Art by Sham ♥ Appearance: Click for Reference
- Part TEF deer, part an unknown species of Gazelle.
- Slim, perhaps slightly below average height for a TEF buck.
- Yellow uncloven hooves.
- Thin Light blue nightfall pelt, patterned with gold-yellow stripes and stars.
- He does have a human face under his real deer mask, covered in very short blue fur except for the large yellow spots on each eye. Click for Facial Reference
- His mask is simple and brown, made of wood and held in place by a yellow ribbon.
- His eyes are a warm light brown.
- Antlers are medium sized and slightly curved gazelle antlers, only smooth and white. They carry red and blue feathers.
The Others-
Kita Close friend.
Deceased.
Nooit Friend, Missing.
Xentrie Acquaintance, fun to be around.
Missing.
Toukan Acquaintance, introduced to by Xentrie.
Nika's ship hummed lazily in the Earth's atmosphere. One could see the swirling clouds of storms over the Earth's blue seas. It was a normal sight for Nika, though she did pity ones who were caught in such storms. She shuffled in her seat, her human fingers tapping at the controls. Manual to autopilot. The soft seat invited her to relax against it, which she obliged. She let out a sigh and reclined her feet up. She listened to the low hum of the ship, and the quiet chattering of C.H.I.P. who had been telling her about lizard species. She simply nodded to what he was saying. She was glad this artificial intelligence was here; he kept her company.
Suddenly, her ship lurched violently forward, and began to fall forward towards the Earth. The cockpit was bathed in red light, and C.H.I.P. began stating the damage to the ship. "Damage to left and right thrusters. Engine damage. Cause: unidentified object."
Nika began signaling for help, but heard no response. She prayed that someone had heard her, and began to brace for impact. She came closer and closer to the Earth's surface, passing her atmospheres and clouds.
But such a strange feeling occurred. Her ship passed through a veil, and she fell towards a forest. The ship inched closer and closer, and Nika shut her eyes and covered her head, bracing for impact. The next thing she remembered was crunching metal, and then being ejected. She felt her body struck the ground, tumbling and hitting whatever was in her path. She heard her bones snapping, then she was suddenly stopped by two large, white statues. When she had impacted them she felt pain shoot from her back.
Everything seemed to stop. Nika could only hear the burning of her ship and the trees around her. A horrid pain throbbed throughout her body. A few drops of blood slowly dripped from her nose onto the wet grass.
It was early evening in the forest, the sky still somewhat pale and light enough to see clearly; the sun was setting and a few bright stars could be seen. The pond, normally surrounded by groups of active deer was practically abandoned as they returned to their resting places for the night. A single blue buck sat, drinking in his favorite few hours before dark. The earth where he had settled was well above the pond on it's cliff side, cool but dry. He stared up at the night sky, almost unimpaired but for his mask which didn't fit as well as he would have liked.
Brown eyes drifted down, and he shifted his gaze to the pond, it's undisturbed surface reflecting the sky perfectly. He exhaled, feeling completely safe and calm for a few precious moments. That was when he saw something that had not been there a moment before. Peering closer, at first thinking something was emerging from it's depths when a fiery blaze suddenly appeared in the mirror surface, and he shot to his hooves, staring wide eyed to the sky.
He could not have described it, even had he not been in this terrified state; but it was surrounded by the colors of the sun as it plummeted towards the forest below, and he turned and ran. Before he had even gotten very far the whole ground shook from the impact of the thing, sending him sprawling.
The buck got up, unharmed, and slowly turned in horror to see the flames behind the twin statues's hill, and thought he saw something smaller than him crash into the statues. The deer was motionless, his mind racing.
Ears pinned back, he stood undecided a few small seconds, not sensing anymore danger from the large object that seemed inert. The fire on the other hand, was a problem. And... he vaguely remembered seeing a figure ram into the back of the statues. He tried to calm his heart and heavy breathing, what if the thing from the sky had hit someone when it fallen, sending them flying?
The fire is still some short distance from the figure, he had to see if he could get them away before it spread any further, and then they could get help. He hesitated a few moments, but could not afford to stand there much longer, running towards the statues. His hooves drummed the ground, and as he approached he avoided a tree branch on fire that nearly caught in his antlers. He opened his mouth to speak, but what he would have said died away in his mind as he fully saw the creature lying there.
