The stag opens his slitted yellow eyes to the world. The war paint has worn off, his coat returning to its beautiful golden and brown color. His anger and will to look for a fight has gone with it, though his wild manners remain. He stands, stretching with dignity, shaking the grass from his long fur.

A new day means a new way to experience where he's landed. He's going to make the most of it.

He runs wildly. The wind blows through his pelt, pulling it back and flattening it. His eyes are wide with the joy of running. He'd smile if he could.

The fight with the purple-ish angry-stag has not left him too badly off. Ulh smiles. The scrapes and scratches are healing quickly, so very quickly. He is already able to run again, reveling in the freedom of this new place. What a strange stag that one was.

He nearly trips over the deer sitting in a field of flowers. He laughs and comes closer, eyes flashing with mad joy as she stands. The deer appears to be a doe. Ulh runs around madly and she joins him. Soon they are running around like little fawns, Ulh's eyes alight with joy.

They run and jump through the forest. He jumps over the top of her and nearly avoids a collision several times. His sort of daredevil joy can be dangerous, but he knows that he's in control. He grins and greets two other deer who approach.

They join their mad game, but leave soon after. Ulh shrugs and continues running and bouncing with the doe. She does things that amaze him, like sitting in rocks and trees. Then she appears and he gasps.

Strange forest.

Pride is far from him now in his rejuvenation. Pride is second best to wildness. His eyes shine in exhilaration. He wishes he could tell her, but he cannot. Words never come when he tries.

I suppose they all think I am a fool. They cannot see what is in front of their eyes either. They cannot see the darkness in the forest, the threat it poses. Can they not see that evil can end our way of life fully? They are blind, no longer dedicated. So I shall do their duties for them. The Gods know that they will not.

Such bitterness. What a strange feeling. Yet I cannot push it away.

As for today...

I awoke to summer sun, shining down warmly. Strength rippled through my body, newfound almost. Perhaps this should have been my first clue that my task was to be taken up again.

I walked off, completed my morning ritual. Easy enough, though I am quite glad that I am able to do it again. As I walked towards the statues, a deer in a bird mask and a golden butterfly pelt fled. I swear I caught a hint of taunting as I walked up.

The deer came back after I left. Sad? Confused? I watched to be sure that the Gods were safe. They were, for now. The deer continued, seeming to talk to them. I would not approach; every deer needs time alone with the Gods. They left soon enough.

A creeping feeling of darkness pierced my pelt. Of course. The demon was back. I sought him out, but stayed in the perimeter. He would make the first move; he would be the one who started it.

He sensed me too and walked towards me. Of course this was a threat. So I countered this threat. The fight, longer than I had ever anticipated, began.

Hooves, antlers, it did not matter. Scratching, rearing, pummeling, blood, antlers, goring, a roar of pain as an antler wounds me deep in the chest. I continue on. This time the demon would not conquer me. This time, I was ready.

Don't mind her. She only got angry 'cause she thought you were laughing at her. She's a grumpy little witch.

The deer: *mumbles something obscene* *glares* Ya' shouldn't mess with me.

Just in case you thought I had something against you! D:

((I'll delete this once whoever this is sees it. ^^))

((The Fawn's entry is from a few days ago. The Priest's is a combination.))

Ulh
The stag stands up unsteadily. He has been sleeping for awhile now, after his long, dark journey. His slitted yellow eyes take in the landscape with a look of untamed wildness.

This is the place that they'd said he needed to find. His herd is far from him now. This is his new life. He runs joyously, testing his new legs and trampling everything in his path. He runs through groups of deer, ignoring their angry shouts. Or were they angry?

The customs here is different than what he is used to.

He continues tearing through the forest, almost madly. The joy of freedom surrounds him, wind brushing through his pelt. The forest bows beneath him in his insane joy. He hears his hooves pound the ground, feels its give. For him, wild joy is the only way to live.

He stops suddenly, pulling up right before he crashes into a stone wall. He laughs, exhilarated. His wild joy stays with him, warming his heart. This is to be truly alive. A wild glint flashes across his eyes. He is untamed. Nothing will hold him back.

His ears twitch. There is another deer nearby. He stands, eagerly, ready for a fight. Fights are fun, fights are wild and untamed, like him. The two go side by side. The white and black war paint on his pelt is a stark contrast from his usual golden. He's ready.

A deer with ram horns and a pelt of purple, perhaps, is standing there. He is visible angered. Ulh smiles wildly. Just the kind of fight he's looking for. His slitted eyes flash as he runs forward.

The deer lowers his antlers. Ulh gladly obliges, rearing, edging nearer. Soon they're locked in combat. Each scratch down his pelt brings him more of the mad joy. Each mark of his antler on the other's pelt brings him more alive. Taunts are thrown and he laughs in the exhilaration of the fight. He laughs insanely, the rush of the fight overtaking him. Soon the other deer is fleeing.

The Priest

The peace and quiet still reigns over the forest. The feeling that darkness has clung to the forest is still there, but it has faded to the back of my mind for the moment. I am finally enjoying my time here, relaxing into the peace of the forest.

The rest is doing me much good. I feel stronger every day now; the aches and pains are dulling. The chirps of the birds, the shallow lapping of the pond, the wind in the trees; all of it has relaxed me. I can walk now, but only in small bursts. Soon, I shall be able to move freely again.

I dread the day that that happens. If only I could simply enjoy the peace of the forest forever. However, I have my duties. I am here for a reason. The Gods have decreed it.

