Objective #1 - text/roleplay response. This is an option if you haven't been able to make it to any of the in forest parts, but still want to contribute somehow. You can do this even if you have been to the in forest parts if you want to - it's completely optional!
Shout, scream at him for his selfishness if he is to give up now after everything he has put you through. Tend to his wound and tell him stories of what he's missed in his year of absence. Tell him what he has to live for. Whatever you want your character to say, you have until
11:30pm UK time to do it. You can reply in this blog or make your own blog with your response and link to it here.
Objective #2 - In forest
The demons still come flying through the fog thick and fast, their roars filling the forest... you must be the ones to
stop them.
Keep going, your warrior spirits are sure to put fire into Dag's bones...
11:30PM.
Though he gave no real response... He listened. To some, he had no choice but to, screaming at him to stop his nonsense. The very least he could do was open his eyes... But he couldn't. All he managed was a twitch of his ear - he hoped they knew. Numb from blood-loss, everything felt like a dream. The smell of sulfur... perhaps he was still in battle. The yelps and hyena chatter as they fell, and those triumphant roars... That is him roaring, it must be. But the voices? Were they with him? Were they fighting with him?
No, that wasn't him fighting. He could feel it. A gentle wind.
This was a natural place.
He was home. After all this time... His heart ached, and not just from the wound. What could he do? Nothing seemed to move, no matter how much he tried to tell it to. The realization that he was done had sunk in.
Will... Will isn't everything, after all. He always thought will surpassed the state of your own body, but it wasn't true. He understood how an old friend must have felt, at the end of the line, because that is all the body wants to do.
Fortunately, he wasn't the one who built him. The forest did.
There have been hard times, here and there. But they taught him right from wrong, they taught him to fight, and taught him to be... well, who he is. That's why his pictogram - his soul - could never leave.
Hah, his very name doesn't even belong to himself; there are creatures in this forest that forged every little bit of it, in their own way.
And who would have foreseen that one of them - a very small, celestial creature - would zip its way through the mayhem... to be the one to secure his fate to
live.
"... It is time now. We'll be okay, Dag."
Ramsus participated again in
Click the image for a bigger version~ :"D
Edit: Oh.. I seemed to have also stolen this page. Suck it.
Kody participated in both
(:< Isielmanaged to sneak in
My Castegio Participated
Chalice was there again today
Well, shucks. I do hope
.
Alani participaed for a bit
forgot to link to Take's
Isiel I derped and linked
I derped and linked to her profile on accident. :B
And Illrose participated in
Echosong participated in the
For you.
Kari was in the Saturday's
P.S. Samael, your icon is perfect. :I
Baheti popped up in the
I posted Columbia's picto
Had a ball.
Unless I get out of church
Casually complains about family and religion.
Here. Finally brought it up
He made his appearance during
Vee was dwarfed even further as he sat beside Dag, observing that the wounds have already been tended to recently, he started to tidy the back of the Fortresses neck in hopes of offering a little comfort, however hopeless as it might seem at the moment.
Some time passed, then Vee started to whisper: "Hey... I know you've fought valiantly for so long, and you must be so tired now. But I ask that you keep fighting for just that bit longer, please." A pause, giving the giant time to react, then the unicorn continued to speak. "You're so close to your goal now, and we're all here and have been fighting to help you achieve it. Don't let them down, or yourself." A sigh, even though he knew it was going to be okay, this was still a sorrowful sight. Vee licked the giant's cheek. "We love you, hang in there."
It was in that moment the unicorn rose back to guarding. There was nothing more he needed to say.
The doe was quiet when she
The small doe nestled beside him, feeling his once warm fur next to hers. Her eyes closed, head hung low, she spoke,
"You lie so still, and you are colder. I have only just arrived into the forest, only have just met you in a way, but I have heard stories about you, stories that make me feel warm and safe, and now I feel that I have known you for years," a small sniffle and gasp escaped from her mouth.
"You have lived a heavy life, dear one, too great to end here. You must live, not only for the forest and it's people, but for yourself. The saint of your heart is dimming, do not let it go out," she whispered between soft tears, softly nuzzling his fur with her snout.
"The citizens of the forest have never loved you more, and seeing you like this brings us worries of terror. Dag, you must live,"
and with this, the doe lay beside the stag a small bracelet, containing a feather and some pure pale white stones which was tied to velvet thread. A gift from her,
Columbia stayed with the body, and would stay till the very end.
