17. A shadow version of yourself hurls insults at you. 11. The trees grow mouths and begin to tell you a story. 1. A conversation with Matope.
She was a rebel, and the fact that the kin were acting like crazy did not deter her from stepping forward boldly and snagging three of the mushrooms.
Shroom One. Well, this wasn't so bad... Dirty Water grinned happily. She was just about to reach for the second when she looked up and saw... herself? The doe blinked as her doppleganger screamed at her. She was useless, never able to live up to the doe her father expected. Her hoof feathers were dirt and clumping un-doe-like, as her mother used to say. And then the final insult, she wasn't good enough for him... and that was why he left.
She stared open-mouth, her eyes glistening. She refused to let the tears flow.
Shroom Two. As the shadow moved on, she got her next shroom and braced herself for another tongue lashing. She was spared. Instead, the trees came to life. They opened their mouths and started to tell her one of the many stories her mother would tell her as a young filly to put her to sleep. Dirty Water grinned and would join the story every now and then. Her eyes drooped. She was just about to sleep when the story ended and she looked to the last shroom.
Shroom Three. The last and final. Dirty Water slipped it to her mouth before she could change her mind. Oh look! A glimmer of bright light and there was a figure which started to talk to her. They discussed her parents, the mystery buck who left her, and about the beauty of new life.
Once the figure left, the doe went to find a shaded area to rest. What a trip.
Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2015 8:07 pm
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17. A random kin talks to you and tries to help. 11. Bats fly out of the knot in a tree. 1. Screaming incoherently at a white crane.
A young passerby saw the doe try the first shroom. He walked up. "Miss, you shouldn't eat those!" The doe stared. "No really, they have been messing up so many kin lately!" She continued to stare. "Well, your loss, Miss."
He walked a safe distance away and had to duck to avoid the bats that flew out of the trees. Turning back, he saw that she was now talking to them. She obviously wasn't afraid of bats, since she was getting droopy-eyed and talking to them.
But then she started screaming. The young passerby jumped back... but she was yelling at a crane that came in to the area. Well, what the? He couldn't understand her, but decided he should keep walking.
Another challenge? Another something the overly wary wouldn't dare do? Dare Me would. He hesitated not at all in selecting one of the mushrooms to chew and swallow. He swayed side to side a little, watching others descend into ... whatever it was that they were seeing.
And then he smelled something irresistable. It was frogs and fruit and the taste of woodsmoke. It made his stomach knot in anticipation and he had to find it. Now. Casting around for a high enough starting point, Dare Me clambered to the top of a jutting treestump, then launched himself into the sky. He could fly, you see. Was flying. Coursing along with the wind as it wound through the trees, leading him ever closer to that amazing scent.
As he soared, he watched the lands beneath him pass peaceably. Then he saw them troubled, the ground blackening. He saw ancient trees shake and fall and the very swamp herself crack open, letting bright, hot lava spill out and touch off yet more destruction. Flames in his eyes, he angled himself upward, away from the dangers below.
And yet still the powerful scent of a meal beyond compare tickled his nose, tempting him down toward the earth again. If he could reach it before the lava, if he could find it before it burned away -- There! A last bastion of green, and in it's midst? Bowls and platters of steaming foods. He circled the clearing, willing to risk himself for a few mouthfuls of a bounty he had never seen and probably would never see again. Sweet and savory, cold and smoked and hot.. if he was to be swallowed by the oncoming flood of fire, he would face it with a full stomach and the smile of satisfaction.
Part II
After a period of watching others, Dare Me's ears swiveled and he followed their lead, turning his head as if he'd smelled something interesting. Following his nose now, he wandered off until he stumbled into a pool of deep water. Not that it phased him. Contented to be up to his chest in the stuff, the pale acha swam around the pool in shrinking circles, only to swim them wider again.
When his hooves touched ground solid enough to find purchase, he lurched out of the water, shook himself, and then blundered on, expression alarmed and troubled now. For good reason, as he'd wandered into a pile of refuse, peelings and parts and cast off pieces of things no one wanted anymore. Things that didn't smell very good, truth to tell. Still, he continued to sniff and to lick his lips as if the stink hadn't registered.
