This story is constantly a WIP and more will be added as things are played out with the other players.
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'Ever since my mother put me into this forest, it's been fairly quiet. I've met a few good souls, and a few not-so-good. But life here is tranquil for the most part. Primitive still, but still tranquil.

But I can feel my blood boiling easily whenever I see fighting occurring, or if I feel my friends are in danger. Sabel, and Acacia, easily. It's becoming harder and harder for me to control my thirst for murder. My mother is pulling my strings, urging me through the magic in our bloods to do what she had raised me to do.

But right now, my attention is on little Acacia. For days now, she's slowly become lethargic. Her body is obviously starting to grow at an increased rate, going through 9 months of growing within a week or so, it seems. I feel it is normal for her unique species, but something is terribly wrong. She has a fever, is trembling and sweating far too much. I can't make her eat nor drink. Something has gone awry.

I have thought about what I needed to do. I need to go to HER. To Mother. Make a bargain with her, and depend on her to help Acacia survive this adolescent transformation.'



Tochza ponders his decision for a long while, keeping Acacia warm and as comfortable as possible at his trees, protecting her from all except close family and friends of her's. It breaks him deep inside to resort to his mother for help, but it might be Acacia's only chance.

Tochza covers her in deadfallen leaves and what of the ferns are still around to provide a blanket-like covering over her.

"I'll be back, Acacia. Just hang in there." The little purple doe let out a very weak feral sound in reply, but can hardly raise her head. In a rare sign of affection, Tochza lowers is head to her tiny little body, giving her the most gentle nuzzle he possibly could.

Once he felt satisfied she would be fine for the moment, Tochza ran into the Ruins nearby, looking down the Stairway to Hell, where his mother resides. Many might just see it as a pit. But to Tochza, the bottom of the deep pit held the portal to his Mother's realm. His other home. He slowly descends, heart beating fast, wondering if even he could make it out alive again.

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Tochza returned to the forest with a very heavy heart, slowly stepping through the portal and on up the stairs. In his mouth, a potion bottle filled with red liquid with a rune label tag. He knew this would help Acacia, but at what cost? He didn't trust his mother to keep the potion purely for good. The stag suspected she tainted it somehow. And the price she asked for it was far too high. Still, he had grown fond of the growing fawn, and was wanting to do what he could for her. If Acacia didn't survive, Tochza knew their whole circle of friends, and her family, would all be deeply grieved. He wouldn't be able to tolerate that when he could prevent it.

Tochza went over to the trees, seeing Acacia in her state of despair. Her body had gotten bigger, but no fat had grown, and so looked more skeletal covered in a thin pelt. Her breathing was short and shallow. Many feathers had grown, and her pelt pattern shifted and changed. She was alive, but only barely.

He snuggled up to her side and leaned his head down to set aside the potion and gently maneuver her head into his lap.



"Acacia, it's me. I have something for you. Please try to drink it." he cooed very softly to her, wanting to encourage her to take the potion. Tochza pulled the stop from the bottle and carefully pushed it so the opening touched her lips. Acacia struggled to grasp it in her mouth, so Tochza helped with his tail to steady and hold it. She managed just a sip or two before she couldn't handle any more, coughing weakly from the strong bitter flavor.

"It's okay, it's okay. We can do it slowly. Just rest now."

Acacia shivered and weakly snuggled into his deep warmth and fell back to sleep.

Every hour on the dot, Tochza fed Acacia another sip of the potion. He refused to think about the life he will have to take in order to pay his mother back.



Tochza stayed by Acacia's side for the next couple weeks, helping her to sip the potion every chance she gave him. At some point, a big green buck came to visit her. Taragon seemed genuinely worried for his little friend, and so Tochza allowed him to sit with her, giving him instructions for the potion. Once he made sure Acacia would be fine, Tochza left their company in search of something, or someone, to pay his mother with.

For hours he searched, looking for a being close to death, or one who wouldn't be missed. Some fawns looked good, but he followed at a distance back to their families. Can't take them. Found an older buck with broken antlers, but a lady friend soon joined him. Can't take him, either.

In the end, a suitable prey didn't turn up. He returned to Acacia and took back over for her care.

A couple days went by, and Acacia slowly showed signs of getting better. The potion was now almost gone, and soon she would be right as rain. But Tochza was running out of time. He was getting desperate.

Leaving her in good company once again, Tochza set out once again. Again it took hours of searching for just the right being.

Once twilight fell upon the forest, and all became quiet, it was easier to see who would be alone and who wouldn't. He spotted a middle-aged doe by the pond, her silvery coat illuminated in the moonlight. She seemed sad, distant, and not paying attention to her surroundings. She didn't notice him silently walk up behind her. With a quick snap of his jaws, the doe's neck was quickly severed. Her life was ended before she even knew it. No blood to be seen.

Tochza dragged her body to the ruins, avoiding the sleeping groups of deer around him, and took her to the Otherworld.


By morning, he returned. Tochza curled up with Acacia, checking her over carefully. She woke up, but couldn't yet open her eyes.

"Tochza, where did you go?" She asked slowly, weakly, trying to lift her head. Tochza nuzzled her back down gently.

"Don't worry about it, young one. Come on, let's get the rest of this potion down, okay? You're almost there. It's almost over." He helped the potion scoot to her lips, where Acacia wrapped them around the top of the bottle. Tochza helped to lift it with his tail. Within a short moment, the potion was consumed.

"Ugh... I... I feel weird. Tochza..." Her body bunched up, her face distorted in pain and discomfort. tochza covered her, trying to keep her still. As she struggled, he could see the faintest sign of red coloring bleeding into some of her bigger feathers.

'Shit. Mother -did- do something to it. I knew it!' he thought to himself, wondering what he had done to this little doe. She continued to struggle for a while, then her body lay still. For a moment, he thought it had killed her, as the first soul claimed. But then her eyes fluttered. She was still alive.



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