Hazel
Username: puddssoul
Name: Hazel wrote:My full name is Hazel Gaia Clove, but I go by Hazel. However, most of my animal friends call me Mother Gaia, because I watch over them and the earth.
Talent:Hazel wrote:My talent is protecting the woodland creatures from poachers, and ensuring that they make it through the long winter months. But, of course, my REAL talent that sets me apart from other ponies is that I'm able to talk to the animals and understand what they need. The apple of my cutie mark is symbolic to the health and prosperity that I bring to the forests.
Personality:Hazel wrote:Well, according to the animals I spend a lot of time with, I'm very motherly and warm, but if anyone threatens my friends, I'll quickly turn feirce and protective. I treat all of the animals like my children, and care for them like it, too. I'm pretty quiet, and shy around other ponies, because I haven't socialized with other ponies much in my lifetime. I guess I can be a bit mistrustful, because poachers have tried to trick me before, but once I get to know someone, I'd usually trust them with my life. I mourn the loss of my friends deeply, and hold grudges toward anyone that threatens or hurts them easily, for years, even. I'm quite curious about most things, and love learning anything new about the animals or the forests.
Extras!:Hazel wrote:This is my best friend, Elliot! I found him when he was just a newborn, and I've been raising him ever since. His mother, one of the last elk left in the forest, was struck down by a truck on a nearby highway, and his father was killed by a poacher long before I arrived here. Now, he helps me patrol the forest -- he also helps by soothing new animals I haven't met yet who are suspicious because I'm a pony and not a natural woodland creature.
Hazel wrote:This is my house! It's near the middle of the forest. I found it when I first came upon this forest, it had been abandoned for years. I cleaned it up a little, and immediately moved it. It's not much, but I don't need much -- I'm hardly ever there, anyways! I'm always out with my friends! I like how it's been almost overgrown by the plants and things, especially since it makes it less noticable to poachers. I've even planted a few plants near it myself in the hopes they'll provide some gorgeous but natural camoflauge!
Hazel wrote:This is the short story of how I got my horns -- I wasn't born with them, you know! When I first came to the forest, after the loss of my own mother and father, I really got along with the deer, and bonded with them. I even matched them with my markings... the other ponies had called them odd, but I fit into the deer's herd like a slipper! As a sign of their affection, they gave me two tiny antlers, which I wore on a string around my neck. I wore them constantly, to show my alliance with the deer. Until, that is, one day, a poacher came into the woods. I chased him out just like I had all of the others, I couldn't bear to let him anywhere near the adorable newborns of the herd. But as he fled the woods, he set what he thought was a curse upon me -- the horns I treasured so much were implanted upon my head. They did not grow, and refused to come off. My tail, as well, was turned into a tiny deer tail -- although that didn't bother me as much, as I knew other ponies had been born like that, and had always found deer tails rather adorable. At first, I, too, thought this was some sort of punishment. But now, I treasure them! It is a constant reminder of my love for the animals, and the fact that they accept me and I belong here. Although at first it seemed like a horrible thing, now I see that my encounter with the wizard poacher was a blessing in disguise!
Hazel wrote:A kind of random fact about me... this is my favorite flower, the candytuft flower! It's a beautiful wildflower that grows year after year. It's not rare at all, but it's lovely, isn't it? The flowers can be any tint of pink, purple, or white. They also attract butterflies! I have a few bushes of these gorgeous blooms in my 'front yard'... if you could call the overgrown patch that...
Hazel wrote:Yum! This is my favorite food -- wild strawberries! Of course, it's hard to find them most of the time, but it only makes it all the more delicious when I do find a patch of them! I've tried growing them in my yard a few times, but I haven't really been successful yet... oh well, maybe next time!