It certainly hadn't diminished his appetite. When his stumbling led him to a fallen trunk that had rolled belly up to reveal a colony of grubs tunning through the wood, Dare Me tucked in eagerly, devouring mouthfuls of the squirmy things as though he'd never eaten a meal in his life before that moment, and like he might never stop eating again.
"How bad can this be? Mushrooms are okay for you, right." He stepped up to the booth and well, ate a mushroom. It was tasty, that was for sure. As his eyes closed to savor the taste, he thought he should have asked his bosses if it was okay to do this. Opening them again, he glanced around and there was a huge snake hissing at him! Gathering's flight or fight section must have been missing because he was running back and forth at it. It wasn't going to take him down! Oh no, better leave it alone. No fight it. After what seemed like days, he finally ran from it. Only to end up having a giant shadow chase him. This was not his day or year or whatever! First the snake and now this. He jumped over logs, dodged branches just to get out of the reaches of the shadow. Even going as far as he could with the full sun on him and no shadows, yet there it was. He shamed the females he knew with a high pitched scream when he thought it touched him. Unable to be vocal any longer, he realized that it was...his own self calling him names. He hadn't done anything wrong, why was this happening to him?
Trying to make it stop, Gathering laid on the ground, covering his eyes and ears with his legs. It wasn't real. He was tough, not the pansy he was being called.
SilverShieldwolf
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SilverShieldwolf
Alien Shapeshifter
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Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2015 8:43 pm
The doe watched as Gathering Clouds turned to a branch and started acting like he was going to fight it, only to run away shortly after. Curious to what was going on, she kept watching as he continued to do this dozens of times. Something was wrong, but she couldn't put her nose on it. As she was turning away, the buck came running around her, screaming it wasn't his day. The poor male seemed to have gotten a part of the branch tangled in his tail. Thinking it would be a good idea to help him, she ran after him. Huffing and puffing when she finally caught up to him, she tugged on his tail. "Here. Calm down and let me get this out of your tail." At that point the scream almost deafened her. She felt bad for the buck as he laid down seeming to whimper as he hid his face.
Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2015 8:51 pm
To anyone watching, it would not have looked like Time to Go was doing fine at all. She'd turned away from Deathcap's stall to plant her face into a muddy puddle in the ground, somehow managed to walk blissfully past a log as it fell, and then promptly acted...well, pretty rude, toward a nice kiokote who'd just been trying to help.
Fortunately, she couldn't remember most of it. "I hope that was informative," she said, blinking.
Dice Rolled: 7,4.3 7. Giant, towering blossoms that smell of sweets. 4. A grove filled with an amazing feast. 3. Flying through the swamp.
Fierce had always preferred traveling to tasting, especially odd things, but the promise of tokens lurred her in; even if none of the mushrooms looked like the type that any creature should eat. Besides, she needed something to get the numbing taste of ice out of her mouth...
Part I
Fierce takes the dullest safest looking mushroom into her mouth, eyes narrowing, it doesn't taste too bad. Her nostrils flare as the most delicious aroma hits her, and giant swaying lilies appear before her eyes. She feels as small as a foxbun tiptoeing around the plants, following the sent of sweets and..and.."Ooooh my.." Fierce's eyes widen at what appears before her. In the middle of the towering flowers, a grove spreads forth; and in the middle of the expansive grove is a feast fit for an army of kin! All of her favorites spread out before her, mouthwatering, juicy, squishy and sweet!
Fierce dives in head first, forgetting all manner of etiquette as she attempts to gorge herself on the feast. Fierce cant remember ever seeing so much food in her life, let alone food that smelled so good!
