[Crocodile-God]

wildhorse, like Bena and I already said, you can only apply for one Elkrin at a time.

[*Blackberry*]

Name:


Storm


Breedable:


Yes, he is.


Extra:


(1 piece of art and/or 1500 word max. story)

[37down]

Name:
Salix
Breedable:
Yes
Extra:


Thought this was a fitting motto for the breed ^^

The key was to not look poor. If you looked scruffy and disheveled you stood out and they kept a closer eye on you. You had to blend in with the crowd, had to look just the average middle class shopper or else the shop keeper would made sure you didn’t even get close enough to steal from them. No, if you wanted that loaf of bread you had to look clean and reputable. Nobody would expect an honest looking girl of stealing from you. Toria knew that was the key if she wanted to keep herself and her brother feed, well that and know how to walk purposefully. You’d be surprised how far a purposeful walk could get you. As long as you looked like you belonged somewhere nobody would spare you a second glance: you were practically invisible to the rest of the world.
Toria pretended to gaze at the shiny baubles of a jewelry stand, but all the while her attention was on the baked good covered stand directly to her left. Out of the corner of her eye she watched as the bread stand owner became distracted with a customer. She took a deep breath and began to walk away from the jewelry stand. Now all Toria had to do was blend in with the seething blur of color of the passing crowd. Without looking once at the bread stand or breaking her confident stride, she carefully reached out and plucked a loaf off of the cart and stashed it under her jacket.
She waited until she was around the next street corner before allowing herself to exhale. She grinned to herself knowing that she had gotten away; the distracted keeper hadn’t even noticed she was there.
She was just about to pull out the bread to get a better look at it when she heard somebody shouting “HEY YOU! STOP THAT THEIF!” Toria whirled about and saw the jewelry stand owner running straight at her, his face angry and red. Toria panicked and started to run. She dashed through the streets until she reached the end of the city, but when she glanced back she was horrified to see that the shop keeper was now joined by several policemen. Her heart seemed to stop and she raced out of the city and into the surrounding forest.
Toria crashed through underbrush and tripped over roots as fled from her pursuers. It dawned on her that she couldn’t out run them, if she wanted to escape capture she would have to hide. Once she knew what she had to do, she began to search for brush thick enough to hide her.
Her salvation came in the form of a dense patch of blueberry bushes. She scurried towards them and dove in amongst the branches. She tried to slow her heavy breathing and stop the branches from shaking and in general do her best to become a part of the bush.
She gazed wide eyed as she saw one of the policemen jog closer. He called out to the others “Where in the world did she go to!?” She heard the shop keeper call in answer: “I don’t know but we better find the little urchin. She nicked a loaf of bread right before my eyes and you can bet she stole something from me as well, she was certainly standing at my stall long enough.”
Toria held her breath as the policeman walked right up to her blueberry bush. He paused and searched the forest carefully while Toria prayed that she blended in well enough with the foliage. She hadn’t wanted this! All she had wanted was some food for her and her brother! She had never been interested in that man’s trinkets!After what seemed like an eternity the policeman turned and continued to walk off into the forest shouting “Come on! She must have run deeper into the woods!”
Toria waited a few moments to be sure they were gone before letting out a relieved sigh. She shakily backed her way out of the blueberry bush… and straight into something large and warm.
Toria froze. She carefully shifted her arm to feel the large being behind her, her eyes frozen straight ahead. Her sense of touch informed that she had indeed backed up into some living creature, and a very large one at that! Toria slowly dropped her arm and very carefully turned around, hoping that whatever it was, it didn’t eat meat. But to her surprise when she looked to see what it was, nothing appeared to be there.
Her mouth opened in shock and she slowly reached out a hand towards where she thought the creature was. Her fingertips lightly brushed a well muscled flank and all of a sudden Toria could make out the shape before her: it was an Elkrin. It was camouflaged so well with the surrounding forest she had been two feet away and had not been able to distinguish it.
She stared at the stag as it turned its head and gazed back at her with its calm green eyes. Toria realized that he had probably been standing there the entire time she had been hiding. It had stood there silent and disguised and none of them would ever have noticed if Toria hadn’t backed right up into it.
The Elkrin breathed hot air directly into her face and Toria was suddenly very aware of how sharp its hooves were. She gulped and said in a soothing tone “Hey, hey. It’s okay. I’m just trying to hide in the forest like you. I didn’t mean you any harm.”
The magnificent stag let out another hot breath in her face and to her surprise, nuzzled her face with his nose. Toria found herself reaching out and stroking the creature’s soft coat and smiling. Soon, however the Elkrin pulled away and began to slowly walk deeper into the forest. Toria watched him go in awe, wondering if she would ever see him again, when he then turned his head back towards her and moving it in a way as if to ask “You following?” Toria grinned and quickly followed after him knowing she had the entire afternoon before she had to return home, and she was probably safer from the police with this Elkrin around than she would be just returning back to the city.
Her brother was never going to believe this.

