Cloudbreaker

The gentle woodlands of the Sonnet Forest were left behind for a more open terrain of sage brush, scattered thickets, and small stands of trees and shrubbery. It was the perfect blend of open space and protective cover, with gentle hills that would be friendly to the nimble legs of the cervids. It's partially why, in fact, that numerous deer had made this land their home for many generations now. And why there still stood remnants of a rusted fence and dilapidated buildings where a deer farm once stood - the initial source of the spotted folk and other exotic deer that Cloudbreaker had mentioned to Axis.

Most of those original deer had passed on, but their descendants remained in the Valley, and Cloudbreaker scented some on the wind now. She stopped at the top of a shallow hill, where part of the old, worn canyon lay sprawled before them. The ubiquitous moss rose had not begun to bloom yet, but the greenery was just beginning to bloom in the growing warmth of spring, casting a pleasant tinge to the land.

"This is Golden Rose Canyon. Far as long as I've known about it, the land has been occupied by deer. My presence may or may not be welcome... I'm not sure." Cloud honestly wasn't sure if these deer remembered the Haunters and their open-sourced 'farm', or whether an entirely new stock of cervids lived here now, with no knowledge of this land's history. Either way, the zorse was cautious and ready to leave at a moment's notice if need be. "I can help you search for them if you want. Their scent's in the area, I'm sure they're around here somewhere."

Axis

Axis stood on the knoll and looked around. He was born in close woodlands with scattered glades; that what was he was used to, what he thought all chital preferred, and so what he'd been expecting to see. This was practically the opposite, all shrubland with the occasional grove, but not too unlike the prairie where he'd met Cloudbreaker. The grass was much shorter, however, making the place seem even more open. It should make ambushes hard, but hiding also difficult; perhaps all the hills could help with that.

He pushed his ears forward, listening for any sound, any calls. In a place so open, sound should travel far. His nose tilted up as the wind brushed over the canyon, catching the distinct scent of deer. Where were they?

He looked at Cloudbreaker as she mentioned that she may not be welcome. Was it because she wasn't a deer, or because she had some sort of bad reputation? Perhaps the deer knew of her association with those predators. Axis was unsure if he should be seen with her, then. He didn't want them to think he was with the carnivores for some unsavory reason.

Foolish, he thought. If this was their home, there was a good chance the deer probably already knew they were there. Backing out now would only make it more suspicious, wouldn't it? Besides which---and he suddenly realized this as he sniffed again---his body was laced with the scent of predators.

The chital turned his head and quickly licked the area around his wound, trying to hide his uncertainty. It would be good to have someone who knew the area anyways, he reasoned.

"Yes, please," he said at last, shaking his head to feel the weight of his antlers. "Let's look together."

He started the descent into the canyon, thinking to first examine the curious landmark of men. He approached it cautiously, carefully investigating the air for any hint of human. He cast a glance over his shoulder to see whether Cloudbreaker would be coming with him, or splitting up to cover more ground.

Cloudbreaker & Others

"Of course." The zorse's large eyes reflected a smile as she answered the chital. This task was a far more pleasant one than their mission earlier after all, and a stroll through these gentle hills would do well to put her frazzled mind at ease. The zorse chose to stay somewhat near her cervid friend, trailing him by about a dozen yards out as he began his descent into the shallow canyon.

Axis' suspicions turned out correct, as the pair had already been scented by a resident deer. From atop a higher knoll, shouldered by an ancient oak tree on one side and a stand of brambles on the other, the camouflaged scout had watched Axis inspect the rusted remnants of the fence, long devoid of human scent. He stood still, hardly moving a muscle as the two then moved onward, pressing down into the soft hills and eroded cliff sides that fed into the broad canyon.

Waiting and observing, just to make sure no others were following this pair, the deer finally stepped out from hiding and began to move briskly down the slope of his knoll, then across the ground towards the hill where Axis and Cloudbreaker had just moved off of. He paused atop this one and looked down at the chital and zorse, observing the pair a few seconds longer before uttering a short, rattle bark, "Hold it there."

