Shadow between the trees [RP, anyone can still join!]

CthulhuZuzu's picture
Ready for some creepy stuff? Ready to meet that dashing long-horned ghost of mine?? Well here's your chance, cause this RP is going to be about him meeting other deer, doing ghost-stuff. So here have some warnings.

Triggers for suicide, creepy shit, the things you meet in your nightmares.

Rules: I'm pretty sure you all know the basic stuff. No godmodding, stick to the post order, etc.

Post order will be by people who join.

I'm fine with whoever joins, there's no max of players set, so feel free to jump in! Smiling



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As nights turned longer in the forest, so did the shadows. The cheery everyday warmth made place for falling leaves, and now strong gusts of cold wind that passed between the trees, grasping anything they could find. Well, almost anything.

There was no sound when the hoof of the stag sunk through the flower.
He paused and stared down at it, the purple little petals trembling in the wind, that seemed to phase its stem through the intense black hoof. As if it was mocking him. Like everything else in this forest.
Alusan pressed forward, ignoring the flower. He just kept walking, as he'd done everyday, for... how long, exactly? He wasn't sure. Perhaps a week, maybe two. Maybe 247. He'd seen a few deer, here and there, but not that he had recognized. There were a lot of new ones. It made him wonder where the old ones had gone off to. He didn't even recognize the fawns. A brief moment of hope rose to him that maybe, just maybe, they found a way Outside.
Alusan was a big stag in height, but incredibly skinny. His body was rather boned, sticking out on all sides from an unhealthy diet of almost nothing. His horns, ears, legs and tail ended up into a black hue, while the rest of his body was... well, the color was very hard to describe, like watching static on a television. Mainly black and white, shifting and changing, with the eventual red or green flashing through. You'd get a headache staring at it for too long.
The black stag lifted his head to the sky, a little crooked from his broken neck. But he could see it clearly. A high full moon, shining its light between the leaves, down on Alusan's resemblance of what was once a face. Sometimes he wondered what happened to his mask, then remembered that before he fell into the pond the other stag had kicked it off.

Alusan sighed to himself, merely a ghostly puff of black rolling from his face. His lungs had vanished long ago. He had to find a way out, he simply had to... Every day more in this tree-filled prison made him more desperate to escape it all. Keep going, he told himself. Keep going.

So onward he stepped, avoiding the usual places the unknown deer hung out at, like the pond and the twin god statues, the ruins and the old tree... to something else than trees. Hopefully.
Mary13's picture

Really sorry but.. I WILL

Really sorry but.. I WILL JUMP THE CRAP IN. I love myself some creepy shit.
Throwing Fancy Feather in this owo.
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The crone had finally built the courage and willingness to step out of her usual place - the ruins that she had grown accustomed to. She was almost getting used to waking up in this weird place, but that didn't make it any less unpleasant for the doe. These...beings calling themselves deer and jumping around as if everyday was a festival - it made the crone swallow her own vomit. She wanted to get back where she came from, but there was one problem. The crone didn't remember much else besides the sharp scent of tobacco and the intense music banging in her ears. Who knows, maybe she hadn't even been a deer back then. All she had left of her past was her unchanging personality and age, probably. She wasn't the one to weep after the past, but what had happened was impossible to explain.

Trotting her way through the trees, she kept a sharp eye for any possible signs of others. She didn't want to run into anyone right now - unless it was attractive enough for her to use. She still needed to get the concept of the magic in this Forest that Calder had told her about. It could be worth her time, and in order to do that she needed someone to cast it on her -or just use somebody as a guinea pig herself.

She grunted with displeasure as she stepped on a little mud puddle next to the old, tall tree rising up towards the sky. Her left foreleg sunk right in with a funny sound. Well, fuck. She was stuck now. Trying to pull herself loose, the crone was worried about herself. She wasn't usually the one to allow herself to be THAT focused on her thoughts. The lack of tobacco and the time spent in this place could be driving her insane - like all the other deer who hopped happily around the pond. Too proud to call for help, she sat down next to the puddle, pretending everything was fine. The last thing she wanted was for some mindless little deer to come and ask if she needed help. The crone kept listening for any possible sounds at all, thought she heard some rustling in the trees. Too lazy to care, the doe chuckled a bit to herself as she looked at the mud puddle. This was probably the most interesting thing that had happened to her in this place all week. Maybe she was losing it.

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CthulhuZuzu's picture

The night was rather cold,

The night was rather cold, with the winter almost setting in. Alusan didn't mind it much, or rather... didn't feel it. He felt cold all the time, so this was more the equivalent of a summer breeze. He let his head hang low to the ground, trying to sniff as he walked, but it was useless. No sniffing with no breath. That posed another problem. Well, at least he wasn't hungry or thirsty...

He glanced to the side as the old, massive tree passed by. He steered away from it on purpose, determined to stay away from it at at least 50 feet. He had already inspected it countless of times, looking for doors or hidden walls, or if it was bigger on the inside than they thought. Just like any other old thing other than trees here.
The old ruins did have some markings here and there, but he'd never been able to decipher them. There were no doors or hatches either, he had pulled every loose thing he could find in the hopes of unlocking some mystery wall that would lead him Outside.
The Twin God Statues had been even harder to inspect, because a lot of stags and does had chased him off when he had tried to charge head-first into the stone, determined something was hidden beneath them.
The magical little pond within the circle of mushrooms had been unbearable, but being a frog had helped him to inspect the bottom of the small pond better. He had found nothing but stones, though.
The various stones had been no help at all either. He'd spent days to find out if they were scattered in some sort of pattern, trying to draw it out in the sand, before some fawns had ran over it and playfully, utterly, destroyed it.
And then there was the pond. He had been sure that it was bottomless, that swimming deep enough would bring one out of here... Well, he had found out the hard way. He was sure that even if someone wasn't taken by the pond's magic, they would surely drown before they reached the end.

He was still leaning away from the tree, circling it in a wide span, planning to go forth again in the direction he was meant to go. He turned his head stiffly away from the tree (which was a bit hard), ignoring the doe with all his might.
Mary13's picture

The crone finally noticed the

The crone finally noticed the movement in the woods, her breathing getting faster. She was still too uninterested to care as she didn't believe that this forest contained any dangers.

