Woke to rain in the Forest. Found Ross and was dragged over to a herd - surprised to see so many deer in one place. Ross asked if he was going to spar. Asked what he meant, and only received a cheeky 'Watch' for an answer before Rossamund hopped over to a tall stag in the middle of the herd. A bit startled when they started to tussle, but compared to other fights he's seen it was pretty benign. Not exactly playful, but not really a fight either. Huh.
Got inspected by Ryff in the meantime, not sure what to make of the encounter. Deer everywhere ahmg what do. More interested in watching Ross and Lucchaine for the moment. After the Myling got back, asked what the point of the game was and got shoved into the sparring ring so to speak. Took his turn with Lucchaine and seemed to win the stag's approval; was invited to sit with the herd. Hung out with Ross and the rest of the deer for a couple of hours until Ross dozed off and he got restless again.

Found Circe next, with a deer he wasn't too familiar with but had seen in the distance with Tsabhi (Ronra). Figured it was a friend. Puzzled and a little riled by her desire to get up behind him to sniff; bristled, but aside from keeping his front to her as much as possible, didn't do much about it. Hopped around with Circe briefly, but spotted a big crowd a little ways off and went to say hi to Jhorla, who was among them. Inspected Idelle, who seemed to be Jhorla's friend. Hopped and skipped around, feeling showy for whatever reason, and drew Jhorla into some sparring. Roughhoused with her for a while, joined by Rota for a bit. Explosive energy everywheres!
Kept a wary eye on the deer who seemed to be guarding the herd, who seemed to be giving him the same sideways glances, but nobody did much else.
Ran over to Indi for quick snuggles during the antics, approved when Jhorla came over to say hi too. Then they were off causing chaos again.

At some point spotted Circe nearby and went to drag her into the fun. Soon had a VRY ANGREH RONRA on his butt, and gladly accepted the challenge. He's allowed to play with Circe! And apparently the Forest is into spars now so why not.
Started out pretty lighthearted, but quickly got drawn into the scuffle when Ronra started getting more serious. Pushing and shoving turned into running and kicking and antlering, and a couple experimental swings of his mask's tusks. Quickly learned to wait for Ronra to charge in, then turn and buck at her face while she lowered her antlers. Missed most of the time, but feet in your face is scary yo and that's the point. Of course, this also meant he got run over by the bulkier deer sometimes. Made the mistake of letting her clash with him head on more than once - ouch. Started trying to sneak around behind after that.

Eventually the two drew apart. Wasn't entirely sure who won or what got won, especially when Circe went to inspect them both - and inadvertently started Round 2, FIGHT - but at that point Roh was starting to get tired and didn't want the big bad to smush him, so things didn't last half as long.

Snuck a nuzzle to Circe when she next came to check on him, and ran away almost as soon as he touched her because he guessed 200% right that RONRA WAS BREATHING UP HIS BUTT AS SOON AS HE DID IT HELLO RONRA. Cackled once the charging lion had stopped, which only made her more mad. Ohwell.
Except then she was all over Jhorla and Idelle. Oh HAEEElllll naw.
Jumped between them and chased Ronra around a bit until she went away.
Okay, bro. We're even. Gtfo. >/
w/e Circe, check u latr gurl.

Squished himself between Idelle and Jhorla, quite content to have a lovely lady on each arm (and to be sandwiched between two warm bodies in the rain!). Hung out with them for the remainder of the evening, until both girls had departed. Still not fully understanding the whole Rut thing, but feeling oddly fulfilled and exhilarated. Took shelter beneath the Oak and dozed.

Set out to find some more bucks to be rowdy with.
Ended up collecting his sister and a not-judge with a boyfriend.
In a non-rut zone.

*koff*


Found the Forest cloaked in a lovely twilight today. As much as he enjoyed the mud wrestling yesterday, the pretty atmosphere was a nice change. Also pleasantly surprised to have Abhiri come bounding up to him; much sister snuggles and hopping.
Then Jhorla came thundering in, too; much running and jumping!
Abhiri got winded a few times and had to sit down, but the small group's antics didn't slow too much. Somehow made their way to the playground. Roh climbed up the sloping stone and hopped his way across the rest, albeit a bit clumsily. Cheered on Abhiri when she did the same, and had a bit of a laugh at her second-guessing starts and stops as she prepared to leap the last gap. Celebrated a bit when she cleared it before settling down, expecting to be able to enjoy the view with his companions.
The girls had other ideas, though, and Rohit soon found himself surrounded by dancing hooves. Stumbled up and chased after his sister some more and gave Jhorla some raspberries while she wasn't paying enough attention, and then the group settled down for real. Not sure why Jhor tried to use his head as a chair but okay if you say so.

Abhiri got up to go look at something. Noticed Jhorla had snuck off, too. Followed after Abhiri and noticed some scuffling going on not too far away; got closer to watch a big red stag (Gustiro) go after one of the deer from the day before. Inspected Emmy while the big guys duked it out (she didn't seem terribly interested in letting him close though), then joined Jhorla to watch the show while Abhiri went and socialized with some of the mingling judges. Then noticed Gus had taken a sudden interest in his sister. NOPE.
Charged in to give the bull a good kick as he dashed by, and drew Gus's attention away from Abhiri. Not really sure what to do with it after that, but figured he'd gotten that far, may as well jump in all the way.



Tried to stay out of the way of Gustiro's tremendous antlers while still landing a few blows of his own here and there. Lots of running in circles resulted, as well as a few good bashes from the bull. Tried out his mask's tusks again, but totally missed amid all the dodging in and out. Distantly aware of Abhiri freaking out and a number of eyes on the pair as they squared each other up. Recognized he'd gotten in over his head (FOR HIS SISTER'S HONOR!!1) and considered backing down when Rossamund came into view behind Gus. When the big bull turned to regard the newcomer, took the opportunity to charge. Worked in tandem with Ross and made quick work of sending Gustiro packing.