Nika stirred a little at the thundering of hooves. She had kept her eyes shut during the entire ordeal. She slowly opened them and could see the gold fire from the ship lick and eat at the surrounding trees' branches. They creaked in pain. Her eyes moved then to another figure; the fire bathing it in yellow light. She pathetically tried to rise, at least to her elbows, but to no avail. Agony gnawed at her back, and she knew and there that her back was broken.
She returned her gaze back at the figure. "A...deer...?" she said softly. A rather strange deer, one she had not seen before. She wanted to say more, but blood bubbled up from her throat and spilled out of her mouth. She groaned. Regeneration would save her, but be a painful process, especially with a broken back.
The buck, Zevi stepped back reflexively as the creature opened it's- her eyes. It was a female. The face was the least alarming thing about her, similar to many of the forest's inhabitants. But her body seemed different from anything he had seen... though not only deer dwelled here now. His ears swiveled as she spoke quietly, voicing his being in a questioning tone. Apparently she knew what he was- eyes widened as the blood fell from her lips to the ground below. Whatever she was, she couldn't just stay here, neither could he for that matter.
The other creature seemed in great pain, and at the moment at least, harmless. And defenseless against the growing flames. But how to move her without injuring her further? He doubted she was capable of holding on to his back, and his antlers weren't nearly large enough to carry her. He knew at least she could speak words understandable to him. Zevi stepped forward, bending his neck downward. He tried to keep calm, but there was the smallest hint of desperation in his voice due the proximity of the blaze. "Do you know what's wrong with you? How can I help?"
She watched the creature speak. Speak? Was she hallucinating? She did not know for sure, but responded, "Back...broken...I don't know..." It hurt too much to speak. Her eyes looked back at the roaring flames; they were coming closer. She didn't want this innocent creature to die trying to save her. She mustered up her strength and said, "Go...please...you'll get hurt..." She gritted her teeth, and forced herself up onto her knees. Her fingers dug into the grass from the pain.
She place one hand onto one of the statues for support.
"I don't want him to get hurt or die trying to save me," she thought.
She felt the pain go numb in her body, as if she had taken a narcotic. No pain, nothing. The evening sky was graced with large, rumbling clouds that began to weep at her plea. Heavy rain hit the surface of the burning ship, causing the flames to turn into steam.
He nodded as she spoke; her back was broken, something he could understand. Perhaps she wasn't so different as he had first assumed. He had never had a broken bone before, and could only imagine the agony she must be in as he tried to think. The creature spoke again, telling him to leave and he balked. "I'm not abandoning you here..." He trailed off, feeling the heat of the encroaching fire stronger now. Perhaps he could go get help... but anyone nearby should have heard what was going on and approached by now.
He watched as she struggled somewhat upright, and felt a twinge of hope that perhaps she would be able walk through the pain. Zevi looked down at the strange appendages there in place of hooves, they vaguely resembled bird claws in his mind. She placed a claw on one of the statues, and he was about to offer one his antlers to help her up, when it began to rain.
Startled, the blue buck looked to the darkening sky, which had formerly been so clear. Such a sudden torrent had probably never been welcomed as much as now, extinguishing the danger in it's early stage. He looked to the twin statues. Maybe? Zevi turned back to the female, and it seemed to him that the pain which had been so sharp in her eyes had faded away along with the flames. "We need to find someplace dry, are you...?" Not fully voicing the question, if his suspicions were right she would know what he was talking about.
She knew his question, but she wasn't sure if she could walk. "I...don't know..." she said. Her body may feel alright and numb, but her bones were still broken, and walking might break them more. She slowly rose to a near upright; she could not make her back straight, it simply stopped. She trembled a bit; the thought of not being able to stand upright made her want to faint. "O, God..." she wimpered. She slumped back down onto the grass once more, and took a few deep breaths. The healing process would be painful.
Regeneration for her species is a fast, but incredibly painful process. Bones are one of the first to heal, with the exception of vital organs; if the break is severe enough they will snap back into place, and then begin its healing. And that is what scared Nika the most. What if the numbness wore off? She looked back up at the creature.
"Please, just take me somewhere...and leave me there. I will be alright..." she reassured the creature. If the numbness did , she did not want this creature to hear her screams.
He watched as she tried to stand, at least he assumed that's what she was doing, somehow attempting to balance herself on two limbs rather than all four. Zevi winced when she fell back down, feeling guilty that his question had prompted her to try and get up before she ready. Obviously he had been wrong with his theory, and her back was still broken. He took note of her odd use of a singular, watching her apprehensively as the stranger pulled herself back together and looked at him, speaking.
