[USER BOOTH] Story Time

[zeflamigo]

Genre: Horror
Leaf | Mongoose | Run

Something More was not a storyteller. That was to say, she wasn't good at making up stories. She knew more from experience, rather than fantasy. So she pondered for a moment, trying to think of a brand new idea, or perhaps something blended with a memory.

"Once, there was a young foal, left all alone in the swamp at night," Something More began, pausing for emphasis. "Surrounded by darkness, the foal heard something rustling the leaves nearby, and being a curious child, they followed."

Ducking her head down and staring at the onlookers, she continued. "There they found a cute little mongoose, with white fur and bright blue eyes. The foal was smitten, and pressed closer, surprised when the smaller creature didn't run."

"Face to face with the little mongoose, the foal realized it wasn't a mongoose at all! Hearing a mighty roar, the foal noticed it was the tail of something much bigger." Something More waved her head dramatically, eyes wide. "It gobbled them right up! And the beast was never seen again!"  

[Scaramouche Fandango]

Genre: Horror
Leech, Kimeti (m), Swim

"Once there was a kimeti, a handsome young buck," Half Truth began, licking her lips with great relish, "who prided himself on his strength. He was a strong fellow with great rippling muscles; his chest was broad and his back was strong. His legs were mighty, like oak trees, and his horns were tougher than stone. He was a kind fellow, much beloved by his tribe, for he would use his great strength in defense of the weak. True, he did boast sometimes that nothing was big enough to take him down- but he was never truly arrogant or rude, and he was always kind to others.

One day, during the height of the summer festival, the buck and his tribe traveled to meet with other kin. There were many kin of all shapes and sizes, and the festival was celebrating all their feats and accomplishments. There were dances, songs, storytelling... and of course, feats of strength. The buck's tribe was hoping he would win them all, and he didn't want to let them down. The first competition was a race. The buck ran and ran, his mighty hooves pounding the earth beneath his feet. His flanks heaved and shuddered as he gave it his all, and in the end, he was the swiftest of the gathered crowd. He smiled warmly as they crowned him with leaves, then gratefully gulped down water that was brought to him in a tortoise shell. He slept well that night, rested for the next day's competition. Nothing was big enough to bring him down.

The second day brought with it a wrestling match. Kin were paired up and first competed against their own kind. Then, the strongest kin from each kind- kiokote, kimeti, acha, zikwa, and totoma- then they all faced each other in a battle royale. It was a hard fight and came down to the kimeti buck and a massive totoma doe. She came at him with all she had, her great strength and mighty horns knocking the wind from his lungs, but he persevered and eventually got her pinned. He used her bulk against her, tripping her up and flipping her, until she could fight no more. He grinned at her, dazed, as they crowned him with leaves. The pair spoke long into the evening, and night found them secluded from the others, curled against each other, rested for the next day's competition. Nothing was big enough to bring him down.

The third day dawned, and with it came the sun glinting over water. The kin gathered near the mouth of a deep channel in the swamp. The third competition was a distance swim through deep water, and the buck knew he would win it easily. He splashed into the water with the other competitors. The muddy water churned beneath their flailing hooves, splashing and making it difficult to see. But he pulled ahead, the strong kimeti buck, and eventually left the group behind. He swam on and on and on, and as he looked back, he could see his competition dropping out behind him, hauling their exhausted bodies to shore. But this was a test of endurance, and so he beat on, pushing and pushing himself. He began to grow tired, and so he floated for a bit. He knew he was far enough ahead that he could rest just a little. He was so tired, and his legs burned so.

Under the water, as he stopped moving, a small creature saw its opportunity. Biting into his flesh, the leech hungrily sucked and sucked, its writhing motion calling others of its kind to the exhausted kimeti. He felt nothing, for leech bites are painless until it's too late, and he didn't realize he was getting sleepier and sleepier, until his head disappeared beneath the dark water.

The kin waited and waited for their hero to return, but soon the sun reached its zenith and there was no sign of him. Worried, the group set out down the channel, searching the length of the swimming course- but there was no sign of him. As his body lay in the depths, the leeches swarmed and fed. Nothing was big enough to take him down. But something- many somethings- had been small enough to do it.  