Exhilarated with their joint victory; would've high-fived the other buck if they'd had hands, but as it was made do with some manly chest bumps and nuzzles. Because greeting nuzzles are manly okay. Said hello to Saadi and Henna (why do I know you), and got an earful from Abhiri, but was too excited to care - at least until he realized the other member of his mini-not-a-herd wasn't so excited and was keeping her distance. Lost his smile pretty quickly when he noticed Jhorla was moving away rather than joining the small congratulatory crowd. Soon remembered that she and Ross didn't mesh for whatever reason and found himself torn between friends again. On one hand, Ross just helped him win a fight. On the other, he was hanging out with Jhorla first. Would feel bad ditching either one for the other.

Ended up just standing in the middle again and being a mess of uncertainty until both Ross and Jhorla had gone elsewhere. UUUUGH.
Figured Ross was okay and could have the group he'd left behind, since he seemed happy to be with Henna and the lot; trailed after Jhorla only to find that Ramsus had beaten him to her. Stood in a flower patch and deliberated some more, generally feeling awful, before deciding he should just sit at the Oak and call it a night. Didn't expect Jhorla to run up to him almost as soon as he'd made it to the tree, and also didn't expect the enthusiastic? nuzzly greeting. Gave Ramsus a polite bow and got a head bob in return, so at least that worked out okay. Let Jhorla go snug with her dad and settled down in his usual place by the oak, mumbling Om gam ganapataye to himself. Father and daughter settled in nearby. Still not sure how to feel about the whole mess. Mostly sad, tired, and frustrated. And bruised.

WHY CAN'T MY FRIENDS JUST GET ALONG.

Sat in the birch forest for a while and zoned out for a while, lost in the fog. Suddenly a giant dragon face loomed out of the mists. HELLO Z'EV HOW ARE YOU holy crap slow down heart. Scrambled to get up in case the other meant to cause trouble and looked around frantically for Jhorla in hopes she might've put him up to it and Z'ev hadn't just decided to come over and eat him. Z'ev sniffed him and eventually backed off as Jhorla became partially visible in the fog - not sure if her presence saved him or what, but they both vanished into the mist shortly after. Dramatic.
Well that was weird...
Eventually went wandering and hung out with Luc/Kari's herd for a while, mostly staying on the outskirts. Got a very brisk investigation from the older stag, as well as a very tiny one (Rune) that he had a hard time taking seriously. Not really in a mood to spar, so Roh decided to just watch Luc do his thang. Joined by Ross a little while after that.
Got a pretty good show when a GIANT FLOATY-HEAD DRAGON showed up. Nope'd the hell out of the way of the brawl. Looked at Ross like he'd grown an extra head when the Myling told him to stay out of the fight. Who the hell would get involved in that?
At almost the same time, had gone to suggest to Ross that they go make their own herd, since this one was kinda crazy just then. Got an 'okay' and they both... stood there for a while.
Finally motivated himself to actually go do something and set out to find some stags to challenge. Came across another challenger playing with two small does, but he up and vanished while Roh was sizing him up. Took the opportunity to sweep Gia and Arry off their feet (okay not really) by picking up the play time where the other buck had left off. Then everybody settled down. Complimented Gia on her feathers and tried to find something nice to say to Arry that wouldn't sound horribly superficial but failed miserably. She is pretty though. And girls smell really nice right now, it's kinda weird.
Kept guard while Ross took a nap, though no one actually came over to challenge the boys. A couple of deer got close to the mini herd and set him on edge, though.
Then Indi came up and joined them around the time the two ladies departed for bed or somesuch. Then Jokerman. And then he noticed Abhiri playing with Jhorla in the distance. Oh, great, more Jhorla-Rossamund conflict ahead.
In a bit of a mood, went to sulk next to his mother for a little bit. Except she went to go sit with JM. Well fine, I'll sit with Ross. Saw Z'ev over by Abhiri at one point and went to investigate and make sure the weirdo wasn't bugging his sister. Not sure how he felt about it when she insisted he wasn't, but went to go sit near Indi and Jo. Unwilling to get close to either Jhor or Ross just then, in case of dramas. Enough's enough gais.
Slowly coming to some internal realizations regarding the conflict between his assortment of friends.
Ended up roughhousing with Ross and Abhiri eventually, mostly because they followed him when he set out to go be moody. Tried to ditch them and sit down a few times, but it didn't really work; he ended up getting danced on and raspberried. Splashed in the pond and chased 'Bhiri around, trying to shake water all over her. Nearly ran into a huge lion-stag (Ezekiel) and Mjolner's brood. Pleased when Vidarr jumped into the play; encouraged him to be a brat. : I Because he's adorable when he does it.
Finally managed to sit down for a minute, but then more Abhiri dancing and trying to get him up.
Groaned and acted sick, blamed it on the pond water.
Of course, that can only mean one thing...
HE'S TURNING INTO A ZOMBIE OH NO RUUUUUUN
Chased after Abhiri and Ross some more. Eventually 'Bhiri turned to fight him to save Ross, so he slobbered all over her and made her a zombie, too. Then they both chased after Ross and almost bashed into a few groups of deer (SORRY, SORRY, 'SCUSE ME, ZOMBIES COMING THROUGH VRY IMPORTNT). Ross even managed to get Rohit to crash almost head first into a giant birch tree while the kudu hybrid was intent on catching the Myling, dodging nimbly out of the way and making a sharp turn that Rohit couldn't mimic with his stockier frame. WHUMPH. Had to stand still for a few moments, dazed, and lost track of his quarry. Set off after him again when Abhiri caught up, only to be pulled aside by Indi to say goodnight. Then back after Ross!
Found him up in a tree by the pond. Hollered for Abhiri to come quick and got her up on his shoulders to knock him out of the tree. Ross turned into a bird, which was both genius and dumb because then he was (lovingly) squished and drooled on.
Everybody exhausted, the group dozed off together.

Health probably won't be 100% for a while lol. Knocking off roughly 5% per spar, more if things get more serious; 5% recovered with a day of reasonable rest.

