I've heard there was a secret chord
that David played and it pleased the Lord
but you don't really care for music do you?

His kingdom, it seemed, was falling back into the lull it had once been in. They had started out strong and with all the best intentions, himself included. But it was as if they had hit a brick wall of complacency, which was a dangerous wall to hit. It left them vulnerable to outside threats, sitting ducks on a silver platter. It had taken him sometime to master, but he was spending more and more time as a whitetail buck. It gave him the opportunity to view Beqanna as an outsider might, and to hear snippets of conversation he might otherwise miss out on. Rumors were swirling like wildfire, and most of them the gray king didn’t like the sound of. They spoke of far off wars and kingdom unrest, something he wasn’t sure they could survive.

The deer king made his way quietly through the forest, barely pausing to admire the colors of impending fall. He was deep in thought, searching the crevices of his mind for some plan or scheme or anything really to keep their heads above water. Nothing was coming easily to him, besides the usual steals and challenges. But on the same breath he worried about those, worried to anger the wrong people when they stood on such shaky ground themselves. It would not do to anger the wrong kingdom and bring that wrath down on them. Not now. A sigh escaped his small mouth, his heavily lashed lids falling over those deep brown eyes. Atop his head stood an impressive set of antlers, which were a bit ragtag right now as he shed his velvet. Which itched in the most unbelievable way possible. He made his way to the closest sapling and raked his antlers against it over and over, peeling back the bark to reveal the milky flesh beneath while the velvet flaked off in large skiffs. Finally the itch was satisfied, and he returned himself to his deep thoughts. Hopefully something would come to him soon, before it was too late.

M A S T