Cloud wheeled around and squinted her eyes upwards against the bright sky, looking up at the stag silhouetted above them. At a glance, she could tell this fellow was a red deer, a large brute with a shaggy mane and a peculiar set of antlers branching above his head. Nearly three-foot long beams, devoid of any tines save for two that sprouted at the base of the malformed antlers; she recognized this oddity, knowing a few deer in the area sported this unfortunate mutation.

Before she could get in a word to defend her presence here or even explain it, the stag was speaking again, "You both reek of predators. Explain yourselves." A hoof stamped firmly into the ground suggested that this stag was not in a particularly patient mood right now, and not happy to smell wolves and cats so strongly in the air.

Axis

Axis spun halfways and stared up at the stranger, trying to see through the sun to his details. The odd antlers threw him off for a moment, making him think it was some sort of cattle, until he caught the other's scent on the wind.

When questioned, a lie banking along the lines of "we were ambushed" flashed through his mind; he could have even shown off his wound as "proof."

"We freed a horse from some humans," he said. He stood tall and held a steady gaze with the stranger, despite the glaring sunlight. "They were everywhere." He paused, uncertain whether to add that some of the predators had helped them, and waited to see if that explanation would be enough for the other deer.

Cloudbreaker & Others

The red deer held his position on top of the hill, using this to promote intimidation and to discourage any sort of trouble that they might have in mind. After Axis offered his version of the story, the stag turned sharply to Cloudbreaker, silently demanding hers.

"He tells the truth." She said evenly. Her ears swiveled, listening for the sound of any others nearby. She didn't hear anyone else, but she knew there must be other deer nearby, perhaps even watching them now. "A friend of mine was captured, and he offered to help me and my herd-mates in freeing her - he even brought a human's horse to its knees, preventing it from following us. Several of their dogs were killed or injured." She carefully neglected to add the bit about the tigers helping out, choosing to omit a few key facts instead of fabricating a new story, if only because she didn't want to get caught in a lie and make the situation worse.

The stag digested all of this without once turning his dark gaze away from the pair. He was testing the wind and all but snorting at the odor of predators that tainted the air still. It was a moment more before he spoke again, "I see." The large cervid came forward then, moving down the embankment towards the pair. "Tell me, what brought you through our domain? I don't see or scent your herd mates, horse."

Axis

"I'm looking for a herd," Axis said, stepping forward. He sized the stag up as he approached, and found himself to be woefully shorter. With the sun no longer at the stranger's back, he could also see that this deer didn't even bear any spots. The chital's nose twitched, trying to find the scent of any others on the stranger.

Nodding at Cloudbreaker, he explained, "She's my guide. I'm new to this land, so I didn't know where to find other deer."

Cloudbreaker & Others

At this point, Cloudbreaker went silent to let Axis speak for himself. She kept her hooves firmly planted to the ground while he stepped forward, offering his reason for being here and explaining the lack of other horses.

The stag took this all in silently while inspecting the chital, noting now the wound that he carried, and the stain of blood coloring the other's tines. Despite the wound though, he had already concluded that this fellow seemed otherwise strong and in good health, and clearly had some decent fight in him, to take on humans and their pets. "If you're looking for a herd, you are welcome to join ours." The stag seemed to relax a smidgen, "My name's Torank. Yours?"

Axis

"Axis," he said, relaxing likewise. "Yes, I think I would like that. Er, one moment---"

He turned and walked back to Cloudbreaker, bowing his head. "Thank you," he breathed.

Cloudbreaker & Others

Cloudbreaker was relieved when the stag didn't try to hassle them, or heavens forbid, attack them for carrying such scents on their fur. And even better yet, the odd-antlered fellow had invited Axis to their herd. Her expression softened at the chital's approach, and she bowed her head in turn, "It's the least I could do, for your help today. You know where you can find help in the future, should you ever need it." With a smile to the deer, Cloud gave a nod to Torank as well, then quietly departed from the pair and made her way back out of the land.

Torank waited quietly until the horse left, standing tall and silent until the equine had disappeared from sight. Once that had happened, he started to turn, giving the chital a flick of the muzzle in a signal to follow, "Axis, tell me a bit about yourself." Strong legs carried Tor with ease back up the slope, "There aren't many of your kind in the Valley, though we do have a few in our own herd. Aja, and Akhara. Mezi and Tarsema."

