Have you ever expirianced the rushing wind on your face, the ground a blur beneath your swift feet, the blood pounding in your ears? It's addictive, no, it's more than that. It's a way of life, especially if you need to get there quick. "What?" You may ask. "What is this amazing thing?"
Running.
It's like a drug, you can't pull away from it without destroying yourself. But, if you're not careful, you have to pull back, or you will demolish your entire being.
So step carefully.
|•| Username: rivendell |•| Name: Minefield |•| Gender: Male |•|
spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller₮he sound of the storms was my lullaby when I was young, the forever darkness, the rumble of distant and near thunder, the white-hot flashes of lightning, the pounding rain like a beating heart. But where are my manners? I'm afraid I got ahead of myself. Welcome! I am Minefield, I am a buck, but not one as you know. This is the story of my life.
spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefillerฬhere are we going, Taboo?" The young buck asked with big green eyes that looked up with adoration at the older male. The eldest, Taboo, only smiled softly and replied in a honey-sweet voice,
spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller"Somewhere cool, trust me Minefield, you'll be glad I decided to drag you along at the last moment," He picked up the pace from a gentle walk to a speedy trot, while Minefield stumbled to keep up on his young legs that seemed to get caught in the dense undergrowth with every chance they got. Huffing, he caught up to Taboo, who had broken free of the forest's clutches and was standing at the edge of a barren cliff of rust colored stone. A prickle of fear and remembrance tickled the fawn's mind, and he opened his mouth, but before he could utter a sound, Taboo stole the words from his mouth. "I know that the elders don't want us here, but look! Look, Minefield. You have to admit that you are in awe. It is impossable not to be." And as he lifted his liquid green eyes from the dusty rock, Minefield agreed in an instant, as his pupils shrunk to pinpricks.
Light.
An abundance of it. Not the darkly glowing flames of the torches in the Dim Forest, not the white flashes of lightning that lit up the world for a moment before fading away and leaving only a fleeting imprint on the eyes. But a bright ball of flame, glowing with the power of millions of torches, painful to the eyes. It lit up the world below, cracked peaks and valleys, a broken up, churned earth with few trees or bushes to offer shelter. The soil burned a dusty red, shot through with white, brown, and even pink in places.
spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller"Taboo, how in the world did you find this?" Minefield asked, his voice full of wonder and admiration, both for the buck and the landscape below them. So close, yet so far away, the land might have been worlds away and years to travel there. Taboo only smiled and said in a still-soft voice,
spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller"Luck, my young brother. Luck." He shot a look over his shoulder at his little sibling. Minefield didn't even have his antlers yet. "In seven days, I will leave this place. I will travel through this barren world, it's called a desert, just so you know, to see what lays on the other side." A hint of bitterness entered Taboo's voice as he finished those last words. "I tire of living my life in darkness. I want to be in the light! And you, you Minefield, you will acompany me." He turned around to face his brother. "That is, if you wi-"
spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller"Great! When can we start?" Minefield bleated, leaping around with exitement. Taboo blinked, slightly taken back.
spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller"It will be dangerous. . ."
spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller"I don't care, Taboo. I know I'll be safe as long as I'm near your side," Minefield wriggled around, jumping and leaping and prancing with uncontainable happiness. Taboo smiled. His brother was so innocent and sincere. They would definatly get to the other side, he could feel it in his bones.
And so, the brothers walked back to the Dim Forest together, side by side.
spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller₮hirst. The only thing that matters in the blazing desert besides the scorching sun, the chilled nights, and the shimmering earth, throwing tricks to your eyes. Taboo and Minefield stumbled along, gasping and panting loudly, but nothing was around to hear them. The Dim Forest was a black smudge on the horizon, with the bright orange sweeping away as far as the two bucks could see. Minefield was several steps behind Taboo, almost to the point of rushing back home, to feel the murmuring breeze caress his light brown fur, the static charge of lightning, the gentle patter of rain. Oh, the rain! That was perhapse the thing that both brothers missed the most.
spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefillerฬater! Water, Taboo, water!" Minefield screamed, suddenly, causing Taboo to wheel around and dance upon his rear legs, eyes rolling with fright. "Look, look Tabbo! Water!" And, sure enough, in the distance gleamed the crystal blue pool. Taboo trumpeted with joy and took off running for the oasis. "Wait for me Taboo!" Minefield called, pumping his legs to a steady beat. A stream of dust billowed up behind the two, and quickly enough, Minefield caught up to Taboo, then passed him. He was ten feet away, twenty, thirty, fourty, until the distance between them shrank to nothing. There was no water. It had been a mirage. Taboo bellowed and continued on with a dirty look at Minefield. "I swear, I swear it was there!"
