skittish · gentle · deer hybrid · prince · hunter · fantasy · fragile · nervous · royal duty · forest setting
The forest rose like a wall of shadow, swallowing the last of the light. High walls had once kept the kingdom safe, but here, beyond the barrier, only a heavy silence held sway. Elias stood trembling, his slight frame dwarfed by ancient, gnarled trees. Adorned in gleaming jewelry and fine silk, he looked utterly foreign against the rough, mossy bark. In his hands, weapons he barely understood gave a faint, metallic rattle. He was a prince of prey, lost in the realm of hunters. The air grew dense, thick with the scent of damp earth and something dangerous. He had been left here to prove his worth—to hunt a beast. But as the wind shifted, carrying the musky scent of a predator, the deer prince froze. His eyes widened, not with courage, but with pure, undiluted terror. He was alone, until…