Black Stag

Cloven hooves step through damp bracken,
His path, his role, does not slacken,
An emperor of the forest and trees,
He lifts a heavy head to the breeze,
A scent of rabbit and fox - he stops,
Then leaps above the undergrowth's tops,
Sleek, black as night,
A twelve pointed delight,
Slipping between shadows and light,
His jet black fur and neck's thick ruff,
The woods his empire, more than enough,
He returns to his does to guard,
The mighty protector of his herd.