Ish.

Unsteady. Curious. Affectionate.

Physical: Exhausted from a day of new discoveries.
Mental: Happy, Excited, Overwhelmed
Emotional: Delighted and slightly confused.



Everything is new. All is possible.


Bio
Gender: Male
Age: Brand New
Appearance: Pale-spotted tawny coat, a wiry body balanced uncertainly on too-long limbs. Plain, unremarkable features offset by huge, ever searching liquid eyes.
Personality: Curious about absolutely everything, as is only natural when seeing the world for the first time. Shy and slightly awkward, quick to warm up and overly affectionate. Could be called clingy, stays close to those who have shown themselves to be patient, or too interesting to stay away from.

Would you walk with me?

24.04.13
It was easier today. When Ish awoke, he knew before opening his eyes that his patient guide was no longer beside him. The steady, solid warmth at his back had been replaced by a cool breeze ruffling his pelt, beckoning him to rise. Standing on legs still tired from yesterdays exertions, he stretched out, dropping once more to the ground to roll around in the short grass. What now?

Knowing who to approach in the forest is still a guessing game, but it's getting easier to be brave. Though many deer don't respond to his timid advances, some allow him to stand nearby, to observe, and for the moment it's enough just to be seeing. Meeting new fawns is less intimidating. Many of them want to play, and spending the day running through the trees, leaping into cool, clear water and rolling in the grass is no bad thing.

One of the fawns, eager to have his attention, let out a loud, low bellow that drew all eyes. As Ish watched, head tilted, the noisy fawn lay down in the grass. For a moment, nothing happened. Then their pelt began to change! It was wonderful. Yesterday he had tried on new faces and worn graceful horns, but his tawny coat had remained the same. Another secret of the forest, something else he had to know right this very second... Or perhaps, after a nap...

The nap had been a good idea. His legs, whilst tired, were no longer trembling and his brain, less muddled, was now focused on his goal. Would the trees reveal the secret, as they had with the antlers and masks? Or would it be something else?

There was a false start. Thirsty from running through the woods like a fawn possessed, he'd stopped at a pool filled with water that smelled like no water he had experienced so far. He crept up to the edge and began to sip, then gulp, the delicious fluid, his stumpy tail flicking with pleasure. Then he felt a change. There was something very strange happening deep in his belly, over his skin, inside his head... Ish decided, after that incident, that a little caution was in order. He had not enjoyed being a bird, not one bit.

A little rattled by his transformation, he took to running through the trees, re-settling himself in his body. It was nice to have four legs. They were solid (for the most part), dependable (usually...) and kept him well balanced (if he stood very still). None of this wing nonsense for him, thank you very much. Ish was so occupied with this huffy train of thought that his legs took the decision to leap over the narrow stream before his eyes had fully registered what was on the other side. And so Ish quite literally ran into his next encounter.

Two deer, one with a bleached, hollow face which he found oddly alluring. He backed up quickly, bleating in alarm as his hind began to slip down the bank of the stream. So very wary after his rude and sudden arrival, he dropped his front and bowed his head, tail ducked behind his rump. There was no noise, no roaring he would take as an objection, so gingerly he stood. One of the pair seemed completely unfazed, neither by his abrupt arrival nor his somewhat cowardly recovery, and continued to look off into the middle distance. The other, however, seemed forgiving of his blundering into their space, and was even decorous enough to return his trembling bow.

It seemed, then, that it would be alright for him to stay. So he played for a while in the grass, mindful not too be too boisterous, and lurked near the pair. Truth be told, he was keen for some company, and since they seemed not to mind terribly, he found himself lurking closer as time wore on. At one point, the deer who had acknowledged him stood, and looked straight in his direction. Ish froze. Then he was consumed by that familiar golden light, and when he looked around... Delight! His pelt had changed! Deep blue shot with gold, how wonderful! He pranced around, nodding frantically to show his appreciation. This was just wonderful...although he still had no idea how it was accomplished! But that was a discovery for another day. Ish was beginning to tire.

Since his presence had been tolerated for so long, and they had both settled down so near, he thought that it might just be alright if he were to burrow in beside them. As he closed his eyes, the golden symbols above their heads merged with the sunlight, and so he slept beside the bridge, warm and secure in the sun.

~Strata and Terraver~

23.04.13
The first day. Everything is new. Standing on unsteady legs, creeping through the forest, beset by new sights, new smells, new sounds.

There is sound everywhere. His ears can never hope to keep up with every new note, flicking wildly back and forth in an attempt to catch them. His nose twitches constantly, following the wide amber eyes, trying to put smells to sights- it's overwhelming. There is too much to see, too much to smell, and all the while the cacophony of the forest plays, dragging his attention this way and that. Getting the hang of standing still took what seemed to the fawn to be an excessively long time. Now to try walking. Lift the leg...Yes, so far so good! Now place it down. Up, down, up, down. It wasn't exactly graceful, but it was forward motion, and that in itself was rather exciting!

He shuffled forwards, creeping along the side of a warm, moss covered rock. It smelled amazing. But then so did everything else. Coming to the edge of the rock now, peeking around with a lowered head, ears flat to his neck. A patch of flowers, the most amazing thing he'd seen in at least five seconds. This was terribly exciting! Caution to the wind! Too-long legs thrown into frenzied movements, the fawn managed two awkward leaps towards the patch, before thumping face-first into the grass. 'Mmmmph...' It was crisp and clean and smelled like life, or how he would have imagined life to smell, if of course it had occurred to him to ever imagine such a thing, so he stayed, knees sinking into the warm ground, eyes closed, just breathing in the grass.

A new sound. Over-large ears shot up, dragging his head with them. A thump? He cocked his head, searching with liquid eyes, which found hooves...and traveled up...and up... The stag dwarfed him, standing just a few steps away, one leg raised, head titled slightly to the side. It took a great deal of effort for Ish to stand straight, every so slowly inching his way up from the ground. He swallowed, ears drooping, and tried to think of something, anything, to do. Nothing came to mind, and his legs began to tremble. And then something wholly unexpected happened. The great beast before him dropped to one knee and dipped his head at the tiny, clumsy fawn. He hurried to reciprocate, ending with a mouthful of grass but managing to stay upright for the most part. When he summoned the courage to look up once again, his companion was nodding, looking approving, and he felt a warm clench in his core. The stag pawed at the ground, nodded once more, and began to slowly move away. So Ish followed.

Discovery. So rich with experiences, every little thing was a shock, a delight. The trees, so rough and soothing against his hide, had other secrets to reveal. Bright little mushrooms- delicious!- with another purpose. Shy pinecones which could be coaxed out of hiding and gobbled down. Trying on new faces and voices...In a flash of golden light, Ish had his own pair of curving antlers, and though they vanished quickly, the feeling of their weight had been amazing. It was easier to walk now, to run- he was too excited to be cautious, far too busy to be clumsy. There were other deer here, and each he would greet with a bow, afraid at first, but soon with more confidence. His head spun, so desperate was he to absorb everything of this day. All too soon, it was time to rest, crumpling into a heap in the dappled shade, to dream of all the things yet to be seen...


~Ish and I are both new here, so I'll be updating and improving this as often as I can. Thanks for being patient with our wobbliness!~