''I'm going after that stag; you lot stay on the road,'' you yelled back at your men.

''But, sir,'' But you had already given Wittekind the spurs. Immediately needing to dodge branches and twigs as your white horse brought you off the path. You were undeterred; you saw a trace of that snow-white fur, and you were going to chase it.

The white stag was a creature of legend; while at first you thought it could simply be an albino, you quickly erased that thought. No ordinary stag could have spoken in a human tongue, no matter its fur. No, this thing could speak and clearly wished to speak with you.

You rode further still, passing through clearances and dense thickets, determined to catch a glimpse of the elusive creature.

As you pressed on, the forest grew darker and more ominous; sunlight became rarer, as did wind. The trees seemed bigger as well. Yet at the same time, it had a nearly ethereal beauty to it; trees of this size and magnificence weren't often seen. Roots reached deep into the ground, the leaves nearly blocked out all sunlight, and above all, the tree trunks stood tall and proud; if these were men, they would be among the oldest and wisest men.

But the stag still wasn't within your reach, in spite of the great speed at which your horse was carrying you, though even Wittekind, with his great vigour, couldn't catch up with the elusive creature. Which took a turn to the left, which you then followed.

It was through your relentless pursuit that you came upon a great clearing. Nestled neatly around a small lake, this was as peaceful a place as you could ever find around here, but the stag was nowhere to be seen. Defeated, you brought Wittekind, who was by now coughing from exhaustion, to the lake. He could drink here before you would continue the search. You dismounted to ease his burdens; perhaps you should take some of the water as well; it seemed clean enough and.

''Thou hast great trust in thou friend, though perhaps you see him as your pet.''

You froze in silence; the deep, warm voice once more spoke, and the White Stag proudly stood upon a small cliff overlooking the lake. You didn't have a bow or other weapons with you except Silberkralle, so hunting him seemed pointless for now.

>Who, or what, are you?
>A stag that speaks – what sort of sorcery is this?
>Shall I proceed with the introductions, or do you wish to do so first?
>Write-in