The chirping from behind her was making her more agitated - and fearful. The voice was controlled, but she could feel the panic of its source behind her. The figure behind her bumped her rump again, pushing her forward. She looked ahead to see the other two individuals in front of her; she could see the panic crawling along their skin, causing the muscles beneath the thin surface to ripple and tense in response.
Is there anyplace safe for us anymore?
The baying of hounds closing in smothered that thought instantly. The bumping on her rump ceased; instead, she felt teeth along her neck - tiny pinpricks that held her tight. Immediately, her body went limp, giving into an instinct never quite extinguished. The figure raced between the other two figures, its breathing ragged, agitated. The two smaller figures picked up the pace more, but it wasn't long before the baying was accompanied by the sound of footsteps pounding the earth below.
We're not...gonna get away.
Without another second, she felt her body being thrown; she felt weightless in that moment. For a moment, she thought she was dreaming, and she imagined a haven, a place of safety. They could never touch her -
SPLASH!
Her body collided with the shallow water, and she gasped, the wind knocked out of her briefly. She felt someone tugging on her tail; she turned to see one of the small figures pulling her into a shelf of the river covered by long grass. The two huddled around her, but not before she looked up to see the larger figure being bombarded by the hounds. The figure shrieked and yelped in both pain and sheer aggression. Its body was but a blur as it fought the hounds, blood and fur sailing through the air.
Inspired by patron Saints and assorted mythologies, I've started to play around with ideas for what the patrons of Endless Deer would be like. This blog will contain art and short stories featuring these entities. If you have an idea for a patron saint feel free to mention it!
Above from left to right: Patron of Sparring (and other manly endeavors). Patron of Narrow Escapes (trickster of hunters). Patrons of Play (the twins).
Above from left to right: Patron of Plenty. Patron of Motherhood (The Grand Mother).
The Emperor of Night
He weaves through the forest,
Piercing the night with bright screech.
Fireflies scatter at his approach
And rise to reveal the moon of his face,
The icy space distance of his eyes.
Ruler of night, emperor of dusk:
His hoofsteps make the sound of beating wings
And leave a blood-red trail of feathers
At dawn, the border of his realm.
It was a day like any other for Echo. She woke up, blinking her luminous blue eyes. They shone through her mask like stars in the night. With a luxurious stretch, the silver-pelted doe stood up and glanced around. The blue and green feathers atop her head, which took the place of antlers, waved in the breeze. With a sigh of utter contentment, Echo set off with a trot to the Pond.
"Echo!" came a voice through the trees. Echo spun around to see her friend Sugar cantering towards her. They greeted each other with a nuzzle and settled down next to each other.
"So what's on the agenda today?"
Echo thought for a moment, and then replied, "The usual. A little frolicking, a little dancing, a little sleeping..."
The two friends laughed. As simple as these activities seemed, they never got old. Especially when you were doing them with a friend. Echo traced her hoof in the water absently and listened to the sounds of the frogs, and the birds, and the cicadas...
"Wait..." Echo's ears pricked up, and she listened hard. But to her surprise, she didn't hear a thing. It was dead silent in the forest, besides Sugar's chattering.
"And then I was like, WOAH. Don't you dare wave that stick towards m-"
"Sugar, be quiet for a moment and listen." Sugar pricked her ears up, and shook her head.
"I don't hear a thing!"
Echo looked around nervously. "Exactly."
Just as Echo was about to stand up, rain started to fall from the sky. The two friends shrieked and ran for cover. In the darkness of the Old Oak, the silence was even more worrying than before. Sugar and Echo curled into each other for warmth, and waited the storm out.
"This weather is so abnormal for the forest...it's ALWAYS sunny here..." mumbled Echo, mostly to herself.
She looked at Sugar for reassurance, but was surprised to see a look of shock on her face.
"Sugar, what's...oh my gosh..."
Echo trailed off, staring in the same direction as Sugar.