Came across Circe shortly after getting up from a nap. Played with her a bit and was led towards the river. Greatly displeased to find Circe was looking for Ronra. Got huffy with the other deer and tried to start a spar with her - he had Circe first, after all, not gonna steal her again! - but Ronra mostly just laughed and shrugged him off. Miffed.
Followed Circe (and Ronra mumblegrumble) to a nearby herd, and while Ronra was busy locking antlers with the big competitor, Roh figured he might as well try his luck and took on Jovan after being inspected by one of the herd's judges (Nyx). They drew apart after a bit (after some repeated interferences by Ronra trying to escape her opponent), and Rohit was content to call it a draw. Glad to find Circe suddenly at his side, though no one else seemed to be forthcoming. Ronra came over shortly after, followed by Nyx. Grudgingly joined the little celebration, mostly to please Circe because it's rude to rain on someone's parade and he's not rude like Ronra. Eventually the group sat down, more or less in a pile.

Eyed some shapes not too far off, couldn't pinpoint a competitor guarding the little herd and went over to investigate. As the distance he had to peer through fog lessened, realized a couple (Zol, Cassiopea) were does from the night before - though they seemed preoccupied with chatter. Inspected Accendare, who got up to look at him - only to realize with horror that Luc was watching him from the shadowy mist nearby. WHOOPS MY BAD, Luc's actually kinda okay in his book right now; didn't want to be stealing his crowd without a fair fight. Bowed awkwardly to 'Dare and hightailed it back to his own little group.

Spent the remainder of the evening essentially playing chess with Ronra, with the ultimate goal of Circe's favor. Eventually stopped playing because he cared and started playing because it was entertaining/just to get on Ronra's nerves. Dozed off next to Circe at some point while Ronra stood over them; the lion may have gotten to play 'dominant guard' or whatever, but he got the snuggles!

The fog finally lifted! Perused the Rutting scene, watching several ongoing spars as he wandered past. Paused when he noticed Rossamund, and noticed a little too late that another challenger (Eve) was staring at him. Got rushed by the doe and, taken aback, retaliated only briefly and mostly sought to dodge her tines. Eventually bounced behind Rossamund, who'd finally come over, and things settled down. Ross tried to introduce the pair properly, but Roh wasn't sure he wanted to get close enough to exchange sniffs with the feisty deer just then. Ross went off to do other things, insisting Rohit stay put. Absentmindedly agreed, then moved forward to watch The Red go at it with a huge demon-y horse thing. Pretty epic fight, as far as he was concerned.

Wandered off on his own again, pretty much forgetting to stay put, and came upon a small herd with two challengers at its head. Had met and sparred Jovan the day before, but Mandel was a new face. The judges seemed curious and came over to greet him, one by one, though one doe in particular seemed keen on keeping the others back in the safety of the herd. A little smug when they ignored her. Said hello to Sabel and Nemesis and sized up each of the bucks when they came over to inspect him. Showed off a little, bucking and kicking at the air and generally strutting around, but neither of the other challengers seemed interested in a spar. The judges didn't seem to be budging, either.

Figuring he wasn't going to get anything out of the group, gave them a bow and walked away. Apparently Mandel realized why Rohit had been there, then, because he trotted after the hybrid and initiated a challenge. Gladly accepted and got into a scuffle with the male. The two went at it for a while, with lots of antlering and kicking between them. Drew apart several times to catch a breath, only to have Mandel start things up again. Managed at one point to get himself between Mandel and the herd, at which point Nemesis came up to him and Sabel went to Mandel. Stared at the pretty little doe for a moment, at first confused but then quite pleased. Bowed to his opponent and departed with his very own judge. Brought her to meet Rossamund, of course, but hardly got a glance from the buck, who was doing... something at the ruins, talking to some other deer or something.

Shrugged it off and went to find somewhere to rest. Came across Eve again and figured she's probably alright if Ross thinks so; shared a flower patch with her and her remaining judge. Got up and brought Nem along with him to go look into some rattling antlers nearby, found Eve and Ross already ahead of them. The match was already over, though, and the group was joined by Gia and Arry. Recognized them from the other day and said hello, played about a little bit.

Then the lot got it into their heads to form a huge herd, since they already had a racket going. Followed Ross to Red Hill, where they encountered Alain. Encouraged when Nyx and another judge rose to inspect him while Ross took on the Competitor; tried to hop and skip away with them, and nearly succeeded when Alain caught on and moved the whole herd. Darn.

Eve joined them at the base of Red Hill; Idelle and Briony joined the herd. Also joined by Pica, whom Rossamond dragged into the group. Pondered setting out to obtain more judges when he noticed a large ram-horned stag (Rahal) and Isabeau coming down the hill. Became increasingly edgy and suspicious about Rahal as he circled the group, gradually getting closer. Tried not to pay Isabeau too much mind as she ran crazy circles around him - not sure if she was egging him on or stirring up the judges, but Rahal was presenting a pretty clear threat as he paced. Hesitant to take him on unless necessary due to the other being... well, about twice his size. Did antler him away from the judges when he got too gutsy, though, and the pair started to spar. Had to repeatedly draw him away from the group of judges to avoid the fight being driven in among them; frustrated that he kept getting pushed back among them when he put himself between Challenger and herd, and that Rahal ignored him and did what he pleased when Rohit got him to turn around so that they would move away from the herd instead. Idelle seemed to help defend the smaller does, though - glad for that. Got pretty heated with the fight, though he did his best to stay out of the way of the bigger deer's horns and take on his backside instead when he wasn't getting thrown around trying to keep him off of the judges; not entirely displeased when Isiel showed up and he ran off. Bowed to his friend's mother and eyed Isabeau suspiciously, not sure what she'd been up to while he was grappling with her friend; from the corners of his tunnel vision it looked like she was harassing his judges, too. Not overly fond of either deer just then.

