[edited my form with permission <3]
Pet's ID Tag: #38
Name You'd Choose for It: Rolex.
Gender: Male.
Species Finnish Forest Reindeer- a rare and threatened subspecies of reindeer native to Finland and northwest Russia. It is one of the largest species of reindeer, preferring dense boreal forest over the open tundra.
Reason You Want It: I would like Rolex because- predictably- I know he’s been here a long time, and I’ve always been interested in him, but I never got round to writing a form. My eternal laziness has stopped me trying for this guy many times, but I’m determined to do it this time. I love his design, for a start. The red compliments him perfectly, and I adore the expression on his face; the somewhat bewildered, ‘what am I doing here?’ features that made him stand out so much to me. I’ve got a good idea of his character already, and would love to be able to work on him some more if I won him. If I got Rolex, he’d have his own post on my character thread [the link is in my signature], with as much art as I can afford. I try to get equal art of my characters, so there’s no way Rolex would be forgotten in any way. As a character, he would be the best friend of Chinotto, my goat character- so joint art is definitely a possibility as well. I may choose to roleplay him if I find the right one, but until then I would write about him. I think he’d fit perfectly into my little character family, and I hope that I’m lucky enough to win him ^^
History/Background/Other: Rolex was born in Finland, as a somewhat overlooked calf in a large herd. His parents went unnoticed for the most part, as they were neither the largest or most impressive pair in the group. Though there were many calves to interact with, Rolex was often too shy to ask them to play, so he resorted to entertaining himself. His vast imagination kept him company for the first months of his life, and he often pranced at the edges of the herd, away from his mother, pretending he was a mighty stag or some other game he’d invented. The herd were generally well mannered to his frolicking, but there were times that he’d grow irritating, and received a strong headbutt or warning nip. This didn’t discourage him, however, and Rolex was quite happy in his own little world.
At one year old, Rolex had grown considerably- his legs had lengthened, ending in hard two-toed hooves. His coat had lost its calf fluff, giving way to a sleek russet bay, a colour quite warm and unusual amongst his grey and cream companions. The beginning buds of antlers had surfaced on his head, which delighted the reindeer beyond description. He was one of the first yearlings to gain his antlers, and this fact was something Rolex reminded the others on a daily basis. It was summer now, and the combination of the hot weather and the newly grown antlers produced an insatiable, maddening itch on Rolex’s head. No matter how hard he scratched and scraped, the itch didn’t go away- and this made him irritable and emotional, even more so with the unfamiliar hormones coursing around his body.
Rolex grew snappy, and skirmishes often occurred with the other yearlings, as they were experiencing the same as him, of course. Antlers in velvet were distressing, especially for the younger deer that weren’t sure what to expect, and this was multiplied by the tense atmosphere in the herd- rutting season had descended, and Rolex was determined to compete. Whether this decision was made on his impulsive, temperamental emotions, or actual sense, he wasn’t sure. But he’d decided it, and that was that. The larger stags could be heard bellowing long into the night, so sleep was hard to come by- one night, Rolex couldn’t stand it any longer. With a bark of anger, he leapt to his feet and trotted into the darkness of the forest.
Scraping his somewhat unimpressive antlers on the passing trees, long strips of velvet came away as he did it. With alarm, he froze- were his antlers falling off? It took him a few minutes to realise that they weren’t! With each scrap of velvet he removed, the itch lessened, and the rutting rage soothed itself. The responsible, gentle Rolex had returned, abandoning the monster he’d become over the growing season. With a sigh of relief, he tore off the last remaining pieces still clinging on, and the itch had completely disappeared. With a slightly sheepish smile, Rolex turned to head back to the safety of the herd, no longer wanting to fight.
The forest around him was dark and disorientating- he found himself stumbling over roots, guessing which direction he’d arrived from. Though he didn’t want to admit it, he was hopelessly lost. Lost, and surrounded by battling stags frenzied with the heat of the fight. “If I keep quiet, maybe they won’t hear me...” He whispered to himself, padding delicately along the path, praying he was heading the right way.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Came a deep voice.
With a start, Rolex spun around to see a towering stag leering at him from the gloom- eyes glittering with malice. His antlers were absolutely massive- tines spreading out so far that each end touched the trees either side of the path. They were wickedly curved, catching the moonlight like a deadly weapon. Rolex was terrified. Stammering, he began to back away; “I’m sorry, I was just lost.”
The stag shook his head with a grin. “Well I just lost. And I’m not very happy about that- I need a victory tonight. Let’s see how much damage I can do to you.” Then without any warning, he charged forwards, bearing down on Rolex who’d barely processed the movement before they collided. The impact was shattering. The young buck was hurled off his feet, flying through the air and landing in a crumpled heap some distance away. An excruciating pain had spread through his spindly foreleg, and with a howl of agony, Rolex curled around himself in a vain attempt at protection. The stag hadn’t finished yet, though. Scooping the wounded buck up with his antlers, he threw him down on the earth again, with one last well aimed kick at his flank before wandering away, satisfied.
Rolex trembled, whimpering every now and then- unable to process the sheer amount of pain on his young body. With his eyes closed, he wasn’t sure how long he’d been sprawled there until he heard the voice. Another voice- a female’s.
“Gosh, are you okay?” It cried, and he opened one eye weakly to find a gentle face gazing down at him, full of concern. She appeared to be a sheep of some sort, with captivating amber eyes and a silky tricoloured pelt. Trying to answer her, Rolex gave a hoarse croak, his ears pressed to his skull. “You poor thing...” The sheep said softly, “I’ll fix you. Can you stand?”
“I don’t think so.” Rolex managed painfully, feeling thoroughly sorry for himself. “Come on, lean on me.” She replied, dropping a shoulder for his head to rest on. Shuffling slowly forwards, he lay his head on her sturdy body, staggering shakily to his feet.
Flinching as his bad leg came in contact with the ground, he immediately lifted it up again, standing on three. The sheep shifted around to peer at it worriedly. “I don’t think it’s broken- maybe fractured, though. It will heal over time. My name’s Chinotto- what’s yours?”
The buck inhaled unsteadily, still leaning rather haphazardly on the sheep. “Rolex. Thanks for helping me up, but what am I going to do now?”
“You can come with me, if you’d like. You can always leave once your leg heals.”
Rolex liked the sound of that. Smiling despite everything, he nodded gratefully. “I’d love that.”
Chinotto beamed, her smile lighting up her face. “Great.”
The buck, to his surprise, found himself blushing. Ducking his head to cover it, he cleared his throat and glanced up at her shyly. “So where are we headed?”
The sheep laughed lightly, nudging his shoulder with her soft muzzle.
“I don’t know. Where’d you want to go?”
Permission: Screenshot :3I understand that by adopting this creature I take full responsibility for it.