Just as sudden as the grove was there; it wasn't. The food and giant flowers fall away beneath her hooves. The land opening up to clear skies and open air below her. Fierce has a moment to scream, to think of plummeting to her death..before she is suddenly flying. Fierce has never once dreamed of flying, she was a doe who kept her hooves firmly planted on the earth and in the swamp. Still, the feeling, was incredible as it was terrifying. Fierce thrashed in a manner she assumed would help, flailing her legs and feeling like a newly hatched kin, attempting to gain some purchase or balance out in the open air.
Part II
7. Stink-blossoms, and the smell clings to them as they sniff. 4. Grubs. 3. Thrashing around in chest-high water.
Onlookers cleared a path for the manic eyed doe that pranced straight into a thicket of Stink-blossoms. Watching in strange awe as the doe practically shoved her entire body through them, sniffing all the way, before looking up into the sky at..nothing..Ooohing and awwhing at nothing.
A few kin looking up as well to see if they could catch a glimpse of, whatever it was she was seeing. The curious gazes quickly turned into looks of disgust and sounds of gagging. As if the smell of her wasn't enough, the doe had now shoved her head into the dirt and loam beneath the blossoms..and was rooting through the grubs. The sight of her gobbling them up, squishing and crunching them between her teeth was enough to scatter a few, the juices running down her jaw as she screamed and flailed her way into the nearest deep water was enough to scatter the rest.
No one wanted any part of the crazy..now giggling..doe..Turning away from the spectacle that she was making of herself. They hoped some of that water might take away from the stink..or at least wash away some of the grubs that still clung to her face.
The first thing he saw in this waking dream was seeds. A shower of them. A veritable deluge of seeds raining down from above. They embedded themselves in his pelt, seeking his skin, worming their way into and under. The world stood still for a moment, and then continued as normal. He shook his head- hadn't he taken a gift from the motherfather for the dreamers? Why was everything so normal? Was the mushroom not strong?
Then his legs turned into vines and a tropical chaos erupted around him. His legs wouldn't stop growing, creeping, finding purchase in the sweet earth; his back grew hard, covered in the bark of a tree; his eyes were leaves, his ears were lianas. He tried to run away from his legs, but could not; he flailed and struggled as they found their way to a pool, then dragged him after. His legs shrank back into his body as he splashed in the water; with every movement, the vines broke off and melted into the water until he was himself again. He sat up, looking around for more portents and messages. He was in a grove now, a beautiful grove of tall, tall trees that stretched into the infinite. Tiny zikwa filled the air like birds, flying around his head with their wings of water. They popped, ephemeral bubbles the lot of them, and then splashed back down as one of the trees yawned, stretched, and hiked up its roots to move closer.
"Hello, grandparent," he said to the tree, for even in a dream state he had to be polite.
"Hello, my child," said the tree as it shuddered and settled closer. "Would you like to hear a tale? I am the oldest tree in the forest and it pleases me to see you here. I can tell you a tale of rubies and silkworms, a tale of the sky's own blue and the feeling of hunger, a tale of the concept of loyalty and the number five. Would you like to hear this tale?" said the tree. Its eyebrows knotted and furrowed as its face crinkled into a kindly smile.
"I would like that very much!" Ramble agreed and stepped out of the pool to sit next to the tree. The tree offered him a drupe from its boughs, which he bit into eagerly as the story began.
He awoke hours- or perhaps minutes- later, the tree's story burning heavily in his heart. What did it mean?
Part II
Ramble's little "waking dream" upset a good number of kin, because when he ate the mushroom, he started to wander away from the booth. At first he seemed fine- pensive, maybe, but fine- and then the screaming started. He pitched wildly, having lost control of his legs, until he staggered into a clearing of barren trees. The remains of their fall harvest lay rotting at their feet, but he dove into them with gusto, rolling on his back and wriggling until the pungent things burst with slimy filth. Leaves stuck to his back as he thrashed, repeatedly hitting the trees with his hooves. The only thing that seemed to stop him from his fit was the screech of bats, annoyed and disturbed enough at his antics to vacate the premises and flap away. This at least distracted him enough that he stared at them, then promptly fell asleep against the tree and began to snore. At least he wasn't in danger of kicking anyone anymore...
