Rannoch felt like an eternity had passed since he last saw his herd, it seemed like just as the winter was receding he lost the other elk he had crossed with. His mother, all the other cows, his sire… The boy was lost for a long time. He tried to find another herd, but the giant elk were all gone. He could only find smaller ungulates. White tail deer accepted him for a short while, but he was soon the odd one out and they would not accept his presence. He moved on and ran with caribou for a while, but after he was singled out and chased off by a pack of wolves, and very nearly dying then, he lost them.

The young deer found himself at home in a massive forest, like him the trees dwarfed the rest of their cousins. Without a full set of antlers Rannoch had no trouble navigating the old growth forests. What he couldn’t navigate was loneliness. He was separated from the herd, he was vulnerable, in danger. He couldn’t truly rest and for too long the young stag slept with one eye open.

Eventually a herd of bachelor elk made their way into the woods and Rannoch was able to gain acceptance with them, if not begrudgingly. Having another set of eyes was all he wanted, and even if he was the odd one out, and the lowest bull in the hierarchy it was better than being alone. He was thankful none of them had antlers to prod him with, and already the young deer knew he would be in danger if he remained with them through the rut.

He tried not to think about it as he lay with them now, bedded for the night chewing their cud. As always he was a little farther away, they knew he was not their kind as well as Rannoch so he gave them respect and distance. Despite being with a group of deer he couldn’t help but feel like the only one in the world.

The Red Forest / Sunset / Warm

Oscar is done with snow. If never sees another snowflake in his life he will die a happy donkey. Not having to trudge through snowbanks or ‘skate’ on ice is another added plus. However, the colder weather always makes his coat grew in thick and curly, giving the grumpy ass a very fuzzy appearance. Nugget sits on his butt, feathers puffed out and head buried under his wing as the oddball pair work their way through the forest, searching for a good place for the misfit family to bed down for the night. Well, most of them. Nugget appears to already be asleep. Stupid rooster. The sun hasn’t even fully set and the lazy bird was asleep.

Huffing an annoyed sigh, Oscar catches sight of a herd of elk preparing for the night ahead. They eye the small donkey wearily but do not run and he offers the group a wide smile so they can see his flat teeth. All the while he thinks, ‘See? Just like you. No meat for me.’ The herd goes back about their business allowing the donkey and rooster to make their way around the group. A rare sight catches the donkey by surprise and he pauses to inspect the strange wonder. A short distance away from the herd a very large… thing. He appears to be built like the elk but his bulk is all wrong. Well that and the fact that he is massive. And young. Changing his course, Oscar nears the large deer, calling out softly, “Hey kid. Ya okay?” His accent thickens as his voice fills with concern.

The large deer appears young, his antlers small bulbing branches covered in velvet. Sadness seems to radiate off the giant kid and the ass moves to lay in front of him. When he gets his front knees down, Oscar completely forgets about Nugget and plops his butt down which sends the rooster flying. With a lot of loud clucking and cursing, Nugget flaps his wings hard to keep from becoming a launched projectile. Fluttering down to the ground safely, the rooster turns to glare at Oscar and says, “Hey! Some of us are tryin’ to sleep here!” Fluffing out his feathers, the rooster moves away from the donkey, opting to bed down a safe distance away from the ass.

Oscar gives the large deer a grin and says, “He’s always grumpy when he gets woken up. My name’s Oscar and that” poking his nose in the direction of the rooster, “is Nugget. Why the mope kid?” Long ears tilt forward, ready to listen to the kid’s story. Hopefully Kyren and Mrs. B aren’t far behind. They are better at this sort thing then he is.


"Oscar"|"Nugget"

Kyren wasn’t too far behind Oscar, and at one point had been next to him.  This forest happened to have an abundance of good food and Kyren saw no point in rushing along when he could pause to graze. The reindeer’s long legs would let him catch up to the donkey easy enough and tease him about being slow.  If Oscar was going to call Kyren a kid then that meant Kyren would have to poke at him also.  Maybe they needed a real kid in the group so Oscar could label someone else that.

Clump of shrubbery in his mouth, Kyren moved along following Oscar’s hoof prints.  The elk became quickly apparent in the distance and as he swallowed the rest of his mouthful he spotted Oscar and the large, giant deer.  What type of deer was he?  As Kyren approached the elk looked at him and the head continued to turn.  Yeah, yeah.  They never seen a reindeer with fangs before?  Ok, so no one else in his family had them either but that was beside the point.

Kyren glanced to one of the elk that was starting to stand before looking away.  Smiling at them would only make the fangs more obvious and they were already deciding if he was dangerous.  Then it could be fight or flight on the lot of em, best to give them his rump side and look to the kid and Oscar.  This giant was an actual kid, perfect.

Above him an inky black form landed on a tree near them, directly above Nugget.  The raven’s head leans over the edge of the branch its on to regard the rooster, “Look at you, at you.” Gavin had a habit of repeating himself every few words.  Whether that was because the language was harder, more confusing, or if it just found that fun Kyren had no clue.  “Learn to fly Nugget,” Gavin then proceeded to stretch his wings out all the way to show them flap once in place, followed by a gargled sounding, “haha.”

“Hello there, uh, child,” Kyren said as he looked the youngling over.  Kyren wasn’t at all surprised the deer were suspicious of him but then again there was a reason he wasn’t facing the elk as well.  They didn’t like anything different and at least Kyren’s rump was normal.