Axis

Axis watched Cloudbreaker go, leaving his head bowed until she was out of sight. He was still amazed by the events of the day, and in truth he couldn't wait until he was able to relax again, but there would be no time for that yet.

Summoning strength back into his legs, the chital turned and followed Torank up the gentle canyon walls. His ears flicked forward when he heard that there were more of his species around, and silently breathed a sigh of relief. Not that he wouldn't abhor the idea of living with Torank's kind---the fact that they were some sort of deer was enough---but he would likely feel a bit out of place being the only chital there.

Torank wanted to know more about him...Axis wondered what to say.

"I'm from a place the humans call India," he said. "As I understand it, it's on the other side of the world." Saying that suddenly made him feel very...lost, and he paused to glance over the area around him. Yes, this place was very different from the forests of his homeland. "I followed...a friend into the city---into a trap set by humans. I broke out of my cage in the end, but I had to swim a long way to reach land."

He shuddered at the memory of falling from a great height into the icy sea, then looked at Torank, not sure if this was what he wanted to know.

"Have my kind always lived here?" he asked. He'd never heard tales of this place, but, then again, it was very far away.

Torank & Others

"Humans." Torank murmured under his breath, the stag's words carrying an undeniable tinge of disgust to them. He was quiet after that though, allowing Axis to finish his story without interruption as the pair moved up out of the canyon on towards the thicket of dense brush nearby. "You were lucky to break out of your cage. You're quite the fighter, it would seem. A good addition to our herd." Tor lowered his head, pushing himself past two small cedar trees.

"Denki's mother had mentioned a land called 'India'; I believe that's where she came from as well. To answer your question though - no. Most all of the chital that live here now were born here, but they came from there." The red deer stopped, lifting his head to gaze at the decaying chain link fence not too far from where they had moved to. "Humans built that, and filled it with deer from many different places. Years ago, my grandfather Nhosh led his herd here and broke down the fence, to free them all."

Axis

Axis frowned as Torank mentioned that him being a fighter would be a good addition. It wasn't really something he meant to be, it just...happened. He hoped fighting wasn't something this herd did regularly -- unless it was in rut or to protect themselves, of course.

Walking under the cedars, he listened closely to the history of the herd. So there must be even more species than just Torank's and his.

"Impressive," he said at mention of all the deer being freed. "I wonder what the humans would have done with all those deer." He imagined it had something to do with food. Reminded of the events of the day, he asked, "What did the humans do afterwards?"

Torank & Others

The frown caught Torank's eye, causing him to pause and tilt his antlered head, "What's wrong, Axis?" It didn't immediately dawn on the stag that his fighting comment might not have been taken well, and could be a bit alarming for a creature whose natural instinct is to run rather than stand and do battle with most threats.

"Not good things." Came the red deer's response to Axis' musing on the humans and what they did with the captive deer. His answer was a little more solid and just what happened to the two-leggers, however, "Well, they rallied with a group of their hounds, and they came after the deer. Trying to corral them back in the enclosure." His imagination flew as he recalled the stories his grandfather told him, seeing the events unfold as if he had been there himself, "..the predators helped a bit, but Nhosh and his stags, they decimated the humans and their hounds, and stomped them into the earth. They ended those two-leggers that day, and not a single one ever came back to try and rebuild the pen."

Axis

Axis shook his head as Torank asked him what was wrong, hesitating before he admitted the truth.

"I'd rather not fight," he told the other deer, then smiled reluctantly. "Unless it's a rut."

He listened to the end of the story, further impressed by the deeds of these deer---well, their ancestors, anyway.

He asked, "Has your herd remained strong?"

Torank & Others

The stag watched the fellow cervid with a steady gaze, one that didn't flinch or shift as Axis admitted what had gotten under his skin. It was understanding, not disappointment, that crossed Tor's expression next, and he chuckled lightly, "I suppose you've had enough of a fight today, enough to last you a life time?" He swung his heavy head back around and continued to lead his new herdmate deeper into the territory. "We won't expect you to fight, or do something that's so out of your nature. There are many in the herd who feel the same way. The only task that we do ask of our stags and bucks is to keep sentry about the land, and if it comes to it, lead danger away from our hinds fawns."

