"Keep on galloping
my black horse
carrying me
to unknown shores
through these outlandish woods
and with confidence back home"
He had been captured, sitting in the back of a caged wagon that he could not escape from. Before him, a strong black horse pulled the caravan, several humans guiding the animal through thick woods. Quad did not recognize the place, he knew he was far from his home and was sure that calling out would not help him. The stag sat there on the rickety wooden floor, wondering where he was being taken, wondering if he would ever see his friends or family again.
"Keep on galloping, Outlander.", one of the humans said to the horse. The man rode on the front of the cage, occasionally whipping the horse when he started to stray from the path. Quad had an idea, "Hey Outlander, where are we going?" "Hush, prisoner!", the horse spoke back.
Song - "The Game" by Lacuna Coil
"Will I just tell you to give up?
No matter how you'll play this game"
They soon arrived at an old arena. As the caravan entered into the ruins, the gates closed behind them. There Quad saw many people on the stone seats, watching him as they let him out of the cage. The stag burst out, hoping to escape, but there wasn't anywhere to go for him. He watched as the humans started to clear out from the arena, and soon saw another cage sitting there, waiting for him.
"You wonder why
Our last goodbye
It's relieving my tears, it's so easy
I won't deny
Life changed my mind"
As they opened the cage, a great jaguar exited the cage, staring at the deer eagerly. Quad did not want to fight, but he started to feel like he had no choice. He then thought there might be a way to convince the other animal to be on his side. Quad was a diplomat after all. "Wait, before you maul me, why don't we think of a way to get out of here? They might keep you captive even if you try to kill me."
Song - "This is where I belong" by Bryan Adams (Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmaron sountrack)
"I hear the wind across the plain
A sound so strong that calls my name
It's wild like the river, it 's warm like the sun
Yeah it's here - this is where I belong"
The jaguar stared back at the herbivore. He began to think back at his old home - a lush jungle, wild like the river and warm like the sun. The carnivore closed his eyes, "You have a plan?", he asked.
Quad nodded, "If you look up there where the stands are, there's a hole we can escape through. The drop isn't far." The jaguar nodded, "Let's go for it.", he said.
Song - "Hit the Lights" by Black Tide
"With all our screaming
We're gonna rip right through your brain
We got the lethal power
It's causing you sweet pain
Oh sweet pain Yeah!"
At that moment, the two animals burst toward their escape route. The humans watching panicked and began to clamor away from where they were running. Some of the humans reached for guns and such on them, but the two were too fast for them to target. "Quick!", Quad shouted, and stopping on the side of the barrier, the jaguar leapt on his back and bounded onto the stands. He landed on one of he guards, biting into his head before continuing. Quad had enough strength in his legs to leap over, and soon he followed the jaguar to the hole in the wall. The two blindly jumped out, and were lucky that a thick underbrush was there to catch their fall. Without planning, the two ran their separate ways, never to see each other again.
Song - "Exitlude" by The Killers
"Aggressively we all defend the role we play
Regrettably time’s come to send you on your way
We’ve seen it all bonfires of trust flash floods of pain
It doesn’t really matter don’t you worry it’ll all work out
No it doesn’t even matter don’t you worry what it’s all about"
He ran as fast as he could. He knew which way he had come, and he wasn't going to worry about getting home, he would make it sooner or later. The biggest concern he had was being followed. He hoped the jaguar would make it back to his home too.
"We hope you enjoyed your stay
It’s good to have you with us, even if it’s just for the day
We hope you enjoyed your stay
Outside the sun is shining, seems like heaven ain’t far away
It’s good to have you with us
Even if it’s just for the day"
He began to think about the humans at the old ruins. What were they doing there? What was the point of watching a jaguar and a deer fight each other? Were there other animals that would have to suffer the same fate? He would ponder this for a long time, and began to think about coming back with greater numbers to maybe shut that place down and keep others from sharing the same fate. That is, if he would ever get home.
Song - "The River" by Live
"It came without warning
A love like I ain't ever felt before
She's like my destiny calling
And she's lying there all naked on the floor
And suddenly, out of the blue she's singin'
Oh, baby, let my lovin' ease your pain
Bring your burnin' skin to my river once again
I'll give you life
Oh, baby, let my lovin' ease your pain tonight"
It had been several hours since his escape. Quad was tired, and deep into the woods, he found a small river. Stopping, he bent down to drink from the rushing water when he saw someone else there. A young doe lay there on the other bank, staring back at him with a smile.
"Come here, baby.", the doe said to him. Quad tilted his head. "'Baby'? Why are you...?", he began to question when he suddenly felt entranced by her. No longer being able to control his legs, he crossed the river and sat down next to the doe.
"Let my lovin' ease your pain.", she said to him. Quad could not reply, he could not tell her that he already had a mate. "I'll give you life.", she continued, and leaning over to kiss him, they both heard someone say, "Get your lips off of my stag!"