Their Words Inviting (TWI), not usually one for festivals such as this, decided he could handle testing out a mushroom. A simple report wouldn't be too much, now would it?
After eating the 'shroom, he was left to wander and wait for the effects. Of course, when they came they came in spades. First, three beautiful colors, floated from the sky and draped across his neck a wreath of sweet smelling flowers. What a pleasant surprise! It reminded him of his own songbird, not that he had seen the little one for some time. Perhaps, in the future, the tiny bird would make a return to his side.
As he continued forward, out from the foliage came a very wolf like, feral Kin. It was clearly Kimeti, but not like any he had ever seen. A soft snarl of a voice came from his chest, "Watch yourself, child. For nothing is as it seems in these places. You are young and foolish and need to take heed of season and body. Soon, you will lose your body as I have mine. Until then, prosper."
It was startling, so startling that he didn't know how to respond. Did he.... Did he apologize to the ancestor? Well, regardless, the beastly Kimeti was gone, but that didn't mean the forest was silent. It was whispering soft words, growing in volume until it spoke to TWI with a voice of calm dignity.
"Tell me your name and story, and I will tell you mine," It offered. Feeling humbled, to be spoken to by his home, TWI laid down and began to explain his story. Who he was... Who he was meant to be... And where he hoped to go. The swamp was a good listener, asking questions here and there to find more meaning.
"Yes," said Time to Go matter-of-factly. "Yes, this is a good idea."
"I'm not so sure," said Westward Bound drily. "I'm not...much of one for mushrooms. I'm sure they're - "
"Go," said Time to Go, who flashed a smile at Deathcap, seemingly uncaring of the embarrassment she'd suffered the previous day. "I brought another volunteer! We're both from Westfen. You should consider visiting us, with your research."
Was that what she wanted? Westward Bound shook his head. "You'll need to supervise it," he told Time to Go. He wasn't sure that he trusted outsiders when it came to watching for his safety. But she only shrugged as he reached forward and fished three mushrooms from the seemingly endless pile.
"What's - uh, what's supposed to happen?" he asked her, turning his head away. Ah! A rainbow! But where was the water?
He wandered away from the booth briefly, just to see - ooh! It'd passed before his face! But was it going to - ah - no - uh -
A snake! That clearly meant Sun should retreat. "Leave the hunting to me," Longclaw had always said. So he turned back. Only to see...another rainbow? What was it doing here? He veered backwards - no more snake, no more...where had Time to Go gone?
(She was right where he'd left her, keeping an eye on him all the while. She'd only just seen him miss a falling tree - she'd have helped if it was dangerous! - and proceed to freak out at a broken branch, and then...miss another fallen tree. It was a good thing he was more observant when he was sober, or she'd probably never have joined up with Westfen.)
The drug didn't come on as hard as he had predicted, but it did start immediately by making his legs no longer work. Instead, Their Words tumbled about and landed with his head in a bush. A BUSH of all things. of course, in his drug hazed state, it seemed like a good thing. A good thing to have his head stuck in it.
Another kin, passing by, and perhaps having taken the challenge of eating one of those mystery mushrooms, attempted to coax Their Words Inviting from the bushes snarls... but to no avail. Instead, he listened meekly and murmured soft thanks for the wonderful advice. Confused, the kin left the other to continue sulking in the bush.
Eventually, it turned out that the bush was not always empty. A white crane, beautiful, came back to its nest to find a strange Kimeti neck deep in his home. Squawking angrily, he buffeted the kimeti once with his wings, but... Oh no. Their Words Inviting reeled back and began to scream at the crane, who in return, screamed back. It carried on for some time (much longer than it had any right to, really) until dazed and confused, their Words Inviting snapped out of it.
Blinking, he stood and shook branches and leaves from his fur while stumbling off to the booth to report his findings.
Mugwort had seen this booth earlier and was really hoping Sorrel wouldn't notice it. Casually he tries to herd her off to one of the other activities in the market. Unfortunately a knot of kin block his path, causing them to turn toward the booth with the mushrooms.