Cause if it did, she'd be the first one to jump on that bandwagon. The being that was near was strange, arousing her interest in a matter of seconds. She caught a glimpse of static - like that an old TV emitted. Huh, maybe it was another ghost? The crone couldn't make out any gender on the creature, but she knew she could perhaps learn something The indecisiveness did annoy the doe, as the creature seemed to have no idea about where it was going. She decided to shout out to get its attention.

"Hey, you. Are you gonna help or what?" She hated asking for help, but this being interested her. Maybe this would be worth the trouble.
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CthulhuZuzu's picture

Alusan cringed at the call.

Alusan cringed at the call. Keep walking, he told himself, it probably wasn't meant towards you. He let his eyes slip to the side and around, but there wasn't a soul nearby. He paused his step, turning around to face where the doe sat.

"Help?" His voice, or what was left of it, sounded like someone with a severe case of asthma. Bubbling and gurgling, like his throat was still filled with water. "You dare.... ask me...." He shook his head, a soft crack in his neck. He really wasn't in the mood for this. He couldn't simply go over there to one of those prissy little things to help with whatever their basic need would be. Probably something about not being able to pick what flowers went better on their head, or to help them with a game, or to scratch something they couldn't reach. Bah. "Help yourself." He gurgled at her, turning to move off again.

He had tried to help enough deer when he was alive.
Mary13's picture

Now able to see the - thing -

Now able to see the - thing - properly, the crone cringed slightly, turning up her nose to reveal an unpleasant expression. What was she even looking at? Maybe the forest had finally gotten into her head. This creature had no face at all. Ugh, she wasn't the one to be scared of anyone, but she did find it highly uncomfortable, making her fur stand up more. Maybe she'd finally met with a real ghost. Maybe even someone who died here! It made her kind of excited, as it could prove there was real danger to be pursued in here. If she could only lure him over here somehow...

Her mind changed quickly as the creature spoke in that odd, dying voice. Hearing those bitter words made her bite her lip to stop herself from spitting on the strange ghost. Oh, if he would have been close enough.. She was shaken slightly by the disturbing, gurgling tone, but disregarded it altogether. It wasn't important how he - assuming it was a male - spoke, it mattered what he spoke about. He had been rude to her first, so she had every right to gnaw at him now, get in his head... That's what she would have done, if she hadn't been stuck in the mud. How embarassing was that.

'Well, fuck you too, then.' She wanted to say it out loud, but forced herself to stay calm, uttering a single word with a cold expression : "Fine." She'd never start begging for help, especially with males. She'd survive on her own like always. Trying to put some more muscle to it, she stood up again and started pulling her leg from the puddle, biting her lower lip again as the muscle stretching started to hurt. Pondering about the creature's previous words, the doe asked : "So, who do you think you are, then? Helping others seems too tough for you." Her voice was cold, but her expression was now a wide, mocking grin. She wasn't scared of intimidating words. If the creature truly was dangerous, he'd have to show it to her as personally as possible.
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CthulhuZuzu's picture

Alusan stopped his turn,

Alusan stopped his turn, gazing back at her slowly, his face slightly off-course. The ears twitched for a short moment, letting her words work through his mind a couple of times, old feelings of pent up rage bubbled to the surface of his being. The static seemed to flash faster, specks of red and green passing through like shooting stars. He stared at her grinning, the foul words that the more he thought of, the more mocking they sounded, then slowly started to walk towards her. His hooves didn't make a sound, but there was certainly something about him that affected the area around him. The few blades of grass and curled up leaves quivered, left by a soft layer of frost.

As he walked, he started to laugh. Softly at first, then louder and louder, a maniacal, insane chortle of someone who was being choked to death. "Tough? Oh, it was tough.... Tough to convince them... that I wasn't utterly out of my mind..." The area around where his mouth had to be twisted, the features hinting at something resembling a grin in return. "Tough to keep them from laughing at me... Tough to keep them from -killing me-." He stamped closer and closer, and it got colder and colder. Along came a retching stench, of something rotting in water, for a long, long time. Perhaps his old body was still at the bottom of the pond, for the blasted gods to laugh at. That fool that tried to break out of their everlasting grasp. Their forest. Their prison.

"They -refused- my help. I owe you NOTHING." He seethed, than realized that she was stuck with her hoof in the mud. The black rings and lines of his distorted face grew even wider. "In fact... I might consider... returning the FAVOR."
Mary13's picture

"Sounds like you have a

"Sounds like you have a grudge against them. How childish." She said calmly as the creature approached her, reeking of decay and rot. The crone was not unfamiliar with this scent, suddenly remembering her old life - back in the streets. Not phased by the scent, she raised her head to look at the stranger, its coat vibrating in different shapes. She had finally made him angry - that was fine. At least it had been finally proven that he was indeed a ghost. She wondered what kept his spirit here - regret, anger perhaps?

As she heard about others laughing at him, she felt anger and sadness at the same time. She did encounter that in her youth years, as well, but the fact that the ghost was dwelling on it made her frustrated. Emotions ...they were nothing but ways of manipulating others or seeking pity. The 'laughter' she heard made her edgy and wary, but she wouldn't be scared of this maniac. She spoke her mind, preferring to stay completely honest. Lying never brought good consequences, even if the truth hurt sometimes. "I don't know about your past life, amigo - but you're crazy enough right now. Don't think it is wrong - you interest me." She smiled at him now, even a little seductively as he was real close now, the rotting scent filling her lungs with a foul taste. "True, you don't owe me, but I can pay for the help... in any way you like it. A deal is a deal. " Her voice changed its pitch now, as she tried to get the creature's attention. She was so close now, too focused on the being to care about her environment. Something kept her focus - maybe it was the feeling of dread and danger emitting from the ghost, that awful melancholy mood the crone so loved to taste.
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CthulhuZuzu's picture

((For some reason I Want To

((For some reason I Want To Break Free from Queen pops into my head and I'm laughing at how fitting this is))

The stag canted its head further than it was already bent. "Childish. Perhaps. But to forget... It is not an option." He leaned his head close, if he'd have eyes he'd narrow them. "This... grudge, as you call it... Its carved deeper in my mind than I can reach." He looked her over, trying to figure out the pattern of her horns, the cold turning harsher.
He was surprised that she was still smiling, even more at her words, his ears flicking up. "I interest you? That sure is a first for me..." He then turned to circle her slowly, inspecting her as his long tail swept around. What if she was a mirage? What if she was another trick of those Gods up there, to do something even more horrible with him than death? A trick? A trap? Then he laughed again. "Pay me?! There is only one thing I want..." He jerked his head around at the word 'one'. "To get out of here. Out of this blasted forest." He mulled over her words. He doubted that she'd actually be able to get out, he'd been searching these woods forever in search of something, -anything-, to break out... But she could continue his work, he realized. These blasted pings of hope were like a hot iron pressed inside his chest, but he savored the scorching pain, holding on to it for dear... well, death. He then turned back to her. "If you can do that, we have a deal."
Mary13's picture

