Kerosene

forget your high society
i'm soakin' it in kerosene
light 'em up and watch 'em burn
teach 'em what they need to learn... ha

the young red deer buck slowly emerged from the bush, remembering the teachings his beloved mother had taught him. aw, just like bambi, right? wrong. dilating his nostril slightly, sniffing the air, he caught the tainted scent of lupine and equine, mixed. how strange. lifting his newly formed crown of antlers higher as his dark eyes glanced over the malachite pastures, he shook his head slightly, exhaling a quick breath. as far as he could tell, no lovely red does for him to woe yet. ah, but no matter. picking up the pace, he 'trotted' towards the small pond that rested in the tall grasses, and glanced around quickly before lowering his muzzle to the water, drinking the cool liquid quickly.

dirty hands ain't made for shakin'
ain't a rule that ain't worth breakin'

Nhosh, Wycliff

Heading in a steady gait across the land, another red deer was seen. He was a royal, or at least he should be, but a genetic defect left his antlers without any tines. A 'Switch' or 'Killer Stag', as some called them. Without any tines, the deer's two main beams rose high and long above his head like a pair of dull swords. Unable to lock with the antlers of competing stags, his would pierce through their defence, often causing fatal injury to their heads or necks; hence the 'Killer' title.

Walking timidly behind the stag was a strangely colored hind. Rather than ruddy red, her coat was over 90% white, with only a few patches of her true colored fur showing through here and there. Her muzzle was deformed as well, being slender and arched. Even her legs were a bit short, making her look less than a Red Deer and more like some small species. These two were oddities, and there was a lengthy story behind them.

Nhosh soon picked up on the younger stag's scent and raised his head up, flicking a tounge over his black muzzle and picking up the odor better. "Who's there?" he demanded with a bellow, now lowering his head and looking about.

Wycliff stood nearer to Nhosh and looked about until she spotted the antlers of Kerosene. She watched curiously now, seeing what this stag would look like. She was slightly disappointed though, for normal red deer hinds lived in herds with other females; but she was stuck traveling with Nhosh and the rest of the small herd of white-tailed bucks. Oh, what a strange life she was forced to live!

kerosene

the ruddy stag lifted his head quickly as the bellow reached his ears, and he stiffened slightly. his audits swiveled forward, and his dark eyes finally caught sight of the duo, both quite... different. exhaling a little breath, he turned from the water, moving into their line of sight slightly, stopping a distance away, unsure of this other behemoth and his strange rack. it is i, kerosene he bellowed in reply, lifting his right forlimb, then dropping it with a dull thud. he watched the duo closely, ready to leap away should he feel threatened, or to fight, should he be challenged.

Nhosh & Wycliff

Nhosh further approached the other, pausing a few feet away from him. "Kerosene?" The stag repeated, then gave a faint nod "I'm Nhosh, lead of the Almuit Rune herd. And this is Wycliff." The lead's dark eyes swept over the other, especially his antlers before surveying the land around. Again he turned to Kerosene, "You've got no herd? You are welcome to join mine if you wish... although... we're not quite what you'd call an average group of deer. If you'd rather be around others that look more like yourself, you can try the Ruins. There you'll find a larger herd."

Wycliff suddenly brought her muzzle up, testing the wind. Solange! She thought, scenting one of her herd members. But a twinge of fear shown in her eyes when she also picked up the scent of blood, and of a horse.

kerosene

nhosh, huh? the young stag allowed his own dark eyes to glance over the forms of both of the deer, one audit tilted towards the massive male, who continued to speak. returning his attention to nhosh for a moment, he gave a soft nod. thanks. i'd like to join yours he said, his pink tongue going over his onyx muzzle quickly. how neat was this! already found a herd... yet at that moment he too caught the scent of another deer, tinted with blood. his own eyes widened slightly, a flicker of fear darting through them. he lifted his head, turning his neck each way, searching for the bearer of the scent, and any threats...

Nhosh, Wycliff, & Solange

Nhosh gave a hint of a grin, the reason being known only to him and Wycliff. But as soon as it had appeared, it was gone. "Welcome to the herd. We're still searching for more hinds and does, as Wycliff is our only female so far. But I've been planning a visit to the other herd soon..." His eyes shown with a bit of mischief.

Wycliff looked to her lead curiously, knowing he meant to steal some hinds from the other Red Deer herd at the Ruins. This was the first he had ever spoken about such a thing, which surprised the hind a bit. But at the same time, she would be glad for some new friends to chat with. Afterall, stags and bucks weren't all that fun to talk with.

Catching sign of fear from the other two, Nhosh now tested the wind, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Solange!" he stated after a moment and stamped a hoof to the ground. Blood was with him. Stepping back, the lead bellowed loudly, calling for his friend.

After several minutes, a white-tailed buck came galloping over the ground, flagging his tail in the air. Like Nhosh, this deer also carried a strange rack. His multiple tines pointed out everywhich way while the main beams curled downward. And staining the and brown fur of his throat was crimson blood. Wolf permeated his coat, telling just how he got his injuries. The buck slowled down, dipping his head to his lead, "I was attacked, both at the Bog and here in the Prairie." Solange explained, panting to catch his breath.

Nhosh narrowed his eyes again, "Wolves" he muttered under his breath, "Stay close until your wound heals." The stag ordered, then looked to Kerosene, "This is Solange. Solange, meet our new herd member, Kerosene."

Solange nodded to the stag, looking him over curiously. "Nice to meet you."

kerosene

the ruddy buck caught the mischief in the other stags' words, and a wicked smile graced his features momentarily. but before he could respond, he jumped slightly at nhosh's bellow, both ears flicking forward quickly. tossing his head slightly, his dark eyes were drawn towards the approaching form of another deer, undoubtly the stag solange he had heard of. blowing out his nostrils softly, he nodded slightly as the new buck passed him, taking in the sight of the blood on his neck with a glimmer of worry. yet at his polite greeting, kerosene returned his attention to solange and nhosh. nice to meet you too he said smoothly, shifting his weight slightly. yet he still scented wolves nearby, and the smell of a young doe... yet her scent was tainted with the thick stench of fear. wondering, yet not wanting to leave his newfound 'friends', the young stag simply glanced in the direction he had caught the scent before returning his attention to the small band before him.

Nhosh, Wycliff, & Solange

Nhosh shook his head and shaggy throat, trying to repel some annyoing flies from his face. Snorting lightly in annoyance at the little creatures, he turned once more to Kerosene, "We will raid the herd in one week, at nightfall. I want to give enough time for Solange's wounds to heal. Our other three members have black fur, so they'll blend in nicely with the shadows." The lead explained. Two of the other members were melanistic; a genetic defect that caused their fur to have dark pigmintation. The other black deer was no mutation though; he was just a rareity of his breed.

"Nhosh, we should look for the others now. And see how the fallow's wound is healing." Solange stated, eager to get out of the prairie for the time being. Too many predators lurked.

Nhosh, Wycliff, & Solange

Nhosh was about to dip his head to graze when Kerosene's look caught his attention. Once again his keen sense of smell was put to work, decyphering various odors from the air until he recognized what the younger stag must have picked up on. "Blasted creatures! Lets show them what the Almuit Rune herd has to offer." The lead bellowed out angrily and charged through the grasses.

Solange and Wycliff turned heel to follow their lead. Nhosh was all for helping out other deer, and putting together a unique herd that would stand up for itself when danger threatened, rather than run off in blind panic.