(Read part one here: http://www.endlessforest.org/community/beginning .)

It was midday and two fawns frolicked through the violets on the path that led to the playground. The larger fawn went first, head held high, drinking in the fresh forest air, his tail twitching with excitement. Where the violet thinned out into yellow grass, he spun around and let out a playful roar. The lighter fawn, who had paused to soak in the sunlight as it filtered through the branches, pricked her ears at his roar and skipped over to him.

"What's the rush?" she asked.

"There's never any rush, according to you. If I wasn't around, you probably wouldn't make it to the playground until sundown, and then it'd be time to go home." He shook his body head to tail and spun around again, looking over his shoulder. "Come on. I'll race you!"

Without giving her a chance to protest, he bounded away through the grass. The young doe only hesitated a moment. Then, with a small hop, she was racing lightly after him.

The two friends skidded to a halt as the half-buried boulders loomed before them. A brief silence fell upon them as they gazed up in awe at the highest peak. The doe walked forward and pressed her cheek gently against the base of the rock. It was cool, as if the sun's rays did not reach this far down its stony mass. She guessed the top would be warmer. A scraping sound made her look to her right, and she saw her friend scrambling up one of the smaller boulders. A smile slowly spread across her face. She trotted over to join him, leaping nimbly onto the small rock and widening her stance to steady herself as she landed. She laughed when she saw her friend's surprised expression and leaped easily away onto the next rock and the next, making her way up to the peak.

Raise your hand if it's 1 am and you're too lazy to format?
-raises hand-

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He heard it before he saw it.
Twice in one day.
This was a record for annoyance.

He only glanced back for a half second before his nostrils were assaulted by the putrid scent of violets. Rhys stood up shaking his head violently to clear the spots and remove the offending blossoms. He eyed the surrounding trees with some contempt before he laid back down.

His rest was interrupted again as he tried to close those eyes for a second time.
He raised his head scanning the treeline and growled softly under his breath.
Damn children.
They would be the death of him.

He sneezed violently a few times and took for the air. He defied the bounds of gravity and rested effortlessly in the treetops. It was silent and even the birds would hush their songs when he was near. You'd never know such a large deer could be so light on his feet, but for all of his extra pounds he soared.

Finally....
peace!

Rhys let out a relaxed sigh and laid down his head until he smelled it again.
Closer this time.
....
He raised his head and peered over his shoulder.
A skull and crossbones hovered inches from his face and the large garish imp mask rested lightly on his back.
"PSST...hey mister...FLOWERS!!"

Rhys groaned and laid back down his head.
It never ended.
He did his best to ignore the tiny dancing hooves on his back and glared down at any passing deer, just daring at them to comment.

Little bastard was persistent.
___________________________________________________________________________________
For Marcaello
Now stop raping my deer with tussie-mussie.
He likes flowers, just not on his head.
Seriously kid, watch your back or Rhys'll fat on you.

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

This has been posted in the community before, but I thought I would bring it up again to make y'all smile.

*pokes everyone*

Alright well I wanted to pick up a graphic novel for an upcoming 5-week long trip I gotta take in May. My brother has a couple of them already, but I wanted to try to find something neat to read (we're taking vans and traveling from Alabama to Texas, then to New Mexico, and then to Arizona).

My brother already has Watchmen, so I don't need that mentioned. Already know that's a good one. But basically, anyone have a recommendation for a good graphic novel?

I'm willing to read any style (American, Japanese, ect.), and I like pretty much anything. Feel free to ask me what kind of themes and stuff I like if you need help recommending something.

This story picks up after cineri gloria sera venit

If you are just coming in now you can see the rest of the story here

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The time had flown since that fight. It was hard to believe that close to two weeks had already passed.

Kita stayed close to Seshi as much as she possibly could, monitored how his condition had been. Since that fight with the nameless worry had plagued her mind, constantly thinking back to how Furfur had told her of his death the first time. It had been due to the fact that Seshi had been diseased, he was killed the first time.

The blood of the nameless had been passed into Seshi, that would mean that the disease had been also. Kita trembled and tilted her head to look back toward her side at the smiling mask that lay on the ground tied again around her neck.

She looked up from where she lay among the flowers, toward her stag as he played with his fawn. She smiled weakly, studying his movements. A sigh escaped from her lips, head lowering a tiny bit as she watched.

His movements were slow, he had to take long breaks between games. She could tell that he was running low on energy, she prayed that it was just the season. Spring was a lazy time for stags, when they could regrow their antlers and such, maybe that was why.

She lifted her head slowly as he nuzzled Finata and turned to walk back to her. She smiled weakly "Hey, how are you feeling?" she asked softly as he turned around, laying himself down beside her body.

AHAHA alright so. My school is doing the Hurley Walk the Walk competition which basically means like thirty of us are busting our asses to make some awesome shit. We just finished out first video challenge, and our school is tiny, so when it goes up we're uncertain about how many votes we're gonna get. :\ I think the vote goes up tomorrow, so please, please stop buy and toss us your vote? It would be greatly appreciated. And we're beast. :3 We're First Flight High School. I'll bump when it goes up.

VOTE VOTE VOTE LAWL

Just wanted to share some funny pictures of Brandy:





*edit* Two more of her doing this thing:






Here's some older ones of Brand (and one of Boo) :








Best pic of Boo ever

"Hello, my name is Finata.
About 2 months ago you tried to end my life.
Do you think I would forget?
Do you think I would give you the chance to harm my friend Varius?"

The small stag eyed the large female with pure contempt. She was intent on going after one of the only friends he had. Varius didn't know any better. He was foolishly trusting of anyone. He would tie roses to Bylah's antlers if he thought it'd bring about a smile.

He growled lowly and placed himself between the harlot and his close friend. How badly he wished that Kalpita was there to defend him. His larger protector could send any deer scurrying away when she turned those curved points on them. Yet this time...No he was alone. Trying in vain alone to keep the one who scarred his childhood body forever form striking out again.

It might not be today.
It might not be tomorrow.
but soon he knew she would lash out against another.
Finata would be there every time to put himself between a loved one and that doe.

The pretty face did nothing to hide the monster underneath from him. He saw it on the third of January when he strolled too close and she unleashed the hellish fury upon him. A mere child and she struck him multiple times with the intense fury of one willing to drag an innocent to hell.

He growled warningly as the doe turned her back on him and walked away.
No. She did not recognize this scarred and bloody face.
But she would get to know it intimately if she went after one of his close friends again.
He saw past her facade. Past her haughty little laugh and taunting smile.

Sure, make him seem like the bad guy for pushing his friend from her clutches.
He knew better. He would always know better.
You don't forget your first nightmare.

He heard them before they first spoke up. The hesitant baby steps. The scrambling hooves on rock. The young ones. He despised them, but sometimes education was necessary.