(( Goddangit Zuzu, I died))

(( Goddangit Zuzu, I died))
_______________________________

She nodded upon hearing the ghost's answer, now getting accustomed to the strange rhythm of his voice. The crone found it soothing at its very core. It was a welcome change from the usual high-pitched sounds that the deers spat out from their mouths. Now that the stranger's tone was changed from anger to somewhat normal, she relaxed her muscles to listen to him. The crone knew all too well what unforgettable memories did. She had one of her past life, one that she didn't want to think about anymore. Yet it was the one that had shaped her to be... this. Letting her ears flop down, she gave the ghost an understanding look. It was hard to interpret anything about the creature as he had no face to look at - no eyes for her to know what was in his head. She'd have to trust his words.

As the ghost began to circle her, she felt the long tail touching her pelt slightly, making her fur stand up with excitement. The cold, wet feeling that the ghost emitted was making her feel dirty all over, but she enjoyed it in her own way, closing her eyes to feel it as she answered truthfully : "Yes, you do. You're not like the others here.. they're the ones we should call insane." The crone looked at the Pond nearby, where a fawn played with a stag, splashing the clear water on each other, laughing like there wasn't anything wrong with the world. She shook her head in a sad, but also with a mocking motion. "Compared to them, you're not insane. You're smart, you want to get out of here. You still have your own mind to follow. " She turned to smile at him, but dared not make any sudden movements. The cold and the stench had immobilized her completely, leaving the doe under the ghost's power. She cared not as she wanted to know more.

Upon hearing the ghost's request, she opened her eyes again, looking at the ground under her. She trembled with anger as she spoke out : "I want to get out of this damned place, as well. It sickens me so much to know that I am here stuck with - these nutters. " When she raised her head again, she was looking straight at the being with honest eyes. "This is not a prison, however. A stag named Calder told me this is another dimension, and it can be escaped through magic. "
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CthulhuZuzu's picture

A deep, wet sound emitted

A deep, wet sound emitted from the creature, that could have probably been a snort. He paced around in front of her, not sure about her intentions yet. He shouldn't trust them so easily, he heard in the back of his mind. They have access to magic as well. What if in some horrible way, they wanted to banish him? Bind his soul into something useless like a rock or a log? He scraped his black hooves over the ground, leaving behind a trail of permafrost. "You are... quite the charmer. Perhaps you are right." A mad giggle escaped his chest, he found the thought of all the other deer being insane highly amusing. He followed her gaze to look at the pond, the giggle fading. "Oh, I'm not so sure about smart... I've learned nothing about this place's secrets." He muttered.

He continued to listen to her, watching her reactions with much interest. He hadn't had the faintest clue that among the idiotic happy hopping nitwits was such a being, who actually sounded logical, honest, and serious. It was a miracle, and that was the exact reason why he didn't trusted her... until she spoke about the same thing he wanted for all this time. He remained silent for a while, the name she mentioned didn't ring a bell at all, he'd been too distanced from everyone to remember the old, except for his own. "... Magic, hmm?..." He stepped closer, then dipped his black hoof into the puddle of mud.

At first, nothing happened. Alusan looked down at the puddle, twisting his hoof a little, and then a tiny layer of frost spread over the wet surface. A few cracks were heard, like that sound you hear when you drop ice cubes into a drink, and the surface crumbled and froze. He pulled out his hoof, he couldn't break it, but she could. "What is your name?" He asked, trying to sound kind. Which was a bit hard with his voice.
Mary13's picture

Watching the ghost's strange

Watching the ghost's strange movements, the crone could smell the distrust coming from him, and she was pleased. Yes, this was good. A creature who trusted his own head - she could respect that. Minds like that were just what they needed to get out of here. Following his faceless gaze, the crone looked back at the other deers, who had now sat down next to each other by the Pond, cuddling with gentle movements. With an extremely mocking voice, she said bitterly: "If I'm perfectly honest with you, I doubt this place has any secrets worth learning. There are beings like you and me, hidden amongst the trees who hold their secrets, but their secrets come from separate worlds. This place is a bland page that the 'gods' of this place created to satisfy the minds of those who never want to experience danger again." She shook her head with disgust, feeling her skin tremble with the next words she uttered : "If we stay here too long, I fear we're going to end up like - like them." She then spat on the ground, as if to get rid of an illness that was entering her body. That was what it was to her, a foul illness. Maybe all these creatures had had their own minds once, wanting to get out of here as much as they did now - only to get trapped and hopeless, eventually letting the Forest's charm take them along with it. Well, they deserved no pity or mercy. They didn't have the willpower to go on.

Watching as the static being shoved its hoof in the puddle, she continued: "The ordinary magic in here is only about changing your appearance, and you can only give it to others. That's far too friendly for these nutters, and it's hardly worth your time." She said 'your' as she still had her own plans for that magic. If it meant she look younger and beautiful again, she'd research it fully before leaving. But that didn't mean her main quest wasn't to find the way out of here. Her expression became a little devilish, her thoughts focusing on the main goal. "Now, the gods' magic is something that could be worthwhile. They're the deities keeping this dimension together. You know what that means, right?" She grinned, waiting intently for an answer. The situation was starting to interest her more by the minute.