Song - "Who says you can't go home" by Bon Jovi
"Who says you can't go home
There's only one place they call me one of their own
Just a hometown boy, born a rolling stone, who says you can't go home
Who says you can't go back, been all around the world and as a matter of fact
There's only one place left I want to go, who says you can't go home"
There standing in the distance was Mazey, Quad's mate. The brown doe broke his trance, and immediately Quad stood and approached his mate, not looking back at the other on the side of the river. "Mazey, it's not what you think.", he tried to say, but the doe smiled, "Quad, it's okay. She's a siren, you couldn't control yourself." The siren doe fled, knowing the other doe would prevent her from a decent meal.
"How did you find me?", Quad asked Mazey. The doe smiled, "Who says you can't go home?", she asked him in reply.
"Well, I...", Quad began to say, but then asked, "How far away are we from the Forest?" "Not far at all. Come on, everyone's been worried about you.", she replied.
The two began to walk back in the direction Mazey came from. Quad escaped two close encounters now on his journey. He was a lucky stag.
Song - "If Today Was Your Last Day" by Nickelback
"My best friend gave me the best advice
He said each day's a gift and not a given right
Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind
And try to take the path less traveled by
That first step you take is the longest stride
If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last
Leave old pictures in the past?
Donate every dime you had, if today was your last day?
What if, what if, if today was your last day?"
The two had walked for a few moments. Quad was so glad to be by Mazey's side. He wondered what things would be like for her if he had died. He then began to wonder what he would do with his life if it was the last day he lived. What would the world have been like without him?
He reflected on the many lives he has encountered through his life - all his friends from the Forest, those he has met outside of his home, including the jaguar he just helped escape earlier... He then thought about his children, Axie and Zephyr. Would they have been alive if he and Mazey never met? What would have happened to them?
"If today was your last day
Would you make your mark by mending a broken heart?
You know it's never too late to shoot for the stars
Regardless of who you are
So do whatever it takes
'Cause you can't rewind a moment in this life
Let nothing stand in your way
'Cause the hands of time are never on your side"
"I've been thinking lately, Mazey.", Quad then said. The doe looked to him curiously. "How would you manage if I had ever died?", he asked. Mazey stopped, "Quad, please don't talk about this. There's not enough time in life to think about death. Just take things a little at a time, don't waste what time you have left in the world." Quad nodded. It wasn't the answer he was looking for, but he knew his doe was wise. He would never bring up the subject again.
Song - "The Misery" by Sonata Arctica
"You steal my only hope and make me stay awake another night,
I wish you bear with me, stay near me
When the Autumn leaves have fallen....
Solitude, my pain, the last thing left of me..
If you fall I’ll catch, if you love I’ll love,
And so it goes, my dear, don’t be scared, you’ll be safe,
This I swear. If you only love me"
The two made it to a clearing. There were more ruins around, stone structures from an old civilization. They stopped to rest, nearly back to the Endless Forest, but nightfall was coming soon. "Let's rest here for the afternoon, my love.", Mazey said to Quad. The stag nodded, and the two sat together in the center of the ruins.
The night sky was clear, and the moon illuminated the area around them. They were perfectly safe there...at least Quad thought so.
Soon Mazey stood and walked a few steps away from him. "What's going on, Mazey?", Quad asked her. The doe lowered her head, "I'm sorry, Quad, but I led you here for a reason.", she replied.
The ground suddenly burst into color. Quad was sitting on a circular seal, he was some kind of sacrifice.
"Don't worry, my dear. Don't be scared, you'll be safe. I swear.", Mazey said to him. "What is it?", Quad tried to say, but he could no longer speak, and soon found his body beginning to disappear. He closed his eyes and rested there, so many questions unanswered. He heard Mazey say one last thing, "Farewell, my love. Go live in peace without the chaos of the world."
Song - "My Sun" by Amorphis
"Slowly turns the key of time
In the lock of promises broken
In mute silence of my space
I crouch under my yearning
Under my yearning
The works of my gods receding now
Evade my grasping hands
Her hair I would long to adorn
With glowing stars
Her brow with shining sun
In silver I would trace
The moonshine of her grace
The shining one"
He felt himself be transported from that place, he traveled into the sky. There he saw another land, a place for great animals who had dome great deeds on Earth. He landed on what was a floating continent, and there the others greeted him kindly. "Come, Quad. Come rest. You've done your share on Earth, now rest here and forget your cares.", the others said. There were many animals there - boars, lions, wolves, antelope, and many others, all living in harmony, all living under the protection of a great deity - the Sun.
Quad raised his head to the glowing orb in the sky. "Please, it's not my time to be here. There is still much to be done.", he said. The others looked at him, "You would reject a life of peace to return to Earth?", they asked. Quad nodded, "Anything to return to my Mazey. There are still things I need to know."
"Very well, but you may never come back here.", they replied. Quad nodded, "Thank you, but my home is the Endless Forest.", he said.
The stag was transported back to the Forest, to his home. There, he waited for Mazey's return. So many questions to ask her...
Quad lowered his head, "How could I refuse the cries of so many on the world for my own personal peace?", he asked himself.
