The Tale rests below… Care to listen?

Lycha – The Healer…

Sunlight filtered through the trees and onto my closed eyelids. I gave a small annoyed groan, wishing the sun would sink back into the ground just a little longer. Did I fall asleep on a pinecone? Something keeps poking into my side. I shuffled a bit but the irritating thing remained in tact. Steadily the uncomfortable feeling started pulling me out of sleep, but as I grew more conscious, the irritation turned to sharp pain.

Memories of the previous night flooded my head and I bolted upright, only to fall back down, my head plopping down onto hard earth. I winced and squinted one eyelid at the sore bruises and cuts. For a moment I lay there, just trying to gather myself, and then I slowly lifted my battered head and peered at my flank. I expected blood and the sight of my own bones. I got neither.

My pelt was still its dark blue color. Draped over my wounds were lichen plants. I cautiously sniffed my injuries. They had been licked clean. I glanced up at my antlers and frowned. It was an odd thing for a doe to have large antlers, but I wore them with pride. Now they were lopsided and broken. One major prong had been cracked and torn off and the weight on my head was leaning to my right side.

It took me a moment before I realized that a sickening smell hung in the air. Around me I could see them. The Nameless. Their bodies: torn to scraps. Scattered remains of somewhat recognizable parts littered and trashed the forest floor. I should be horrified, disgusted, scarred to the point of no repair. I was – when I first saw this, that is. This was not an unusual scene for me and certainly not the first time I saw it.

I’ve seen the remains of battlefields in my travels. The Nameless would hunt in packs and take down some poor deer, and once they had successfully brought down their victim, they’d turn on each other. There were, after all, dozens of Nameless, and only one name. They’d stop seeing each other as companions and start seeing them as competition. I suddenly wondered if the deer were lucky to have died before seeing the bloody battle. From what I could pick up, the Nameless would literally tear each other limb from limb so that when the Unnamed Souls were ejected from the bodies, they couldn’t just go back in. As heartless as it sounds, I could see the logic in it. Maybe they weren’t the completely mindless creatures I thought they were.

I flexed my muscles and grimaced. My legs felt bruised and tired and my stomach felt full of holes. But… I was gratefully, miraculously, confusingly alive. By some grace of the Twin Gods I have survived. Perhaps the Nameless ended up killing every one of themselves before they could finish me off and steal my name?

I heard a footstep. Maybe someone else finished them off instead. I bared my teeth in a snarl. But I was no wolf – or Nameless for that matter. My teeth were flat and unimposing, but what else was I supposed to look intimidating with?

I stared at one tree in particular, feeling that it was staring back at me. It wasn’t long before a nose revealed itself, followed by a slender face. She was a young doe; around my age, probably younger. Her fur was dappled with different shades of golden-brown color and the fur around her eyes was light blue. The same color as the eye-fur were small antlers, no bigger than her head; purple flowers and vines draped over them.

The doe and I stared each other down for a long while, studying each other. My thoughts went back to the lichen over my wounds. Perhaps she had mended me. I flicked my ears down at my hide and gave a quick glance to the lichen that covered my punctures. She seemed to understand and gave a slight nod. I relaxed a bit and gave a toss of my head to let her know she could approach.

She seemed hesitant at first, and gave me a quick onceover before gaining confidence and trotting over. She seemed like a very shy and sweet doe. I was certain she wasn’t a disguised Nameless (a Nameless who had successfully stolen a name). During our stare down I had looked into her eyes long enough to know that her name was her own. Plus, what reason would a Nameless have for caring for me when I was so weak and vulnerable?

Her previous caution gone, the doe plopped down right next to me and began licking where the deepest cuts were. I tensed at first, but relaxed as the rhythmic strokes soothed my nerves. I suddenly felt like a fawn, being watched over and cared for by its mother. Or, I imagine at least. I can’t remember my mother, or father for that matter. I know she was kind and sweet, but I don’t remember more than that. However, that’s beside the point.

Time passed and I had nodded off into sleep. I didn’t try to fight it. At the moment, I would not be able to run if a Nameless appeared and the more I rested the quicker I’d heal. Eventually I woke again when the sun was at its highest. I licked my nose. I was so thirsty. I wanted water. Shuffling uncomfortably, I tried to think of other things.

“… You are awake?”

The voice made me freeze and lay still like a fawn hiding in grass. The gold-dappled doe came into view, her lichen-colored eyes concerned.

“Do you feel better?” She asked. “I hope that you are healing alright. Excuse me for not introducing myself before. My name is Lycha. What is yours?”

My eyes narrowed. I stared hard at the doe and refused to speak.

Calusa – The Blooming Rose…

Calusa pranced through the forest, a group of fawns following, their heads and ears held high. The doe felt as if she walked across the sky. Her companion’s younglings had begun to follow her whenever she appeared. Adventure and curiosity sparked in their eyes, looking in wonder at the strange parts of the forest Calusa led them through.

Many moons had passed since the Twin Gods descended from the stars to grace the deer with their presence. The sights and sounds and feelings had not wavered in Calusa’s mind and stayed ever-present in her thoughts. For days and months she learned the secrets of the forest. She knew many were still unknown to her, but a sense of accomplishment settled through her.

She took the fawns to many secret places they had not yet seen. A tree that hummed with the forest, an idol whose tears never stopped, the strange rings of mushroom that lay scattered throughout the forest.

Calusa looked over her shoulder at the curious fawns. She could see the excitement in their eyes, their anticipation, just waiting for something new to happen. The iridescent doe smiled to herself. I was not like this before. I did not captivate their attention. I have much to learn still. I have only brought joy to these younglings, who have not seen much of the world.

The gentle thrumming of many tiny hooves added to the forest ambiance. Calusa closed her eyes for a moment, the Twin Gods spectacular scene still danced across her eyelids. Determination flared through her once more and she broke into a run, the fawn following her lead.

I want to bring happiness to all my loved ones. Power surged through her as she cleared a fallen log in one bound. I must learn the secrets of the forest. The fawns raced side-by-side with her, bliss echoing their entirety as the wind brushed their faces.

I will become a God.

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