|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 7:45 pm
Patrek Falconer was battling with some dreadful inner turmoil.Ever since he had come out of the Wardwood with a little glowing totem clutched in his hand, he had felt... changed, somehow, and different. He wasn't quite sure what it was or why he must be the one to have it.
Why couldn't it have been Aufidius? It was that great oaf who had run into the forest in search of fallen wood. If anybody deserved any sort of punishment, it should have been Aufidius.
It almost pained Patrek to know that his life was now most likely changed forever. The thought terrified him and made him wonder what sort of unnatural alterations the forest might have wrought on him. It was all a mystery now, only days after his encounter with the Wardwood, and every now and then, he would pause in his aimless wandering to pull the little totem out of his pocket to stare and wonder why it was there. What did it want from him?
"Damn it, why not him?" Patrek growled down at the little totem, which rested silent and unyielding in his hand. Once in a while, a thought would cross his mind, urging him to take the totem and fling it back into the Wardwood or toss it into a well or a gutter, but every time he moved to act, something stayed his hand and left the totem untouched in his pocket.
Whenever that happened, he would frown and look down at his pocket and mutter, "Just don't turn me into anything... unnatural." But somehow, it always seemed it was a little too late for that.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 11:12 pm
Mynx was always just a little unsure of himself. He'd never been Chosen, and he had to think by now that it was because he was a little on the plain side. He was a plain but pretty cinnamon, but he had no largely visible markings. His eyes were breathtaking, but he knew that over all, he was plain.
So when another totem left the Ward Tree, he went, as usual, to see how the little one was faring. It was a relief to him usually, simply to see that one of his companions was doing well even if he himself had the feeling he might never be chosen.
This man though - he looked less than pleased, and he had no clue as to why. His guardian would be beautiful. Often he had admired that white totem with it's blue swirls in the past, and it was for that reason that he pressed forth, allowing himself to be seen. He stayed a neat distance away for now - who was to say if this human would react strangely at the sight of him?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2012 6:51 am
If Patrek could have understood the changes that would soon come over him, he might have reacted with less negativity. That was the way it was with most superstitions; people reacted poorly to that which they did not comprehend, and that which they didn't comprehend scared them. Patrek was no exception, and if anything, he was the rule. He had been born to spirit-fearing parents who had convinced him from childhood that anything he couldn't see wasn't anything good.
So it could come as no surprise that his first instinct was to reject the ancient forces that now steered him toward a new and altered sort of existence. There was nothing in his life that Patrek dearly wanted to change, and that was the way he wanted it to remain. The totem would surely put an end to those hopes, but for good or for bad, Patrek didn't know. And he didn't really want to take that chance. He had never had the best of luck, and knowing that, the totem would probably do more bad than good.
He was startled from his thoughts when a tall, brownish shape pushed through the shadows and appeared in his vision. In spite of himself, he jumped and scrambled back several steps in surprise. The totem clutched in his hands went flying toward the shape, which he now realized was a full-grown deer that looked wild and that Patrek suspected could hardly be friendly. He was intruding on its turf, after all. He took a swallow and glanced down at the fallen totem, now lying on a bed of leaves, and he felt the urge to run gripping him.
But he couldn't. Something told him he just couldn't. "I... I'm not here to cause any trouble," he said slowly, raising a hand as if to reassure the buck that he was completely harmless. "There's no need to charge, see? So just... just steady, there."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2012 7:06 pm
The buck really didn't know what to make of this man's fear. Why was he so jumpy? He was obviously not a predator and he wouldn't be eating him. He moved closer, stance still friendly. He came close enough for the man to see his eyes, and then laid down - a sign of trust.
He knew at that point that the man had to be more afraid of him, and regardless of what these two legged beings thought, he knew that when it came down to it, his kind was the more intelligent of the two. Why make war when you could reap the benefits of peace?
He saw the totem lying on the ground and looked upon the human warmly, ears still flicking this way and that in case of danger however. He wasn't entirely sure if other humans wouldn't take the opportunity to shoot him. They were terrible to his kind.