(1072 words)

[~PAWPRINTS~]

Name:
Arbaro, meaning Forest in Esperanto.
Breedable:
Absolutely, he would make adorable fawns.
Extra:
WIP

[Applejack]

Name:
I'd name him Timber because of his wood-like patterns.
Breedable:
Yes
Extra:
Will do art.

Dropping out.

[Fluffy-Jelly]

Name:

Truffle.
He makes me think of chocolate.
I thought this fit him because a truffle is a root,
and its a type of chocolate candy.
His Rider calls him Truff usually.

Breedable:

Why yes, of course. This smexy guy needs to have some smexy babies <3

Extra:

~Art~



~Story~

I'm not a good writer, so I apologize for suckyness. ^^;

Told by Truffles Rider, Gavin.

Word count: 1,492

How we met.

To be honest, I never gave much thought to becoming a Rider. I suppose it's just not like me to go crazy about what everyone else is. Elkrins are beautiful creatures, and I believe that we should do what we can to bring the species back. It's just the idea of me riding on the back of one of those majestic creatures didn't seem realistic. So it was a bit shocking when I became one. The day I met Truffle I was lost. I'd decided to go traveling for a bit, I've always wanted to see the world. The day before I had lost my map in a stream while I was washing my face. It drifted off downstream and out of sight before I even realized what happened. Sadly, it was my only map. I still had a picture in my head of what the map looked like, so I kept going east, until I realized I was actually suppose to go west. Then a few wrong turns later I had no idea where I was. Feeling depressed I set up camp for the night and went to bed. The next morning I slept in a bit, not wanting to get up and begin wandering again. When I finally dragged myself out of my tent it was already late morning. All around me birds sang to each other making sleep impossible. For a moment I considered throwing a rock to scare them off, but thought better of it. Packing up my tent was done too quickly, and finding breakfast was annoyingly easy. The day I didn't want to hurry up and get moving everything went by quickly. It was the afternoon before I ran out of excuses for staying. So I pulled my backpack onto my shoulder and stalked off into the woods. Perhaps I should have checked which direction I was going, but to be honest I was past caring. There was no way I could find my way to Alabaster City without a map. The chances were even slimmer after getting lost, so why care now? I was raised to live off the land, I could stay out here forever. Soon enough I'd hit the edge of these woods and find a town. All I had to do was be patient. And really, it was a nice place to be lost in. Everywhere you looked there was something beautiful. A patch of brightly colored flowers, with bee's buzzing around them. Off to my right a stream sparkled in the afternoon light, while odd fish swam just below the surface. Standing near the stream a elkrin doe and her fawn nibbled on grass, as if there wasn't a human nearby. For a moment I stopped to watch them. The doe looked up from her meal at me, and for a moment we just stared at each other. Her big brown eyes stared into my soul, as if she could read everything about me. I stood frozen, unable to move away from her eyes. Those eyes, that could see everything. When she finally looked away I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. Slowly the doe turned to her fawn and the two took off into the woods. For a moment I tried to figure out what happened. Only later did I realize the doe had used some form of magic on me. I knew that elkrins carried magic in them, as all living things do, but I never realized they could do that. After about another hour of walking I decided to stop for lunch. I started a small fire and cooked some of the meat I had left over from breakfast. As the meat cooked I refilled my canteen, that was when I saw it. I'd only seen the creature in books, and from the limited knowledge I had on the creatures, it was far away from its home. Or maybe I was more lost then I thought. The creature stood before me, its twin tails flicking back and forth in agitation. Its eyes stared into mine, filled with anger and hate. Scars covered the creatures face. I'm sure they were all over him, but I couldn't look away from its face. The scars didn't seem like he'd gotten them from fights. I'd heard stories about people capturing dire wolves and abusing them, but this was more disgusting than I ever imagined. The idea that someone had done this to an innocent creature turned my stomach. No wonder it was glaring at me, it was probably raised being abused. It was raised hating humans. I didn't dare move, even though I desperately wanted to run. But that would just result in it attacking me