"The Forest Looks After Its Own"

kiwara's picture


The shadows of the pit started to coalesce, twisting and forming into pale, glittering bone and shredded skin. A snout emerged from the shadows first, nothing but bare bone and ivory teeth; strips of skin. Rotting, matted fur and glimmering eyes followed, haloed in a majestic crown of thorns. In the span of a blink the beast formed at the bottom of the stair, head bowed and neck arched, tendons strengthening in brittle legs and lungs rasping in the holes of an exposed windpipe. A basket formed as it did, hung snuggly on the lower jaw, between two sets of teeth. It was comically large; unwieldy. Yet, the stag attempted it all the same.

You sure this is the right choice? An ear twitched at the voice, but he ignored it. Hooves clattered up the stone stair, echoing off the columns and various rubble, greeting him as he labored up the last step and into the shell of the Ruins. There’s nothing special about this one. There’s been ones that died worse deaths.

This one didn’t die.” He rasped back, voice gravelly, projected in a hiss though no tongue or lips were visible. He shot a glance at the basket then, head tilting slightly as he seemed to study the outline of the shape in there, tucked under a blanket with nothing but a quivering ear visible. The voice didn’t respond. No, he thought back vehemently, this one didn’t die. This one could be saved, sheltered. Just as others had been.

How many of the ones you saved before appreciate it? The voice took on a honey sweet note, pulling up the faces of the ones he had brought back, the ones that had been lost either way. You muck things up by doing this.

He ignored that, a retort being bitten back, shame and guilt dowsed by a sense of righteousness. For the ones he lost, the others had flourished. This one…this one would be fine. Had to be. And if not… he glanced at the little strip of quivering ear, wishing he could take the child back with him. But no. This first. This attempt first. He’d do best here…. And if not...he’d try again…find a guardian. He skirted them around trees and the worst of the shrubs, calmly plunging them through flower patches and flocks of butterflies. Perhaps he should have picked a better form for this, an oversized crow or -ironically- a giant white dove. But no, there’d be no need for that. The child wouldn’t remember him, and no one would see him if he could help it. The stag stalled next to a log, carefully setting the basket down. His eyes swept over the log, the basket, then out at the rest of the quiet forest.

You’ll be okay, Little One.” He whispered, glancing down at the bundle under the blanket, the black plush kitten he had given it, the shawl he had wrapped around the tiny bundle as some sort of safety blanket. “You’ll be safe here.” A long pause as he glanced around them, then down at the trembling little ear. “You will. The Forest looks after its own.

Another look at the fawn and the stag slowly turned and stalked away; tendons, skin and muscle melting into obscurity.




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Crazy nervous about doing this... In case it wasn't clear, this is the entrance/rp blog/ maybe future bio of my new little guy. This is the space where your characters can interact with him, though he probably won't react...cause...traumatized little baby. Ref to come! For right now it's safe to assume he's a mostly gray tef faced fawn with a burn across his face, a constant tremor- neurological issues- and a burned squinty little left eye. He's wrapped in a pretty shawl, nearly completely covered in a blanket and has a big black kitten plushie he's tucked up against. You can move him! Just let me know so I can move him too. Negative interactions welcome, so long as it's not like...trying to kill him. Characters encouraged to call him what they will. Interact here, on my skype or discord. This'll be sort of like...a little log for myself and him of those he's interacted with in his first time coming into the forest. Feel free to leave him something, sit with him, on him, move him, spit at him whatever you want to do. ^^ Best viewed on a wide screen.



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phantomhelsing's picture

ohhhh I am invested in this

ohhhh I am invested in this already, I might have a character to throw at him, if you want haha <3
kiwara's picture

Yes please! that's what

Yes please!

that's what this blog is here for
Avatar © Squeegie & Siggy © Caiir + other

(No subject)

<3 <3 <3 yas
phantomhelsing's picture

awesome

awesome <3

sorry I'm just a very nervous person, especially using a new character haha |D

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Neirin was never one to meddle.

When he'd arrived in the woods a few days prior, he'd decided that he was here to observe and record, no butting his nose into anyone's business or getting in the way. Yet today he thought he might change his mind. Neirin didn't took into account that fate might place something in his path where he might need to meddle a little bit.
The spiritfolk was setting up shop in a corner of the Ruins, sorting a few books and charts, when he suddenly felt a slight chill down his spine. As a cleric, he had a certain sense for particular magic and beings, and there was most definitely Something there with him. Neirin's curiosity beat out his trepidation and he peeked out from the old building. He could have sworn he saw something, or someone over by the fallen logs outside the Ruins. His ears perked up as he carefully stepped out to investigate.