Art:http://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1646220http://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1646446http://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1646483http://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1646767http://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1648182http://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=1648212http://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=1648652Poem:Brown-pelted girl of the forest
Weaving through the trees
Stops to smile at the squirrels
But never looks at me
Pretends she doesn't see me there
Slinking along behind
Pretending not to see me stare
At her beauty, her hair, her eyes
Those eyes like pure cut emeralds
Shining bright with hope
She shyly hides beneath the boughs
How could she ever not know?
How gorgeous she is, so pure and new,
Her heart is sweet, untouched and true,
Her mind thinks only of her friends,
She saves them all from young ends.
That little elk follows faithfully behind
He's already made up his mind
He knows the girl is sweet and kind
And falls so neatly into line
Her hoofbeats are followed by his
They track through the forest so gracefully
Not even the best poacher could hope
To ever seem so at home there!
Because the trees are her trees,
And the grass is her grass,
And the animals are her friends,
And the forest is her home.
This is where she belongs,
With the sky stretching far above her,
Unheeded by pollution or the shouts of civilization.
With no ponies around her, only friends,
The animals that love her for being herself,
And her heart beats true
Because she has only known love
All of her young life.
The poachers frighten her, but she'll never admit,
Because at her job, she'll never quit.
She'll always protect the souls of the forest
From the glorious bluejays to even the worms, the poorest,
Every day of her life, watching out,
Never complaining, not a whisper, or shout.
She loves her job, and always will,
As long as those poachers are trying to kill
Her beloved best friends, the ones she holds dear,
This sweet little hybrid pony-deer!~
Every little thing
About her
Just makes me want to sing
The way she laughs and cries
The way she dances
When she thinks noone's looking
The way she says good-bye
That lop-sided smile
The sparkle in those emerald eyes
Like some perfect princess
From a castle in the air
I'm so afraid she'll fly,
Fly away, back home to sheer perfection
But instead she stays
And watches the earth
She's so beautiful in so many ways
And I wish that I could tell her
But I'm afraid I'd scare her away
All of my thoughts have a reoccuring theme
She's so absolutely perfect...
It's like she's just a dream...History:Hazel wrote:Ummm... okay. I was born in civilization, just like most ponies. I had an odd little deer tail, and I remember my parents used to joke it was because of how much my father loved the forest, it was almost like the wilderness was my mother, and not my actual mother. When I was only a few months old, my father went out on a hunting trip and never came back. My mother told me that he was roaming the forests of the world to find the perfect home for us, and one day he would come back and take us there to live peacefully. But things were hard without my father around, and soon my mother abandoned me because she felt she could no longer take care of me. So I fled to the forest, hoping to find my father -- instead I found another hunter, who explained to me that my father had actually been killed in a tragic hunting accident... I was parentless, and lost, only a teenager then. But the forest felt as welcoming to me as it had to my father, and soon I stumbled upon a small stone house in the middle of the most peaceful forest I had ever seen. It was abandoned, no one had lived there in years, evident by the cobwebs and dirt that littered the house. It wasn't much, but better than nothing, and soon I cleaned it up and claimed it as my own home. Not long after that, I found Elliot all alone on the side of the road, and adopted him out of pity, because he was an orphan like I was, and I didn't want him to have to be alone anymore. I became his best friend, and he was mine, and well... the rest was history. After adopting Elliot and realizing my role in the forests, I gained my cutie mark. Ever since then, I have lived here, protecting the animals of the forest. I know if my father was still alive, he would be proud of me. And that's all that really matters to me -- well, that, and my animal friends!
