Diary entry #4-18
I'm starting to slowly gain the creature’s trust. I've been following it for a few days now, observing its habits. It's a stubborn thing; ignoring the pain of the wound it received from its encounter with the bear, it is moving quite a distance each day. Healing its wound on other hand still proves to be a challenge. Each time I start chanting my spell it seems to somehow feel it, and in response tries to subdue me mentally. I don't know if it can understand that I'm trying to help, but I can feel that it is scared.
I'm certain now that this thing is clearly able to manipulate one's mind. And somehow I'm getting the strange feeling that this manipulation is not your typical attempt for domination, but is born more from the primal fear of the creature for its life. Fear twisted into agony, multiplied and then projected into its victim's mind. Could this be its usual manner of defense? Looking back at our first encounter, I'm starting to understand what happened there. I was at the wrong place at the wrong time, yet the suffering I endured seems to be worth it, as this is a most fascinating discovery. Indeed, this has got to be the most exciting study project of my entire life. Somehow I'm feeling connected to that creature. It might sound crazy, but last night I had a very strange dream. It felt like I was time-traveling. It was so long ago, millennia or perhaps even eons. It was a hot summer day. I saw a small shack and heard the sound of a few children playing. Cheerful laughter was echoing in the air. A bit further on I observed a work-worn middle-aged man, toiling hard at his garden. Due to the oppressive heat the earth was barren and it seemed he was struggling with a meager harvest.
A howl... and then another one. I saw a wolf pack chasing down a sheep. The farmer heard them too, as he turned towards the sound just in time to see one of the predators catch up with its prey and bring it to ground. The man took up his pitchfork and started running toward the wolves, screaming wildly. He managed to scatter the pack away but it seemed he was too late. The poor animal was gravely wounded and its life was fading. At the sight of the inevitable, the farmer collapsed upon his knees crying. I heard him begging and cursing at some unknown deities, and then I realized... that hard-working man was feeding his family with what little he could grow in his small garden and from the sheep's milk. Due to the heat his crop was poor and now the animal was dead as well.
Time started to speed up, hours flew by and evening came. The farmer - still kneeling there like a statue. Something made me look up at the sky. A single star was falling. All of a sudden I knew that its trajectory was heading straight into a collision course with the poor man's hovel. Time sped up again. I continued observing the falling star until it magically disappeared from the sky. Then out of nowhere I noticed a presence. From the east I glimpsed a hunch-backed figure, slowly making its way towards the farmer. Once it came closer I beheld an old woman, who was leaning on a time-worn walking stick. Then I heard her,
"What is it that you want? The Gods have heard your plea."
"I am undone. My family will starve." He answered mechanically, staring at the corpse of the dead animal.
"Hear me,” she began, “I can help you. Your family will never need suffer again.” She looked at the sheep at his feet. “You can be as enduring as this animal. I can combine your essence with that of your sheep. This will aid you on the field, and in protecting your family and your livestock. But you will never be human again. Your strength of mind will be the only thing to keep your appearance over that of the animal. But for this to happen, you will need to give up your mortal body. I will siphon your soul and mix it with this of the animal, then you will be remade. Are you willing to pay such a price?"
"I am." He hastily answered.
Days flew by. I heard children cry then I sensed the smell of death and then silence. Seasons changed. The shack started crumbling, but there was one thing that was always there... a single grey sheep.
Last edited by Blackfalcon; 09/04/13 04:12 PM.