Under his mask the deer frowned, he didn't like the idea of leaving the creature in this state, but he wouldn't argue that right at this moment. He would, however take her someplace safe and sheltered from relentless rain, which streamed over both of them, soaking his blue fur and turning it several shades darker. Zevi looked off in one direction, seeing the dim shape of the Old Oak Tree through the downpour. Some large willow trees by the pond were only slightly closer, and wouldn't lend as much protection.
He looked back at the creature on the ground, the rain had already washed away the traces of blood in front of her. "I'm going to try to take you to the Old Oak." It didn't occur to him that she might not know what that was, his mind had not yet connected her with the thing that had fallen from the sky. "Can you hold on to me?"
"Yes," she said, and slowly began to rise. She braced herself against the white statue, and reached out to the stag's body. Her legs shook slightly, weak from her broken back, but she quickly grabbed onto his fur. She pulled her body up onto his, and lie down against his back. "Thank you," she said.
The buck was unused to the weight on his back, and not particularly built for it, but he was reasonably sure he manage it until they reached their destination. "You're welcome." Zevi turned, and started towards the tree in the distance; he did his best not to jar her too much and risk further damaging her spine.
His hooves dug into mud, and his feathers were plastered to his antlers. He usually enjoyed the rain, but often only walked in a light drizzle; the dampness of his coat was chilling at night softly approached. He worried about the creature clinging to him, the last thing she needed was to catch a cold. The deer picked up the place slightly closer to the giant tree, hearing it's comforting hum. He splashed through a puddle, and entered through a gap in the roots.
The gentle hum cradled her as he entered the Old Oak. The rain no longer soaking her and the stag. She was rather surprised how warm it was within the Oak. She gently slid off of his back into the soft, dry grass. It felt like a warm bed.
She pressed her face against the grass, and breathed in its soothing scent. She looked up at the creature. She wanted to thank the creature more and ask questions about this place, but her mouth would not speak. She gave him a look of gratitude, and curled up a little in the grass.
To his surprise, the inside of the tree was empty except for them. Usually a few deer could be found here at night or taking cover in the rain. He looked to the creature, and much to his relief she slid off his back onto the grassy earth; looking up at him. Zevi smiled in response to her expression, and seated himself beside her.
It was dark inside the Oak, and so large that the light off his pictogram didn't fully illuminate the hollow trunk. However this single light source, in combination with the warmth and humming of the tree had an overall soothing effect. The rain could still be heard outside, pummeling the ground; but he found the sound pleasant now that he was out of it.
Zevi watched the creature out of the side of his mask, not wanting to stare. She had four legs like him... but as she had demonstrated only one pair was for walking apparently. She had knees like him, but the ones on her forelegs bent the wrong way; he had to assume this was normal as she had expressed no sentiment that these front limbs were damaged. And the appendages on her hind legs appeared different than the claws of her front. Her face wasn't unusual though, it was similar to the ones that most deer of the forest wore. He wanted to ask her what she was, but feared the question would be considered rude.
They sat in the Old Oak quietly for a long time, listening the to the thrumming of the rain. She watched him curiously. "Such a strange creature. I wonder what he could be?" she thought. She decided to ask. "What are you? I mean, like your species? I've never seen a creature like you before."
As the time ticked by, Zevi began to relax more, hoping that perhaps she wouldn't ask him to leave after all. At her question he turned his face to her, tilting it slightly in confusion. "I'm a deer- You haven't?" That was strange. Even if he had never seen someone like her, she should have seen plenty like him before; the forest was mainly inhabited by deer. A thought occurred to him, and he tried to muster the courage to ask her about it as he awaited her response.
"But, you are not ones I have seen before. You have a human face, and your pelt is a different color," she said shuffling a little. She even noticed that his hooves were uncloven. "What is this place?"
"But, you are not ones I have seen before. You have a human face, and your pelt is a different color," she said shuffling a little. She even noticed that his hooves were uncloven. "What is this place?"
He stared at her as she spoke. 'Human' face... The word seemed vaguely familiar, and he thought he knew what she was talking about with deer of another face, often called a 'real' deer face. His mask was meant to replicate the face of a 'real' deer, although he had never understood the use of term. His pelt was different? He had seen others with a similar pattern, for instance Ka-
Her next question halted Zevi's thought process in it's hoof-steps.
"The Endless Forest, don't you live here? He paused, nervous about his next query. "...Do you know what the thing that fell from the sky is?"