"Just shut up, will you? Haven't you already done enough damage?" Taboo snapped, a venom in his voice that Minefield had never heard before. He stuttered as the older male added, "I swear that if you say another word, I will leave you here," the young one quickly snapped his blabbering mouth shut and hung his head with shame. "Let's go" The rift of the desert was already beginning to rise between the two brothers.
As the sun sank slowly into the earth and the stars flickered on, they stopped next to a large outcropping of rock. There, that night, Taboo left, never to be seen again. As the next morning dawned, Minefield began to run. He didn't know what for, but if he had been asked, it would've been "To outrun the ghosts." He made his way across the desert, where time has no definition, and each day is but a blur. He only lived because of the many real oasises scattered across the desert. They hadn't found them before because they were out of the way that Taboo had chosen. There, Minefield rested, treated his wounds; sunburn, thirst and hunger, scrapes, bruises, and various other small injuries. Slowly, over the course of the next two weeks, Minefield ran across the desert. He never looked at his own reflection in the small pools of the oasis, afraid that Taboo would be looking over his shoulder as a ghost.
spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller∆fter many days alone, Minefield began to see green at the edge of the horizon. At first, he believed it only to be another mirage, but started for it anyways. As he drew nearer, he realized that it was a forest. He slowed to a walk and entered under it's leafy expance after the second day of his sighting. The trees were young and bright, and sunlight filtered down, illuminating the forest floor.
Then, suddenly, something rammed into Minefield's side, slamming him into a tree and pinning him there. Releasing a terrified bleat, he thought of bears, pumas, wolves, and other, more sinister creatures. But then the weight lifted as another shape shoved the first creature away, and they began to speak very rapidly in a different language. Minefield got a good look at his attackers, and was suprised to see that they were deer, but not like the ones he knew, with their dark pelts of almost black, their oddly colored eyes, and small stature.
No, these deer were large, with proud heads and necks, light caramel, soft-looking coats with many lighter spots, and deep brown eyes. One -the first one, was a buck who looked to be about Taboo's age. The other, a doe, looked a little younger, and she was obviously trying very hard to keep the buck back. Minefield started to slip away when the doe whirled about and said in a commanding voice,
"STOP! Who are you?" Her words were choppy and slow to come, as if she did not speak his language well.
"I'm Minefield. Who are you?" Minefield said, his voice wavering slightly. The doe's eyes widened, and she said something in her native language to the buck. The only words that Minefield caught were "Dim" and "Forest."
"You. Come with us." She approached and shoved him behind the buck, who began to move deeper into the heart of the forest. "Follow Barlo," Minefield followed in silence, and the doe caught up and began to speak to him in his tounge. "I am Erin. You do not look like you are from the Dim Forest. Coat is too light."
"What do you mean, my coat is too light? It's perfectly dark!"
"No. Is light. Like desert sand. You have stripes. They are black."
"What?"
"You heard Erin." Minefield looked at his leg, and stopped moving. The doe was right. His coat looked like the desert. He knew that he had antlers already, he could feel them on his head, and had been aware of them for some time.
"I am." He muttered, catching up to her as they continued on.
"You meet with the chief now. He speaks your language fluent. Goodby." And she shoved him into a glade where the buck- Barlo stood next to an old buck.
Nearly blind, his eyes were clouded over with cataracts, and his fur was tinted with gray. His antlers were huge, showing his impressive age. Even old as he was, the chief was a formidable figure.
"Hello Minefield" He rumbled. "It is good to see you again. I feared that we had lost you forever." Minefield opened his mouth to say something, thought better of it, and closed it again. "Ah, I see you are confused. I'll make it simple for you: Welcome home, my son." Minefield blinked, feeling very stupid, but as the chief shifted and tapped his forhead, memories came rusing back in a flood.
"Dad!" He screamed, tackling the old buck.
"It's good to have you back, Minefield. Erin! Come here please!" Erin came stepping lightly over the leaves that were strewn upon the ground. "Show my son around, he may have forgotten many places of his kingdom." Erin nodded and they left, side by side.
spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller spacefiller๏n that day, my life changed. Oh, how I miss my mate, Erin, the carefree days we shared together as we grew up, and the even better days that we shared once my father had retired from his spot of chief and given it to us. The Dim Forest had stolen me, but I had found my way back with Taboo, and infiltrator who had risked his life to take me back, though he went mad in the end and stumbled away in the desert. I know that I will never forget my brother, no matter how insane he was. Goodbye and good luck. There's nothing to be afraid of in the dark, nothing but the loss of your own shadow.