[polliwoggi]

Genre: Love
Words: Twig | Totoma (m) | Bitter


"A love story? Well, that's easy for me~ Oh, I've got one!"

The long-tailed buck swished his tail, seeming quite pleased with himself.

"Once, there was a young totoma named Breaking Twigs. He was a handsome thing - not half as handsome as me of course - and very brave and bold. He was kind and fun and strong... However, he was unfortunately also very dumb. Stupid, even!"

Endeavor paused to huff indignantly, offering a pouty expression.

"He had the best - the most beautiful and handsome and wonderful buck in the whole swamp - head over hoof in love with him, and he didn't even realize it! They'd talk and laugh and do things together every day, but no matter how much the buck loved him, he'd never love back. He didn't even notice! Didn't realize it at all!"

The red male seemed to grow agitated, stomping one hoof on the ground as his 'love' story turned sour.

"Then one day he fell in love himself, with a dumb acha doe who didn't even have a tail at all! A dumb, ugly, silly doe! Well, who cares! I don't! I'm not bitter! It's not like I care about some stupid buck with bad tastes, anyway!"  

[Scaramouche Fandango]

Genre: Love
Words: Leech|Kimeti (f)|Happy

"This is a story about love," Sun-bright Sparrow said, voice low and husky. "It's not the normal kind of love we think about- the love between two kin, whether they're parent and child, siblings, lovers, family- but it's still about a kind of love. It happened long, long ago, to a girl I once knew. She was a kimeti doe, a quiet little thing. Nobody knew what would get a smile out of her. Her family was large and boisterous, and she was so quiet. Her family tried to include her and talk to her, but with a quiet shrug, she'd stay at the edge of the group, watching and waiting. Every day, she would disappear for a few hours, telling nobody where she went. Although her family pressed her for answers, volunteering to go with her, telling her she didn't have to be alone, she refused to tell. One day, her older sister got it into her head to follow her, trailing behind her as she walked. The quiet doe slipped away into the bracken, her sister silently stalking after her. The doe found herself in a clearing and sank to her knees, a happy smile on her face. She lay in the soft moss, listening to the chirping birds and peaceful noises of the water lapping against the shore. Her sister was puzzled, but remained silent. Eventually, she began to understand. While to her, the silence leeched energy and made her drowsy, her sister seemed to be taking energy from it. Her sister wasn't deeply unhappy; she was just quiet. She loved her peace and solitude- and though it was somewhat difficult to understand, the doe's sister made a vow that she'd do her part in keeping her sister's silence sacred. As far as I know, she never told her she'd followed her that day- and as far as I know, the doe's family stopped bothering her about her private little ritual."  

[thyPOPE]

berry, mongoose, hate

"Love - love is what brings us together," Optimist grinned. "Ooh - I think I've got a good one, though. Once, there was a buck who everyone hated. He had no respect for others: he was always taking prey when someone else had killed it, or harvesting trees prematurely just so that no one else could eat their fruit. But one day, he found that he was constantly being thwarted by a mongoose. Isn't that frustrating? It'd follow him everywhere, screeching when it saw him try to interfere with other kins' lives again." She shook her head.

"And it was brave, and fast! In all honesty, it was the trusted companion of another buck, who cared deeply for the swamp, but who could barely talk to anyone else. He was the one following the hated buck around, sending the mongoose to warn everyone else of the buck's approach. But...you spend a lot of time with someone, or watching someone, and you really get to know them. He noticed how mean other kin would be to that buck - because no one likes a known thief! But there was never any opportunity to change. So one day, he gave his mongoose some berries, to give to the hated buck. Maybe if he was shown that others could forgive him for his past actions, he'd understand.

"At first - it didn't seem to be making much of a difference. But it was just a few berries. So he kept going, but one day - one day, the kind buck was approached by the mean buck himself. He wasn't completely unobservant, you know! He knew there'd been someone following him around - mongooses aren't that smart. And he started - they started - they started talking. They did get to know each other. They learned why each of them lived the way they did - the nice buck in silence, too scared to hurt anyone directly; the mean buck in isolation, too accustomed to doing wrong, to start doing the right thing.