"No, I do not live here. And that was my ship, and my home is up there," she said pointing towards the opening of the Old Oak towards the sky. She had never heard of The Endless Forest, she had never knew such a place existed.
He stared at her blankly, and for a moment he wondered if she was even serious. What was a 'ship'? He searched her face, it seemed like it meant was it's mouth was saying; he then looked up to where her claw pointed. "In the sky...?" The blue buck inquired, trying to understand.
"Yes, I live past the clouds, and into the stars. It's very far from here," she said trying to explain it so he could understand. "Well, I actually have been living in that ship," she said gesturing her hand in the direction of the wreckage. "I hover around the Earth, and watch over her."
Zevi remained silent, staring up through the rain and opening at the clouded night sky. What she had just told him churned in his head, tainted with doubts. How could she live with the stars? Well the thing- 'ship' had fallen from the sky. He knew that, he had seen it, and it had to have come from somewhere... Why hadn't he seen it before then? If it lived in the stars shouldn't he have been able to see it in the night sky with the moon? Where did it go in the daytime?
Of course she had said it was very far away, perhaps it was too far away to see, even further than the stars. But what had kept her ship up there, was it like a cloud? Well it hadn't stayed up there, maybe it fell for the same reason that the rain did. She had said she lived in the ship, so it was probably hollow like the Old Oak. "Earth... is that what you call the Forest?"
"Earth is where the Forest is 'on'," she said trying to think of a way to explain the Earth. "The Earth is a spherical stone, and it is very hot in the center. And there are large 'forests' where creatures and humans live in." She had gestured in the air the shape of the Earth, and then explained how it spun, and rotated around the Sun, and how there were other planets nearby.
As she was explaining, she began to fell the numbness leave her body, and the pain returning. She lowered her arms slowly; she didn't want to cause him any alarm.
Zevi listened, watching fascinated and silent as she explained. And somehow, he found himself beginning to believe all of the strange things she was telling him. Although it seemed too ridiculous to be true, the way she told it made sense. He didn't notice anything strange as she lowered her forelimbs; he thought about the planet 'Earth'. "But the forest is endless, if you go far enough around it you end up back where you began... Is the forest a smaller planet sitting on Earth?"
He observed her, waiting for a response. Zevi now knew that she was called a human, and that there were others like her, he wondered why he had never seen any others... Suddenly his eyes widened as he realized that all this time though he now knew what she was, he didn't know her name, and he had never introduced himself. "I'm sorry, I forgot to ask- What is your name? Mine is Zevi." The buck worried that she might not have a name, and would be offended. She had no pictogram after all.
"That's what...I don't know," she exhaled trying to ignore the pain creeping through her body. "I have never seen or read about this place. It's a part of Earth, yet not. I remember when I was plummeting to Earth, I remember passing through a veil." She remembered feeling this veil pass through her body. Such a strange feeling.
The buck considered this, wondering if this was the reason he had never seen any other humans. Perhaps the Forest was usually hidden or somehow inaccessible to the rest of the planet.
He smiled slightly in return. "Nice to meet you, Nika." The words seemed oddly formal and rote considering all that happened since he had actually met her on the hill, surrounded by flames. Zevi suddenly cast his thoughts to her back; he had nearly forgotten it since she had shown no further signs of pain. Should he go for help? He had no knowledge of healing himself.
Her back began to throb painfully, and she let out a gasp; the healing process had begun. She quavered and gripped at the grass. She wasn't sure what she should do, usually on her planet the injured person would be put under anesthesia, but there was none of that here. "Well, this is a forest, there must be some sort of medicinal plants," she thought. She looked up at the stag, "Do you... Have any plants...medicinal plants?"
She had let out a gasp, and Zevi's brow furrowed in worry. Apparently whatever had caused Nika relief was wearing out, she looked tense, clutching at the grass and not looking at him. He opened his mouth to speak when she lifted her face, speaking with pauses in her sentence. "There should be... Do you know what sort of plants you need?" Maybe she could tell him what to look for, and he tried to go over all the plants he had seen in the forest and attempting to recall their names.
She knew of medicinal plants, but she didn't know if they'd be in the forest. "Poppies?" she gasped, "As much...as you can carry." Her back spasmed again, and she let out a groan. She knew the bones would begin to move. "Please, hurry."