sooner. Maybe there was a way out of this. There had to be.. I decided I needed to be standing, so I could at least run when it attacked. Sucking in a deep breath, I stood up, careful not to make any sudden movements or noises. For a moment nothing happened, I thought for a second maybe it wouldn't attack, oh how wrong I was. The wolf bared its teeth at me and growled hatefully at me. Somehow I knew what it was thinking. It was thinking all humans are evil, that they need to die. Before they could hurt another creature. I wanted to tell it that was wrong, not all humans are like that. Most are kind and loving to the creatures of Eldemore. Slowly, I took a step back, I honestly don't know what I was thinking. The dire wolf snarled and leapt at me. Luckily there was a tree close enough to duck behind before his claws could get me. My only option was to run, so I ran. Weaving through the trees I prayed for help. Little did I know that help was standing a few yards away hidden among the trees watching. Debating whether or not to help. Behind me the dire wolf torn through the trees, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. Terror sent me faster then I'm sure I have ever ran before. I could almost feel it's hot breath on my neck, hear its heart thudding loudly in its chest. Not daring to look behind me, I kept my eyes focused ahead of me, looking for somewhere to escape too. Since I wasn't paying enough attention to my feet, my foot caught on a root and sent me tumbling to the ground. Throwing my arms up to protect myself, I silently said goodbye to my friends. The ground shook, or maybe it was me, as the dire wolf grew closer. At least I would die in such a beautiful place I thought. Then the strangest thing happened, something charged out from the woods and leapt over me. I stared in amazement as I realized what it was. A elkrin stag with chocolate and caramel colored body stood over me facing the dire wolf. The wolf stopped a few yards away and glared at the elkrin. The two seemed to have a silent conversation. Why are you protecting a human? The dire wolf seemed to be asking. I had no idea either. Why would this elkrin put its life on the line for me? The dire wolf growled again, but the elkrin didn't budge. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, the dire wolf roared and took off into the woods. Slowly the elkrin turned its deep green eyes on me. They were unlike the doe from earlier, he looked at me with a mixture of curiosity and caution. I got to my feet again, "Thank you, for saving me. I owe you my life." I said to him. Perhaps you think it's silly, but he saved my life. I could never repay that dept. After that I went back to my camp, he followed. I put out the fire and took care of the burnt meat. When I was sure everything was in order I started off again, but one thing was off. The elkrin was still following me. As we walked I thought over what had happened. He had jumped out of the woods and protected me from something that could kill him. Why? I didn't know. That night during dinner I broke into my stash of chocolate truffles. As I stared at the caramel drizzled truffle I couldn't help but think about how much it reminded me of the elkrin. So I started calling him Truffle. The next day passed with just the two of us walking. I shared some of my truffles with him, and he showed me some bushes with delicious berries on them. We kept on like this until eventually we just became a team, an elkrin and his rider. I'm not sure when it happened, I couldn't give you a date. All I know is that I'm glad that map washed downstream.

[Dr. Paine]

Name:
Herne.
This elkrin is named after the legendary English figure, Herne the Hunter, a deer-horned guardian of forests, and sometimes portrayed as leading the wild hunt.

Breedable:
Yes-- will be paired with my own Sihaya or Ember first, then available to the first two who ask and I think would look good

Personality/other info about him:
A proud stag, Herne is an oddity among his kind in that he no longer tends to flee from humans; he would rather stand his ground and fight back. He is larger than most stags of his kind, and harbors a deep hatred towards the hunters who live on the fringes of his forest; often trampling any who tried to harm him until they were barely clinging to life. He thinks himself a guardian of the wild lands, and does his best to protect the creatures who live within the territory he's claimed. This isn't to say Herne hates humanity as a whole though (well, not entirely; he's a bit warier of them than usual given recent events), he has only developed this attitude after seeing so many people constantly taking more than they really need, and without giving anything in return.

