.
And I certainly will not say that aloud.
I can only call the continued events "antics", for we were all acting quite silly. Oddly face-making, spinning in circles... Even sitting on the back of the sitting "bird-deer"!
Soon enough, Amary began acting...distracted, listening for something before running off. She returned shortly after, asking me to follow, and soon I found myself greeting Kaoori and another doe, she of white fur, by the name of Noelle.
The two of us sat with them for awhile, before, again, Amary was listening for something and taking off in its direction.
Curious, I started in the direction she had gone, only to nearly run into her as she had been heading back.

[=white][i]I barely had time to stand up before I was overtaken by a violet blur, followed closely by a mass of much darker fur.

Do not think I failed to notice your amusement when Amary and I greeted each other with more than just bows, Darkweaver...
It is a good thing Cousin was not there as well. I would never hear the end of it. And I already hear enough!

It was not long before another flurry hoofbeats could be heard, this set much more sedate than my wake up call had been. Tally I believe, following closely behind a young stag with skeletal markings of gold in dark blue fur. There was something familiar about that one.
And it seemed this young one was doing everything in his power to get on Darkweaver's last nerve. That little red one who suddenly sat in the flower patch was rather confusing as well...copying the skeletal-marked one in moving about Dark's legs like a cat would.

An impromptu staring match began.
But my attention was soon diverted elsewhere, by a stag who came asking for antler spells. I obliged, but Amary took off towards something in the distance. Where, I could not tell.

Before I knew it, Amary was returning...along with a black and white stag I was not sure I had met before...

...and yet, still I could see the staring match of sorts continued. It seemed to have picked up a few followers as well, standing around but gazing upon no one in particular.

A few more deer I am sure I shall not remember, as a few had no name, passed through the area Amary, the fellow introduced as Steele, and I stood. That one soon said his farewells, quickly departing.
But not before being nuzzled by Amary before he disappeared completely.
Just what does that one mean to her?
And why am I so bothered?

Perhaps I shall find out soon, but at that moment we headed back to the contest of wills.

...I find this forest tinted so.
It would seem the creators of this land have a strange sense of humor, for I found not only flowers of massive size, but also red-capped mushrooms! Never before had I witnessed a sight such as this. Not even in those dreams.
I am beginning to wonder if this place is even real.
After all, one does not find overlarge plant life everyday, now do they?

Alas, something tells me I shall be here for awhile. That there is no going back to where I was before, even if I wanted to.

...
And I do not believe I want to.

That...doe at the pond. In that pelt dark as the night sky.
She seemed to recognize me.
And yet she did not.
She seemed to radiate a sort of disappointment at finding I was not who she thought I was.
This has peaked my curiosity. It is not the first time an encounter of this nature has happened.
One other, who called themself "Priest" - an odd name if you ask me - said I bore resemblance to another. I was unable to get a clear answer as to who unfortunately.
I hope this matter is resolved. I wish to confirm or disprove my - hopeful - suspicions.

In the meantime, perhaps I shall partake of more of those blue-hued fruits I came upon an abundance of.
Their sweet and tangy flavor has proven to be quite appealing...

...what just came over me...but I found myself acting quite unlike myself just a moment ago.

What is it about seeing Amary that causes me to lose all sense of being proper?
Gallivanting around to avoid spells being tossed in my direction, casting them in return. Looking quite silly, even without my looks changed...
Ah, if Cousin could see me now...
He might call me a lovestruck fool.

And I do not believe he would be incorrect.

But I have other matters to write of.
Those dreams of mine have come to an odd turn. I had previously been dreaming of my cousin on his deathbed, but suddenly...it was though a vast leap in time took place, with images of...life.
Not the life of a nobleman.
But the life of a deer.
A stag to be precise.

And I swear this stag was in this forest...
Colored similar to myself, but with tan accents to his fur. And with curving golden antlers, almost as if mimicking the crown of a king.
...
I wonder...

I remain, quite curious,

Bastilion

...this place is.



Could this be a vivid dream? I have had visions of this place place before. All whilst on my deathbed...

But this time is just too real to be no more than a dream.


...is this really the place where Bastilion has gone?
I do hope to find out.

For now...I shall enjoy my stay in whatever this place may be. And if I do happen upon that cousin of mine...
First he shall get a strict talking to...and then I shall get him to loosen up. He always was too serious...


(A note from Pega: hopefully you can tell this isn't Bastilion. 8D; I've gone and jumped ahead with those plans I mentioned before. )