Her body tensed as the puddle started freezing all over, the cold running through her like a breath of cold wind. The surface of the brown little puddle turned all frosty, forming beautiful shapes around her stuck leg asit tried to freeze her in place. This was perfect. Pulling now as hard as she could, the ice began to crackle around her leg, until finally giving off a pleasant breaking sound, resembling that of glass dropping on the floor. Shaking her leg to get the blood flowing again, she was surprised by his next question. The truth was that she wasn't able to remember her own name - her true name. This place had already taken it away. The crone only remembered what others used to call her, back in her own world. "Others called me Fancy Feather back in where I used to live. You can call me Feefee or FF, I could really care less about my name or what I'm called - it's not important anymore. " She gave the stranger a sad look, but then finally nodded in appreciation, dropping her question in return. "And you? Do you know who you are - or were?" She was careful with her question, trying to interpret what the stranger thought about it. She had noticed this question was hard for some beings, and they could see it as a threat. Oh well, the only thing you could do was find out for yourself how they reacted. The doe was taking a risk, but she had to know if she was the only one to forget about her true self.
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CthulhuZuzu's picture

"That is an interesting

"That is an interesting theory... Plucked from their homes and brain washed to feel happy and safe..." He was still looking at the cuddling creatures, deep hatred continuing to boil inside. If he could spit he'd done the same. He couldn't even stick out his tongue at them. "It would take a lot of force to turn me into a giddy little fawn." He shook his head, antlers swinging from side to side. He turned away from the scene completely.

He listened to her quietly as she told about the magic she sought, not able to give her a skeptic look. "It means that whatever power they possess will be kept away from us at all costs." He replied with anger. "How do you suppose we will be able to get our hands on that? Not to mention what force lies behind it, that could possibly blast us into the afterlife and into new fawn reincarnations." He mumbled. "I should add that I am unable to hold other magic for transformation. I only have this." He motioned at the frozen puddle.

He listened to the name, mumbling it a few times to himself. "Fancy Feather... Hmm. A delicate nickname. Although you don't seem to be a very delicate person." He then shook his head again, cracking softly. "Only my name... Bits and pieces of the Outside. None of my personal life. I suspect that the memories I had were lost long ago." He made an awkward bow on his skinny legs. "I am Alusan."
Mary13's picture

The crone laughed a little as

The crone laughed a little as the creature talked about being turned into a bubbly little fawn. However, she did say serious as she said quietly : "You're right. But these deities that control this place have the power to do just about anything inside their own playground. Once you lose hopes of ever getting out of here and start socializing with them, you can kiss goodbye to your own will." She let out a little grunt, scratching the ground in frustration and turning her back to the cuddling couple.

She nodded upon hearing the ghost's next, gurgled words, but she was hesitant to believe the odds were so badly against them in this situation. "We can't get ahold of their power, but we could somehow disturb the balance - just enough to make a gap in this dimension. That's our way out. But I'm not sure how to pull that off, yet." The crone looked at the tall trees surrounding them like a cage. She had no idea what dimension she'd end up in if she could actually get out of here, but one thing was for sure - it'd be better than this place. There had to be some other magic in here that they could get their hooves on. Just like the stranger could freeze what he touched, there were beings in here who had control over something greater. If those powers could be combined, there might be a way. The only part was that the doe didn't enjoy working with others as she only trusted her own intelligence to survive.

As she heard the ghost introduce himself and comment on her name, she laughjed out loud with a rough voice. " True, I'm not your most delicate of flowers. It's a name my..uhm, customers used to call me. I used to get around quite a lot back in my own 'dimension'. " She grinned widely, not thinking there was anything wrong with what she was saying. She was living for temptations and pleasure, a lifestyle she was not giving up on. Bowing back to Alusan, she asked : "Looks like we have something in common. This place is robbing our memories, but I've noticed they can come back to you through certain smells and faces. I remember I wasn't a deer in my world - I think I was a human. Maybe there is a reason why we're here, a thing we have to remember to figure out the way out. You don't remember how you got here? How long have you been in here, anyway?"
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CthulhuZuzu's picture

Alusan moved to sit down with

Alusan moved to sit down with a ghostly grunt across of her. "The balance of their power... They create this place to be peaceful and perfect, right?" He thought out loud, looking down at the puddle again. "Perhaps the opposite will give us a chance... Hah... I wouldn't have to look for it at all, then." He kept his voice low. He was surprised that the gods didn't smite them down yet. Perhaps their range of hearing was limited... Which would give them an advantage. "Perhaps informing others will be a start. We won't be able to pull this off on our own." He suggested. "I doubt they will listen to a ghostly apparition. You would have to convince them."

He canted his head in thought at her explanation of the name, not quite understanding what she meant. "Get... around?..." He mumbled. He listened to the beginning of the question, but halted at the peculiar word. Human. It itched in his mind, a hidden box clicking open to reveal a flurry of broken memories, sounds and smells, making him feel glad he decided to sit down because he was trembling all over. "H... Hu...man..." He barely brought out, the gurgling voice boiling and bubbling loud and unclear. Flashes of a house, a cottage, he somehow knew those words and what they were. He let out a pained noise that could have been a cry, the static clashing with red and green like a bizarre Christmas tree.
Mary13's picture

The crone grunted out loud

The crone grunted out loud upon hearing Alusan's suggestion of asking others for - help -. It would be really difficult to find beings here who still had their own heads to use, and even harder to convince them to plot against the deities of this place. And what did it all mean? They'd have to speak with every creature here to check for their intelligence. It could take a while, forcing them to spend that much more time in this prison. Still, the crone couldn't think of anything better. She made growling noises as she answered: "Shit, I'm not the biggest fan on teamwork. Too bad it's our best bet right now." Smiling devilishly as she continued shortly: "But no need to worry - I'm the Queen of Convincing." She licked her upper lip, as if hungry for some action.

Laughing at his confusion, the crone said: "Maybe it's better that you don't know the rest -" She stopped suddenly, noticing the ghost had begun to act weird. Flashing in different colours, the static twitching like he was having an intense heart attack. The crone jumped up from her position, fearing he would 'explode' at any minute. Had she said something strange? She couldn't make out from the gurgling what the creature had said, and the reaction made her highly uncomfortable.