Onward the big deer went, dipping his head here and there past low branches, and pushing his sword-like antlers through thicker brush when they came upon it. "Decently so, yes. We've had a slight decrease in population over the last few years, and our numbers aren't where I'd truly like them, but we're strong as a whole. And it's been a long time since any plague or other ailment has been noted in the Valley."

Axis

Axis smiled shyly and in relief at Torank's response to his admission.

"Yeah," he confirmed. He nodded as the stag explained that he only expected bucks to keep watch and lead danger away. "I can do that."

He flicked an ear as Torank answered. Axis didn't have a problem with the low numbers. He knew some deer might like huge herds, but he was of the other side. Comes from living in the forest, where tight spaces made lots of deer moving together more of a detriment than a benefit. Then again, it might depend on the territory. Given all the wolves and tigers he'd seen mingling together...maybe large numbers weren't such a bad idea.

As he thought about the pack he'd run with, he wondered how much Torank knew about them. He wondered if, perhaps, that particular pack came hunting around here.

"How many predators are near here?" he asked carefully, ducking suddenly as a branch came swinging towards him.

Torank & Others

That was all Torank really needed to hear from this new stag, and his heart lifted a little to think that their small herd had grown by one after struggling for so many years. "I'll introduce you to a younger buck named Skylance that can show you about the perimeters better, along with good vantage points and escape routes. He's a whitetail, and he's more fleet of hoof than I am."

The stag had reached the top of another knoll, breaking through a particularly dense stand of sumac and brambles. Below, a small meadow opened up, with clumps of taller grasses and a smattering of young cedar trees that made for excellent bedding sites. A few frequently nests could even be seen, where some of the deer had returned repeatedly to their favored napping spots, creating a noticeable depression amongst the vegetation. "This is one area to keep mindful of; many of the does like to rest here. It's secluded, has good routes to flee, and the wind comes in at a good angle." There didn't appear to be any deer here now, with the heat of the day making even this cozy meadow a little too warm to nap in.

A giant ear swiveled in one direction, while the second was positioned towards Axis and his query of the predators. "We have our fair share." Torank took this moment to flick a tongue over his dark nose and test the wind. "There is another, larger herd that resides near us that..." Hesitancy struck the stag before he turned and looked directly at the chital, unwilling to lie or hold anything back from their newest herdmate. "Those predators you helped, they use to come regularly to take whom they wanted from our herd. And I don't mean hunt - they had the whole herd obedient to them. Times have changed thankfully, and we've split away from that herd, but the predators still come here to hunt from time to time." Torank snorted and raised his head, as if to show defiance to the foul beasts he spoke of, "With your bravery and skills, a stag like yourself will have no problem outrunning and outsmarting them. Just keep your nose to the wind, and take your time learning the land."

Axis

Axis gazed down into the secluded meadow, taking in the scents of other deer. They were fresh, though it seemed that no one was there now. He looked again at Torank as he answered, the confusion plain on his face at the storied behavior of this other herd.

"I've never heard such a thing...," he mumbled, horrified. What herd willingly give away their own members---their own family? To just stand there and take it? Not even a mother would abandon her calf when on the run. "Do I need to keep watch for this other herd, too?"

He bowed his head as Torank continued. "I can't express my gratitude for your taking me in," he said. "I'll lead away as many predators as I can."

Torank & Others

Torank's tones held a grim, solemn note that reflected somewhat in the dark eyes that swept over the gentle hills and greenery around them, "I vowed to never let our herd come to that. It's helped that the predators have diminished in the Valley in recent times, but we must always remain vigilant."

The stag shifted his body and began to walk along the crest of the knoll, using this higher vantage point to give him a better view of the surrounding lands before descending down the side. "To a degree, yes. There are two other mixed herds in the Valley that I know of, and though we are by no means enemies, all bets are off during the rut." Torank glanced back at the chital, before turning and ducking his head beneath a low hanging branch. His ridiculous antlers still clipped it and sent a few leaves swaying to the ground.

A noise cut through the drone of insects that chorused around them, bringing the red deer to a halt. His head came up and his radar-like ears turned in the direction of the call. A moose? And he wasn't alone. Torank swung his head around again, looking keenly to Axis, "We are just as grateful to have another pair of eyes and ears with us. Now, here is your first job. I won't be too far behind you." The larger deer stepped aside, giving Axis room to pass by and intercept these interlopers.