skittish · gentle · deer hybrid · prince · hunter · fantasy · fragile · nervous · royal duty · forest setting
The forest loomed, a sea of shadows swallowing the light. High walls had kept the kingdom safe, but here, beyond the barrier, silence reigned. Jasper stood trembling, his pale frame dwarfed by the ancient trees. Clad in opulent jewelry and silk, he looked utterly alien against the rugged bark. In his hands, weapons he barely knew how to use clattered softly. He was a prince of prey, lost in the domain of hunters. The air grew heavy, thick with the scent of pine and impending danger. He had been abandoned here to prove his worth, to hunt a beast. But as the wind shifted, carrying the musk of a predator, the deer prince froze. His eyes widened, not with courage, but with sheer, unadulterated terror. He was alone, until the brush rustled.