It was dawn in the forest. The sky was a pinkish orange, littered with small wispy clouds, that were so typical of the early morning.

It was a peaceful scene. Birds chirped in the trees, and the crickets sang their last few songs, many of the forest’s deer were starting to wake from there slumber to go about their daily routine, all except one.

A small black doe had lain awake all the night before. As the sun slowly made its way into the sky, it illuminated her face and made it obvious she had spent her night in tears.

Tears were a common sight on her cold but beautiful face. Night Shade lay flat on her side in the dewy grass, her swollen belly rose up and down gently with each breath she took.

Her ears flicked back and fourth taking in every little sound in the forest as she tried to rest her tired body. The doe was approaching her fifth month of pregnancy and she was beginning to have difficulties.

She was not new to this. She had birthed one fawn before. He was born perfectly healthy and despite the normal pains of birth she had made it through his as easy as one could hope for considering the circumstances.

His name was Sariel. He grew to be a handsome young stag. He grew a bit too fast for her, but she was very proud of him and for awhile it seemed he would be the only fawn she would ever have.

Night had two problems when it came to bearing a fawn.
One she was uncharacteristically small for her breed, a major flaw in her genetics and two the father of both fawns was a demon.

Night's small size would have made bearing a normal fawn difficult, but a demon's fawn was harder on her. They proved more demanding.

During her first pregnancy she was driven to eat things unnatural to her diet to sustain the fawn that grew within her.

She took up hunting small game such as rabbits and squirrels and even the occasional frog. These things were beneficial to the fawn but not her.

A doe walked down a hidden trail one morning, listening to the birds call overhead, enjoying the gentle fog. As she walked, she didn't realize that she had stepped into a spider's web, knocking it down with her head. Shaking her face to get the fine silk off, she then saw a little spider that looked back up at her. "Why did you destroy my home?", the spider asked.

The doe bowed her head, "I'm so sorry, I never saw it there.", she admitted.

"That's okay. I can rebuild it. But please watch where you are going next time.", the spider said, and starting over, began to create a new web. The doe stayed and watched the spider work, each string of silk being connected in a beautiful form of architecture. She reflected on the spider, who was a creature that often was feared and hated, but here was humble and determined. The doe had much more respect for spiders as the finishing touches were put onto the web.

"Oh, this is a beautiful home!", the doe said to the spider when its work was complete.

The spider rested in the center of the web and replied, "Beauty is always around us. Sometimes we just don't see it until it's too late."

Here you lay, silenced after years of life. You were once strong, healthy, beautiful...

Well, to some eyes, you still are very beautiful, in your own way.

Who were you before? Were you kind? Brave? Stubborn? Wild?

How did you die? I would hope you passed with little pain...

Here you rest, your bones are all that remain of your life. You gave them as a tribute to nature.

How would you like me to reflect? What do you wish for me to do?

You are honored this day, not as one who has lost their life...



...but as one who has become part of the land itself.

I just got my dream on the endless forest today! This is the first time I've ever seen the BZD in the game before and I am soooooo happy that I finally can have a skull mask! but, does the zombie deer ever get up and walk around? I would find that really cool if that would happen. that was soooooooooo AWSOME!! soorry...sometimes I freak out a little to much about a little thing like this. I just think its soooooo cool! OH I totally forgot! THANKEE chickenwhite for the adoptable! Its so cute and adorable! I'll have it on my account in no time!


THANKS!!!