Type of magic/effect his bond has on his rider:

Hey, I figure it's worth mentioning Unless you had something different in mind, I believe Herne's power would be plant-based-- he constantly gives off a minor energy that encourages the plants in his territory to grow stronger and faster, and in a pinch, he could shift the branches or roots of trees to ensnare or trip something pursuing him. Artemis would gain a version of the latter ability. Her appearance would change rather drastically to match him-- she gains stripes like his all over her body, and her eyes go the same green. She also gains a more... wild look, for lack of a better word; her hair tending to grow faster and thicker than before, and it tangles easier too. Her clothing style becomes rougher, usually made of animal skins or leather.

Rider information:
Originally intended as a sacrifice to appease the lord of the forest (what her village thought Herne to be), Herne instead chose Artemis to become his rider. She grew up in a small, nameless village at the edge of a deep forest, one where nearly all children were expected to become hunters. Artemis did excel in archery, but she could never bring herself to actually join in the hunts-- this had less to do with a dislike of killing though, and more a simple fear of what kind of beasts could be lurking in amongst the trees. Artemis is respectful of the creatures that must be hunted, and never took more than her fair share of things (Herne happens to appreciate this-- his anger against the village hunters came only after the encroached so deep in his territory, he was being run out of his usual hiding places; not to mention he didn't like seeing the forest so empty of life).
On the whole, Artemis has a rather timid personality, having led to many in the village calling her 'Rabbit', a deep insult among a culture that prides itself on their hunting skills and fierce natures. This would make it a bit harder for her and Herne to properly get along, but it also means they have a great deal to teach one another-- she to remind him of humanity's kindness and gentleness, while he shows her what it means to stand one's ground and fight back against what is unjust.

Extra:



The Sacrifice

(Concept for the story came from the song Rabbit Heart. If I win this stag, I intend to expand upon the story a little bit; the word limit forced me to skip over some parts that could do with more elaboration. Hopefully this gets all of the important stuff out though )

'We have angered the gods,' the matriarch-- a woman so old, even she seemed to have forgotten her name-- said, turning her sightless, clouded eyes to the crowd assembled on that cold February day. Usually, it was a day of love, of warmth and affection... but there were so many less to love this year; and a sense of death and doom made the winter wind cut colder than usual.

'We have killed too many of their children and given too little in return; now they send their wrath to us! How many have been gored by His horns, trampled under His hooves? How many have feared to venture into the woods, and how many have we buried from lack of meat?'

Too many was the only answer.

'Today, we will give back.'

As the matriarch spoke, a young man next to her reached into a basket filled with slips of paper, stirring them around and finally pulling out one. The corners of his lips twitched, and he turned to speak to the crowd.

'Our sacrifice will be Artemis!'
-------------------------------------------------------------

'A rabbit fit for a king!'

Other words rang out from the crowd, but that seemed to be the most popular chant of those watching the procession-- two acolytes from the temple, the matriarch and her son. And, of course, the offering. Artemis cursed her rapid heartbeat, one that most certainly matched that of a trapped rabbit's, but was she really anything more than that? She might be dressed in finer clothes than she'd ever had before; her wild, bark-brown hair combed smooth and tied back in a ponytail that reached past her waist, but hadn't that always been the custom? The finest young bull adorned in flowers and bright rags as he was paraded up to the altar, why wouldn't they make her look as lovely as possible?

Perhaps though, it would be enough to mask how pathetic an offering she was. She was no hunter; the very thought of going into the deep forest had frightened her ever since she was a child. She had never been able to sew, never been able to fight or do more than tend to the vegetable gardens. It made her expendable, but she had also heard whispers that she would be unsuitable, perhaps even offensive! After all, what god would want such a worthless creature; what would he think of the people who offered it?

The crowd thinned out the closer they got to the forest, until it was only Artemis and her escorts at the edge of the trees. Artemis trembled, but with the people behind her, she couldn't make a break and run back to the village-- and even if she did have the courage to run, where could she go? If she returned home, they would just send her back here; and she had no idea where the next town might be.