"Kyren"  & Gavin (pet)

If the donkey and reindeer startled the elk, then Beru would definitely frighten them. The old woman was slower than the younger ungulates and was used to them going a bit ahead with all of their energy. It gave her time to shuffle along at her own pace and collect what she could here and there. Often she simply stopped to take in the scenery or crop at some greenery. Today she was simply slow because it was so warm. The old woman's pelt was thick, thick, thick. She wasn't built for warm weather. And so, she had hung back to submerge herself into a nice, chilly stream. The giant woman had given herself a roll, soaking her russet coat. Afterwards she had rolled in a field of wildflowers just because she could. She'd stayed there for a bit and the others had moved off. Back on her feet and trudging along, Beru followed the tracks and scent of her companions. No doubt her approach could be heard long before she could be seen. Her chunky frame brushed against trees and bushes. Cracking, popping and the thud of her wide feet on the ground were her herald, calling out her arrival. Pushing from the trees and into the clearing, the massive red rhino cow gave her head a shake, the action frightening the already skittish elk that had bedded down. They leaped up and began to flee. Beru was used to this. Most animals had never seen her kind before and were taken aback by her. Herbivores, being naturally flighty, often ran in her presence. Beru paid it no mind and moved forward towards the pair... trio... of creatures. She needed to get rather close with her poor eyesight to see just who her boys had found. One honey colored eye blinked as she noted the young elk, though he wasn't your typical elk. He was of the ilk that she was more suited to. "Helloooo, wee one. How did ye end up over here?" Most likely in the same manner that she had. It seemed as though he was alone just like she was as well since he'd been bedded down with a herd of lesser elk. "Are ye all alone, poor boy?" The kind old woman gave her head a little shake and moved away just a bit so that she too could fold her tree trunk legs to lay down upon the grass with a grunt. "I hope ye doona mind the company tonight. If they haven't introduced themselves, this is Oscar, Kyren," she pointed her giant horn towards the donkey and reindeer respectively, "And I'm Beru," The old woman's voice lowered to a whisper and she gave the young elk a wink. "But ye can call me Mrs. B, if ye like." "Speech"

Rannoch wasn’t surprised with the appearance of the small donkey, not that he had that exact name in his mind. He looked a lot like a wild ass, so that was the name he’d be bestowed. He seemed to single him out from the rest of the elk with absolute ease. Just like a predator would. Rannoch was different and that put a massive target over his back. The donkey zeroed in on him, and spoke concernedly. The young stag looked up at the equid curiously but he didn’t let his guard down. He never did.

The donkey made himself comfortable beside Rannoch, lowering himself to the ground beside him and disrupting the bird upon his back, who didn’t hesitate to tell the ass what for. The herd stirred lightly and Rannoch felt his instincts flutter. Should they run? Oscar kept the peace though and all of the deer settled down as he did and Oscar’s attention revolved around the irish elk. He gave his name, and asked why he looked so downtrodden. Before he could open his mouth to answer another unfamiliar form appeared in the clearing.

It felt like every elk in the herd found their eyes on the massive caribou. One young bull stood up at the sight of him and Rannoch felt his heart rate increase. Both herbivores and their birds found their attention resting on him. "I.. uh…” Despite his youth Rannoch’s voice was smooth and deep. Before he could say more there was another commotion.

Alarm raced through him as the American elk were suddenly startled as the wooled rhino made her dramatic entrance. Rannoch very nearly jumped to his hooves and took flight with the herd, and he probably would have if the donkey and caribou had not been right beside him. As it was his vibrant emerald eyes widened with fright at her massive form and heavy footedness. She greeted him with a voice that was far too sweet for her massive form, despite her squinting eye he could see recognition. He had to draw up memories from his first few days. He knew he had seen creatures such as her as they crossed the great ice bridge. He was struck by how she put him at ease with no difficulty.

Finally it was his turn to speak, all eyes on him. Ass, reindeer, rooster, raven, and rhino. Rannoch realized then they were a herd. They were much more interested in him than any elk had ever been. Long furred ears pressed to his skull as he looked to each of them. "I’m Rannoch, I..” It was far too obvious he was alone. As was the way of the world the elk left him behind as they made their attempt to flee. He was the odd one out, the different one, the broken. He was left to appease whatever threatened the herd. "I lost my herd.” And he didn’t mean the flighty elk. "The elk were all I could find, I just needed someone.” Someone to watch his back, even if they had no care for him.

"Speech"

The donkey tries his best to put the huge kid at ease, smiling, laying next him, and offering a listening ear. Everything is going okay, until the reindeer shows up. Kyren’s bold approach leaves some of the elks unsettled, and his raven doesn’t help either. Oscar shoots a look up at Gavin that, if weaponized, would have left bits of feathers in its wake. Huffing annoyedly, the donkey listens as Kyren tries to talk to big deer earning the reindeer an amused snort. Maybe his nickname has been getting under the snow deer’s skin. Oscar makes a mental note to use it more often. Eyes turn to the giant kid, noticing the nervousness the pair has produced. Oscar opens his mouth, to give the kid some reassurance or… something. Just then, the earth shakes.

Well, okay. It doesn’t actually shake but Mrs. B always makes an entrance. The elk flee and the ass is glad he is lying next to kid so he cannot flee with them. He might be a grumpy ass but Oscar could plainly see this kid doesn’t belong with those elk jerks. Bunch of flighty bastards anyway. The ass shifts slightly, maneuvering his legs into a more comfortable poistion while Mrs. B and Rannoch speak. A sad, knowing smile spreads on the grumpy donkey’s lips and his long ears flick as the kid speaks of losing his herd. Once he is done, Oscar gentle says, “We understand kid. We’ve all lost someone. We make a strange herd but… we’re all family.” He turns his gaze to Mrs. B and Kyren offering them both a small smile.

Nugget decides to add, “Yeah, yeah. Strange herd. Now keep it down, will ya?” What a buzz kill.

"Oscar" | "Nugget"