"Uhm, are you - are you okay?" She asked carefully, approaching him again with slow, wary steps.
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CthulhuZuzu's picture

The ghost shuddered

The ghost shuddered violently, grinding his hooves into the earth. His unclear voice turned louder, filled with static and pain. Something happened to his face as he looked up at her, his body shifted, and there was an... Somewhat of a face, trying to press through the formless mess, crazy eyes that only described the horrible realization of what he was so long ago.
He let out a bone chilling scream, a mouth tearing open wide that unhinged his broken jaw from the rest of his neck, spilling old stinking water down onto the ground. He continued to scream, eyes turned back into his head. The spasming stopped as soon as it had begun, and he flopped on his side, his voice and face slowly fading away. The water stopped running, having turned the muddy frozen cracked puddle into a large murky green puddle. He wanted to breathe to catch his breath. He felt a burning aching in his neck where the muscles had snapped, while the ghostly blackness of the skin reattached itself like how it used to be. The red and black in his pelt faded back to black and white.
He felt like he just died all over again. He remained lying on his side, trying his best to make words, if Fancy Feather hadn't ran off yet. "....H... Human..."
Mary13's picture

The crone felt bad watching

The crone felt bad watching Alusan suffering right before her eyes, but she knew that any attempt to wake him up from his attack would only be damaging. For the first time, she felt useless and frustrated. Usually she felt joy watching others complain and scream in pain, but she really liked Alusan. The only being who had a mind in this place - she noticed she be afraid. Her legs trembled and her heartbeat's pace became rapid, feeling like someone was banging a hammer against her chest. For the most part, she was surprised her heart still reacted to anything - she thought it had died with her emotions long ago.

She feared he would die.

As the crone watched the creature twitch and heard its joints crackle, she couldn't help but wonder in shock - what was Alusan, exactly? Ghosts didn't make those noises, they were silent. Maybe she could touch him to see if her hoof would go through his skin - it would be a little cliche, but she had to do SOMETHING. He was dead for sure, but the fact that he was still in this prison proved that the deities considered him a creature worth keeping here. Ghosts usually just lifted off to the afterlife after death. As the crone was about to touch him, he stopped moving altogether, the colours fading away. She looked around in shock, not knowing if anyone had seen the same she did. Maybe she hallucinated it all. Shaking her head in complete denial, she tried not to care. She just didn't want the ghost to be dead. "Alusan, are you okay?" She asked again, clearing her throat. Jumping as she heard him gurgle again, she thought she could make out that word. "Human?" She asked clearly, not knowing there was something hurtful and powerful in that word.
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CthulhuZuzu's picture

The corpse moved slightly,

The corpse moved slightly, trying to get himself up. He felt like he just got kicked in the face, then tumbled down a flight of stairs. He stared down at the water surrounding him, remaining quiet. He tried to collect his thoughts, but it was hard because of the pain twisting and zapping through him. The new things he remembered settled down slowly in his head.
He finally looked up at the crone, responding slowly. "... I think I just remembered things I forgot..." He started, shaking his head to get the water out of his ears, flopping about. "It was very.. Blurry... But I saw... A lot of things." It was hard to explain , even harder to recall where to begin. He looked down at his hooves, once hands, unable to clench them to fists. "There were all kinds of... Buildings, from where I could see... I had something in my hand, with... A sharp edge..." The word 'axe' drifted at the edge of his mind. He let out a deep, shuddering sigh, trying to stand up, immediately sitting back down again.
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The doe sighed with relief as

The doe sighed with relief as Alusan spoke, grateful that he was still with them - and looked to be fairly conscious of everything. She would never give up her pride enough to let the ghost know that she was relieved, but let her muscles relax now. Listening to the gurgling, tired voice, the crone's expression changed from happy to cold and serious. So, maybe Alusan had been a human, as well. Huh. Maybe this was punishment for their previous lives, after all.

Sitting next to the ghost to give him some support, she tapped the ground with her hoof to show it would probably be better to stay down for now until he had recovered - at least as much as he could with that strange body. The crone was still shaken as she was wary of the ghost, not knowing what to call him. A creature, ghost, a corpse? He seemed like a mixture of all those things. Still, it would not be wise to ask that. Maybe he didn't even know himself.

Turning her head towards him, she looked at his non-existant face with sharp eyes and asked sternly: "Alusan, did you do something bad?" She knew she was being very straightforward, but she needed to know if her thoughts were right. If they were... well, then she had a damn good idea about why they were trapped in here.
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The puddle rippled as she sat

The puddle rippled as she sat down next to him, something nobody else had done in a long, long time. It was like sitting next to an open freezer. Perhaps it was a good call to not have touched him, as likely her hoof would've frozen on the spot. He sunk down to sit properly, the water freezing and cracking, making it sound like a mouthful of popping candy. He listened to the serious question, and he tried hard to figure out if he wasn't certain, or if it could've happened but he refused the though. "I... I'm not sure." He mumbled.
His tail swept around to lay down over his front legs.

"... While you try to persuade the other deer..." He spoke, as if nothing had happened, "I can disrupt the peace of the forest. Killing the trees with ice should do the trick."
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The crone didn't mind the

The crone didn't mind the cold that Alusan emitted didn't make her umcomfortable. She was almost always warm. Hearing his answer, she shook her head sadly. Darn, it had been worth a shot, though. Clearly not a subject Alusan wanted to speak about, the crone decided to get off his back. The ghost deserved some peace after that.

"You need to be careful, and we can't start right away. It's going to take a while to find... suitable candidates." She whispered, thinking for a while what to say to him. The ghost had become surprisingly quiet, so she decided to follow him and looked around her. Why were there nothing more but trees? Trees in the north, trees in the south and trees all around. Still looking around desperately, she muttered: "What is it that you even expect to find outside?" Her voice stayed cold, as she didn't want the other one to know about her thoughts.
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The stag shifted a bit to get

The stag shifted a bit to get a better position as he continued to ponder over what he'd just seen. He then directed his attention back on Fancy, nodding in response. " You are right... Perhaps it would be smarter to get in touch later..." He attempted to smirk, failed because of the pain, so just looked at her. "Not like a little more time is going to kill me." Wow a joke. I didn't know ghosts could joke. He noticed her looking around at the trees, and he mumbled softly. "All we need is patience. And to keep ourselves from slipping away." He encouraged her. He listened to her other question carefully, hoping that it wouldn't trigger something else. Luckily it didn't. "Purpose. Who I was. What life I had." He answered. "Most of things are lost to me now. I'd very much like to get them back... How about you?"
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The crone nodded when Alusan

The crone nodded when Alusan spoke of patience - that's exactly what they needed to survive the magic of this place. It seemed so innocent at first, but in truth it was a method of controlling the inhabitants of this realm. Its purpose was to keep them comfortable and happy, so they would never care about their previous life again. The doe had noticed she had occasionally slipped as well, even finding herself enjoying the sunshine. Maybe it was too late for her now, maybe she enjoyed this place in her deep subconscious, using her interest in magic as an excuse of staying here.