Seeing the doe displaying mushrooms, Sorrel smiles and trots off to investigate. A worried looking Mugwort right behind her. No use even trying to dissuade her, once his sister's mind is made up nothing can stop her. The best he can do is watch and hope she doesn't pick one too potent.
Sorrel approaches Deathcap, smiling pleasantly at her. "I'll give one a try." she says brightly. She studies the mushrooms a moment, then picks one she's never seen before, purplish-blue with bright orange spots. Snapping it up she starts chewing. "Fanks." she says, mouth full of mushroom bits, her manners completely forgotten.
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The Cake Mage of Sheep rolled 3 20-sided dice: 18, 8, 17 Total: 43 (3-60) A field of mushrooms bobs up and down singing. A friendly kin they spend a few hours curled against. A shadow version of yourself hurls insults at you.
At first Sorrel thinks she's gotten a dud, one of those mushrooms that only tastes good and doesn't offer much else. Then her body fills with a familiar weightlessness, as though she could float away into the sky. She notices the clearing starts to change, starting just under her hooves and spreading out as far as she can see. All pastel colors with soft edges, mushrooms sprouting up everywhere, all singing and humming a different tune. Some gyrate about wildly, others swaying back and forth, some dancing together. Each has its own rhythm and song.
Grinning Sorrel sings along, very loudly and off key. "Iiii've got wings! Made of suuunbeams!" she starts dancing, leaping and twirling between the mushrooms.
She stumbles, looking around to see what tripped her up. "You're not a what! You're a who!" she loudly yells at the handsome, vaguely familiar buck napping in the sunshine and mushrooms. "Mind if I join you?" Sorrel asks, flopping down next to him and cuddling close, before he can even answer.
"Sure!" he replies, resting his head on her shoulder.
Sorrel gives a contented sigh, warm next to the larger buck and lulled into near sleep by the still singing musrooms. "You should see the kids, they're so big now. And Mugwort had babies of his own, too." she tells him in a dreamy voice.
"Why would I even consider having kids with you? You're such a gross shade of pink!" an almost familiar voice growls at her.
Sorrel jumps half out of her skin, rolling over in her attempt to get away from whoever that was. Standing she looks where the buck had been, tears welling up in her eyes, why would anyone be so mean? Her color was just wonderful! She thinks.
"Bu-but yo-you're me!" she tells the doe, an exact copy of herself, in faded colors. Like leaving something out in the sun too long.
"Unfortunately yes.. and just as fat as you too!" the shadow spits out.
"I'm not fat! I'm burly, like my dad! And stronger too, it's all muscle, stupid!" Sorrel shoots back. Not one to stand there and take insults Sorrel leaps at her shadow double, intent on beating some niceness into her.
Instead she slams into a wall of muscle, knocking her to the ground. Shaking her head Sorrel's vision starts to clear, things returning to normal. In front of her is Mugwort, his face a mix of worry, displeasure and pain. Behind him is one of the many kin come to visit the market. Blushing almost red as understanding dawns on her. "I'm so very sorry." she tells the other, sounding very meek and humble.
Pulling herself to her feet Sorrel nods at her brother, acknowledging him for the intervention. If she'd actually hurt anyone she'd feel aweful. She then walks back to Deathcap to report what she'd seen.
The Cake Mage of Sheep rolled 3 20-sided dice: 18, 8, 17 Total: 43 (3-60) You wander into a songbird nest and the birds peck at you. A vaguely kin-shaped tree trunk infested with bees. A random kin talks to you and tries to help.
Quietly Mugwort watches his sister eat the mushroom, wondering what sort of spectacle she'd make this time. At least she won't be the only one, several other Kin seem intent on testing the doe's offerings as well.