Hello freind... He thought, even though he was sure the human would not be able to hear him. Do not be afraid. I will not harm you. he assured. He could go and visit the little totem later - right now he wanted to instill a sense of trust in this human, so that when he did go and visit the little one, the man wouldn't run away from his Chosen.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2012 9:01 pm
For a moment, Patrek forgot about the fallen totem, eyes fixated on the earthy buck as it moved closer. His hand was still raised before him, as a last and desperate line of defense, should the deer decide to charge, but he had realized by now that the creature seemed quite friendly. He looked almost like Two-Step with antlers, though the chestnut gelding was much more Patrek's type of hoofed animal. He had always been around horses, and they didn't have those fierce-looking antlers.
He watched as the buck lay down, and the mistrust began to fade from the soldier's eyes. Carefully, he crouched, leaning still on his wooden cane, and sat, resting the cane beside him in the leaves. The wounds he had sustained from the raid that had sent him to Oldcastle in the first place were now all but healed, but there were a few that refused to quite go away. The bone-deep gash on his leg was one, though it had improved, and his left shoulder had never seemed quite the same after that. There was a certain stiffness that lessened with exercise, but always came back the next morning, certain as the sun. At least it wasn't his sword arm.
"Well, we all got problems, haven't we?" He said, as much to himself as to the deer. The buck wouldn't understand, he thought, but it helped to talk about it, so if the buck would listen, the buck would hear. "What's your excuse, then?"
Restlessly, he drummed his fingers on the dried leaves that littered the floor before him, and when he finally remembered his fallen totem, he glanced over at it and wanted to reach, but hesitated. It was still closer to the buck than it was to him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2012 9:18 pm
The cinnamon buck decided to remedy this situation by scooching closer, finally extending his long neck, and nudging the totem forward, sneezing and shaking his head when the totem began to glow along with his eyes for just a moment. He acted almost like he was a dog, but there was that delicacy there that suggested he knew very well he was a deer. After all - dogs were not the only friendly ones. In fact, in his experience, they were often less friendly.
He had no scars to speak of - he wasn't a particularly old buck. So the human's question, although well meaning, was puzzling to him. He pushed the Totem again, bringing it within the human's grasp, and then stopped getting closer. Comfortable was not the same as acceptable when it came to distances, he well knew. But he kept that look of curious warmth, eyes like mint dancing as he tilted his head, clearly waiting fro Patrek to make his move, whatever it was. He was injured, and he could smell a hint of something bad about his leg, but until the man let him, he would not go to check him out further.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 3:55 am
He drew back when the totem and the buck's eyes began to glow in sync at the deer's touch. "So you're one of them, eh?" He had to ask, though he knew the answer already. The lessons he had learned from his mother, who used to mention that spirits in the great forest would come and steal him away if he was naughty, all screamed at him to be afraid, to forget the thrice-cursed totem and flee from deer-shaped spirit before any harm could come to him. And deep inside, Patrek knew he still believed those stories. He likely would until the end of his days. It wasn't a particularly fond memory from his childhood - those were few and far between - but it was a memory all the same and it was all he had left of the family he had left behind all those years ago.
Oddly enough, a sense of calm came over him as he watched the buck nuzzle the totem toward him, as if it was trying to give the little wooden carving back. It was, Patrek suddenly realized when the buck scooted closer and sneezed, rather like a friendly dog, he thought. It was strange that such a creature seemed so much like the domesticated ones that Patrek had been around for so much of his life.
"Well... thank you," he said, picking up the gray totem and turning it over in its hand. It had stopped glowing, now that the buck was no longer touching it, but Patrek knew he hadn't just dreamed that. He looked over at the buck, with its bright, glowing green eyes the color of rich jade, and felt himself reaching out a hand in spite of himself, gently so as not to scare the deer. It wasn't like to run, though, he thought, otherwise it wouldn't have come this close to begin with.