Moon all night long and was
" I heard heroic stories about you from my parents, I don't know you in life but always wanted to meet you...I think... that... you don't hear me now. " She was silent.
" But...Live... please... All these deer, they furiously protect you. Please, please make so that all this was not for nothing...I know I can't affect you so strongly... But don't give up..." Small and defenseless doe spoke hardly, choking with tears and fear.
" Please, to rise and protect us and our children, to rise and continue war with the evil You endured a lot of things and you shouldn't die now, yet time...We sacrifice life to protect you, we die of wounds received in fight by terrible demons, we we believe in you, we believe that you will live. "
The Moon's look was directed on its wounds.
" Oh..I..I don't know, but maybe it will be help you.. " Small Lady to smear bleeding wounds ointment of an unknown origin which very strongly smelled as herbs and plants
She to change a bloody compress on wounds and silently to leave as though small and weak doe wasn't here, among big and strong giants.
Seed lowered himself by Dag's
That hillside...It had been very sunny once, Seed was sure. Sunlight, like so many other things, was fickle -- for no reason, it had been blocked by a thick wave of fog, devouring it at the edges.
That Seed had come was, in and of itself, unsurprising. It suited him better than martial spirit, better than banging war drums; something like this, a moment of fretting by the side of someone who mattered. The battles had stripped the flowers and leaves from his antlers like a hurricane, and little bits of green-and-white wood-core were exposed on his legs, where bark had been scraped away. Still, such a thing seemed insignificant.
" What you're feeling right now...I know this. That feeling... reality's a snake of ice that wraps around you and blocks out the sun. The more you fight...the tighter it squeezes. It's the beginning and end of the world... And it's just so easy to give up..."
He tried to keep his voice light, in some strange hope that it will reach his old friend. Light as his voice, a little more worn and a little sadder than when Dag may have last heard it, soft and the old gold of autumn leaves, may have tried to be... Seed's voice and smile were both shaking. He couldn't hide it.
"You've known nothing but battle...for a long time now. There's... so much I want to show you, of things that are as bright as you left them, and things that have changed; there are deer today who work art with herbs, or beautiful paintings on masks, and I've left poems all over these woods... There are stories of love and loss, children and choices, too...I've come up with new games to play, and ways to pass the time... There's still so, so, much..."
His voice there broke for a moment, and the bats that swarmed in the fog chirped loudly, concealing the sound of someone crying a bit. He'd lost...so many friends. He knew this. There were so few people who really, really mattered to him, who still dwelled in the forest. And he saw those so rarely. To lose another... To lose another, even just the hope of another...Would be too much.
After a long time, he continued. He tried to make his words flow like water through a spring, breaking through a summner heat.
"If I'd had more notice, I could have come up with a story to tell you; you must not have heard a story in a long time, right? I'm afraid I don't remember if I owe you one, for the one you told me, or if I paid that debt...But that hardly matters.
I'll try to think of one...So please, hold on. In the meanwhile...I'll try and write something for you to listen to you...Something to give you...Even a little hope, if my words can do that."
He admitted. Of all his friends...Sometimes, Iaurdagnire was the one who he felt listened best, and thought the hardest. And that had made him completely irreplaceable to Seed, who rarely spoke to anyone who really thought about it.
It had been easy... Sharing words, listening to the massive stag tell a tale every once in a while...And, often, just sitting side-by-side in peace... These were the things that were burned into Seed's heart about the stag.
Now? Now he hoped that what he could say could stir something, could let him picture something relaxing, or give Iaurdagnire, adrift in his mind, something to grip to.
He closed his eyes, cleared his throat...And sent some poems along, as a sort of prayer.
"Land's a cloudy sky
In these mists, your smile's unseen.
Please, just be hiding.
Since I saw you last,
dandelion seeds scattered
by winds have blossomed;
I want your hoofbeats
to scatter their snow-white heads
so more years will bloom."
He composed them on the spot, tapping out the syllable count with his hoof. When the last one had faded, and he could find the words for no more...His voice broke again. After all, when someone was in trouble, struggling to live like that... What good would poems do? But they were what he had, and so he'd poem'd on.
His tears were invisible in the fog. And he whispered, quietly,
"I...I want to hear what you think of them someday...So you need to survive, OK? You absolutely must...I want to talk to you again. Please, please. Live."
There he was lying; the
But she did not speak. Only azure eyes were mustering the huge body; a shadow of its former self. They were frigid; and the usual warm sea in them had a cover of ice. A thin one, but it was there. For an image popped up in her mind; a true fortress, twenty-four mighty tines were smoothly lit by a bright sun. Intense colors; red etched on white cover; snow on an otherwise dark . A stout body, one that offered protection for whoever might seek it.
