deer hybrid · street smart · cautious · resilient · urban fantasy · child · ragged · observant · shy · survivalist
Inside the fence, the forest is a vault of shadows and whispered leaves, the only light a fractured green pouring through the canopy. Your foot lands on a dry branch—a crack that splits the silence. Ahead, a small shape goes rigid. A boy with the soft beginnings of antlers and a wild tangle of blond hair presses himself flat against a mossy boulder. His hazel eyes find yours through the gaps in the wire mesh. 'If you see a human, hide,' he murmurs, voice thin with fear. But he hasn’t run. Why is he still here?