He nodded, and not stopping to respond got to his hooves and left the Oak. He knew exactly where to best find poppies; and luckily they were close by. Barely pausing to get his sense of direction right through the rain, he began to run. Not having Nika on his back, he bounded through the mud as fast as his hooves would take him. The deer soon reached his destination, the crying idol not far from the tree.
Zevi skidded to a halt, his legs spattered with mud and nearly falling on the slippery banks of the stream. Poppies grew all along here, bent and in disarray from the storm, but unharmed in what they were needed for. He hesitating only a moment, guilty for what he was about to do. The buck lowered his antlers, digging deep into the soggy ground and scooping up a whole patch of the red flowers, roots and all.
Just in case, he also snatched a large bundle of them between his teeth, in case they were dislodged on the way back. He started with a leap, and was soon back at the Old Oak, ducking through one of the side entrances and unloading the bedraggled plants in front of Nika.
She was glad at how quick he was to return with the flowers. "Thank you," she said and took a handful of the poppies and began eating the flowers. The taste was bitter, but she choked them down, petals and all. She felt her tongue begin to numb, and after eating a near bouquet of them, she began to feel the pain alleviate a little from her body.
All of a sudden, there was a loud snap, and she nearly screamed. She clutched the grass as her body continued to heal, screaming throughout the night. During the night she passed out from the pain, and slept until morning.
The birds chirped pass the Old Oak, asking Nika and Zevi to wake up. The sun danced through the blades of grass, jumping from dew drop to dew drop, until it made it to the Old Oak. Nika was still fast asleep, but her body had changed that night. She had a layer of velvety, black fur through her body (save for her rump), and long legs with black hooves. She had become a doe.
The starry marked buck had dozed off against his will shortly after Nika had passed out. Not until morning did Zevi stir, despite the lack of a full night's sleep, perhaps he had dreamed something that prompted him to wake. He yawned, staring out the entrance at the golden early sunlight. Memories of the previous evening caused him to turn and check on the human, where he nearly fell over in astonishment, and began to desperately double check around the Oak.
After a second of panic, he shifted his attention back to the doe. Now wide awake, he was able to properly focus on her... face. It was Nika. She was even still surrounded by the mangled stems of poppies. He stared at her, wondering briefly if he had gone insane and imagined the bit about her being a strange creature from space who watched over planets... No, he couldn't have...
He waited for her to wake up on her own, it was still early and she must have been exhausted after everything. He listened to the birds and stared out at the forest which seemed more alive if anything after the rain. And he pondered on what he could- or thought he remembered.
Nika slowly woke up from her sleep; she was tired, but slowly rose anyway. While she rose her doe legs shook like a newborn fawn. She looked down at them in shock. "What the-? What happened to me?" She looked up at Zevi, then back at her legs as body. "How did this happen, Zevi?" she asked.
Zevi flicked an ear as he heard her shifting, turning to look as she got up. Her legs looked unsteady, and she voiced confusion and seemed astounded by them. So he hadn't imagined it. The buck looked at her in concern, worried about how she would take it. "I have no idea, I fell asleep after you-" He halted, not wanted to embarrass Nika by informing her she had passed out from pain. "You were like that when I woke up..." He said softly, empathizing as he considered what it be like to suddenly become a human.
She didn't know what to say to him. She took a few steps forward to try her new legs out. It felt like she was crawling on all fours, yet standing at the same time. With this new body, did that mean she would never leave? She thought about her ship; she could fix it, but it would take a long time considering how badly damaged it was.
She didn't know what to say to him. She took a few steps forward to try her new legs out. It felt like she was crawling on all fours, yet standing at the same time. With this new body, did that mean she would never leave? She thought about her ship; she could fix it, but it would take a long time considering how badly damaged it was.
She didn't know what to say to him. She took a few steps forward to try her new legs out. It felt like she was crawling on all fours, yet standing at the same time. With this new body, did that mean she would never leave? She thought about her ship; she could fix it, but it would take a long time considering how badly damaged it was.
Zevi watched her take tentative steps, silent for several long moments. He got to his own hooves, and tried to conjure up words to say... what do you say to someone who has become something else entirely from how they were born? Of course there was magic, but that was never permanent if you didn't wish it to be. However, he had the sinking feeling that this wouldn't wear off with a sneeze. He hoped he was wrong though.
"How do I change back? You must know," she said. Her legs shook, "You must..." She plopped onto the ground. "What kind of place is this? Is this some sort of purgatory? Did I die last night? I mean, I passed through that veil! And it has never been documented..." she said more to herself than to him.
