Dawn came early across the forest as the unseen sun shed its gentle light in rays and beams through foliage and rock. Something in the air felt different. A deep stirring within Theano seemed to be pulling her toward the large hill that descended on one side to the flowing spigot and on the other side the bowl of earth that was covered in blue flowers. As Theano often did she resisted the urge to follow. It was not her nature to just obey. Eventually she always meandered over where ever the pull took her. She would look. Sometimes it was a bevy of dancing deer, or a pile of swaying ungulates to some inner unknown rhythm, and occasionally no deer at all, but just a spot that seeped a heaviness into her soul.

She continued her drinking and bathing in the pond near the white pillars on the hill. Theano would glance up toward where the pull emanated from, but at the moment she was enthralled with the purple dragonflies that encircled her feet. She wondered from whence they came and why they chose this spot to inhabit rather than glide across the freedom of the open pond. And just as she decided she would stop her constant movement and questioning the sky intensely brightened in the direction the pull had come from. Theano sighed knowing she was going to have to leave the peace of the water that haunted her. She was such a loner. It wasn't that she did not love the others, but more the stimulation overwhelmed and clouded her mind. What Theano often sought was calmness and peace. She did not wish to hurt the other beautiful frolicking deer and wished she could be as carefree as they were. It was not her lot in life. Hers was to constantly ponder the essense of being and why it was such and why did we have to suffer so.

With a sigh and final glance at the purple dragonflies, she began the journey toward the new light. Up the embankment she slowly climbed and past the weeping willow trees that could hide you in your sadness. Through the purple passion flowers that were scattered in the wooded fields between the druid oak tree and the Ruins she wandered heading for the orange like soil that covered the hills.

As she approached the air became brighter, and brighter. Its covered her with a gentle warmth that spoke of things to come and things to be. For once instead of anxious anxiety filling her thoughts she began to anticipate that on this occasion something rather metaphysical and illuminating was about to happen. Other deer had either sensed or seen the new light as well and began to converge in small herds at the foot of the large hill. At some unseen signal all the deer gathered began to trek up the hill slowly. Almost trance like but not quite and unlike so many other times Theano did not fight this.

As the deer herd reached the top they all stopped to see a wall of flame burning brightly with red, orange, yellow, and white lights dancing in a rhythmic display that was both hypnotic and comforting. The flames did not give off any heat, but brightened the area in such a way to intensify all the colors on the hill. Nor did the flames give off any sound or destroy any foliage. They simply danced and lit up the sky. At once they all began to sense they were witnessing the birth of a holy creative fire which would give life not death.

One of the elders who was gray, large, and had a broken antler stepped forward. The elder seemed to know just what this was. Slowly and nobly the elder strolled straight for the heart of the fire, and just has his body reached the dancing flames, the elder turned and bowed to the watching herd. There was no fear among them only a sense of awe and wonder about what was going to occur. The elder stepped into the flames and they lovingly caressed the aging body. At first nothing seemed to be happening, but slowly there emerged a shimmering on the elder's fur. The flame that had danced in the air began to merge into the elder. What was once hair became flame, the elder's eyes became a flowing white. As the elder stepped out the herd could see the body no longer had solid lines, but was flames shaped into a deer. The sight mesmerized the crowd and the elder gladly pranced about with the new pelt dancing upon him. Other deer began to enter the flames and they too had parts of their body become the flame itself though not so thorough and dramatic as the elder's pelt.

Some had flamed feet. Others the antlers and ears were flamed. A few the body did not flame at all, but when they bleated or called out instead of sound a tongue of holy fire shot forth. These flames if directed at another did not harm, but simply encased the other in a bubble of multicolored light that gave mirth and pleasure. Theano entered in the warmth of the flame and found she received a strip of flame following the curve of her spine all the way down to her luscious and ample tail. She marveled as she stepped out and danced with the herd with a joy that opened her heart to feel the sense of community and being one.

The deer frolicked and danced and flamed while time seemed to hold still as the community shared in this oneness of a fire communion. After a while the flame began to gradually become smaller and smaller until it disappeared. The flames on the deer stayed lit. The herd slowly began to scatter across the endless forest and as night fell flames could be seen traveling across the way or swaying gently in some peaceful glen. By the next morning even those flames were gone, but the sense of communion and peace the creative fire brought lived on . Theano for once enjoyed being part of the group.