[Long story ahead! Click for more.]

Keme
Dedicated to Jorogumo, the forest's resident Lady Spider and Keme's adopted mother.

He is sitting on the tallest rock in the playground, observing his surroundings. The forest is quiet today; the silence is almost deafening, he thinks, with a half-smile. The feathers on the crow mask on his face flutter as a light wind stirs, the golden pelt ruffling along with it. Keme raises his head, having caught a sudden scent on the wind. He turns to find a deer there.
"Good day..." He greets, rather awkwardly. His social skills had never been up to par.
"...Would you...care to hear a story?" The deer nods in acquiescence, and he sits down comfortably, beginning in a quiet voice.
"The story of the Spider and her Fly. Dedicated to our resident spider..." A smile.

[Please forgive the fail-blood on the statues. >.<]

Keme

Amadahy

Jealousy creeps into my heart like a snake. It wraps around it and constricts. I watch everyone.
I watch who I used to consider my friends.
I watch them find each other, fall in love, and leave me behind.
Even if I was falling for them, I don’t have a chance any longer.
I secretly curse the ones who took them from me, secretly send glares and venom in their direction. They won’t know, because I’m a coward, right? Maybe someday they will. Ha.
Yesterday…
Well…
Where to begin…?

I suppose the first thing I remember is seeing a strange deer with the set of Kaoori’s mate, yet a different picto.
He was staring at me, straight into me. He didn’t really react too much…Just stared. I started to get a little nervous then.
Then Kaoori came. She seemed confused too, so we both went to check him out. He was so strange…After staring at him for a bit, he left, and we followed him.
He turned around and came to sniff me.
He unnerved me too much, so I took off. He was still in the area though and I have to admit that I was a bit…interested. I watched him a bit longer, but nothing else happened.
…Hm.

Maybe it was then that I first saw Furfur’s picto or…something so close to it. I…don’t really know. I followed it only to find some sort of doe with a crying mask.
…I don’t know if I’ve been hallucinating or what. I didn’t eat too many mushrooms or anything…haha…

Throughout the whole day, I kept seeing pictos like Furfur’s. Each time, I’d be so hopeful that it was him, that maybe he was back…Each time I’d look for him, and find some other deer in his place.
It was then that I realized…that he’s gone. He’s gone forever, he’s not coming back. So I gave up, closed my eyes, and tried to let him go.
I couldn’t. Somehow, I still hope he’ll be back some day.

I had been yelling at this one spot and hoping that deer would come back, still thinking it was Furfur, when a tiny little stag came up to me.

The Fawn

"...can't you...
...hear us?"
"No...I don't. I don't! Leave me alone!"
The fever breaks then, for a moment. I see watery shapes swimming before my eyes that clear, becoming the forest. The forest? Was I here before?
I couldn't tell you.
"Your flowers are wilted...You should take better care of yourself..."
I see the little wilted purple flowers at my feet when I look down. Little dead things. I shiver and look away, shaking the rest from my antlers.
"Shut up. This is your fault."
I realize that I am standing in a patch of purple flowers, with little blue butterflies flitting around. One lands on my nose and I smile weakly, gathering up a few of the flowers for my own antlers.
The world starts swaying and I sit down, hard. My eyes close and I feel shaky again. Is the fever coming back?
I fight it off and stand again, listening. I want to know if there is somebody here, somebody that I remember. If I remember. I want to test myself.
Then I recognize her. I struggle towards her and she finds me as well. For a moment, I can't place why I know her.
Then I remember her. Tally, I've missed you so much...
You're so tiny now! That was really surprising. I know you'll still protect me though.
It was good to sit by you and feel so safe. I wish I could have held you up longer when you sat on my back, but I'm afraid I'm still too weak for that.
I suppose you still wonder why I'm afraid of fawns. I think I told you before, but there is more to it than that now. I wish I didn't have to see them...
At least those does with you were nice, and that one that came up later. For awhile, I was happy.
They wouldn't let it stay that way...
Their voices crept into my mind, one light gold, the other dark, dark red.

