He was looking to get away from the strangeness that was happening. All of his instincts told him to flee, but it seemed that no matter where he went, there were weird glowing crystals, mushrooms, and fireflies all over the place. Creatures had become sick both predator and otherwise, and for once in his life, he was glad he wasn't a predator. He couldn't fathom eating meat, much less meat that was infected with the strange sickness, and ooze seemed to seep out of every orifice it could. They wept ooze. Bleed ooze. And...well...evidently, came out of other ends, and he shuddered at the thoughts. He had only been mildly sick, the mushrooms he ate a while back had gotten him sick and made him see really strange things, but he was fine now for the most part. Never again would he eat strange, glowing mushrooms...and his companions knew better after that, too. That had been a terrifying experience, and no doubt he had learned his lesson after that wild trip. He never wanted to experience something like that again, so when he came around and after the cloaked figure had come and gone, Balian had set out in search of a place where the ooze didn't touch. Only...he had been all over. East, South, North, and West...and now his last hope lied in the southern continent of Auster. Even here, however, everything was plagued. The sky had remained dark, fireflies flickering in the darkness and still, crystals and mushrooms grew on every surface they could touch. He'd been careful not to touch them, of course, for fear of getting sick again. And while he was good at getting around, the lack of constellations to follow in the star-streaked sky made it difficult for him to find his bearings. Both of his companions helped him find his way, with the bird in the air and scouting ahead for them, and the howler monkey keeping an eye out on their surroundings so nothing would catch them by surprise. The stallion would carefully trek his way across Auster, and it was only when they reached the furthest coast did he finally stop. Brown eyes looked at the ring of water, and nostrils flared a bit as he took in the scents. The sea was salty, and there seemed to be a narrow path that led into the sandy ring, so the stallion followed it. Maybe...just maybe...all was safe here. Though of course, he was disappointed to find that even in this secluded place, blue fireflies still danced around and mushrooms and crystals still grew on every hard surface they could cling to. He sighed with disappointment, and decided to resign himself to the fact that this was just the way things were going to be until...well...he wasn't sure...would it ever go away? Would the sun ever come back? Was there a cure for the sickness? Ooze dripped from his nostrils, but it wasn't anything compared to the majority of animals and wolves he'd been seeing. He opted to walk the perimeter of the beach, just to double-check and make sure there was someplace around here that didn't have any of this strangeness. The air was cold, the sky was cloudless. The night sky was completely clear save for the stars that looked like they were blurred and streaking across the dark blanket and the green and blue hues of the northern lights that he could see. After an hour or two, Balian had made his way completely around the Swallet Ring and he wondered if anyone else was around. He threw his head back and whinnied as loud as he could, and when he finished he stood still to listen. Unfortunately...nobody but the red-tailed hawk answered back, and she came to land on a piece of driftwood in front of him. "I think we're alone here, Balian." The stallion frowned, wondering if he had wasted all that time trying to escape something that might have been inescapable after all. As he turned to leave to find a place to bed down for the night (or day since he didn't know what part of the day it was anymore), he swore he spotted something move over the path that he had used to get in here. Narrowing his eyes, it almost looked like a stag...but he couldn't be sure. It was too far for him to properly see it, and his nighttime vision wasn't that great, to begin with. Though he could vaguely make out the outline of the figure, and it almost appeared to have something sticking out of its head...antlers, maybe? He motioned to the hawk to check it out, but before she was even able to reach it, the creature uttered what sounded like a high-pitched scream? That sound was familiar...he'd heard it before in the North...as the sound echoed around him, he realized it was an Elk. He wasn't sure what it was doing, but when it finished, it seemed to look in his direction and appeared to bow its head...had it just Blessed him? He wasn't sure... He did think it was strange...maybe it was a sign of something...maybe it was telling him things would be fine soon. Or maybe it was an omen...whatever the case, he watched it for a bit longer before it turned to go. But as he strained to see it, it was almost as if it had just dissipated into thin air. There was no sound nor scent or any sort of trace it had been there. Even when he decided to run over to where it had been, not even a footprint. Confused, he looked around to see if maybe the water had swept it off its feet and into the ocean, but...he didn't see anything on either side of the sand, either. When his companion returned, she looked as puzzled as he did. He wondered if what he'd just seen was even real...or if it was just one of the effects of the ooze he had contracted... WC: 1,006 Using Deer Dad's Blessing "Speech"

Deer Dad's Blessing

Be Blessed, and go in Peace

It is not unfamiliar for you to feel similar for a deer, so you may be entirely shocked as you feel like a wolf. You find yourself closer to the ground, running with your pack- the target: a deer. You find your hunger and need as natural as you find running, each breath exploding into your lungs in rhythm with your feet. The lead signals, and you leap, taking down the much larger animal as the pleasant taste of blood spreads over your tongue. You wait until the deer stops moving before you let your hunger consume you and have your fill. Satisfied, you amble off to sleep, licking your maw wearily, your sharp teeth feeling familiar to your tongue. As you drift off, you startle awake, finding yourself back in your normal body.

You gain:

• Post-Acceptance Minor Deer Mutation- Any deer-themed minor mutation will do! Post in maintenance for it! Takes 1 OOC season to take effect. Subject to staff approval.