May 16th 2017
I haven't written anything in years, so you'll have to bare with me as I find my feet again.

The sky was cloaked in mist from the rain; what a beautiful sight to awake to. His eyes were heavy, dark and bruised on his cheeks from a very long slumber. But as the rain fell onto his skin, it cleansed him...

He tussled with his strength, though after a few seconds managed to pick himself up. The stag felt very weak - but he looked ahead to see the pond, and although unsteady on his feet, he stumbled over to the edge. The water was plenteous of life, especially in the rain. The pond weeds sprouted through the surface, koi fish were dancing with the rain drops and the odd deer would come crashing down to splash in the pool. He felt at ease again... Home.

The deer plodded down the hill, and with each step he felt more and more alive. The energy was beginning to stream through his veins as his body awoke. As he grew closer to the bottom, he decided to plunge into the water. SPLOOSH. A grin widened across his face, it felt so good to be alive once again.

He lowered his neck to take a drink, and as the surface of the water settled his reflection began to show. Over the period of his slumber, the stag's energy and magic had been drained - and so he had lost everything... He had no painted mask, and no beautiful coat. Even his candles had gone. His heart sank, however the idea of finding a new look soon lifted him up again. Such a task can be very exciting.
'Perhaps I won't settle on just one look for a while. Let's see what fits best.'

March 15th
The deer picked up its head, neck curling as he got to his feet. He shook off the dust that had gathered on his coat whilst slumbered in a world of his own. When his eyes opened, they flickered as the sun beat down. His ears twitched, perked up a little, and he didn't move. He stayed absolutely still, a stone-cold statue, awaiting the company of little birds to gather on his tines and nestle away at their feathers. Silent company as such, was very pleasant. Though today, none came. perhaps it was still too early. He flinched and catapulted into the air, kicking his robust legs and then he staggered down the hill of which he was sat upon and made his way to the pond, edging away from tricky obstacles as he went.

He hesitated before placing the tip of his hoof into the water; the temperature seemed reasonable and so he continued to make his away into the deeper areas. he stopped before the ice-cold water could touch his under-belly, and then he bowed down to gather a refreshing drink. Every drop made his tongue shiver and his gums shrivel, but the feeling of it dropping into the pit of his stomach was heavenly: The perfect refreshment on a day of heat and sweat. An eagle soared above him, his wings quivering with anticipation. The deer decided not to stick around for much longer.
__

April 17th
The forest was desolate, that morning. The grey deer was taking his time, steadily making his way through the forest when he approached a favored spot of his own: a large hill, towered above the rest of the forest, placed on the very edge of the Birch, surrounded by sycamores, berries, and the odd stranger hobbling in the distance. However - as he neared the top, something moved in the long grass. He stopped, froze, ears twitching but only slowly, hoping not to cause any sudden movements. The grey deer took another step, softly, up the hill. This time he could see there was a doe who had taken this spot to rest.

The grey deer didn't stand too close, but not too far either. He wondered if this stranger had been waiting for him to come, maybe she had seen him up here before, always at the same time of day, and had decided to pay him a visit. She got to her feet and turned her head, stone-cold eyes. She trotted over and sniffed the grey deer a few times over, perhaps she was sure that this was the deer she had seen atop of this hill. Or maybe not... She turned and trotted off, down and deep into the forest - she didn't even turn to take another glance.

He frowned, but then thought: Maybe she would come back, maybe she's only gone for a soothing drink. Maybe to gather other friends and bring them up here.

He waited, and waited. An hour had passed already. The grey deer rest his head down onto the ground, eyes failing to stay open and alert. Maybe if he napped, maybe then she would return to his side...
__

May 22nd
It was dusk: the horizon was beaten with flies and the heat of the sun as it heavily sat on the surface of every little thing, slowly pulling it down to the earth where it should rest for a while. The only thing still standing were the roots and flowers, which sprung up into the air, petals stretched like fingers towards the sky. It was a very lethargic evening.

The grey deer's ears twitched, but only slowly, chasing away the bugs that picked way at its skin. Everything seemed rather blurry, the heat was clearly getting to this deer's numskulled brain. It blinked often, slowly, for long periods of time - But then it blinked for more than just a few short seconds, and its head sunk, followed by the rest of the inheritances within the forest, where he plunged into a deep... s l e e p...
__

July 31st
The sun was so bright, perhaps even blinding... It took a while for the deer's eyes to adjust. When his brain-fog cleared, he managed to take a look around. He was in the Birch, and next to him was a mysterious deer, they kept each other company for some time. The stranger sat opposite him, staring him directly in the eyes, but not in a patronizing kind of way. It was as if he was trying to figure out who the grey was, what was hidden beneath those eyes and in his skin.

After many silent moments, the grey finally picked himself up again. He was filled with a little more energy, now. He nodded his head, just once, to the stranger; a polite thankyou. Then he left to search for activity in the forest.

He came across some large columns, boulders, a place formally known as 'The Ruin'. He sniffed his way around, straying away from the crumbled grave stones. Clearly this was an abandoned place. No one had been buried here in years... The stones were so dirty that the strange symbols scattered all over them could barely be seen. He moved onwards, to a small collection of red poppies. Next to this wonderful treasure was a fallen column. And next to that was a tiny creature... A little fawn. He tried not to move too quickly, he didn't want to scare the little thing. He was surprised, had this fawn been abandoned? Where was its mother? The grey didn't want to appear overly friendly, but he didn't want to be rude either. He chose to walk over to the fallen column, and hop up onto it, where he could rest his legs for a little while.

He eventually dozed off... When he awoke, the fawn had vanished. Perhaps its mother had come back for it. He felt rather guilty, he hoped he hadn't invaded its space; he panicked thinking that maybe its mother purposely hid the fawn there whilst she went off some place else.

He tried to stop thinking about it so much... The grey then heard distant calls. He turned to see a large group of deer, huddled together. --- A family.

He should have been happy, but at this moment, his heart sank. He watched them carefully, they called for each other, they called for their names.

Then he thought to himself. "What is my name?"

This question didn't leave his mind. He slowly walked away again, not really concentrating on what he was doing or where he was going. The question is sure to stick in his brain for some time.