She hardly noticed she had been asked a question, as so many different thoughts raced through her head. Darn, why did it all have to be such a blur. Her past life was just a flash of unrelated images running through her head, triggered easily by certain events. The rain yesterday had reminded her of her worst memory - the memory of HIM. That one asshole who she was forced to remember anywhere she went.

Finally moving her focus back to this moment, she answered with a quick laugh : "Amigo, all I need is a glass of wine and a big cigarette. Any dimension that has those things has my full approval - friends are useless things to have. I'm not a good listener, after all." Instantly she started to miss the taste of it - tobacco. Sure, it tasted like deer shit, but it had always made her so calm. She wasn't sure if Alusan knew of those things, but he had asked her a question. Was there really anything she missed in her own world? Probably not, she could be able to leave it behind. She didn't need friends, they were only a nuisance. A way of feeding your need of appreciation. The crone didn't need that - she had her pride and she had her intelligence. She decided to be a little devilish, asking the ghost : "Hm. If you remember nothing but bits and pieces, how do you know that it's a life you want to return to?"
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Alusan remained looking at

Alusan remained looking at her as her thoughts drifted off. He had barely enjoyed the things in this place. He had been too focused on the things that bugged him to notice the niceness of this place. It kept his mind clear. All they would need was a little chaos.

He didn't recognize the words right away, having to ponder about their meaning. He suspected that those were less familiar to him than others. Then he smirked at the comment she made about herself. "Are you sure? You've been listening and conversing with me quite a bit." He said. He was still surprised that she hadn't left. Quite amused as well. He hardly ever experienced anything amusing here.
At her devilish question his calmed demeanor turned grim. "Because it's better than remaining here." He looked ahead. "I'm not even sure if I will still be alive once we're out of here, as I died in the pond... I'm not sure if I'll even be able to leave." His words turned grimmer by the letter. "But I have to try. Anything better than staying in this shit hole."
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Smirking back at Alusan, the

Smirking back at Alusan, the crone was a little surprised herself. Maybe this body had changed her... No, it had to be this place. She clearly remembered that in her past life, she had never listened to anyone and hadn't trusted anyone - not even herself. Maybe she had yearned for a change all her life, but never admitted it to anyone. A desire to be a better person that lay deep in her subconscious. Maybe that was why she was here.

But it was too late to change now, and the crone didn't even want to do that anymore. At least she didn't admit that she wanted to do that. "I guess we'll have to find out what kind of a person I am. Maybe this place is already affecting me. Maybe I'll be making you a flower crown soon." She grinned and let out a laugh with her rough voice. She enjoyed the ghost's company quite a lot, but found that a bit disturbing, too. First time that she was chatting with a ghost and she enjoyed his company. What a joke. Looking at the ground again, she opened her mouth to speak. No, it was more like a faint whisper. "Maybe I am starting to feel the change. Here I must finally face myself and think again about what I really want to do. I want to get out of here, that's for sure, but what do I do once I'm out? Can I really just go back to my usual life and pretend nothing happened? The life before was so goddamn easy. I didn't think about what I wanted as I thought it was so obvious. Now... I'm not sure."

Hearing his grim words, the crone felt some sort of compassion, a feeling she didn't think she had. She could care less about feelings as she knew emotions were useless compared to the mind and intelligence, but she had talked to this ghost more than enough to feel bad for him. She didn't want him to end up like the others, reborn as a little,retarded fawn who would do nothing but graze, shit and jump on the rocks all day. A deer's life was so simple, there was absolutely nothing the crone found attractive in that lifestyle. "I agree, I never liked deer anyway. I used to EAT them, for fuck's sake. They can't expect me to bend over now and start being a vegetarian-" She stopped as she thought about Alusan's words more closely. She turned to look at him. "So you really died, then? The crone was confused. She knew Alusan was a ghost full of regret, but she didn't know he had died in THIS place. Maybe it was more dangerous than she thought.
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(ALSO GO LOOK ON SKYPE I LEFT

(ALSO GO LOOK ON SKYPE I LEFT YOU SOMETHING YOU MIGHT WANT TO SEE)


Alusan laughed his choking cough, tail sweeping around rather happily at the small joke. "Hah. Nobody has ever made me a flower crown before. I bet it would freeze the moment it touches my horns, though." He crossed his hooves over the hardened ice beneath him. He'd seen many deer running their antlers through the flowers, ripping them out once tangled enough and then pranced around proudly as it had been a major achievement. While after a day without water the flowers died miserably and the numbskull couldn't get it off anymore. Idiots.

He directed his face towards her again, speaking sternly after her expressed worries. "Of course you can, birdy. But we will remember this place. How corrupting and wrong it is." He canted his head to catch her gaze. "And who knows, we might not even end up in the same dimension as the one we came from. You could start over." He hoped the thought he fabricated would sound better to her than it did to him.

Alusan then nodded, gazing towards the pond the stag and fawn had been playing. "Back then I was already obsessed with getting out. I was stubborn enough to go out during this time of year, when every other stag sees a lone soul walking around, is an invitation to fight them." He told quietly. " Although the kick didn't kill me, the cold water did... At least I didn't return as a ghostly frog." He muttered bitterly.
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The crone was highly amused,

The crone was highly amused, thinking how her chatting partner would trot through the forest with a frozen flower crown on his head. Hah, maybe that way the ghost would have appeared more "attractive" to the locals. They used to prefer logic that yelled out "flowers make everything better". Ah well, the crone had to admit to herself that she had always liked frosted glass shaped like roses. The only flowers she had ever tolerated. She was far from ready to admit that to Alusan, though. He would have sprinted off in less than a minute, never to be seen again.

When the crone heard Alusan's next line of sentences, she started laughing with her rough voice, ruined many years ago by tobacco. "Well, aren't you adorable! ME starting over?" She had to chuckle for a good minute, until the thick cloud of smoke in her lungs started to burn her throat, and she ended up coughing. "Amigo, it's too late for me. I haven't been keeping count of it, but I think I'm nearing my 40s in the humans' way of counting years. Maybe I'm even older than that. I don't think I'm able to make that change. It's not like I wanted to, either." Her last sentence was a little forced, even though she tried to make it sound genuine. The truth was that she was unsure about whether she wanted to be different. Would she really choose her old life if given the choice? Thrown back in that street with the other motherfuckers, spending her money in drugs and cigarettes. Spending her days entertaining males. Sometimes even females.

