Chapter Text
The universe watched, as peace was restored
And ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ was over and ▇▇▇▇▇ woke up from ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇. And ▇▇▇▇▇ began a new ▇▇▇▇. And ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇ ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇. And ▇▇▇▇▇ was given ▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇ the universe. And ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇
You are ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇
It’s time for you to rise again.
Gaining awareness was a slow affair, like he was slowly rising out of a vat of molasses. It was difficult, slow… and it was so tempting to stay down- where it was warm.
But even if it was tempting, something wouldn’t allow him to remain unaware- wrapped in the warmth of oblivion. Something needed him aware and awake.
So… he opened his eyes, seeing a field of green and blue, cloudless skies. He blinked, but nothing changed in the environment, his weariness was now replaced with… curiosity and alertness.
He got up, noticing that underneath him, the grass wasn’t green, instead being a shade of orange. He took a step back, curious about what caused the change- and the orange spread to where he stood, seemingly following him wherever he went.
Curious.
He began to experiment, walking in a big circle around the initial patch of orange; The grass didn’t just turn orange- it slowly spread inward, turning even the grass that hadn’t been close enough to get affected initially orange. He ran, and while the radius of effect he had on the grass seemed to be slightly smaller, it still followed.
He knew he had a powerful leap,taking a moment to gather his breath before jumping away- wanting to see if he had to be on the ground to spread it. He had to be, but when he landed the area his presence was affecting ended up being much larger.
Would height be a factor in this?
He noticed a rather tall hill, and an idea came to him. What if he jumped from up there? Would that make a difference? And so he climbed, pausing a bit before reaching the highest peak. He took a breath, got a running start-
and leapt from the top of the hill.
For a moment, he was weightless, but then he landed-.
And all the green that surrounded him turned orange- spreading much further than it had before.
…Height definitely played a part in this.
He watched, curiosity fully taking over as he pondered and wondered what had happened..
He didn’t use to have this ability- he knew for a fact he didn’t use to have that ability, but who- or what- gave him his? He knew he was terrible at taking care of plants, but… even with that, this was unnatural.
He probably wouldn’t get answers to his predicament here, though- and maybe he never would.
But… staying here, would probably do very little.
And so, his journey began.
He steered clear of villagers and signs of civilization.
As warm and welcoming as the lights could be at night, whenever he tried to get close a sense of… foreboding took over-
He was not meant to be there- villages and cities were not for him, so whenever a new one appeared on the horizon, he would make sure to steer clear.
The universe had a spot for him in mind- he just had to find it.
He has no idea how long it takes, but eventually… something catches his eye
A tree- it’s leaves a vibrant green and flowers hiding between them.
It’s… pretty, and he realizes that this is probably the spot the universe had chosen for him.
The pull he felt while on the journey was gone.
He could relax, but he knew his world wasn’t quite done yet-
He had to get higher- higher than ever before, higher than any mortal creature could survive a fall from.
And when he did- when he reached a height even he couldn’t surpass, the view was… pretty.
It was so pretty.
The rolling hills… the peaceful plains…
It was very pretty from up here.
He took a moment to admire the view, before finally… letting himself fall.
He would survive this fall- nobody else could, but he was made to survive it.
He was made to create this place.
That was his current purpose.
So when his hooves finally hit the ground, it’s as if he could feel himself- his very essence- spread, quickly changing the landscape from plains to an autumnal forest.
This… was his now.
His forest- his to reign and protect.
And protect it, he would
At all cost.
‘There’s sickness in the forest’
The lord’s eyes shot open, pupils reduced to thin slits, keenly aware of the state of the forest and all its residents-
Which is exactly how he knew where the infected individuals were, and how many.
Four-
No, wait, scratch that
A fifth one just got infected.
The lord of the dappled forest got up from his bed, quickly getting ready to head out and deal with the sickness before it could spread to other herds.
He couldn’t let that happen- especially with what would happen to him if it did.
So the lord grabbed his weapon, and headed outside, hooves quickly carrying him to the affected herd.
It wasn’t too hard to find the herd, nor was it hard to separate the healthy deer from the ones that had gotten infected-
Chronic wasting disease had no cure, so there was only one way to deal with the infected individuals.
…Though he wouldn’t do it here- there was no need to stain the soil here, to make this place unsafe to graze at. There was a special place for times like these.
Some of the individuals that had only recently gotten infected were terrified- tried to escape and run, but how far could they go, when the forest itself had turned against them? Guiding them to the execution grounds with ease-
The lord had been doing this for a long time, so there truly was no hope for these poor deer.
At least their death would be swift- most of them wouldn’t suffer the effects of their ailment.
A blessing, really.
The grasses of the execution grounds were a dark shade of red, stained by years of blood, violence and ashes. None dared to graze there, no healthy individual dared to even enter the clearing
Not unless they were forced in.
The lord’s axe made quick work of the infected individuals, who fell silently.
…He took a moment of silence- a moment to mourn those that died- before setting out to finish what he had set out to do.
Because it wasn’t over yet.
The forest had no predators, no scavengers and nothing that COULD eat the remains without succumbing to the disease itself, so they had to be dealt with in another way- and burning them seemed to be the most efficient, the flames of the pyre an unnaturally dark color, but refusing to spread from where the bodies were-
The lord of the forest watched the flames roar, staying in place until the bodies were reduced to ashes.
…He wasn’t alone in the clearing- two individuals had been forced in.
Not because they were ill, not because they carried the sickness.
But because they lost their parent, who had been the last to get infected.
“...Who will tend to these fawns?” The lord asked, turning to the remaining members of the herd, who were watching from the treeline.
None stepped forward, none took the initiative to call for the now orphaned fawns.
‘Cowards’
As much as the Lord of the dappled forest loved his deer, he did not care for how hesitant they were to take in fawns that were abandoned or lost.
“...I shall watch over them, then” The lord sighed, scooping up the young animals, and carrying them off to his home.
A place no mortal being could reach without his permission.