"And as they got to know each other, and learned to appreciate each other, the shy buck began to step out of his shell. And the mean buck - well, you couldn't really say he was mean anymore. He was actually quite charming, and lonely, and he was willing to help people if it meant he got something out of it, too. But more importantly, to both of them: they had each other, to relieve the loneliness that they'd felt before. They loved each other."

She grinned, satisfied with her tale. "The end!"  

[Nashawryn]

Theme: Love
Words: Leech, Crane, Crumble

Darkness Calls cleared his throat. "A story, huh? I suppose I can tell you a story I know...." He shifted around, raising his head to the sky as he closed his eyes. "Once there was a doe who was extremely clumsy and not very bright. She had managed to get herself stuck in some trees in a lonely part of the swamp. She cried out for someone to find her, not knowing if anyone was listening or not. Her cries were heard by a buck named Leech Licker. He approached her carefully, and was astonished by such a beautiful doe stuck in such a horrid position. As soon as she heard him quietly talking under her cries she calmed down, twisting her head to look at him. He wasn't the most handsome of bucks, but he was there, and he had come to her rescue, she was sure of it. "My name is Crane Glides West, please help me get out of this!" She called out to him. He said in return "Why reward your carelessness? You have caused yourself to become trapped in the trees, when I can plainly see that there is a very easy way for you to get out." She started crying again at his harsh words. "I only wished to find a home of my own. Please, won't you help me?" Leech Licker felt her remorse in her words and, liking her sweet nature, decided to help her. "All you must do is back out of the trees. You keep trying to go forward and it's only making you more and more tangled. These branches in the back of you are weak though, and will crumble away from you if you back out carefully enough." Crane slowly made her way backwards out of her tangled mess and smiled at her rescuer, who had actually forced her to be her own rescuer. "You are very kind, Leech. Would you mind keeping watch over me longer?" Leech Licker nodded and smiled, "Forever, if I have to."

Darkness Calls cleared his throat again, "How was that?"  

[JetAlmeara]

Words - Sun, Kimeti, Tremble
theme - Love


Bite considered for a few moments, her ears flicking as she rolled the words over in her mind before starting.

"Long ago there lived a Kimeti who was born into a world of darkness, all of those around the Kimeti were pleased with this arrangement, they found the darkness soothing and secure and had no wish to venture away from the shadows. The Kimeti however felt differantly, deep in his heart he knew that the world should be brighter..happier and although the others mocked him for his choices the Kimeti bravely set forth, trembling as he stepped into the sun and left the shadows far behind. It was not an easy journey and many times the Kimeti considered turning back, returning to the darkness he had always known..but something drew him foreward, a bright shining star at the edge of sight that the kimeti felt compelled to follow. As he journeyed the star grew brighter, stronger and the Kimeti felt his heart swell with a lightness that he had never known before. Love. True love the Kimeti had finally learned was not something found when one stood in place but something earned over time, something which grows through shared expireinces and brightens even the darkest shadows."

With a warm look on her face Bite turned away, sure her story was a bit cryptic but she liked it well enough.  

[thyPOPE]

"You want to hear one of my stories? Wait - of course you want to hear one of my stories." Wild Green Stones stuck his face - well, basically exactly where Death Brings Change's was. "Once there was a real, sweet doe, who was a little rash, but still - y'know - cute." He said the last word in a whisper and appended it with a wink. "Anyway, so back then I had a foxbun - bright red, little blue-white eyes. I know because - well - my vision's not that great. He was one of the only things I could see well - he was a beacon in a place like, well, the swamp. But the first time we met she just looked at me and screamed, 'Fire!' Now, I'm known for my lack of self-preservation, but that word will send anyone into a state of alarm. I have to admit I ran straight away from her - and then I came back for my little bunbun. Turned out, though - she'd just seen my dude, and thought he was a fire. We laughed for a few full minutes once we'd sorted everything - and then I ended up giving him to her. A present."

Wild Green Stones grinned. "I don't really need a guide animal, right?"  

[thyPOPE]

Forced Awake was pretty determined to tell one specific story. So he did. It was at least marginally related to - well, to one of the prompts.

