“You don’t need memories anymore. All of these things just cause you pain. They harm you, your feral nature. This just is not what we meant you to be. We want you to be more accepting, Poplar. You are so stubborn. So so so stubborn. It seems you did not learn the first time we sent you to live among the wild deer.”

“But… my family…”

“Your struggle, Poplar; Yes, we understand. I am sure one of them at least will know what has happened when it has happened. You’ll need a clear head to make decisions.”

“Please, please don’t take my memories again!”

“No, we aren’t going to take your memories, Poplar.”

“Then what are you going to take?”

“What we hoped to never remove from a deer in our forest.”

“…”



Freedom to roam was the only thing she had left. Now, she was stuck in this forest. It was permanently cemented with a quick and painless transformation. A shortening of snout, rounding of features, and shift of eyes was all it took to turn the doe into another normal deer of The Endless Forest. The fear of predators instilled along with the transformation embedded itself in her cells and her blood.

Poplar's white-rimmed eyes blinked away tears as she watched the Gods walk off as giants into the Birch Forest. They disappeared like early morning fog, leaving the transmogrified doe standing bewildered in place.


Her legs finally moved, albeit stiffly. The whirling waters of the stream offered no view of her reflection, so she moved on. The pond, a still mirror, spread out before her. As the ripples settled around her ankles, the doe peered on something she never thought she would ever see again: A human face. Long brown hair framed the edges and brushed against her peach-fuzzed cheeks. A pair of full lips beneath a perfect little nose held a frown, a contemplative downturn to the corners of her mouth. Brown pupils winked in and out of view every time her lashes kissed and parted, though no shred of iris remained. Simple white and brown peered from the water at its living mirror.


"I guess... it's time I got used to this."


The doe spun on her dainty hooves and limped back off into the Forest. The Gods could have bothered to heal her injuries, couldn't they? Well, it wouldn't make much difference. The injuries made her feel too fatigued to mourn the loss of her lack of inhibitions.