His ears flattened, her words seemingly accusatory to them. Zevi watched unhappily as she slumped to the grass and flattened flower leaves. "I-I don't know, I've never- you..." Purgatory? Die? "Of course not, I mean... I'm not dead." The smallest tone of doubt. The buck was becoming more visibly agitated, and he shook his head for emphasis.
"It's just the Forest, deer- and others, live here. I don't understand how you changed... It could be magic." Zevi told himself to calm down, Nika's confusion was affecting him. "Try sneezing." He advised her suddenly, not thinking how strange that must sound to her.
She began to panic; what if she couldn't change back? What if she could never go home? She felt tears roll down her cheeks. "How will sneezing help?" she said.
She was crying, and was becoming increasingly distressed. Zevi didn't know what to do about that, and immediately wished he could snatch back his words, not wanting to give false hope. "It... might not. But there are transformation spells in the forest, and when we receive them we can sneeze them off to go back to the way we were... I don't know if that's what this is though." He stood there nervously, trying to think of something more helpful to say.
"You just.." He ended his sentence with a small achoo, though nothing happened as he was in his natural appearance. "I don't know, it's difficult to explain, like whistling."
She copied his motion, but nothing happened. "Maybe if I tickle my nose?" she said and picked up a small blade of grass between her hoof. She gentley brushed it under her nose, and a sneeze came out. But, she still remained the same. She looked at Zevi, not knowing what to say.
Is Zevi open for RPs?
Oh, hi there. Yes he is ^.^
I would like to use
http://endlessforest.org/community/art-and-character-bios.
And I haven't forgotten our art trade. I'll get yours done as soon as possible!
Sure, do you want to start
And I didn't think that you had forgotten, it's no rush =)
It doesn't matter to me. If
Alright!
Well since you don't mind,
OOC: Alright! Nika's ship
Nika's ship hummed lazily in the Earth's atmosphere. One could see the swirling clouds of storms over the Earth's blue seas. It was a normal sight for Nika, though she did pity ones who were caught in such storms. She shuffled in her seat, her human fingers tapping at the controls. Manual to autopilot. The soft seat invited her to relax against it, which she obliged. She let out a sigh and reclined her feet up. She listened to the low hum of the ship, and the quiet chattering of C.H.I.P. who had been telling her about lizard species. She simply nodded to what he was saying. She was glad this artificial intelligence was here; he kept her company.
Suddenly, her ship lurched violently forward, and began to fall forward towards the Earth. The cockpit was bathed in red light, and C.H.I.P. began stating the damage to the ship. "Damage to left and right thrusters. Engine damage. Cause: unidentified object."
Nika began signaling for help, but heard no response. She prayed that someone had heard her, and began to brace for impact. She came closer and closer to the Earth's surface, passing her atmospheres and clouds.
But such a strange feeling occurred. Her ship passed through a veil, and she fell towards a forest. The ship inched closer and closer, and Nika shut her eyes and covered her head, bracing for impact. The next thing she remembered was crunching metal, and then being ejected. She felt her body struck the ground, tumbling and hitting whatever was in her path. She heard her bones snapping, then she was suddenly stopped by two large, white statues. When she had impacted them she felt pain shoot from her back.
Everything seemed to stop. Nika could only hear the burning of her ship and the trees around her. A horrid pain throbbed throughout her body. A few drops of blood slowly dripped from her nose onto the wet grass.
It was early evening in the
Brown eyes drifted down, and he shifted his gaze to the pond, it's undisturbed surface reflecting the sky perfectly. He exhaled, feeling completely safe and calm for a few precious moments. That was when he saw something that had not been there a moment before. Peering closer, at first thinking something was emerging from it's depths when a fiery blaze suddenly appeared in the mirror surface, and he shot to his hooves, staring wide eyed to the sky.
He could not have described it, even had he not been in this terrified state; but it was surrounded by the colors of the sun as it plummeted towards the forest below, and he turned and ran. Before he had even gotten very far the whole ground shook from the impact of the thing, sending him sprawling.
The buck got up, unharmed, and slowly turned in horror to see the flames behind the twin statues's hill, and thought he saw something smaller than him crash into the statues. The deer was motionless, his mind racing.
Ears pinned back, he stood undecided a few small seconds, not sensing anymore danger from the large object that seemed inert. The fire on the other hand, was a problem. And... he vaguely remembered seeing a figure ram into the back of the statues. He tried to calm his heart and heavy breathing, what if the thing from the sky had hit someone when it fallen, sending them flying?