Things calmed down after that, and willingly followed Idelle as she rounded up the herd and moved them up the hill. Stood guard for a few minutes before flopping down to rest and nurse some deeper scratches. Took turns with the other Challengers to alternately guard the herd and go scouting for potential spars and judges, but returned empty-handed. Still tired, dozed off at some point.

Woke alone and peacocked. thx, gaiz.
Found Idelle on a neighboring hill, but she looked like she was engaged in conversation with a rather formidable-looking stag (Ezekiel). Noticed Jhorla nearby and trotted over to her instead. Confused when she retreated to the hills of the birch, but followed cautiously. Stood with her for a while, only settling down after she did. Feeling weird about things in general, but not sure why.

After Jhorla departed, went and found Ross and Pica, who were... drunk as skunks. Acted as the boring designated driver for a while and turned his nose up at the awful-smelling nastiness they offered him. Opted to sit by a tree for a while instead, and dozed off.

Woke up two-thirds peacocked and charged after Ronra just as she threw a white pelt on him. Chased her halfway across the Forest to prove his point, then returned to the river.

TEF CRASHED AND ALL THE DEER WENT AWAY

Hung out with Ross and Pica some more. Ross went to play with some wolfy deer. Chatted with Pica briefly, but noticed someone staring at them. No... staring at Pica. She and Gretai started fighting, but Ross didn't look concerned with it so Roh decided he wasn't really, either.
She came back eventually, huffing and puffing. Left the two siblings to catch up while he went to catch up on some meditation time. Settled at a small pine still within earshot of the Oak's hum and focused.

Suddenly there was a white deer on either side of him, staring. Thoroughly creeped out; got to his feet and switched his gaze back and forth between the eerie pair. One - the one without a veil - kept dodging closer to his hindquarters and taking a quick sniff, then darting away again as if he expected retaliation. Not really in the mood to do so, however, aside from doing what he could to keep his front or sides to both deer; definitely didn't trust them enough to put his back to them. Lots and lots of head tilting from both sides. Seemed like one did it every time he did.

The pair got distracted and disappeared after apparently deciding Rohit was boring, so he resumed his meditations while keeping an occasional eye on the white deer - who were playing with some fawns nicely enough. Lost track of them after they crossed the river, at least until one - again the one without the veil - dashed in front of him and cowered. Found out why when Gretai barreled into him shortly thereafter. Startled, couldn't do much more but fumble to get out of the way. Not sure what the deer had done to earn Gretai's wrath, and wasn't keen on interfering. Made his way back to Ross and Pica amid the chaos that erupted, with pretty much everyone who was awake suddenly involved. Assured them he was alright and they assured him they were alright. Content to let that be that until he noticed the two white deer circling and apparently harassing a doe (Evelys) in the distance. Nudged Ross and went to her aid, getting between her and the whites while Ross took a more direct approach. Went to bail him out after the pair tackled him together. That continued to be the theme as everyone chased everyone else around the Forest; things would settle for a moment, and then someone would taunt or leap at someone again and off they'd all go. Eventually wound up in the birch where Roh and Pica jumped in front of Ross before he could start in again; the pair convinced the Myling to back off, but the veiled deer kept looking after them expectantly. Noticed the head tilting mimicry again and tested the hypothesis; interest piqued when it was confirmed. Much to Ross's chagrin, stayed behind and played "Simon Says" with the veiled deer while Evelys interacted with the other one.

After a long process (and Ross's very grumpy departure), managed to get Kudzu to nod, bow, and even dance - and then got close enough to sniff the other. Kudzu sprang away and cowered. Surprised at the volatile reaction, but aside from backing up a bit tried not to react. Invited the other to approach him instead and nodded encouragement at the baby steps. Sat down, and was more than pleased to have the other sit beside him. Success! Evelys seemed to be doing well with 'taming' Kubiru, too; the pair were dancing and having a grand time, and eventually joined Kudzu and Rohit in a little sitting circle.

No Entry

Brief interaction with Idelle, Matthew, and oh my gosh where did all these deer come from. A little overwhelmed, went and sat at the Oak for a while.

Later on, found Idelle sitting by herself and offered her some company. Not long after, she decided it was time to get up and play and hauled him around half the Forest. Amused, tried to keep up with the taller doe. Joined in some shenanigans with her and Jhorla and Isiel at the Crying Idol. Sat with Ross for a bit until Ross dozed off in the flower patch, then went to see where the girls had gotten off to. Noticed Z'ev a little too late when he got to the group, but seemed to be getting a minimal reaction so he jumped in anyway (after TEF stopped being stupid and disconnecting).

Gave Jhorla a raspberry when she held still for too long at some point, as was pretty typical for him with any interaction between friends, and found Z'ev hurtling towards him. Sprung away and stomped a hoof at the other, irritated by the needless interruption. Couldn't be sure whether it was exacerbation from all the times Z'ev had prodded at him, the cocktail of hormones from the rut and the onset of puberty, or some terrible blend of the two which caused him to start pushing at the boundaries Z'ev set in place, but he did. Started by walking around Jhorla, which riled Z'ev again. Then during a stare-off, inched closer to Jhorla until Z'ev sat down. Stood shoulder to shoulder with her, which he also didn't like, but he only got up briefly. Dropped the last straw when he groomed the hair on Jhorla's shoulders the way many of his friends had done for him; figured it might be what broke the camels back and was ready when Z'ev came barreling in again. Took part in a brief scuffle, appalled when Z'ev pushed Jhorla back and out of the way like he owned her. Angry staring contest ensued, then Jhorla left for the Idol. After a few more tense moments in which some part of him hoped for a better chance at a brawl to settle their differences man-to-man, Z'ev followed her. Furious, shrugged off his mother when she approached from behind and trotted off, stomping. Fluttered around for a minute, flustered, until Indi approached him again. Scoffed and moved away again, and again. Was just about ready to shout at her to go away, refusing to be comforted, when...

SOMETHING happened, and the Forest crapped out and Ivi couldn't get back in for like 15 minutes. srry mom.