"So... this is going to become like you one day, is it?" He mused, looking back down at the totem. "I'll have one of you following me around."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 9:16 pm
The buck seemed overjoyed with even that tentative show of trust, and put his muzzle right in the palm of the soldiers hand like a pony might. If he was a little overzealous, it was because he was just that friendly. Even though he'd heard stories, he'd never been really hurt by a human yet - he had no fear of them.
Well, yes, and no. I'm sure that your Chosen will be much more handsome than me. But he will one day be like me, yes. A Guardian. You are a lucky man - if the wolves ever come.... he thought, but then cut himself off when he realized yet again that this man couldn't hear him. That he never would. It made him sad to think about, and he laid his head on the ground, ears drooping. He knew that this human would never understand, but while these meetings with the newly Chosen were sweet, they hurt just as much when he realized he had been picked over yet again.
His mates had told him before that everything happened for a reason, and he knew as a spirit that this was true, but it still hurt his feelings.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 9:37 pm
The buck seemed oddly sentient, as if he could more or less grasp what Patrek was saying, or at least, he could read Patrek's emotions well enough to understand his current state of mind. It was disquieting, but intriguing all the same, and if Patrek just thought of the deer as a strangely intelligent deer, it didn't seem too terrifying. He certainly wasn't complaining about the company.
He smiled, and reached to stroke the buck's forehead. For a second, the urge to reach and touch the antlers came over him, and he might have, if the buck hadn't suddenly drooped his head to the ground. A sad sort of look had come over its face, though Patrek didn't know why. He had never been particularly talented when it came to understanding animals' emotions, and this one's emotions were likely much more complex than any horse or dog's could be.
"Well, don't look so sad," he said quietly, watching the buck. It felt a little bit like trying to reassure a crying maid. He was out of his element in that as much as in this. "The last time I had a horse look like you, he died." At least a sad maiden wasn't like to just drop dead. "Not that you're a horse or anything," he continued, though by now he seemed to be simply spewing words. Charisma had never been his forte. "But, you know... hooves and all..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 10:05 pm
Jade green eyes met his, and he picked his head up, nuzzling him again, as though to reassure him that he was alright and not going to die. Though the horse comment kind of hurt. He was not a horse. Horses were big clumsy creatures that didn't know where to put their feet on a trail if it killed them. He snorted a little, and made sure he knew he was a little disgruntled at the concept, but for the most part still looked friendly. It was obvious that this man was injured, and not at all used to his kind. He could forgive him.
Ears swiveled this way and that still, searching for sounds. He knew, that if it came down to it, he might have to either run, or try and protect the human in his Chosen's stead if any trouble should arise. It was against the rules, he knew, but when it came down to it, he didn't know how much the little one could do still trapped in the wood like that - he'd never had the chance to find out. This was, obviously, both a bad thing and a good thing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2012 3:38 am
He wasn't particularly skilled in the department of relating to others, both people and animals. He blamed his distinct lack of emotional intelligence on his parents and his rather discouraging childhood, but it had never been a real sore spot for the soldier. His job had long since taken over and shut out any deep need for emotional connection, and so long as he fought well with his garrison and fulfilled his duty, he was satisfied. So many of his brothers-at-arms suffered that same sort of blind devotion to their work that he had stopped noticing how lonely his life usually was. There just wasn't any reason to focus on it.
If Patrek's response was any indicator, what little people skills he used to have had all but rusted away. He completely misunderstood the buck's nuzzle and subsequent look of disgruntlement. "Well, no, I don't mean it like that," he said hastily. "I don't mean you are going to die, just that... well you know, being sad it's very good for you." He felt silent for a moment, wondering what else he could say to reassure the buck from his imminent doom.
"Women think they get wrinkles." This is not Patrek's proudest moment. Here he was, sitting with a wooden toy and talking to a deer about women and wrinkles. It seemed a better alternative to saying nothing, though, so he plowed right on, oblivious. "Well you're not a woman either, but my mum used to say that if you put a naughty look on your face, when the wind changed, you'd be stuck."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