The fire is still some short distance from the figure, he had to see if he could get them away before it spread any further, and then they could get help. He hesitated a few moments, but could not afford to stand there much longer, running towards the statues. His hooves drummed the ground, and as he approached he avoided a tree branch on fire that nearly caught in his antlers. He opened his mouth to speak, but what he would have said died away in his mind as he fully saw the creature lying there.
Nika stirred a little at the
She returned her gaze back at the figure. "A...deer...?" she said softly. A rather strange deer, one she had not seen before. She wanted to say more, but blood bubbled up from her throat and spilled out of her mouth. She groaned. Regeneration would save her, but be a painful process, especially with a broken back.
The buck, Zevi stepped back
The other creature seemed in great pain, and at the moment at least, harmless. And defenseless against the growing flames. But how to move her without injuring her further? He doubted she was capable of holding on to his back, and his antlers weren't nearly large enough to carry her. He knew at least she could speak words understandable to him. Zevi stepped forward, bending his neck downward. He tried to keep calm, but there was the smallest hint of desperation in his voice due the proximity of the blaze. "Do you know what's wrong with you? How can I help?"
She watched the creature
She place one hand onto one of the statues for support.
"I don't want him to get hurt or die trying to save me," she thought.
She felt the pain go numb in her body, as if she had taken a narcotic. No pain, nothing. The evening sky was graced with large, rumbling clouds that began to weep at her plea. Heavy rain hit the surface of the burning ship, causing the flames to turn into steam.
He nodded as she spoke; her
He watched as she struggled somewhat upright, and felt a twinge of hope that perhaps she would be able walk through the pain. Zevi looked down at the strange appendages there in place of hooves, they vaguely resembled bird claws in his mind. She placed a claw on one of the statues, and he was about to offer one his antlers to help her up, when it began to rain.
Startled, the blue buck looked to the darkening sky, which had formerly been so clear. Such a sudden torrent had probably never been welcomed as much as now, extinguishing the danger in it's early stage. He looked to the twin statues. Maybe? Zevi turned back to the female, and it seemed to him that the pain which had been so sharp in her eyes had faded away along with the flames. "We need to find someplace dry, are you...?" Not fully voicing the question, if his suspicions were right she would know what he was talking about.
She knew his question, but
Regeneration for her species is a fast, but incredibly painful process. Bones are one of the first to heal, with the exception of vital organs; if the break is severe enough they will snap back into place, and then begin its healing. And that is what scared Nika the most. What if the numbness wore off? She looked back up at the creature.
"Please, just take me somewhere...and leave me there. I will be alright..." she reassured the creature. If the numbness did , she did not want this creature to hear her screams.
He watched as she tried to
Under his mask the deer frowned, he didn't like the idea of leaving the creature in this state, but he wouldn't argue that right at this moment. He would, however take her someplace safe and sheltered from relentless rain, which streamed over both of them, soaking his blue fur and turning it several shades darker. Zevi looked off in one direction, seeing the dim shape of the Old Oak Tree through the downpour. Some large willow trees by the pond were only slightly closer, and wouldn't lend as much protection.
He looked back at the creature on the ground, the rain had already washed away the traces of blood in front of her. "I'm going to try to take you to the Old Oak." It didn't occur to him that she might not know what that was, his mind had not yet connected her with the thing that had fallen from the sky. "Can you hold on to me?"
"Yes," she said, and slowly
The buck was unused to the
His hooves dug into mud, and his feathers were plastered to his antlers. He usually enjoyed the rain, but often only walked in a light drizzle; the dampness of his coat was chilling at night softly approached. He worried about the creature clinging to him, the last thing she needed was to catch a cold. The deer picked up the place slightly closer to the giant tree, hearing it's comforting hum. He splashed through a puddle, and entered through a gap in the roots.
The gentle hum cradled her as
She pressed her face against the grass, and breathed in its soothing scent. She looked up at the creature. She wanted to thank the creature more and ask questions about this place, but her mouth would not speak. She gave him a look of gratitude, and curled up a little in the grass.
To his surprise, the inside
It was dark inside the Oak, and so large that the light off his pictogram didn't fully illuminate the hollow trunk. However this single light source, in combination with the warmth and humming of the tree had an overall soothing effect. The rain could still be heard outside, pummeling the ground; but he found the sound pleasant now that he was out of it.
