Cloud stepped outside of the stifling confines of the grocery store with a sigh, yet another long day weighed heavily on his shoulders and his legs felt like lead. He hated this place but it was the only place where he had been able to secure a job, as low paying as it was. Every little bit counted though, he was entirely on his own now.

Ever since his mother had died when he was 10 years old, he and his younger brother, Sky, had been bounced from one foster home to the next. They had no idea who their father was but apparently he hadn’t wanted them, otherwise they might not have been in this situation to begin with. Things hadn’t always been smooth but they always had each other…at least until now.

As soon as Cloud had turned 18, he had decided to strike out on his own. He was at least able to keep in touch with his younger brother and hoped that one day he could secure a stable enough living that he could take Sky into his care. At least, that was the plan. It was a lot harder in practice than it had been on paper. A year had turned into two and before he knew it he was in his 20’s and Sky was celebrating his sweet 16. How time flew.

Cloud shook his head and turned off the sidewalk and headed into the woods that he walked through twice a day almost every day. It was faster than taking the winding sidewalk back to his tiny apartment, and more relaxing at that. He felt more at home here than anywhere else, away from the stifling buildings and noisy cars and hard concrete. Tonight, though, the woods felt a bit different. The hair on the back of Cloud’s neck stood on end as he went deeper and deeper into the forest He couldn’t explain why but the energy felt…different. More charged, more…alive.

Out of the corner of his eye, Cloud suddenly saw something flicker. Like an old TV set turning off and on. He stopped and glanced in that direction, frowning. Nothing was there…at least he didn’t think there was. There! It did it again!

Hey hi long time no see. So I'm in a bit of a pickle, I downloaded TEF again after...ages because nostalgia reasons but I have a problem. I can't see the new pictos or the new sets and nothing I have tried so far has managed to solve this rather huge issue. I have tried just about everything. Running compatibility mode, not running in compatibility mode, running and not running the program as administrator, disabling my anti-virus (I have Avast free version), adding exceptions to my anti-virus, checked my firewall (everything checks out), uninstalled and reinstalled multiple times, just...everything possible I can think of to resolve the issue. My internet has been running normally (25 ms ping, 10.22 mbps download, 1.07 ms upload according to speedtest.net) soooo I don't know, anyone who's had issues with the update have any ideas? ;; I'm just at a loss and it's driving me insane.

To all my good friends, who have been with me through thick and thin, thank you and merry Christmas ♥
I will be posting these by twos until the 25th of December, unless something comes up then I may be a little late in posting. I hope you all enjoy and I hope I didn't kill your deer too much! X3 All done! And on time too! 8D Have a merry christmas and a happy new year~!

Push play for the full effect ♥

It was raining in the forest again, a type of day that Cloud usually dreaded. However, this time, he felt unburdened. One might have even said he was blissful. His mind was at ease, the usual flashbacks that often plagued him during the rain were strangely absent. The howling of the wolves, the visions of blood and the roar of the thunder were silent. There was only the sound of the rain.

Cloud found himself galloping through the driving rain, almost dancing. He leapt and turned circles, letting his hooves carry him to nowhere in particular. Soon, he skidded to a dead halt in the birch forest, not far from the playground. He stood still, face turned skyward and his eyes closed tight. Suddenly, a laugh rose in his chest and tore through his throat. He laughed until his sides hurt and tears leaked from the corner of his eyes.

"What’s wrong with me today?" He wondered aloud.

With a shake of his sodden coat, he retreated to his favorite tree near the playground.

Some of you may remember that I wrote a story a long time ago detailing Cloud's past and how he came about remembering it. It's been nearly two years since I wrote that story and since then Cloud's character and past have evolved, as well as my own skills as a writer.
This story is the same one that I wrote nearly two years ago, it has just been rewritten. Some things are the same, some things are different ♥

“See?” Sky said quietly, "You haven't been forgotten."
Cloud looked at his brother and frowned, “I don’t want to leave you,” He said quietly.
The young whitetail smiled sadly and nuzzled his brother, “I’m not as far away as you think, even if it feels like it sometimes.”
Cloud nodded slowly, “I’ve decided. I choose life.”
Sky breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m afraid that you won’t be able to wake up just yet,” He added, “You did take quite a hit to the head.”
The gray buck nodded, “I’ll be fine.”
Cloud got to his hooves. Instinctively he seemed to know the way back, almost like a sort of tugging on his very being. He took one step then paused, turning back to his younger brother. “Sky,” He said.
“Hmm?”
“You’ve saved me once now, it’s only fair that I return the favor. I’m going to find a way to bring you back…you and mother.”
Sky looked surprised then saddened. “I’m afraid that it’s too late for her.”
“What?”
“She can't come back now. She's gone on passed this place.”
Cloud thought over Sky’s words, “You…haven’t, though, right?”
Sky just smiled.
Suddenly, Cloud felt as though he was being pulled away by a great force. The light was fading and so was his brother. He was falling again. “Sky! Sky, wait!” He cried desperately.
The light was gone…and so was Sky.

Cloud yielded to sleep.
~~
Thank you, all of you. Cloud will live.
He will sleep for three days and wake up on the fourth…maybe a bit different than how you remember him.

Good luck, big brother.