And a smile. A kind, gentle smile that betrayed no fake emotion; in all its honesty; it had been present for so long. She herself had seen it many times; many times she found peace in it. When she had needed it. So much of it was past now.
Now, there was a broken husk in front of her, drained of the spark that once drove it. If she sniffed intensely, she still smelled the life, but it was fading. On a whim, it could end, just like that.
And Iaurdagnire would be history, once and for all.
”If you let that happen, I would never forgive you for it, you know that?”
Hard words, spoken with the shattering sincerety her voice could bear. The utmost other extreme of the sphere it covered; from charmingly gentle, heart melting, to frozen, spikey and razor sharp, like a weapon.
A weapon she wielded well, if she saw good reason to it.
”There is still so much for you in here. I know of no less than a number of individuals who would be crushed, if you let yourself be crushed.”
More faces on her mind; evoking many kinds of emotions in her. None touched the endless patience and tranquillity she harboured at all times; truly, her expression stayed deprived of any notion other than the harsh stare, fixed on the almost hopelessly helpless shell in front of her. The mighty antlers seemed ridiculously armed in comparison the they body they adorned.
”I preach so often about the freedom we all have. The freedom of the will. How in fact nobody can force us to do anything. It feels so cruel now, Dag. It tells me if you want to fade, I cannot help it.”
She gritted her teeth now. Frustration made its way in her; worming through the mists of serenity that shrouded the very core of her, the core that let emotions spring. Her smooth expression became wrinkled with guilt, slowly, but steadily.
”Would you do that? Is that you? Leaving broken hearts behind; so many that were crying for the day you return? Even be as cruel as to let them see you, before you utterly perish, and everything that was you leaves the world?”
Selfish words, they were, and the sage knew it. She grew to hate herself for what she just said, but she would continue, for there was also logic in it. Her logic. These words were honest, after all.
The wrinkles grew into furrows; the clenched jaws grew in their amount of strength used, and it began to hurt. Little did she care, she was raging inside now like she very rarely had ever done before. The veil of calmness was shred by frustration, sorrow, and many more things the piebald had been keeping out before. Echoes of long forgotten anguish were already enclosing, circling the core like it was weakened prey.
“YOU WOULD LET THAT HAPPEN, IAURDAGNIRE?!”
There it was, her shout. The normally smooth and gentle voice was lost in it, it was her razor sharp tune that spoke, and it was loaded with all the grief, the regret, the desperation she had felt as a mere echo of the emotion; muted by the eternal peace she seemed to display. A mighty discharge it was; and no longer just aimed at Iaurdagnire. There was more.
How could he...?
”You can’t, please!”
He would do more than that, she knew. She trusted him. She would, still. Hell, she’d do so much again if good came from it.
And then, Aurora broke down on her feet; to her knees. Crystal clear liquid ran down the cheeks, and the gaze was averted now. Shadowed. She dared not face herself for the incredibly reckless and selfish act she just commited. A part of her would already beg for forgiveness, if the giant had heard her words... so cruel...
She had fired everything for now, and there was weak, hollow emotion left in her. Despair; but the veil was reforming itself already. She let it happen, she let time pass and listened more to the life fading from Dag.
”Please Dag… the forest would become a darker place without you. You have kept on for so long now, only to give it up now? No, no, no, no…”
She let it ring out, and became lost in herself now. What just happened? What had that been? An echo of liveliness, more emotion than she had felt since… since… then. More memories rushed into her head. Scenes of happiness, of play, and of lightfooted adventures she had shared with this legend that now was fragile, and leaving.
No matter. It was already in the past now.
Her gaze lifted itself again, and the ice had melted from the eyes. Like a bare nerve, they reacted to Dag’s husk. Numb, but pure emotions. True oceans they were now; salty tears had filled them and her smooth voice had returned to its normal level.
”I promise you…”, she then began. New strength formed itself in the voice. Her very body reacted to it, her muscles tensed, as if she was about to seize an enemy; adrenaline rushed through her blood and the head pounded as if her spirit wanted to jump out of it and throw off all worldy chains that bound it.
And through all of it she also felt recognition for Dag. To her, the time this thorough compassion kicked in wa horrifying late, but there it was. As if it was her lying there, she could exactly see the pain that this noble spirit had gone through, and the reason it bore to give up.