Forest working again, went on a little mini-rampage and tore into pretty much any tree that he came across. Tempted to start a few fights with some of the Competitors and Challengers who were around, but was at least with it enough to not take it out on innocent parties (trees aside). Blew off steam in the Blue Bowl for a while, eventually staining his ruddy pelt a dark mess of red-violet, but was too angry to care that his flashy fur had been ruined. Flopped next to the pine tree he'd been at the night before, half an eye on a mostly-obscured Z'ev and Jhorla over by the pond. Fumed until he managed to calm his mind enough to focus on some mantras.

Reached a few of his own conclusions after a number of repetitions of 'om gam ganapataye namaha'. Not happy with them, but it is what it is, and he asked Ganesha for them, after all.

Got huffy with Ross when he came over in the midst of his meditations, followed by Abhiri. Got up and went off on his own again, first to sit by a long and then to take a long, slow walk around the border between the birch and the First Forest. Ended up settling by a random tree and just staring into space for a while.

Health probably won't be 100% for a while lol. Knocking off roughly 5% per spar, more if things get more serious; 5% recovered with a day of reasonable rest.

Lazy day because Ivi's connection SUCKS

Feeling a little better today. Moped around for a bit, watched Ross follow Cole around like a lovesick puppy, Circe was with family and when he thought about maybe going to say hi after she moved back into the birch without them, noticed Ronra go by so nope.
A little fawn came up and acted all timid; invited it over, and eventually she worked up the courage to sit with him.
And then she logged out 2 seconds later siigh
And Ivi's connection was being weird and giving Roh the wrong picto and set so whatever : <

Finally went up to Ross and was kinda apologetically sulky. Sat and watched Ross play with Cole and Jovan.

Going to have to be bullet point updates 'cause SO MANY DEER

-Hung out at home for a little bit, had some random neighbors say hi
-The Rut is a convenient excuse to distract myself from life drama, YAY
-Found Idelle
-Went looking for loners to join them
-Allowed Rhine to join him, keeping an eye on the other Challenger
-oh gosh so many deer
-all the deer
-Hollered at Ross when he walked by
--Are we playing or fighting IDK
--Yeah I guess you can stay, punk
---But only 'cause you're my cousin and I like you
---Srs tho this my herd
-Czar started snoopin'
--RossIdon'tneedyourhelp >/
---Ross I'm not dying go away
--Lost Alina and Aysa to Czar
-There are so many deer @.@
-Went to inspect a couple of Judges hanging back and seeming to watch the larger herd
--Suddenly - SAMBAR
---Dude wtf are you doing crashing into Judges like that
---Get your butt over here away from them, you're scaring that poor little white one
---gtfo man
---You Judges okay? Okay.
---...srsly man get away from my herd and out of the middle of my Judges
-Let Rhine go after the Sambar so he could catch his breath real quick and let the other have a little limelight
--Got him to leave
---Good game man
---...but really DON'T KILL THE JUDGES WTF.
-Herd super spread out, tried to pull them back into one group again
--Kinda just split them in two but mostly everyone together
-Periodically checking in on everyone, particularly those who stray, to make sure they're alright
-Allies: Rhine*, Rossamund
*Tolerating as long as he behaves
Judges: OLAWD
Averell, Arielle, Morganna, Monroe, (afk-sleeping) Yoko, Vae, Brille, Lovelace HAVING A HARD TIME KEEPING UP WITH THE MAP AND FIGHTING I think that's everyone rn?
Azazel was in there at some point, along with a few others?

-Lost track of Rhine at some point, not really disappointed though because he was kinda everywhere anyway and Roh couldn't keep track of him? Seemed like he was paying plenty of attention to the herd and was nice enough but probably not keen on letting him back in due to rowdiness and his own difficulty keeping larger groups straight; neutral

-Hi Jyoti
--Gosh you got big
--Lots of Ring-Around-the-Judges
--Watch it tiger boi >/
--Finally accepted he wasn't going to get off the hook without a spar and tried a shove
--Did I mention you got big
---Push and shove does not end well for Rohit
----Too stubborn to care
---Watch out for the fawn! : <
----Averell's got it, whew.
---Lost most of his Judges. Bye Yoko, Arielle, Vae : <
--Averell stayed though and cleaned him up some, aw, what a sweetie~
---Returned the favor a little, shy
-No go away Czar and like 3 other random rivals who showed up. Go fight gloating Jyoti :/
--I'm tired, yo.
-p sure Morganna's afk lol.
--Ross, Averell, Monroe, Morganna
-Little shy blue deer whose information I can't find, hi

-Et tu, Rook?
--Gasp. Averell, snuggling the enemy?
--ET TU, MONROE. w/e you looked at my sister funny anyway :/
-Can I sit down now
--Watched some other deer duke it out while eyeballing Rook
-Tried not to doze and failed
-Everybody's bigger than me today ouuuuch going to hurt tomorrow

-Hung out at home
-Gathered a very small herd of primarily Wildcards
-Mostly played around with them and tried to lure over some nearby Judges by just being flashy and showing off, but it didn't work. ohwell.
-Dozed off when Sky-Sight was the only one left

Player coming down with a cold or something, may not be terribly active today

-Started towards home, but got distracted by someone watching him
-Said hello to Llyr and, on a whim, asked if he could sit with her
-Rested in her quiet company the rest of the night

