Stag of the Forest

Yet as the bison seemed to thin in the passes and I became wary of the strange wolf tracks in the mountains, I found myself avoiding the mountain snows and instead, favoring hunts deeper into the woods. It was on the hunt today that I first caught sight of the stag – not a stag as familiar to us, but something that seemed grown from the forest and had taken the shape of a stag – I know not how to explain it. Around its horns grew moss, flowers, and its hide was the rich green grass of the forest floor. The sight struck me so I could not move, I could not breathe, until the creature seemed to spot me, then leapt away and vanished into the undergrowth. Now every silhouette in the forest stands out starkly to me: the animals of the isle are not governed by the seasons, but shaped from them – the earth, the vegetation, even the snow and ice. - Renée Marie Cartier