Zevi watched the creature out of the side of his mask, not wanting to stare. She had four legs like him... but as she had demonstrated only one pair was for walking apparently. She had knees like him, but the ones on her forelegs bent the wrong way; he had to assume this was normal as she had expressed no sentiment that these front limbs were damaged. And the appendages on her hind legs appeared different than the claws of her front. Her face wasn't unusual though, it was similar to the ones that most deer of the forest wore. He wanted to ask her what she was, but feared the question would be considered rude.
They sat in the Old Oak
As the time ticked by, Zevi
"But, you are not ones I have
"But, you are not ones I have
He stared at her as she
Her next question halted Zevi's thought process in it's hoof-steps.
"The Endless Forest, don't you live here? He paused, nervous about his next query. "...Do you know what the thing that fell from the sky is?"
"No, I do not live here. And
He stared at her blankly, and
"Yes, I live past the clouds,
Zevi remained silent, staring
Of course she had said it was very far away, perhaps it was too far away to see, even further than the stars. But what had kept her ship up there, was it like a cloud? Well it hadn't stayed up there, maybe it fell for the same reason that the rain did. She had said she lived in the ship, so it was probably hollow like the Old Oak. "Earth... is that what you call the Forest?"
"Earth is where the Forest is
As she was explaining, she began to fell the numbness leave her body, and the pain returning. She lowered her arms slowly; she didn't want to cause him any alarm.
Zevi listened, watching
He observed her, waiting for a response. Zevi now knew that she was called a human, and that there were others like her, he wondered why he had never seen any others... Suddenly his eyes widened as he realized that all this time though he now knew what she was, he didn't know her name, and he had never introduced himself. "I'm sorry, I forgot to ask- What is your name? Mine is Zevi." The buck worried that she might not have a name, and would be offended. She had no pictogram after all.
"That's what...I don't know,"
"Zevi," she repeated and smiled, "I am Nika."
The buck considered this,
He smiled slightly in return. "Nice to meet you, Nika." The words seemed oddly formal and rote considering all that happened since he had actually met her on the hill, surrounded by flames. Zevi suddenly cast his thoughts to her back; he had nearly forgotten it since she had shown no further signs of pain. Should he go for help? He had no knowledge of healing himself.
Her back began to throb
She had let out a gasp, and
She knew of medicinal plants,
He nodded, and not stopping
Zevi skidded to a halt, his legs spattered with mud and nearly falling on the slippery banks of the stream. Poppies grew all along here, bent and in disarray from the storm, but unharmed in what they were needed for. He hesitating only a moment, guilty for what he was about to do. The buck lowered his antlers, digging deep into the soggy ground and scooping up a whole patch of the red flowers, roots and all.
Just in case, he also snatched a large bundle of them between his teeth, in case they were dislodged on the way back. He started with a leap, and was soon back at the Old Oak, ducking through one of the side entrances and unloading the bedraggled plants in front of Nika.
She was glad at how quick he
All of a sudden, there was a loud snap, and she nearly screamed. She clutched the grass as her body continued to heal, screaming throughout the night. During the night she passed out from the pain, and slept until morning.
The birds chirped pass the Old Oak, asking Nika and Zevi to wake up. The sun danced through the blades of grass, jumping from dew drop to dew drop, until it made it to the Old Oak. Nika was still fast asleep, but her body had changed that night. She had a layer of velvety, black fur through her body (save for her rump), and long legs with black hooves. She had become a doe.
The starry marked buck had
After a second of panic, he shifted his attention back to the doe. Now wide awake, he was able to properly focus on her... face. It was Nika. She was even still surrounded by the mangled stems of poppies. He stared at her, wondering briefly if he had gone insane and imagined the bit about her being a strange creature from space who watched over planets... No, he couldn't have...
He waited for her to wake up on her own, it was still early and she must have been exhausted after everything. He listened to the birds and stared out at the forest which seemed more alive if anything after the rain. And he pondered on what he could- or thought he remembered.
Nika slowly woke up from her
Zevi flicked an ear as he
She didn't know what to say
She didn't know what to say
She didn't know what to say
Zevi watched her take
"How do I change back? You
His ears flattened, her words
"It's just the Forest, deer- and others, live here. I don't understand how you changed... It could be magic." Zevi told himself to calm down, Nika's confusion was affecting him. "Try sneezing." He advised her suddenly, not thinking how strange that must sound to her.
She began to panic; what if
She was crying, and was
Spells? "Well, how do you
"You just.." He ended his
She copied his motion, but