The Priest
It has been a while. Long ago, I knew all of your faces. Some were my enemies, others my closest friends.
Now I know so very few.
Where has the time gone?
I sense much darkness within this forest now. I fear the implications of such an occurrence...I fear a recurrence of that Time.
I fear that I have become useless to combat this darkness...
If it is even wished by the Gods. How am I to know?
Yet other presences are mysteriously lacking. Where are the ones I considered enemies once? Many seem to have fled.
For this, I am glad. Good riddance to the darkness.
Others, however, still remain. I have seen you, doe. I know you still remain.

I spoke with Brother Matthias today--or rather, where he lays now. His headstone gives me some comfort, even if...
I spoke to him of the forest. I spoke to him of my attempts to find the Gods again. He was silent, of course, and I gained no answers.
I went to the Gods then, yet they remained silent. Statues, nothing more.
Are they fading away from us?
The fawn that lay next to me, though, gave me some warmth. It has been awhile since I have sat so close to another.
If only I could have known your name, little one, yet you seemed to have no pictogram of your own...

I walked the forest then, saw faces I could not recognize, new life within this forest. I do wonder if I will eventually know them, or if I wish to.
I ended the day in a patch of sunlight, eyes closed, soaking in the warmth and listening to the light birdsong.
At least this had not changed.

[Short writing is short. xD]

Will somebody help me get it? I'll be the deer with the magpie antlers/real deer pelt/real deer mask in the mushroom circle by the pond.
Thank you so much. <3

Keme

I thought you couldn't get sick here, but I was wrong. I got a cold a few days...days ago. Except, it's not a cold. It's something called "pneu-mon-ia". Joro says it's dangerous and wants me to stay by her to stay warm.

But I'm cold...

I broke her. It's strange, these deer, how controlled by their emotions they are. How easy it is to use that against them...and how easy it was for her to use them against me. I lost my logic and let my feelings take me over...It won't happen again, mom--Joro.

And I won't ever let anybody hurt you...ever.

Or maybe this doesn't matter. I just feel weaker and weaker every day. I might not be a stag and I'm scared. Really scared because of the way Joro looks at me, with these eyes that look so distant and yet close at the same time. I think she's guessing what might happen...

If I am dying, then, so be it. So be it. I will enjoy these days as I fight. I won't give up or give in just yet. I will find some way...

If only to stay to protect the ones I love.



I need you now.
Anybody...
Please.

Keme

"...does it, Sir Osias?" He smiles bitterly, a strange sight on the fawn's face that is normally alight with laughter, curiosity, something innocent. Not today...something is strange about the fawn. His antlers have been growing in, now, fast in this magical forest...He will have his first set soon. Little candles, complete with a glowing flame, lay in front of the first tine, flickering in an odd beat with his heart and blinks.

He had found this deer because he sensed that Osias knew something, something that he wanted to know too.

He stares at him, sitting above the fawn like a king on his portion of the broken stone. Keme sits below, with no illusions. He is not a king, just a fawn. Just a fawn attracted to strange, often dark creatures, leading him to ones like the Demon sitting above him. The bitter smile fades as he begins to speak softly to himself, murmuring.

"My mother...adopted mother. I don't think she'd like you, Sir...But then again, she didn't even raise a hoof to say 'don't'. Not like Kaoori at all...I think she loves somebody more than me, Mister." He looks for confirmation from the Demon, then suddenly continues.

"It's this fawn...'Empty Child'. Miss Joro loves it...It'll be a fawn forever, you see, Mister Osias. Not like me," He looks up, attempting to see his own antlers, "'Cause I'll be a stag soon." He sighs and looks down, frowning.

"And she said she loved me too, but she didn't say 'forever'. I think she gave up on me..." He looks back up suddenly as the demon moves to sit beside him, for reasons he can't quite understand. Osias is warm, a welcome friend in the atmosphere of the mist he is so frightened of.