When he reached the old logs, there was no scent or sight or spine-tingling chill left of whatever he'd sensed, yet there was something else left there. A basket, innocuous at first glance, but a slight movement suddenly made the bottom of Neirin's stomach drop out in gut-wrenching dread. A child, trembling with either cold or fear beneath a warm shawl. Most disturbing however, was a burn across their face that made the cleric hiss through his teeth in empathy. He looked around for signs of anyone, and finding none, considered the small child still quivering beneath the shawl. Neirin decided something with a quick nod meant only for himself offered the small comfort he was able to give.
"I'm not a doctor," he said, adjusting the prayer beads on his forelegs, "I'm not capable of healing major wounds, nor am I capable of erasing any damage, but a small hymn might soothe your spirit a little, even just for a night." It began as a quiet hum, then a soft and lilting melody. There were no discernible words, only a song of spirit and light. As the ancient hymn rose, a white light enveloped Neirin's forelegs, and he reached over to the basket, allowing his prayer beads to dangle over the small form, light enveloping it softly. The hymn lasted a little more than a minute, and when it was over Neirin sagged a little, eyes slightly weary. "Now...ha...any better?" he panted, adjusting his posture back to it's poised state, "a small nod or shake of your head will suffice, you do not have to speak."
Ebony3's picture

The small creature tilts Its

The small creature tilts Its head and listens hard - It can hear most things, the different sound of birch tree leaves fluttering a mile off, the gurgle of the stream at Its back and...something else further in the first forest. Something with a heartbeat, something scared, something scarred. Even from here the Idol Spirit can almost catch the smell of smoke and the crackle of burning wood the ruin trees are whispering about. The grass tells It of a seed of somesort, wrapped around a small life - near the unrotting logs that the creature had never seen Itself. It calls the butterflies from the poppies and sends them over, blind face tilting as though It's following their journey. A small smile shimmers as the butterflies finally find their target, It's pretty sure they have anyway, even through the butterflies It can't see very well.

"Should be close enough though, ey? Think Ird can find that right-o..."" It mummers to Itself, trying Its best to be convincing. It really isn't though...Ird has never been past the great humming tree in Its lifetime. So much time wasted...so much time...It shakes its head as if It will shake away those old regrets. Nothing can be helped now after all - It's lost its sight a long while ago and now will never know the area outside of the pond well. "Maybe I can..? I went with E that one time..but what if Ird get lost then? How gonna get back?" There were so many things that could go wrong, but the Idol Spirit finds themselves thing about the eggs that had rested in the pond breifly - company, someone that they can sit next to. Someone who did not know them from the before time when Its back was still fresh with life and Its antlers dripped with poppy flowers. Someone who would not pity the ghost Ird had become.

The eggs were gone soon you know... It knew. It'd still sat with them and cleaned up the messes. And...It missed them. Missing was lonely, the forest was lonely - no one knew It was still here. Sometimes Ird didn't even know if It was still here. So....that meant... "I'm going!" It announces firmly to no one in particular. "Gonna go right now! Before Ird changes Ird's mind! I'm a going and no one's stopping It!" Off they go, tripping over uneven ground, bouncing into trees, podding It's slow, ponderous way around the forest. There's tree stumps the plants don't tell It about, stones It can't talk to and deer that can't see It. Even the butterflies aren't very helpful - they're too excited about being called to stick to one path.

Somehow It ends up back at the pond. Really? It exclaims loudly and pounds It's little hooves into the ground in frustration. It tries again and hours later, sets foot in the first forest for the first time in Its life. Everything sounds different, there are new trees here, amazing! And It can hear murmurs of something, something that sounds like it used to be alive once - many, many things in fact! Sounds a bit like stone too, old stone carved into...what were they called? Grave stones! It scoots around, face planting after tripping over a mushroom circle before pulling Itself up again. Where was the little one? It asks around for the fallen ones - finally getting a tip off from a rabbit. It follows and gets to the 'seed' the grass told It about.

"Oh well hey, Ird's here and all and just wanted to say hey yea?" It exclaims, craning its skinny neck to uselessly peer into the cradle. In actuallity he's just staring at a patch of grass next to the cradle. "Well uh, the trees were right that you sorta smell like smoke and that kinda scared them a little but you ain't flames though. Poor kiddo, you're probably a second chancer like Ird was huh?" It babbles, wandering around the craddle and running in the logs with a muffled oof noise. "Well, Ird been pretty lonely and thought you musta been kinda scared because of how you mighta got here and hey! Ird's lonely too so..hiked all the way out a here and now gonna just sit here awhile cause..." The small being breaks off and smiles embarassedly. "Ird don't really know how to get back ya? So...oh and Ird ain't scary, Ird promises - just kinda looks that way ok? SO don't'cha worry 'bout that ok? Cause Ird just lonely right and gonna keep ya company yes." It beams in the child's general direction and settles down, keeping up a long stream of one-sided conversation about what the forest's been telling It these days.
Oh, I'm just a girl, trying to find a place in this world.