INTRODUCTION
It's been a few days since I've done one of these so I picked something from the forest to study. This time, La went to De Drinkplaats and did quite a bit of shapeshifting while I wrote down the animals and their animations. I decided to look at these animals in myth (particularly Christian and European myth, although other places' legends were considered).
Most of you probably know a lot about these animals, so I'm trying to write only the things that are interesting or that you might not know, and I only have so many books.
I have also decided to add some anecdotal evidence, as I have had more than my fair share of animal dealings and I really enjoy bragging. For instance, I have held a three-toed sloth (it was like a backpack--it just grabbed me and stayed there), untangled a hawk (my falconer friend was out of town so I fed his hawks. One had tangled itself up, so I untangled it) and been attacked by a playful leopard cub (zoo camp).
DEER
I'm sure most of you looked up stuff about deer when you joined the site. I sure did, so I'll keep it brief.
The earliest Cervid lived almost 16 million years ago. Notable prehistoric Deer are Megaloceros and Eucladoceros. I think we have a few living in The Endless Forest, though they no longer inhabit the human world.
Deer meat is called venison, and it is delicious. I do not hunt deer myself because I have generally had good dealings with them, but I have a friend who hunts one deer every year and eats the entire thing. I have a dislike for hunters who kill for sport, but I have no issue with people who hunt for food.
In the united states, there are about one and a half million deer-car crashes every year. Deer kill about 150 humans per year and do over a billion dollars in property damage. My grandmother has issues with deer sneaking into her yard to eat her plants.