And so it shall be done...

-The Priest

The Fawn

I can't move. It's not because I physically can't. If I wanted to, I could get up. My wounds have pretty much healed, though I still get dizzy. But I haven't moved since I last came to the pond. I don't want to be in my dream forest any more.

But I know I can't leave.

I've woken up a lot now, always in my forest. I haven't seen a sunny day yet, though. I haven't seen mommy yet either.

Each time I wake up, somebody comes by. I just curl up and ignore them. I can't stand them anymore. I want to be home, not here. Not here with this stupid dream and the stupid dream deer.

I hate this dream. I wanna go home.

I'm not gonna move though. I know that all I'll see is my dream forest. Maybe if I stay here long enough, I'll wake up.

But it's not my dream forest anymore. It's too real.

I just wanna go home.

((Just a little post on what The Priest and The Fawn will be doing while I'm gone. ))

I'm going to China for awhile. I'll be back on the 26th. ^^ Just in case anybody wonders where I am.

Peace was finally here, possibly for the first time since I awoke again. Complete and total peace reigned over the forest on this Gods given day. Not to say that the darkness was not still lingering. Oh no, it was still here. It seemed so far away that I pushed it to the back of my mind.

Little Bastilion has grown. Then again, I do not believe that he was ever fully “little”. He was always a stag in heart and mind, though I only made his acquaintance right before he was destined to become a stag. He now wears antlers of great proportions, blood red and proud. I feel rather old now, standing next to this new stag.

Either way, my meeting with this...stag of the light gave me great joy. I awake slowly then look up in shock. A stag is sitting on the banks. This stag had the same face as the fawn Bastilion, but he had changed. I sniff him. It is certainly Bastilion, I think to myself. I wear a look of shock on my face, which he notes.

“Bastilion, you have grown. The Gods are working their miracles yet again. Welcome to staghood, my friend,” I say.

I smile and nuzzle the new stag, then invite him on a walk. It is slow going with my wounds, though he stays with me. The forest rustles with the sounds of birds chirping and soft wind.

“The forest seems much changed when looking through the eyes of a stag, does it not?” I smile softly and breathe in the deep scents of a sunlit world.

We walk calmly for a few minutes, until I find a patch of purple flowers. I invite him to sit, but I suppose he wants to keep going. Or perhaps he senses the other deer who comes up to us, moments later.

Can you still get it through spell-spamming?

Also, thank you to the golden-pelted deer in this picture:



You were patient. xD

((In case Yurei/Ren/Baal or any other deer was wondering what the heck that fawn was doing (the one who was standing between Baal and Yurei/Ren after the fight). She thought Baal was being hurt. ^^ Also, Baal, this is the fawn that you attacked. XD Sorry for the misunderstanding on my part! D:))

The Fawn

I stand. Everything feels better today. Well, at least my body does. I think I can run again, like a normal fawn should. So I get up and walk, up and out of the lake.

The mist is really scaring me. Everything is quiet, too quiet. My hoofsteps are muffled. Instead of clip-clomp, I hear tha-thump, that-thump. Like the beating of a heart.

My heart?

That's when I realize that, every time I have awakened, it has been in my dream forest. I quiver a bit, but soldier on. I'm brave. Very brave...for mommy. I miss my mommy.

I catch a scent on the wind. It seems...familiar, but I can't place it. I just can't. So I walk towards it. I wanna know who this is.

A stag is sitting next to a rock. Red pelt. Dark black ram antlers. Pure white mask, with blood-tears coming from it. I don't recognize him, but I walk up and sit next to him. He doesn't move. I am almost drawn to him. It's a strange feeling. The stag falls asleep. Others come up, quickly...but they stay away. I'm glad.

He stands up quickly and backs away, but I bow. I suddenly find myself...forgiving him. Forgiving him for what? I'm not sure. I nuzzle him and he seems surprised and sad. So sad. He walks away, limping. I notice scars down his sides, everywhere.

Can that happen in my dream?

I stand up, slowly. The world looks a bit brighter today, at least from my eyes. Perhaps when one almost loses something, it looks brighter. So I stand, gratefully, breathing in the misty air. It drapes over me like a welcoming friend...but I sense tension. I cannot name it, but I sense it. I shake off the feeling and slowly make my way to the Twin Gods. It is a hard journey, but the exhilaration of finally making it and the realization that I am recovering banishes the thought of any pain.

“Thank you...” The only words I can think to summon. I murmur them, quietly. Thank you for life. For the Forest. For returning me...The words start to sound hollow. I shake off that feeling of doubt again, banish it from my mind. It cannot live here.

I walk back down to the pond and am greeted by a fawn and another deer. I wonder if I recognize them, but I cannot quite put my hoof on it. However, they stay around for awhile. When I sit down, they sit next to me. The warmth of another deer...

I don't remember the last time I felt that.

I sigh in happiness. My wounds are sealing up, but I'm sore, so sore. Everything is aching, but nothing is bleeding. The deer eventually leave my side and I sigh. Their comfort is something that I am missing in these dark times. I move to the bank, feeling the weight of exhaustion. Perhaps the journey had been harder on me than I thought.

I awaken from my nap with a start and instantly feel pummeled by darkness. He is here. That mutated stag, with chains on his hooves. Only the Gods know what he could have possible done to have this happen to him. I stand, painfully, but fight back the sharp horns of darkness in my side. It fades a slight amount. I gather my strength and walk towards the darkness.