Best she do one brave thing in her life, and face her death with dignity. Perhaps if she could show some courage, it would be enough to appease whatever lurked within and keep it from harming any more of her people.

"Herne, Lord of hunters, hear us!" the matriarch called out, laying her hand on Artemis' shoulder. "We implore you, accept this offering! We shall tread your grounds no more until the next winter, allow your creatures time to replenish. We ask your forgiveness, nothing more."

With that, one of the others behind her tied a cloth around Artemis' eyes, another-- or perhaps the same, she couldn't tell-- grabbed her arm and dragged her ahead into the trees, turning and spinning her around for some time until they finally shoved her to the ground. Artemis immediately started went to undo the blindfold, fumbling with the tight knot for several minutes until it finally came undone. One look around told her that there was no real hope of getting out any time soon-- even with so many bare trees, there were enough evergreens to block her view of where it might end.

'I should just stay here,' she thought. Stay under this tree and wait for... whatever was out here to find her. But it was so cold, colder still since she was dressed in a simple shift and without shoes; she couldn't bring herself to simply lay down and die. With some difficulty, Artemis pulled herself up to her feet and began to walk, bracing herself against the trees to keep from falling onto the ground. At least there was one small mercy, the evergreens were so thick and tall, they had prevented all but a small dusting of snow to reach the forest floor, not enough to even hold a footprint.

Now and again, she would have to pause to try and warm herself, and it was in those moments that she heard... something. She wasn't sure what. It was the barest of sounds, perhaps nothing more than a faint wind rustling the remaining leaves or whistling through the bare branches. Soft but always present, like it was was following her. Sometimes she tried to look back, catch what it might be; but either it really was nothing or she was too slow-- she never saw anything other than dead grass and leaves.

------------

The sun wasn't visible through the dense canopy of needles and branches, but Artemis eventually noticed that it was growing steadily darker. Then again, perhaps it was simply her life fading away. She had been huddled underneath a particularly large fir tree for an hour or so, having even gone so far as to tear off a few small boughs and wrap them around herself in a desperate attempt to stay warm; though she'd succeeded more in just shedding her own blood.

There wasn't long now.

She struggled to keep her head up, her eyes open, to meet her death-- whether it be at the hands of an angry god or the harsh winter wind-- face-to-face, rather than cowering like some pathetic rodent.

She didn't have long to wait. First came that whispery-wind sound of stirring grass she had heard before, but this time, she saw the source. It was just like the hunters had said-- it had the shape of a deer, but was much larger, with a long tail and heavy, green-and-brown brindled fur and glowing green eyes, almost like a dragon's.

"Herne," Aremis whispered; it had to be. The god of the forest come to see what his followers could offer. The creature snorted, bending down so his nose was just above her head, she could feel her hair stir under his warm breath as he caught her scent.

"Please... we just wanted to survive. We never meant to offend you, we never meant to hurt your forest, your... your creatures, please forgive us, forgive me, I've done nothing wrong. I'm no hunter, no... nothing like that..." she whimpered, finally closing her eyes and letting her head drop down onto her arms. The deer stood there for some time, and the last thing Artemis saw before blacking out were those fiery eyes staring into her own.
-------

'Listen!

A girl was sent once into these woods, a sacrifice to quell the god's rage. He took not her flesh and blood, but her heart and soul instead. They say he fled this forest with her, sickened that they would offer up one of their own; others say she became as wild as he, and together, they defend the creatures within.

Listen-- do not set foot into those trees unless your intentions are pure. Do not enter, should you carry a bow, axe or gun; bring no weapons with you. Leave the wood and its creatures in peace, lest you wish for Herne and his rider hound you 'till your dying day.'

(1354 words, according to this site.)

Art:



(... this is why I don't usually enter art pieces xD)

[Benathorn]

I will begin judging this Elkrin in under two hours.
Be sure to have your forms finished by then.

[Benathorn]

This Elkrin is now closed for judging.
Please give me at least a few days to go through all the entries and the other two Elkrins being judged as well.

[myth;]

Good luck everybody!