'Nother Story:Hazel wrote:It was a dark and stormy night, but I was safe inside of my little stone house, brewing a cup of tea from some mint leaves I'd found in the forest. I'd built a fire in the metal stove that radiated warmth throughout the small space, and kept me quite comfy. As I passed by the window, which was white with swirls of frost, I heard a shriek of surprise from nearby. My heart jumped into my throat, and I immediately opened the door and ran out, letting my instincts take over me. I bounced through the snow like it was nothing, jumping frightenedly over the snowdrifts in my hurry to see what had happened. Another cry echoed through the woods, and I ran to the edge of the woods, where I found the lone road that led there illuminated by a single pair of bright headlights. A large truck, it's door ajar. A human bent over a broken, bloodied form on the gray road, looking solemn, completely silent. The only sound in the air was the soft rumbling of the truck as it idled, and... the soft howls of shock and surprise from a smaller form curled at the edge of the road, its brown pelt covered in dust and bits of stone. Wide brown eyes sought my own, shiny with tears. It was a tiny baby elk, only about a month old, his tiny frame shuddering in the bitter wind of winter. The human took one look at the child and moved toward it, and I quickly bounded over like a deer and grabbed him up in my hooves. The human shouted at me, as though to frighten me away, but I placed him in the crook of my back and ran into the woods, knowing I would care for him and protect him better than any human ever could.
I took him to my home, and rushed inside. His whole body shivered violently with the cold, he was too small to be out there just yet, and had probably followed his mother from whatever calm nook she had hidden him in for his own good. As soon as I put him down, he flocked to the stove and watched the flickering flames inside with large eyes, curious, and soaking up the warmth. I threw the mint leaves aside and took the warm water I had been boiling for my tea, and quickly mixed in some formula I had gotten from a forest ranger who wandered out upon my home once. This was not the first time I had to care for an orphaned animal, I held a special place in my heart for them, as I myself was an orphan. I grabbed a spoon and blew on the milk until it was cool enough not to scald his little tongue. I plopped down on the floor and gingerly cradeled him in my lap, even though he flailed his little hooves and struck me a few times, I patted his head and gently stroked his back until he calmed down and fluttered his long, impish eyelashes at me. Then I patiently fed him, spoonful by spoonful, even though half of the milk was coughed right back up onto my pelt. I kept myself calm and soothed him with my soft voice, singing to him about the forest and its great wonder. Soon he fell asleep in my lap, his little head neatly laid atop his hooves, his legs folded in until he was not much larger than a puppy. Afraid to leave him, I grabbed a small pillow and throw blanket from the saggy old couch and lay there, letting him stay next to me, warm, safe, and sound. That night, I dreamed of my parents.
My father was running through the forest as gracefully as a buck, springing over fallen trees with his bow strapped to his back. The tips of his arrows glistened in the sunlight. My mother was waiting for him in a sunlit clearing, her mane curled, her make-up done, looking prettier than I'd ever remembered seeing her. They embraced, then suddenly turned and walked away into the forest, leaving me behind as I stood, unable to move, as though my hooves were rooted to the ground like a tree's trunks. And yet I was not alone... a tall, grand-looking elk stood next to me, and snorted comfortingly, nuzzling me like a mother. I looked at her, and saw she was the tiny elk's mother, the one who had been struck down by the truck. I promised her I would take care of her son, and she not-quite-smiled, then vanished, as though she had only been a trick of light. I knew then that he would be different from the other orphans. We bonded, more easily than I had ever thought possible.
I awoke that morning to find him sniffing curiously at the counter in my tiny kitchen. His outstretched neck allowed him to nibble cautiously at a mint leaf I had left out. "Elliot!" I cried in surprise, making him start. I didn't even think about it, the name just flowed off of my tongue so naturally, and the way he reacted -- that was his name, and it always would be. Slowly he came towards me, and curled up between my front legs, affectionately licking the bottom of my chin and chortling happily. Since that moment, Elliot has been my best friend in the world. Sure, it's gotten a bit harder to have him sleep at my side since he continues to grow larger and larger by the day, but I wouldn't let him leave for the world. Sometimes I dream of his mother watching down on us happily from the heavens, glad to see her son growing happy and free in the forest. He helps me when I help the other animals, and I dread the day that I know he will have to leave me and go off into the forest in search of a mate of his own, to have little children of his own and live out his life like an elk should. It's selfish, but sometimes I wish I could keep him here forever, as a tiny child.
"The forest is my life, and I shall never flee my duties."
By Star Bursts!
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