Voices of the Past

Noelle awoke suddenly, her heart racing from seeing the burst of light from the Wirewood Tree. She looked around - she WAS in The Endless Forest, but there didn't seem to be anyone around. The forest was lit by the dusk sunlight, and little by little it was getting darker. Standing, she called out and listened for a response.

Nothing - the air was completely silent, even the usual sounds of birds and insects seemed to be absent.

She tilted her head, and then started to walk, looking around for a sign of anyone. She didn't really understand what had just happened, and with no one around to talk to, she felt more and more confused.

Noelle stopped and called out again. Her eyes caught a glimpse of something for a moment - she could have sworn she saw a young fawn dart past the trees in the distance. Curiously, she ran that way, calling a third time.

Stopping to catch her breath, she caught something in the corner of her eye. The old ruins were...glowing?

Looking, she confirmed this - small orbs of light floated around the place, all in different colors. Hesitantly, she approached the Ruins.

As she neared, a blue orb drifted toward her, and she heard the faintest sound, "...Noelle?"

That voice, it's..., her senses rose immediately, "Fay, is that you?", she asked.

The reply was hard to hear, but she got a little of the response, "...rrible happened, sister."

"What? What happened?", the doe questioned. Other orbs approached, seeming to be drawn by the presence of the living deer. The greater numbers helped Fay be able to speak clearer, "There was a mass extinction. We don't know how we all died, but...something terrible happened."

"How did she survive?", one of the violet orbs questioned.

"She must be the chosen one.", another answered.

"Fay, what's going on?", Noelle asked her sister's orb. The orb drifted deeper into the ruins, saying, "Follow me."

The doe followed, all the orbs seeming to surround her and illuminating the Ruins while the rest of the Forest was dark. There wasn't even moonlight this night.

In the center of the Ruins was a great platform. There, Noelle stood on it, and the orbs collected before her. She looked down at the old stone, and was surprised to see her own pictogram carved below her feet.

"You are the one to set us free, Noelle.", Fay's orb said to her.

"How do I do it?", the doe asked.

"Just...", one of the other orbs began to say, and at once, Noelle began to glow a brilliant white. She felt her spirit separate from her body, and at last, a lone white orb hovered above her own body. The orb watched as her body rested on the stone, curling up in a sleeping position and vanishing before her eyes.

"The last of the Endless Forest deer will be the one to lead us to the next life.", the orbs said.

"I'm right here with you, Noelle.", Fay's orb said.

The white orb drifted to the sky, followed closely by the blue sister orb. Soon, the others drifted away as well.

Is this really the end of our home...the end of the Endless Forest?, Noelle thought.

"Perhaps...and perhaps not.", a voice replied.

The doe sat up, she was in her body again, but was in a different place than before. The golden sunlight blinded her for a moment. "Who are you?", she asked.

Standing before her were two deer, their pelts shining a brilliant golden color. "We are your gods, Noelle.", Auriea replied.

The doe's heart froze for a moment, as she clamored to her hooves and bowed to them, "I'm sorry, I didn't recognize...", she began, but Michael interrupted, "No need to apologize. You only experienced a vision. But, to answer your question, those events may come to pass, or they may not. It all depends on the deer themselves.", he said.

"I don't understand...", Noelle began to say, but the gods smiled, "You will soon enough."

They vanished at once, and before the doe were some of the other deer from the Forest, who had their own visions. There Noelle met up with Sithrim, Seed, Taliene, and Kahlan, and the five began to discuss their personal experiences.

The end of this chapter...