The little name from Alusan suddenly hit her. Birdy. It made her smile at him. It was one of her first genuine smiles. She could feel her body becoming warmer, but not in the way she was used to. It made her...happy, grateful, delighted. Feelings so new to her. She felt her cheeks blushing, burning her face with that strange sensation. She had to turn her head away, feeling like a little girl. Well, this was damn embarassing.

As she tried to slowly recover with poor results, the doe listened to the ghost. She hadn't been here to see the season where stags were like that, but she could well imagine what it was like. Men turning into beasts to have what they want , it wasn't a new experience to her at all. "I know that all too well. Humans, wolves, deer... it's all the same." Her voice was more bitter than she intended, but she felt like she could be honest with Alusan. Feeling as though dwelling too much on his death would bother the ghost, she asked instead: "Do you remember what you looked like before your death?"
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Alusan was glad that he'd

Alusan was glad that he'd pulled her head out of grim thoughts and on a course of laughter, flicking his ears in content. His cheeks formed into a hard-to-see grin at her response. "I am hardly joking at all. What if, instead of your old self, you were born anew? New life, new experiences... perhaps a new body. I am not even sure if deer live as long as humans, to be honest." He admitted. He wondered it about himself as well. He wasn't sure how many years he'd been walking around this place, but it felt like a long, long time... What if he outlived (or rather, outdeathed) the years of a normal human? He tucked the thought away, in a deep corner of what was left of his mind, focusing on their current chat.

He chuckled as she turned her face, (wow Alusan stop being such a charmer you're a dead ice zombie stag you're being way too creepy. Who knows how old you are.) not commenting on it, and nodded in agreement about her familiarity about the season that civilized beings turned to beasts. "I haven't felt much temptation for it... Perhaps because I was too occupied with my troubles." He mumbled, deep in thought. Then he shook his head. "No. It has been... far, far too long. I would guess that the shape of my antlers and body could've been accurate, but colors, or face... I wouldn't have the slightest clue." He mumbled.
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"Hm." The crone answered

"Hm." The crone answered with a quiet hum, her head racing with different thoughts and memories. She did admit that the ghost made her think more than usual, but she noticed she was enjoying the brain practice more than she usually did. Ever since she had been trapped in this place, she hadn't thought about something this deep for once. Bleh, the crone couldn't say she enjoyed it, but the thought of her being born again was fascinating. She could care less about becoming one of the good guys, but regaining her youth - that was something worth chasing. "I'm not sure if beings in this Forest can even die of old age. I've seen a few grandpas here and there, even a being that claimed to be hundreds of years old. He was probably bullshitting me, though. His face looked as soft as a baby's skin...and he hardly had any brains." First avoiding his question altogether, but answering in just a short while : "If I was given the chance now, I would probably have to decline. Unless it was the choice to regain my youth, beauty and my -- nevermind." She grinned devilishly to hide her little evasion in the end. Nah, she just couldn't talk about that. Not yet.

Smiling as Alusan spoke, she was glad that the stag was so different. Shifting slightly closer, the doe felt the cold emitting from the ghost reach her fur, making some of her feathers freeze over. Not caring about it, she just whispered: "I'm glad you're different. Maybe it doesn't matter what you look like - you're still you. I don't think you're crazy as they say. You're just different. And I like it." Secretly she wanted to add 'it's not like you killed someone, right?', but thought it best to leave that out. Alusan deserved much better than becoming her prey, and certainly deserved better than what this place had to offer. Thinking about that... "Have you met anyone else that we should consider adding into our plans? I have a few fellows in mind I can surely - convince -, but extra hooves are never bad. I'm sure you've been in this place much longer than I have."
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Alusan pondered for a while,

Alusan pondered for a while, then responded slowly. "Well, if what your knowledgeable acquaintance is right and this -is - another dimension, I wouldn't be surprised if the people you speak of came from different ones." He found the though very interesting, although he felt that he'd rather go back to his old life to find out who he was. "Perhaps you would be reborn as such an ancient being, with decennia of beauty and youth ahead of you." He added that last part with a cant of his head. He had no idea what third thing she was talking about, but as she didn't seem to want to tell, he let it slide.

"Well, I am quite glad as well that you didn't speed off once your hoof was out of the mud." He replied softly. "I hope there are more with a sound mind to aid us, birdy. If not, we can surely convince the ones already under the forest's control." He nodded to himself, trying to convince himself on that belief. "All we need is a little chaos."
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The crone's mouth formed a

The crone's mouth formed a malicious grin as she spoke : "If what he spoke of is true, that just proves there is a way out of here. They can travel through the dimensions somehow without the deities watching over their every move." Leaning closer to the ghost, she whispered softly : "That magic has to be accessible. I'm sure we're both ready to do whatever it takes to gain the rights to use that." Her voice carried a bitter tone, though. 'Whatever' could mean that they would have to serve the deities of this realm and gain their favor. She hoped Alusan would get her hint.

Raising her head proudly as the ghost flattered her with his words (seriously Alusan you're such a ladykiller right now) , the crone felt glad to have his support. Spending an eternity while staying beautiful and young, like some Aphrodite. That sounded damn great. "I'm glad, too. The thought of running did cross my mind more than a few times. But... you were too interesting to ignore. I love it when someone has the courage to speak back to me. You've earned my respect." Just to humor him, the doe lowered her head as to bow, "We can make it work. We have our heads to use. Chaos is exactly what we need."

Standing up from her position, the crone tried to sniff the air for traces of anything interesting. She was getting awfully hungry, but hadn't gotten used to this deer sniffing system - she could only detect the smell of the yesterday rain, and the sweet, flowery scents coming from the cuddling deer by the Pond. But there had to be something in here - or someone she could feast on. Turning back to Alusan, she asked: "Do you think there's anything around here worth eating?"
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Alusan turned his head away

Alusan turned his head away with a soft grumble. He hadn't planned to kneel down to those rotten twins in a million years. "That.... Doesn't sound like a good plan..." He muttered. "Our minds could get lost on the way." He sounded concerned, ears tweaking down. "These creatures you speak of... Who are they?" He asked instead. He abided to no command, not from anyone, not even a god. He liked the chaos plan better.

He then looked back at her with a skeptic tone. "Speaking back to you isn't hard. You're not -that- scary." He teased.Now he looked slightly confused, though. "Hold on. Which plan are we going to do? Tipping the peaceful balance of this charade, or begging to do the gods bidding for a chance of a slice at power?" He stood up slowly, still a bit wibbly wobbly (timey wimey). "Besides... We want to stay -out- of the gods' reaches, do we not? Too close, and I fear they might notice our scheming..."