-RAIN
-Sat with Jhorla and Isadore
-Hi Iddy
-Uy came up and lured Idelle away
--Not really bothered because he's learned Iddy kinda does her own thing lol
-Miriam came and stole Idelle while Gretai battled with Uy, lol nice.
-Then Z'ev happened
-AAAAALLLL BYYYYY MYYYYYYSEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLF
--DON'T WANNA BE
--AAAAALLLL BYYYYYYY MYYYYYYSEEEEEELLLLLLLLF
-Approached one of the nearby groups, wondering if he could lure Llyr away and maybe actually talk to her this time or something if he could muster up some guts
--Found himself unchallenged when he joined the group to play, so kinda just called dibs on the herd
-Suddenly, Castallion!
--...wtf how do you deer dance-off?
--Lost the whole herd lmfao.
---Except when he'd been standing there like "wtf just happened" for long enough Arielle must've felt bad for him 'cause she came back over to play, awww, little cinnamon bun ♥
--Also Rune came up in there and kinda stared at him? And then went away and ran back like OMG HIDE ME? Except not? Weird guy.
-It's REALLY QUIET why is no one doing anything
-Got restless and took on Uy
--Humored Rune when he came over to take Roh on
---Let him get in close to Arielle because he'd ship that. D'aw.
--Tried to passively edge the other challenger out of her own herd
--Encouraged by some cheering from Fay : D
--Eventually ended in a minor scuffle, but mostly a lot of posturing and darting attempts
---Lost Arielle's favor, and Zafeiri from the herd, but the rest stayed
---Judges/Cards: Fay, Idelle, Rune?!, Mirah, Sylfrid
....and i c u lurkin' Sky-Sight

-Long period of stillness
-Cheveyo started lurking and Sylfrid started trying to attract him ohnoes he's really big : <
--Got a little cocky and started showing off some when she failed to lure him over
-Fay went over to Esll
--Uy came back too!
--Being hit from three sides!
--Idelle come back!
-Made sure the main herd body wasn't being threatened before hurrying over to Fay, Idelle, and Esll. Not really sure what to do though because Esll didn't seem to care much?
--Uy made a grab at the Judges about the time Idelle and Fay went off to play in some flowers
-Charged Uy, played some more cat and mouse like earlier - but slightly more aggressive
--Eventually split by Mirah, who pretty much tackled Uy
---Surprised, but pleased, especially when she gave him a nuzzle afterward
--Uy didn't stop though, kept trying to start things again
---Uy paraded Idelle around. Kinda annoyed by that but refused to be goaded into more scuffling.
-TF and Hiro came up at about the same time. Wasn't sure about Hiro and tried to shoo him off eventually, but he didn't seem interested so distracted himself with the rest of the mess.
--Not sure about TF either but Iddy seemed to know him so okay?
-Sylfr bowed and ran off, aw.
-Mirah went to bed??
-Just Fay left. And kindasorta TF and Hiro, do they count?
--Nah.
-Then the Forest re-started and IT IS 1:30 IN THE MORNING WITH WORK TOMORROW AAAAAAH gotobedivi

-Wanted to go say hi to Jhorla and Idelle but they were in the Sambar's herd (and Brent's?) and Sambar was up in his grill so Roh backed off and just watched from a distance for a while because they're both bigger than he is and it looked like a bad idea
-Eventually got restless and thought about going to start a herd or something
--Right then Jhor and Idelle came over
--Sambar didn't like that whOOpsie
---Eventually sparred with him briefly; nothing changed
-ABHIRI
--Snagged his sister quick as he could
-Played with the little group for a while
--Tried to spar or play or something with Stria and maybe win Fay but they were busy doing stuff
--Noticed a lone stranger in the distance
-Plus one Kujanci
-Ew Monroe
--Tried to split him away from Abhiri during 'play' and was admittedly a little rougher than he needed to be while 'playing' to try to drive his point across
-Collected a lone Sorrel

Judges/Cards: Idelle, Jhorla, Abhiri, Monroe*, Kujanci, Sorrel
*Grudgingly

-Watched a plucky little mini (Aileana) deer take on the Sambar
-Snuck over to say hi to Llyr while Sambar was inspecting Accendare, who he recalled not being particularly interested in him last year
--Sambar caught him though oh noes
---Scuttled back to his own herd, which had mostly dozed off
-A little later, challenged by the Sambar
--Short spar, traded Kujanci and Llyr
-Played with Llyr and Aileana for a while
-The Sambar left?! and his remaining herd wandered over to Rohit
--Well okay then
--Welcomed the group, though 'Dare kept her distance
---Tried to convey she was welcome to join the main body if so inclined but not obligated

Allies: Solitary
Judges/Cards: Abhiri, Monroe*, Sorrel, Llyr, Circe+, Aileana(?), Kujanci, Dorian, Accendare, Fay
*Grudgingly; +Friend, invited over even though she's a challenger; ?weren't u sparring earlier EYE ON U

-Eyeballing Cheveyo, not sure what he's up to
-Hi little fawn
-Circe come sit with us darnit
-Hi Fay
-Watched some of the herd members play, quite content to watch and relax a little
-Humored Aileana trying to climb on him
-Gradual herd thinning; Fay only stayed a little while, Circe went to be anti-social at a nearby tree, Accendare wandered off, Kujanci wandered away, Abhiri stole Dorian for snuggle times...

-Watched a fight between Jyoti and Brent
--Jyoti left with a limp and no judges; glad he didn't rile the big guy up earlier.
-Kept an eye on his sister and Monroe
-Fay came over and seemed pretty energetic
--Lots of play with the group ensued, especially once Abhiri, Dorian, and (ugh) Monroe returned
-Fay got super snuggly and uh. Oh.
--*cough*
--Your tail is very fluffy, ma'am.
--wejustmet ohgosh
mightneedacoldshowerlater
-Tried to re-instigate the play the group had going on but ended up just sitting down, a little flustered
-NO PUPPIES DON'T FIGHT
--WHAT EVEN IS HAPPENING EVERYONE IS RUNNING
--HOW DID THIS GO SO BAD
--At least Llyr is reasonable ._.
-Finally everyone settled into a big cuddle pile

-Pretty much taking the day off to rest
-Hung out with Idelle for a little bit, got some grooming d'aw
-Found Brille and sat with her for a little bit until she and Iddy wandered off
-Went and sat at the cross logs for a while until he noticed someone spying on him
--Said hello to Rhiannon and had some nice quiet company to sit with
-Snow!