Soon enough Sorrel starts on her journey, as she refers to them. Maybe this one will be quick, he hopes. Especially when she dances, though stomping and flailing is a more accurate description, into a large bush and gets tangled in the branches. He notices the birds immediately, seems Sorrel has disturbed at least one nest. Wincing as the birds squawk and peck at every bit of her they can reach. Not too troubling, at least they're songbirds. Sorrel may have a few scratches, but she's flailing about too much for the birds to hit anything vital. At least Mugwort hopes so. He generally doesn't interfere when she's having halucinations, too much risk of one or both of them getting hurt. Especially if she decides to have a wrestling match.
Mugwort is pulled from his thoughts as Sorrel starts to sing, belting out a line so loudly he's sure kin miles away could hear it. Grimacing he wishes he had a way to plug his ears, his sister really couldn't sing at all, not that he'd tell her that. Sorrel would challenge him to a fight over that, the poor doe really thinks she can sing. Luckily she doesn't do it often. Only when she's high, Mugwort realizes. It's a wonder he's not gone deaf, the number of times he's babysat her while she's indulging her bad habit.
He watches as Sorrel flops to the ground, causing the branches to fling the nest as lose their grip on her, one of the birds gets a thwack to the face as well. So much for them, he thinks as he moves to follow Sorrel.
She'd gotten up and wandered over to a buzzing tree trunk, oddly shaped like a kimeti. Also, but not oddly at all, inhabited by bees, all buzzing about and minding their own business. This is a bit more worrisome then the songbirds. Sorrel isn't allergic to bees, but they do hurt a hell of a lot more then songbird pecks.
Horrified he watches as she plops down next to the trunk, curling against it as though it's a kin, and talking to it. He's close enough to hear her words, and frowns. Sorrel often sees that buck in her waking dreams, always talking to him about the children they had together. As she talks the bees gather on her shoulder, for now the insects seem content to just wander over her hide. A part of his mind wonders if she'd somehow picked up something from the bush, a huge part of his mind prays she makes no sudden movements. That's a looot of bees she's currently cuddling, if even just a few sting her Sorrel will be in more then a little pain.
Movement catches his eye and Mugwort sees a kin approach his sister, a worried look on the doe's face. Worried now himself he starts making his way toward them. If she actually tries interacting with Sorrel the result might be bad. Very bad even. Sorrel has all the bulk of their father, and none of it is fat. She's also a trained hunter, their mother made sure all of them were. The chances of Sorrel doing real damage to the doe, who's obviously just trying to make sure Sorrel is okay, is a possible outcome.
The doe had just asked Sorrel if she's okay, does she need any help? When Sorrel jump rolls away, causing the bees to swarm around them, and from the tears in her eyes at least a few stings as well. Sorrel shouts back at the doe, apparently his sister thinks she's talking to herself. And saying nothing pleasant at all.
Mugwort is just about to address the doe, tell her he's got this and she should be on her way, when he sees movement out of the corner of his eye. Quickly he steps between his sister and the doe, whatever Sorrel was seeing and hearing she'd decided to attack the poor doe. Just in time he gets between the two, Sorrel knocking him back a step as she smacks into his chest.
Wordlessly he watches as Sorrel regains herself, her mind clearing and apologizes to the doe. He gives her a look full of emotion, concern, disapproval, worry, but doesn't make any comment. They've had that argument too many times to count, and here isn't the time to start it up again. He follows Sorrel when she gets up, hoping fervently this is the last time she'll visit this particular booth.
Breaks Bones was not above a few... tests. They helped create art after all. Taking a bite, the buck waited. And thats when it started the earth began to break apart around them and yet it was a lone light that floated to lead them to safety. Physical safety, at least, as Bones suddenly found himself insulted by himself.
It was very deep and meaningful. If humbling. Not the worst trip.
It was an odd sight to see Breaks Bone standing in a pool of well. ahem. Then for them to just stand in a daze while some jelly stung them? A few bucks looked on in concern, yet others snickered. When a kinder kin finally did talk to Bones about the fact they were in a pool of leavings?
The other buck just slumped and began to wander off, seeming slightly dejected.
She was a rebel, and the fact that the kin were acting like crazy did not deter her from stepping forward boldly and snagging three of the mushrooms.