"This is the story of the tragedy that led the kiokote to the swamp. In the plains, it stormed, summoning thunder and lightning, but also blessed rain. It was a happy occurrence, at first - but the rain didn't stop. Water saturated the soil and uprooted the grass and collapsed the burrows of the plains' prey animals - and then it kept rising. Kin started to die. Which is, uh, disgusting. That drove a large number of the kiokote population - including my parents - to the swamp." Wait, he'd missed something..."Oh, right - they later met totoma. Some of whom were bucks."  

[thyPOPE]

"And the story can be about anything?" asked Optimist. "No? Oh! Okay! Once my friend lost his foxbun, so I went sleuthing, and tracked its prints to a cave! Which was really cool and echo-y and mysterious. Caves are cool. Then the earth started trembling - I think it was an earthquake? Or someone really big stomping." She mimed the action. "Then I found the foxbun and took her home. With me."  

[thyPOPE]

"There are plenty of mysteries that I could think of," said Playing at War. "But - I can keep it short, right?" After she received confirmation she continued. "Right. Once a buck was practicing his...his dance moves, but every time he started up, all he could hear was very loud laughter." She'd chosen a buck purely because she didn't want the zikwa assuming she was the main character here. Playing at War did not practice dancing. At all. Ever. "So he turned around, but could not find his watcher. He went back to dancing, and his watcher began laughing again. He looked into all of the logs, and could not find his watcher. He started to dance again, and again someone laughed. He turned over every leaf in the clearing, and could not find his watcher. He started to dance again, and someone laughed, but this time, instead of stopping to search he continued to dance, keeping his eyes open to see who it might be. To his surprise, the raucous, honking laughter came from a swan, who clammed up whenever his dancing stopped. It was trying to provide an accompaniment for his dance!"

She stepped back, satisfied. "See? It was even kind of sweet."  

[thyPOPE]

"I don't know if I know many..." began Soothe, frowning. She could try, though. "What about, um - what about young Black Dog and the leeches? In the days of Black Dog's childhood, the stretch of swamp between the spaces now occupied by Westfen and the Mother's club was looked upon as very dangerous, which is a shame, because, as you know, it was in the very center of Matope, and surrounded Ghost Thistle's Mound. This is because the waters were infested with leeches. They'd latch onto anything that ventured into them and bleed them dry. Now, Black Dog, the young colt, was extraordinarily fond of his canine companion - as he should be. It was a golden sand dog, for this was before the other species of kin had left the swamp. Sand dogs are clever, of course, and make excellent hunters - but they do not have the language to understand that they should not wander beyond kimeti boundaries." Soothe shrugged.

"So one day, Black Dog's dog wandered into the Water Where No Kin Should Tread, only to be carried away by leeches. This thought would have struck fear into the heart of any other kimeti - leeches! Small as they might be; they're so painful, and they were so plentiful. But Black Dog witnessed this and dove into the waters immediately, slaying every leech he found until he had found his dog, which left the waters leech-free for all the kin who followed in his footsteps. These leeches he granted mercy in exchange for the spared life of his companion. Thus leeches still proliferate amongst us, but at a far reduced rate, and we are free to gather here at Ghost Thistle's Mound unbothered by those parasites."

Soothe smiled. Had she done well?  

[thyPOPE]

"You're asking the wrong doe," said Constant Contact. "Wait - you're giving tokens too?"

That changed everything. But where was she going to find a legend about fire, bats, and burping?

The answer, obviously, was to make something up. With any luck the Motherfather didn't care about silly achas like herself..."In the time before stories, when the Motherfather's eggs were still incubating, Matope itself had no light but for the Motherfather's own. None of the plants needed to see, after all, and there were no animals yet but for weak, blind bats, who did not care for vision. Ah, you say - but what of the stars? They were still fleas, feasting on the Motherfather's flesh. What of the sun, and the moon? Well - the stories are a little true. The moon was once but a tick in the Motherfather's ear - but the bright, warm sun, could never have been anything so insignificant. The tale is an embarrassing one, though, so...I'd keep it hush-hush if I were you." She winked, here.