”I promise you, if…” , she paused. Wrong. “When you get back, I will be there. For anything you might need, any help, I will do my very best. I will try to make you a soft place in a harsh world again, a new start. When this war is over, and the enemies retreated, there shall be peace.”
The tears had stopped flowing, and the fluid azure eyes had become hard again. This time, there was no ice.
This time, they shined like gems.
So much determination, it was almost zealous.
But, this much she knew – she would not have let her veil of tranquillity be torn for nothing.
She had handled the weapon of voice, and she had done it for him, for Dag.
_____
Holy feck, just look at all my fails in one place. I tried, daggums, I tried.
A small black doe, bearing
She’d been here before, had packed these wounds with every poultice she had, still his blood soaked the mossy forest floor. The medicine doe sat at his side lowering a basket beside her filled with more things to tend his wounds. Would it matter? Would it save him? Those where not the questions she asked herself, the only thing that mattered in the end was to try. To offer aid. To give comfort.
”Iaurdagnire,” she spoke to him, softly, ”You are a trouble maker you know? Look at all that have come here to help you back to us. Don’t be letting them down now,” she chuckled as she gently cleaned the wounds. He was fading, that much she could see but she wouldn’t stop or give up, ”Do you remember us? We all still care for you. I remember you. I was very young when we first met,” a young maiden doe, it had been so long ago now, perhaps she had a bit of embarrassment of the child she had been back then, “I have children now, I want so much for you to meet them. And I know, there is someone here waiting for you. They’ve been waiting a long while. So you hang in there, we all want to see a lot more of you,” the small doe planted a single kiss atop the giant’s bloodied head as she finished her work. Another giant had arrived, a gentle pressure on her shoulder to let her know it was time to go. The fighters had to do their work now.
((Just a small thing, thanks again so much for the event, Dag. It's been great. ))
Zacharias approaches slowly.
Sighing quietly, he sits his weary body next to the larger stag. Unsure of what to do now, the stag simply stares in silence, looking over his friend. The wound causes him great concern, although he can see that attempts to heal and mend have already been made. The giant's breathing is laboured and tired as well. Weak.
"..You better not die," he says suddenly, feeling better as he opens his mouth to speak. "I don't know where you have been all this time, but I can tell by just your appearance alone that it has not been easy for you." He pauses, not quite sure where he's going with this.
"You should see them." He says, looking at all the others still guarding the hill. "All of them - they're here for you. Young and old, big and small. It doesn't matter. Your friends are all here. If not in person, then in spirit. You have protected us for so long - guided us when we've been lost..we're returning the favor." He smiled a little bit, lowering his head to gently nuzzle the giant's face.
"And just between you and me, we're kicking some demon behind. You should wake up or you're going to miss the party." He said, chuckling sadly. Joking aside, he continued. "Sir Dag, you're stronger than this - why don't you cheat death one more time and come back to us? The forest misses you."
He looks up, sighing. Whether or not Iaurdagnire can hear him, he does not know. Others approach now, and the stag raises to his feet to allow them to have their moment as well...
The ghostly figure of the
He made his way past the warriors, invisible to their eyes but perhaps not entirely unnoticed, like the breath of a cool breeze passing by he slipped through their tight ranks with ease. Finally, he came to stand before the great but fallen Fortress at their center. As close to death as Iaurdagnire was, Cloud knew the barriers between the living and the dead were weak. In this rare instance, he might be able to be heard.
"I've missed you, Dag," the ghost spoke, "But not so much that I wish to see you in this plane so soon." The whitetail's eyes were sad as he gazed down at his friend, broken and defeated. This was not how he remembered Iaurdagnire.
"It isn't your time," Cloud went on, his tone almost stern, "So don't you give up, all right? Not now that everyone has fought so hard, don't let their efforts be wasted. I've watched them, they want you here."
Cloud paused, lifting his eyes for a moment to gaze at the weary fighters who had fought so hard and risked their own lives just to save another. "Don't you die just yet," the whitetail said as he turned his gaze back to his fallen friend, "You have life left in you still, don't throw that away."
The ghostly buck lowered his head to nuzzle his friend. "I'll see you on the other side one day...but not today, not now."
With that, Cloud straightened and disappeared back into the fog. There was nothing more the spirit could do but wait and watch.
i have no idea whats going on
cant wait to see dag back...
/cry
Forgot to link Shahla's
Sig: Aihnna
The words are brief, panted
--
My doe Phaios has been trying to help herd the beasties.
Dampir also was there.
My Isaita joined the fray in
.
