"This is the record of my study on the disappearing deer of Washington County in Pennsylvania. The date is December 19th, 2013.

The purpose of this study is to determine the source of what the locals call the 'disappearing deer'. I will give eyewitness accounts as well as my personal findings..."



What if something truly remarkable was happening. A forest magic that humans could not possibly understand. There are tales of this area, where deer seem to appear and disappear before their eyes. It is no use chasing after them, they vanish so quickly, their trails and hoofprints stopping with no deer in sight.

What if...the deer had camouflaged themselves so well that those who followed them walked right past?

What if the deer literally transformed themselves into trees?


I'll be writing a sort of journal entry story here, but I wanted to ask if you guys would like to join in on this idea.

Artists - draw an example of a deer transforming into a tree. They can be in mid-transformation, or be fully tree with hints of deer to them (long ear branches, wriggling tails, eyes and snouts poking out, ect). I'd prefer the scene to be snowy wilderness, with barren trees that have no leaves on them, but you're more than welcome to do an artwork of a deer with leaves on their antlers/branches. It can be a TEF deer, a real life whitetail deer, or any other cervine such as a moose, antelope, elk, and so forth. Artistic liberty is encouraged, and any form of media is fine (sketches, linearts, full color, digital work, ect)

Writers - write either a poem about the transformation process and evading a human, or a short story telling the tale of a deer transforming and becoming a tree. Feel free to be as creative as you'd like. You can make a separate blog post for this or put your story in the comments section below.

No time limit, take all the time you need for additions

Oh and do me a huge favor and make sure you give me a link to your addition in the comments. I won't catch it on the recent posts since I haven't been checking the recent posts lately.

I'll be very happy to see what you guys come up with


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December 19th, 2013

"This is the record of my study on the disappearing deer of Washington County in Pennsylvania. The date is December 19th, 2013.

The purpose of this study is to determine the source of what the locals call the 'disappearing deer'. I will give eyewitness accounts as well as my personal findings. I have been called by Washington and Jefferson College as they wanted a professional to look into this supposedly unexplained event. I have an interest in both natural sciences such as zoology and ecology, as well as the paranormal, so I was interested in the study. I will begin the study tomorrow."
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As A Tree by MickKreiger

Hear the heartbeat, a little away
Broken twigs on the ground – don't stay
Rush far, rush closer, getting near
Run, run away little dear?
No, shall you not run?
Will you face the barrel of the gun?
Heart beating faster – hunting game
Will it be you that they kill or maim?

Oh, this is good, I see
Your plan is to become a tree
Of course, my apologies I forgot
I have a brain that's easy to rot
Or perhaps apparently not

Antlers twisting, turning, and growing
Madness in me, it must be showing
For it cannot be, but apparently it can
The deer is becoming the tree to hide from man
Heartbeat stilling, breathing slowing
An end temporarily to knowing
Blood to bark is turning
Afraid of not guns but burning

The man is rushing getting near
His heartbeat you can no longer hear
He knows you were here
Knows you cannot disappear
And yet...no longer can he see
All has become a tree
Vanished from existence, from sight
Vanished from existence, into the night

Risen before him
You stand before him on a whim
You were blessed with some strange defence
Protecting you from interference
For a deer cannot be cut down
And a tree cannot drown
In a sea of man and gun
When a deer cannot run

Hide as you will
As he loses his thrill
And then when he leaves
Yours will fall like an autumn tree's
And back where you stood
In the middle of a wood
You will stand again in form of a deer
Again in front of me, here.

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December 20th, 2013

"I found a nice house to rent in one of the local neighborhoods. It must have been on the market very recently since it is well furnished. Supposedly the owners moved because they were 'spooked' by this disappearing deer phenomenon in the area. Surprisingly enough, the house borders a heavily forested area, and the deer are well known to walk about these parts. I will be able to watch the treeline from here for movement.

I have gotten everything I need for the following week, and stopped at a local store called the 'Agway', and got a bag of deer feed. I've put out some of this in the back yard of the house I am renting, and with any luck I will catch a sight of the deer."
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Becoming a Tree by BrokkenSaint



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December 21st, 2013

"The deer came late last night. I did not get a glimpse of them, I stayed up to watch for them, but apparently fell asleep sometime around 2:30 AM or so. But the deer food is gone. I have already replaced it for today.

There is supposed to be a snow in the next few days. It rained for the most of today, so I would not be able to see tracks until the snow showed up. Odd to have the temperatures in the 50's and 60's for December here, but it is such the case. The local news claims that if this had been snow today, the area would have most likely gotten five inches easily. So I am thankful for that much luck at least.

I will try my best to stay up tonight to watch for the deer. I've got, ironically, a good supply of Caribou brand coffee to keep me up."
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By Apoidea

It is something we all bear resemblance to, or did you not see? The males of our tribe bear antlers on their crowns. Even the word 'crown' will be a great clue as to what runs in our veins. Our sticky blood is the same consistency as what runs through the veins of a tree. Our antlers branch out, covered in knots and knobs just like the bark of a tall, strong conifer. Our antlers shed velvet in strips just like the paper bark tree. So why is it so much of a surprise that we can take on the forms of those high-crowned plants? It shouldn't be.

Our bodies stiffen in fear of man. Where some run away, here we stand. Hooves rooted figuratively dig into the ground and make it literal. Unlike the trees around us, we are quick to grow. Our skin becomes rough. Our bodies grow far more slender and tall. We creak and groan. Our antlers branch out and fill with foliage, mayhaps fruit depending on the season. It is a clever disguise. One long sigh later, where a cervine once winked at you now stands a tree among other trees.

And how do you know that a forest is naught but a herd of deer? You don't.

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December 22nd, 2013

((coming soon))
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Birch by Echosong