The Priest

They have all heard by now, I am sure. I see the looks upon their faces, ones of pity, ones filled with sarcasm, hatred. 'I told you so', their looks say. 'It had to happen some day'. My enemies watch me, knowing that I have lost the thing so dear to me, my very purpose.

My Gods have abandoned me.

The last words they spoke to me, so filled with disappointment, so filled with power, spoken in tandem:

"Priest, you have failed us.
You have not heeded our warnings.
Priest, go now from our sight and do not return."

I went. I left their sight. I have returned, many a time, only to see their faces, cold, hardened stone, looking at me with disgust. I did not heed their call to an end to violence, so they have ended me. My soul, perhaps, though my physical body remains.

I watch the world go by. How many days has it been? Weeks, perhaps. I am not sure. I watch and wait, empty of purpose, empty of being. What am I waiting for? A sign? An end?

I wait.

Then it comes, one day, as I lie beneath the trees, watching the sky through ancient eyes. I realize that perhaps...I have been given a second chance. I have been granted life; a changed one, but a life.

I stand, breathing in the smells of the forest, of the myriad of deer that live here. This is my home, my life, my brothers.

I refuse to be broken, to waste away. I will find my Gods again. I will regain their favor. Somehow, some way, it shall be done. I will not fail my brothers.

"I will find a way."

[Not sure how this sounds, seeing as it's early morning. |D Happy New Year's!]

Whatever you celebrate, I hope it's happy and filled only with the best memories.

Thank you, TEF, for a good year!

-Ocean

...being so darned amazing. YES REALLY.
I've read beautiful poetry, amazing stories, and seen awesome art in the space of less than an hour.
DARN IT. *fist shake* D<


[Actually, don't listen to me. Keep writing/making art so that I can stare at it. |D]

Well, my game is doing some ODD things.

When I run it in windowed mode, I cannot push the "display" button on the menu; when I do, it says I need to restart and the "done" button disappears.
When I restart, it comes up as a big window-minus problems. However, this "big window" goes away after two restarts of the game.

Also, in the "small" window, my action buttons no longer fit on the menu bar-they run so far off to the side that it is sometimes impossible to click one.

Also, my spells occasionally "don't stick"; as in, the person I am casting on gets what looks to be the same spell over and over. However, when I was talking to one such person, the spells were changing on their game...just not appearing to change on mine.

I've reinstalled it once, and it's still doing this. Help?

Flash back to a day ago. A fawn looks up at two black and white deer, pelts shadow and light mixed together. He mouths the words, "I'm sorry." The deer back away, one lowering his antlers.
Flash forward to the next day. The fawn is looking up at another. This time, he mutters, "I hate you." The deer comes forward, taunting.
Flash back again. The fawn comes forward. "I forgive you." He gets antlers in his face.
Forward. He glares at the stag. "I will never forgive you." Something whispers in his ear; he nods. Good.
Back. He's cowering between the logs, the same ones as that night. He frequents this area, drawn by a feverish mind. It's snowing, like it was then, when the red turned the snow crimson. Now he does not bleed. The deer circling him intend to change that. They followed him from the ruins; they've come to finish the job. Just like it was back then. This time, he's immortal.
Forward. He's sitting beside her, mist covering her. He remembers what happened next, somewhere in another time. He sighs and lays his head on her back. "If you can look into the sseedss of time, and ssay which grain will grow, and which will not, sspeak.
Nothing in hiss life became him like the leaving it; he died ass one that had been sstudied in hiss death, to throw away the dearesst thing he ow'd, ass 'twere a carelesss trifle." He closes his eyes.
Flash back again. He is cowering against another deer, a group. They are protecting him, saving him from the deer that would take his life again. He closes his eyes.
Forward. Madness glows in the red eyes, emanates from his very state. He's laughing at something, some cosmic joke that no other can get. He hisses out, "It'sss a joke. It'sss all a joke...", before laughing again.

...sits in a semi-circle. They are widely varied, pelts of rainbow hues and antlers in all shapes and sizes-or none at all. Upon looking closer, one can see that some sit just a little further away, or in peculiar manners. Some have taken to the shadows, others to the light. All of them are waiting...

Skip to the very bottom of the blog for a summary and song list.
[Click read more!]

[Some loud and very loud music. You've been warned.]

Lantern
Freefalling. That's what it feels like right now. No more pain, no more...anything. Just me, and the sensation of falling. It feels nice. I don't have to worry, don't have to care. I'm done. Is this what freedom feels like?

Lantern
"No...N-no! Don't come closer! Don't hurt m-me..." He screams, looking at a red doe, who is staring straight back at him. He whimpers, tries to get away, but his legs are nothing but pond water. The fawn beside him nuzzles him, urging him forward. He can't, can't move, won't move...until he looks at the fawn. Ruby red flowers, so beautiful. He follows the fawn forward, but cannot. He cannot shake this paranoia. He wants to go forward, see that doe. Yet, he cannot. Lantern stares.
I wasn't always like this.
Yeah, ya were. Ya won't ever win respect this way.
Lantern shakes it away, ridding himself of the clinging voice...for the moment. He flees, ignoring any look, any bellow. He runs for his life, away, back to one of the few places he feels comfortable: his grave.
He sits there, staring at the inscription, doing nothing, saying nothing, not even blinking. The mist from his own body swirls about him, hiding him, covering him from anything. Then he moves.
Follow my lead.
He does. He is lead to a group, sitting in a circle. He stares hard at the doe, then watches as she turns around.
Her.
Her. Do'ya know why you're so frightened of her?
He never gets to answer as the doe comes bounding towards him. He flees, pursued by her. He stops, turns around, not of his own will. She stops...bounds forward...and nuzzles him. He backs away; her touch burns like fire against the cold mist that surrounds him. She comes forward again and nuzzles the cowering fawn, legs turned to stumps of wood. He can only back away, try to escape. She comes forward, forward, torturing him. Finally, he runs, darts away into the darkness of the rain swept landscape. He heads back to comfort, and she leaves him be.
Coward.