Phoenix: The nuruk beast.

Chapter Ten: The Great Stag

 Aldrich woke up to the most painful head ache he had ever felt, his vision was so blurred that he only saw colours around him. As his vision cleared, he found himself in Lydia's arms, he heard her voice calling him as she shook him in worry. One last loud call of his name snapped him fully into reality.

"What happened?" he asked, still feeling dizzy. He sat up trying to remember everything that just happened.

"You were attacked" Lydia said to him offering him a hand up. "Why did you attack a male deer?"

"I didn't think it mattered."

"Evelyn asked you to go for the does for a reason."

"Which is?"

Lydia sighed and said under her breath, "You really are the worst Evelyn." She looked up at Aldrich and explained, "Added to the fact that the enchanted deer's have extremely sharp senses, unrivalled strength and speed, they possess an extremely bad temperament and are fast to kill irrespective of the being."

Aldrich could now hear a strange similarity in the way she spoke to Evelyn's "So why didn't it kill me?" he asked,

"It's--- gone now"

Aldrich noticed her trying to cover up the bruises on her right arm, he looked away in guilt and said in a low voice

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

They both had their attention drawn by another display of crimson lights. The deer that appeared this time had no antlers, there was no mistaking that it was a doe. Aldrich searched himself for his dagger but didn't find it.

"Here" Lydia said, she held another out another dagger in her hand pointing it hilt first to Aldrich. She had pulled it out so fast that Aldrich couldn't tell in what part of her armour the weapon was sheathed. He took the dagger and carefully started to sneak up on the grazing doe. He took every step with caution firmly grasping the blade. And then, like a predator he pounced on the enchanted doe from behind holding her firmly with his left arm and preparing to stab her neck with his right. With one deep breath he plunged the dagger into the doe's neck. The creature writhed and moaned in pain as it fell on its side with more blood gushing out of its neck than it could bear. With what little strength the doe had, she continued to writhe and twist. But her movements were soon reduced to mere twitches before she finally closed her eyes and began her eternal slumber.

Aldrich got up and gazed down in pity at the fallen creature, during his training he had killed quite a few beasts but not one that seemed this innocent. He turned his head away unable to bear the sight of the deceased animal when he felt Lydia's hand on his shoulder. She pulled him slightly as a gesture telling him to look back. His eyes widened in amazement as the doe started to glow in a bright white colour.

"You see they are not meant to be of this world in the first place" Lydia said with gleaming eyes. The deer had become a figure made of magnificent white light, "urge yourself to feel no remorse slage, for we actually liberate them." the body made of light now started to float in the air right in front of them, slowly, its shape changed into a sphere and with great speed the ball of light blasted upwards towards the sky."

"Where has it gone?"

"To the heavens, now it dwells as part of the great stag in the night sky."

Aldrich felt a tingle on his skin, the blood on his tunic and hands had also turned white and faded. Lydia stretched her hands in the air and then turned to leave,

"You're leaving?" Aldrich asked.

"Well, you can't expect me to stay all day, do you?"

"Will I see you soon?"