The Soldier and the Stag

As told by Keppet Burrow

In a dark year, when a great War shook the realms of men, a lone soldier deserted his army in search of a better life beyond the battlefield. As the penalty for such a crime is and always has been death, he was none too eager to make his whereabouts all to known, so he fled into the forest to sit out the war for some time.
It was here, as he made his way through head high grass and trees that seemed to have been planted by some giant folk, that he felt his tummy rumble and the good man knew that he’d have to get something to roast over his fire for the night, or he’d starve and have his soul trapped in between these giant trees.
The soldier searched far and wide for something to eat, but as night fell he found himself back at the same tree where he had started that morning, with nothing to feed him. For three days and three nights the soldier wandered, growing ever thinner, always standing at the same tree when night fell.
When the sun went down on the third day the soldier sat at his tree once more, not finding the strength to stay on his feet. It was then that he suddenly saw a shimmer of bright white light through the foliage and as he parted the leaves he was awed by the otherworldly figure standing in a clearing he had not yet seen before. A pure white Stag stood there with red eyes and horns so magnificent they seemed to pierce the air around them. Even as the Soldier awed at the slender beast he could not ignore the hunger that had plagued him for so long. With a leap he charged the beast, hoping it had not seen him, but as this Fey creature was beautiful, so it was clever and had seen the Soldier in the corner of its eye and bounded away on hooves of silk and air.
With the desperation of hunger and the lightness of the they chased each other ever deeper into the forest. For one long night the soldier followed the stag who always seemed to be one step ahead of him. It was only as morning came that a small bird flew down from its nest and did not see the stag as its wings collided and covered the eyes of the Stag for mere moments. But it was enough, for the stag did not see the tall root that covered the ground in front of it and broke its legs as it stumbled.
The soldier, mad from the hunger that devoured him, bend down on his knees where the stag now lay and put a knife through its heart. Only as the man truly saw the creature that was now dying at his feet did he see how the light around him dimmed and trees and shrubs grew wicked and sad in the gloom. As the realization came to the man of what beautiful a beast had just died by his feet, the Stag opened its mouth for one last time and spoke to the man:
“Now see the greed of man that drove you here and the wars you have started? You are creatures of darkness that dare to kill each other in such ways. You shall one day die by the hand of the men you killed, as I was before you.”
As the man wept for what he had done he looked down at his hands that suddenly turned bright white and grew soft and beautiful hair as the elongated into hooves. His head pricked up as new antlers reached for the sky and he suddenly looked down at the world through ruby eyes. He had become what he had slain. At least until one day a great war shook the world of men, and a lone soldier wandered into the forest.