"See, even the Motherfather needs to eat. But the Motherfather loves all in even this regard - they're not a very picky eater. One day, they were so ravenous that they swallowed a bat - whole and live! But there's a reason that isn't advisable. The bat keeps flapping in your throat, see...it was most unpleasant, and it left the Motherfather with burps for the remainder of the day."

"Well, it's only burps, they thought at first. They're not that uncomfortable. But they became greater and greater - more and more obtrusive - until finally, the Motherfather's burp created a ball of fire, expelled through their mouth. That, not a tick, is what is now our sun. Don't let anyone tell you differently."

She sat back, satisfied.  

[Pigxels]

Genre: Choose Your Own / Horror | Rolls: 9 (Moon), 7 (F Zikwa), 2 (Hate) | 790 Words

Jester wandered into the small clearing with a bundle of foals and fillies, and smiled at all of them before plopping himself down and nestling into a dry, warm spot. "Wanna hear a scary story?" The little group looked around at each other and then one cynical, sarcastic foal raised a brow and sneered.

"You don't look very scary. I don't think we'd take anything you said particularly seriously."

Jester only cocked a brow and smirked. "Oh really? I guess you've heard all the stories then, particularly the one about the zikwa doe and the moon." He swirled some snow under his hoof and shrugged then, staring down at it and hiding his smirk.

There was a small quiet, and then a filly at the back squeaked, "What zikwa doe...? I don't know any scary stories about zikwa, just confusing past legends."

Jester looked up then, trying to be as serious as could be, and then tipped his head. "You've never heard that one? Interesting. Well, if you want to hear it, I guess I could tell you, before the event is over and all." He paused a moment and then pretended to stretch. When no one answered him, he settled back down and then continued. "Hmm. Okay, well. Back before the zikwa had come out of hiding and joined the rest of us on the surface, there was one particular doe who had managed to find the entrance to her cave, and enter the world.

"She had no idea what other kin were, and no one knew the zikwa. She was blind, you see, one of the ones with skin over their eyes, and it was night. She was drawn out by the bright glow of the moon, the only thing blind zikwa can see. She thought the moon was just a large and intimidating zikwa, but when it didn't answer her calls as she tried to communicate, she slowly grew more fearful. After a while, she grew afraid, and simply attempted to sneak back into her cave as if she hadn't come out, but grew lost. Fireflies had come out that night, things she'd never seen, and she found herself following the strange, magic blinking lights until she'd strayed so far from home, she didn't think she'd ever get back.

"She wandered into the wrong kimeti's camp that night, one who was known for occasional murder, and was extremely territorial. The second he noted the strange thing in his part of the swamp, he hated her; he didn't know anything about her, nor did he care. He didn't even particularly know what kind of kin she was, nor did he think to ask her. The sound of his growl spooked her, but this particular kimeti had no glowing markings, and she could not see him. She turned and attempted to run, but was so unused to the brambles and vines of the wild surface, that she tripped and fell along the way. The last thing she knew was a loud STOMP, a thud, and a sharp pain before she faded away. It wasn't until morning that anyone else had found her while the buck was away.

"No one could place what kind of kin she was, and a few rumors ran around that since she was blind, she was part bat. This scared more than enough for them to gather a small group of salamanders, and build a big fire; throwing what was left of her on top to burn that night, to erase all traces she existed. That's when they noticed something strange.

"The moon had rose that night, but it was muted; the light was drowned out as if it were showing through a veil, and appeared more like a very dark, glowing grey than a bright, friendly white. The kin looked up at it, and slowly, it raised its odd veil.... it was the blind zikwa doe's massive eyelid, and she was peering down at them. The kin that had gathered that night vanished. No one knew where they'd gone, and no one's heard from them since. Some say the moon then turned red, others say it was simply white. Shortly after, the zikwa actually emerged from the underground, and since she had scared so many, the kin on the surface did nothing but show absolute respect, out of fear.

"Of course now, we all know better. Zikwa are no different from the rest of us," he laughed, watching the tiny kin's wide eyes jerk up toward the sky, then back to each other. "Although, since no one really knows what happened, it's entirely possibly. Better watch who you pick on," he joked, and then rose to his feet to leave this thought to linger.