Participated with my ooc,
Can you hear the cries of
We haven't abandoned you.
Don't abandon us.
Participated as Verve today,
Apparanza participated in the
By Leuvr ♥
Haha Mis, your cat is
Participated with Columbia in
Oh, man! That's great, Mis!
Brooks was trying his best to
Lack of hotkeys and jamming arrow keys made it interesting. XD
I tried my best but everyone
Cadaver is fighting.
Track.
You all wrote some gorgeous
My Hälla was there
Track, also!
My Castegio x participated in
So sorry if this is late! I
________________________________________________________________________________
Instead of chasing the demon spawn as she had yesterday, Lilith stayed close to the crumpled figure by the dandelion. It was quieter for her, the inconsistent rumble of prayers she could no longer answer were gone. Her head was clearer. No longer was she a whirlwind of antlers, teeth and hooves. The fight had calmed her. There was little tension in her muscles. A good mood seemed to have over taken her for she smiled and chuckled slightly. For once she wondered what this fight was about. Somehow the blue giant knew that the only one with answers was the creature they were protecting. Sensed that he seemed to be fading, his heart beat slowed and nothing about him moved. Mmmm.... it would be a pity for a fight like this to be nothing.
When the creatures disappeared, she knew they would return. Lilith stepped over the being known as "Dag." Lay down besides him hoping that she could at least keep him warm. For a reason unknown to her there was a connection, a feeling that he was a bit like her, that his stories involved gods. She wanted to know him. "I would like to know you. I would like to speak to you and have you answer." Red eyes surveyed the stranger, looked over his wounds. He had strength in him yet. "I don't know your stories, I have never fought these deer's battles. Yet, I joined now." She paused unsure of what she was trying to say. "Children scarcely as tall as my knee fight with us. They do not know anything but that they must protect you. Each one of us knows that. Many have been hurt. Even those who are not fighters came." Lilith thought for a moment, scanned the burned and bloodied landscape before turning back to him. "I know the burden of living forever. I have a feeling that you do too. Don't die now, you have more than enough time for your mortality later. Live past this, you will not regret it if you do." She smiled reassuringly and stayed by his side.
It had been a bit of a shock
The massive stag let out a deep, tense breath. His gaze wandering once more to the horizon. Their fight would mean nothing if Iaurdagnire did not fight too. At the thought, Gehirn turned around. Away from the lineup, back to the bleeding body. Lowering his head to nudge his mate, for a moment did his attention turn to the wounded giant. "Stay with us." Was all he could muster to say. Words weren't what he was here for. He would defend him today, once more. But first, his pregnant partner would need to leave the scene, as no doubt was the demon's scent on the wind once more.
-------------
Ah I just had that little drabble so thought to write something quickly. So many awesome entries here though, this event is really bringing out a lot of inspiration for a lot of people. So thanks for organizing this Dag ♥. Having a great time!
Small feathery doe silently
Small doe approached to the wounded body. Having bypassed it and to rise nearby.
"Hello, the majestic and mighty soldier" I Said in low tones Alisa.
"I hope, you didn't die still, after all I came to tell you a couple of words." Alisa told it seriously and loudly, but soon its serious tone developed into a gentle and silent voice.
"I heard about you, the soldier. It seems, you lit the life to war. " Having made a short pause, doe continued:
"They miss you. Many deer suffer from wounds, many deer furiously protect your weak body. Even does rise in defense. You have to understand it. Get up, and relieve vile demons of tortures and will shine gods your way! " It is proud finished Alisa.
" And now I am compelled to abandon you, the soldier. To the following meeting. I believe in your awakening" and small doe disappeared, having reserved only one feather
(Double post)
The reindeer approached
He could see the attempts made to tend to the - frankly, disturbing - wound, and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to help something so serious, so he didn't touch it. Instead, Toukan placed the bundle of green he carried on the ground near the still body of Iaurdagnire, hoping the clean scent filling the air would do some good.
He took a step back, satisfied with where he'd put them, before speaking quietly. "Everyone misses you, you know. Even some that don't even know you...
"A lot of things have happened while you were gone. I'm...not even sure I could explain all of it. Heck, I've even lost and regrown two sets of antlers while you were away," he chuckled, giving his head a shake as if to point out his newest pair, a loose piece of velvet falling as he did, landing softly on the stalks of mint.
He wiped away the small smile that had formed before speaking again. "We're all fighting for you, Dag, so you better come back."
With that, he turned and walked off, ready to face the threat he could still feel looming in the air.