He listened to her question, then laughed bitterly. "I wouldn't recall. I haven't eaten in many.... Many years."
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GODDAMMIT PEOPLE YOU CAN JOIN

GODDAMMIT PEOPLE YOU CAN JOIN THIS OKAY.

((Sorry for late reply, finished my project yesterday))
___________________________________

The crone made a little frown. Alusan had a point, but she felt like he wasn't seeing the whole opportunity. Not yet sitting back down, she said: "We must consider all the options, amigo. If the only way to get out of here is to lick their bottoms so they can bless us with power or whatever, I'm more than ready to do it." Finishing her sentence, the doe gave the twin statues located on top of the distant hill a threatening look. She was more than used to playing the nice woman to get what she wanted, to come on top of the situation in the end. Turning back to answer the ghost's question, Fancy looked apologetic : " I met a big deer a while back. He was a hopeless crybaby and was so -eager - to bow down to his gods, but he had a way of traveling through the dimensions. I tried to look into his memories, but it appears he was a herbologist of some sort and knew the trick to block me out. Darn, I kind of hope I wouldn't have been so bitchy to him now, he could have been a great pawn to use. However, he told me there were others in this place that are able to do it. We just need to find them." The crone growled a little in the end, completely aware that not many would be willing to give away a secret like that. Maybe they had sworn secrecy to the deities and would need a whole lot of convincing to even say one word.

Laughing at his joke, the crone answered: "Aww, maybe it seems like I'm losing my authority in this place. I liked it when people avoided me - feared me." This time she was speaking her true mind. She had never liked people. People were selfish and so ready to stab your back when they got the chance. Still, she missed the danger the streets had brought upon her every night. Smiling a little at his confusion, the crone answered: "You're not afraid to take chances, right? We can do both. You focus on what you're best at, disturbing the balance. That way, you're more likely to be safe." The crone looked at the distant statues again, their holy whiteness making her stomach churn. Good that she hadn't eaten anything earlier. "I'm willing to see what I can do about these deities. I have no idea what power they hold, but I guess I'm about to find out. I have nothing to lose anymore, Alusan. If I'm forced to stay here forever, I may as well focus on my other goal - eternal youth and beauty." She grinned, but she felt a shiver of fear in her legs. She feared the unknown... Back in her home she had known everything. The people living there, the structure of the city and every secret others held. Here, she had no idea what she was jumping into. She wasn't afraid of taking the risk, she was afraid of the consequences. She was used to knowing - everything.

A little disappointed, the crone sat down again. Maybe it was better not to eat anything this place had to offer besides the memories and emotions of others. Who knows what the plants were infested with. She felt a little pity for Alusan. Not eating anything must be dull. "Ah well, not like this place has anything worth eating... but I have to admit the creatures in this place have some delicious emotions to feast on." She licked her beak slightly, thinking about her last meal. "They are so full of life - full of happiness. They get so angry when you try to insult their home. Hah, I often wonder what they would do if they remembered their true self, located somewhere far away. Waiting for their master to come home."
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Alusan swept his tail around

Alusan swept his tail around uneasily, starting to pace around, leaving wet hoof prints that soon turned frozen. His voice had turned bitter again. "We must also consider all the turn points in the plans we have, where everything can go catastrophically, horribly wrong." He scraped his hoof over the ground. "They're not called 'gods' for nothing... Just be careful. I'd hate to lose the first contact I had in years so soon already." He muttered. Her explanation about the ass-kissing stranger made him want to spit the ground. "Having that power and still kissing their feet... Not telling you everything, proves my point even more... They aren't foolish. I am sure they have eyes and ears somewhere..."

Alusan looked back at her. "Afraid, no. Our chance just isn't that big." He spoke, then grumbled a bit. "Do keep in touch. We should have some place we can meet at... that is not one of the many obvious locations in this blasted death trap." He peered between the trees, making sure that the cuddling deers were still in the same place, having fallen soundly asleep. He listened to her for a bit, then looked around. "You don't seem like someone who has lost any of those two, birdy. I hope they won't pluck you clean of those pretty feathers once they find out about what you're doing." He spoke.

He shrugged off the thought of when he last ate anything, he recalled that it had been mushrooms and some grass. He was kind of curious about her mention of eating emotions. "What to they taste like, exactly?... and that would be my goal, as well. I hope to break their believes while I'm at it."
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The crone laughed as Alusan

The crone laughed as Alusan seemed to worry about her well-being. She had no idea if it was because of her herself or just because Alusan could use her to his advantage, but it warmed her heart. "I think you're softer inside than you let others know." Her voice was a quiet whisper. She tried to make it sound insulting, but noticed she just couldn't bring herself to say it as she had originally thought. It was really genuine.
The crone was a little disturbed herself, what was she thinking? She wasn't usually like this. Quickly changing the subject, she shouted stubbornly: "I'm not afraid!" That was false. She was. She just didn't want to admit it to anyone. Not even Alusan, even when she trusted him. " "If they try to pick my backside feathers one by one, they can do that. But they can't take away my dignity - not yet."

Letting out a sigh to calm herself down, she stopped to think about a safer place for them to meet. There was one place she could think of - the stone monument that the forest inhabitants called the "Deermuda Triangle." "There is one place." She looked to the distance, trying to remember where the exact place was. " A place exists in the Birch forest. They say it has the potential to block out magic - or at least disturb it. The stone triangle. It's a quiet place that many don't dare to approach."

Amused by his question, the crone wondered how much she could tell. It was hard to explain - she was so used to it by now. "Well.. it depends. When you're angry, the taste is bitter, like that of a lemon. While it is the hardest to swallow, it refreshes my mind and keeps me full for a long time. Happiness tastes sweet - like candy. That's why I hate it." She laughed. "Jealousy is the most delicious of them all. It's taste can vary from mild to strong - like a good fruit to a strong spice." She turned to the ghost again, grinning maliciously: "Maybe I'll taste your emotions soon." Staring at him intently for a while, she couldn't help it anymore. She let out a giggle to show he was kidding. Ah well, she could sense the ghost was not that rich in emotion, anyway. He just wanted to get out of here. That feeling wouldn't fill her.
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