-Brrr, snow
-Hung out with Rhiannon
--Yay body warmth
-Got peacocked, sigh

-Nighttime!~
-Sat with Circe for a while, then zonked out

-Fog!
-Went to go see who was about, caught wind of Ross and headed in that general direction
-Said hello to Rhiannon when she ran up to him, then realized Ross was RIGHT THERE and that didn't really look like a Rut spar, oh shoot...
--Totally ditched poor Rhia to try to bail Ross out of trouble
--Fletcher was there too doing the same thing
--Lots of trying to get Ross to respond to him and get him out of the area and away from a very angry Esll
--Thought they were succeeding until Ross chARGED AT ESLL WHAT ARE YOU DOING ROSS
-Hung back a bit since there were some big bodies being flung around and he didn't want to get too beat up because Rut and also OW, but gave and received several hits here and there
--Largely played the role of meatshield as things progressed, if he got into it at all
-Some yelling back and forth with him, Ross, and Fletcher
--Ross suddenly ran to the pond?!
--And jumped in?!
-Waded in but was wary about the deeper water; helped Fletcher drag the Myling up the hill once he'd been retrieved
--Stood guard while Fletcher stopped Ross from jumping back in, tried to calm Ross with a mantra he'd used before to chill him out, hoped Ross might remember and calm down
---Didn't really work
--Kept an eye on Noelle and a fawn 'cause who tf is dat? and accidentally scared away Talla while shaking off some water? oops sry. Doesn't know her really but knows she's around Ross sometimes so she's ok?
-Suddenly Ross was dead?
--But he's not dead HOLY SHIT HE JUST LIKE JUMPED UP AND RAN TF AWAY WITH CRYPTIC WORDS
--Roh almost fell in the pond falling all over himself wtf ross
--Roh: ...Did that just happen?
Fletch: A lot of things happen here that you wouldn't believe...
Roh: It's uh... It's not India, that's for sure.
---We're not in Kansas any more, Toto.
-Short, slightly awkward conversation with Fletcher
-Went to go apologize to poor Rhiannon
--Almost made it...
--Ghost!Ross wtf r u doin
---Roh: I don't know why I bother sometimes...
Fletch: gives a vry heavy sigh because.. bECAUSE.. . agrees but hates to say it/admit it sigh
-Got closer, eyeballed Fay 'cause he wasn't sure what role she was going to take in it and still Rut!Judge! so trying not to rub feathers but ROSS.
--Vaugely recognized Eve? But there were a LOT OF UNFAMILIAR FACES, kinda on edge about the whole thing
--Rhiannon came up again... just in time for the warring pair to break apart and everybody to rush in to help keep them apart SRY RHIA
-Let Fay handle Esll for the most part, while Fletcher was closer to Ross and he stayed in the middle in case either broke past, except Ross was kinda knocked out
--Once Esll backed down went and gave Fay a quick sort of nuzzle as thanks for helping, but went to check on Ross once she went to Esll
---Well he ain't dead so there's that
-Plunked down next to Rhiannon and finally got out a proper apology
--Pleasant conversation (if awkward at points) followed; kept an eye on Ross and Talla from a distance
---Pretty flustered when Rhia asked if she could spend the night with him and was super sweet and stuff (WAT R SOCIAL INTERACTIONS HOW DO) but he wasn't going anywhere since he was watching Ross so ok, why not
-Kept an eye on things for a while longer before dozing off, himself

-Finally sunny again!
-Went to go check up on Rossamund
--Found his cousin torn up and dead
---Well shit
-Stared for a minute before sitting down heavily and trying not to puke
--Eventually managed enough sense to get up and trot/run away
--Small panic attack in the birch, mostly oblivious to nearby Circe
--Bashed his head against a tree a couple times before just slumping down next to it and shivering
---Curled up against Circe when she came over. Still too stunned to cry or do much more than shake like a big red leaf.
-Distantly acknowledged Ronra's arrival with a nod
-Essentially shut down, but mostly aware of his immediate surroundings and immensely grateful not to be alone
--Spent the remainder of the evening trying not to think about it and not to spill his stomach contents on the forest floor, tucked against Circe and Ronra
----"He'll be back... I don't know if you know, if it matters, or whatever, but.. he'll be back."

One ear shifts towards Circe's voice, listening but as lost for words as he has been since coming across Ross. ... but he nods an acknowledgement that the tiger's words are there.

Regardless, there's one thought that keeps cropping up in his steadier moments: He's going to owe these two a big thanks in the morning, or whenever his body stops trying to expel its contents every time he opens his mouth.

-Dragged himself home some time early in the day
--Joined by Jhorla later on
--Still not much for talking, so kinda just moped and let her groom him until she left
-...Hi Castallion why are you here
--...oh well company's company

Woke late and hung out with Idelle, Isiel, and a couple deer he vaguely recognized as having seen before but didn't know.

-Player note: Wrists & hands have flared back up today. May not be very reactionary due to restricted finger movement.
-Followed Rook around for a little bit when invited, watched a few fights casually
-Pestered Gustiro when he came around, tried to lure away his minideer herd and cause some ruckus before settling down among the group

Player Ill

- Spent the day people-watching and dozing with Ronra & Circe

Player note: Feeling pretty decent today. Rohit is unlikely to want to put up the effort to maintain a herd long-term, but may try to rile things up between various herds or start a friendly spar or two.
...

What day even is.
Dozed in his favorite flower patch most of the morning, mostly people-watching today. Made a note to go say hi to Ronra later since she was nearby.
Roused later by some scuffling and shouting; figuring it might be a Rut spar worth watching, ventured over. Thought it was Ronra and someone else at first, then realized Umay was in a scuffle with a smaller stranger (Libel). Watched for a bit, and quickly realized it was more than a friendly spar. Worried when Ron started getting closer, and moved to lend her a reassuring shoulder as she paced; she'd been there for him before, after all - owe her one. Hadn't gotten much further than a quick bump and a nuzzle before Circe intervened and pulled him away; initially thought she'd come for Ronra as well, but the tiger left the other behind. Presumed Circe thought he was going to put himself in the middle of things and didn't want him interfering, although since that wasn't intention he tarried behind to keep an eye on Ronra. Torn between going back for the lion and heeding Circe's wishes, settled for standing around anxiously somewhere between the two, albeit closer to where Circe had settled at the river.
Alarmed when Circe's older brothers joined the fray, but the pair seemed to finish sorting things out pretty quickly; relieved when the standoff dispersed into various groups and Ronra wandered over to flop on him.
Gladly spent the day lazing with the big cats, intermittently drooling and snoring like an obnoxious puppy.

Player Ill

Not In-Forest/Player ill majority of Rut

P: 100 - M: 100 - E: 95
idk where i want to put health status yet so it's here for now

---

Got a late start in the festivities. Not sure how he feels about how quiet things seem to be, but attributing it to time of day and the fighters having worn themselves out nearly a week in. Spent a while showing off in front of a small herd, but neither the judges nor their guards seemed to take much note of him. Spent a while playing with a stray judge, Sadhbh, and pretending he was big stronk manly man and good at flexing. Plopped himself next to Rhea and whoever she was sitting with at the time and pretended he had a herd for a little bit until Sadhbh left and he got bored with sitting still. Wandered around and fought some trees before heading to his favorite flower patch - which was occupied. Settled down in an adjacent flowerbed and watched a spar, but with no one around to judge wasn't too interested in starting a match himself. Joined by Rossamund towards the end. Debated jumping in to separate the pair before they hurt each other, but about the same time they both withdrew and called it a draw. Just as well; would rather hang with his cousin. Chatted with Ross for a while and watched one of the same competitors start another spar behind them.

P: 70 - M: 100 - E: 90
Rough day. A number of hefty bruises, a couple of deeper cuts, and a myriad of scratches. Going to be sore in the morning.
idk where i want to put health status yet so it's here for now

---

Went wandering to see what was going on. Watched a small group for a minute, debating whether he should say hi to Idelle. Decided she looked busy within the group and didn't want to start a fuss just yet anyway, so headed off. Had just broken into the Birch when he noticed there had been some running hooves gradually growing closer; paused and looked behind him to see Idelle thundering his way. Braced for impact and was unceremoniously tackled by the girl. Glad to see her, although maybe a little physically bruised. Played for a while before pausing to catch their breath. Noticed Shahla marking the trees next to them at that point, and took her pointed stare as an invitation to kindly please gtfo from her house; obliged and led Idelle into the scattered stones nearby, instead.

Rested a bit before striking out in search of some more judges. Found Sub sitting by herself and invited her to play. Took note of the group Idelle had been with earlier and accepted a challenge from Cul at its head. Before they could start, however, someone leapt between them and nuzzled them each for a while. Not entirely sure what was going on, but both waited for the stranger to back off before starting for real. Tussled for a while, and in the end won the whole herd when Cul trotted off. Not entirely sure why, but figured it had something to do with Sub since it was immediately after she judged in Rohit's favor and she trailed after Cul when he'd gone. She returned not too long after.

Stood guard over the herd (Sub, Limaria, Fari, Raizel, Idelle, and a couple Non-Participants who were hanging around) for a bit before Idelle insisted everyone get up. Knowing Miss Ladybug has a mind of her own, accepted his fate and rounded up the troops to follow after. Spent a while amassing a herd, picking up strangers here and there. Figured they may as well snag Rossamund since they were at it, and headed up to Red Hill. Was met by the brash challenger from the night before, Efrideet, before he could get to Ross, however. Took her on, but was surprised by how quickly she rushed into things. Got pretty into it, in the end, riled by Efri's seriousness. Quite pleased with himself when he kept the herd; pranced around atop Red Hill for a bit before turning attention back towards Rossamund. Idelle beat him to it, though.

Watched Idelle cause some trouble with Altijd, rather amused by her antics. After a couple of minutes, decided it was a good time to go try to snatch Ross away. Al noticed before Ross could come away to the herd, though, and dashed at Rohit. Was ready to accept the consequence and face the other, but Al had other things in mind. Startled when Al darted into the midst of his herd, carelessly barreling through them. Wrote it off as recklessness the first time, but when he did it again felt a flash of anger and indignation. Immediately began maneuvering between Al and his judges, trying to barricade against the charges and redirect Al to somewhere more open; got fairly banged up in the process, but eventually caught Altijd away from the judges and blew off some steam in a proper confrontation.

Satisfied only when Al ran off and checked in on his judges; found most were alright, although Sub seemed to have been side-swiped a little too hard. Kept a close eye on her the rest of the evening, pausing frequently to make sure she was keeping up with the herd when they moved and slowing the pace occasionally to let her catch up.

Let Idelle lead the charge again after everyone had had a moment to rest after Altijd, and spent some more time gathering a group; added Illrose, Blackthistle, Jewleye, and a few others to the growing herd. Passed a giant raven along the way and lost one of the judges to it, only for the pair to come galloping back some time later. A little confused that the Mighty Idelle was apparently terrified of the creature (although, really, it's a GIANT BIRD it's practically a dinosaur so he sympathized a little). Tried to reassure her some and stood between her and the bird for a while, shoulder to shoulder with Illrose. Found it was difficult to be the one to comfort her, though, as every time she ran away and he went over to be reassuring, the whole group - raven included - would follow. Casually moved in between the herd and a not-distant-enough Altijd and Ross at one point when the group wandered near de Drinkplaats where the two were resting. Pretty sure they wouldn't cause any problems but not taking the chance. Eventually resigned to letting Illrose tend to Idelle and kept an eye on them at a distance while the others played.

After quite some time, the group got distracted and re-converged around Idelle in a flower patch. Played for a while before settling to rest at last. Pretty worn out after all the activity and glad to catch his breath. Allowed the group to spell-spam him while he rested until he was pretty as a peacock; got up and played a little more before all but collapsing back into the flowers to take a nap, very content.

Woke up a couple hours later to Ross at his side; shed his feathery outfit and chilled with his cousin.

Player Ill the remainder of Rut