In a strange world as a Doppelganger

Chapter 28 - Oh deer

The tongue shoots out and snaps back within a split-second.My vision has a wider view than before and my legs feel strong as I bound through the forest.

It's barely dawn but having changed shape over night makes my plan a bit easier. I'm headed towards the spot where the small deer had been grazing. With this new adhesive tongue I think I can make quick work of it.
I feel strangely eager to see what I can make of the horn and hide, if not how much closer it would bring me to leveling up!

...

It's hard to tell time but it's almost midday when I hear the shuffling of something coming closer. Pressed against the forest floor I wait for anything to come into view. There's an amount of fallen foliage and underbrush covering me and I feel like I am most likely hidden.
Sure as can be, the deer like creature returns, slowly coming closer while eating of the grass and mushrooms growing on roots, moving ever closer to the tree it's been using to scrape it's horn on.

In an instant I unleash the tongue from my wide amphibian mouth. Curses! It falls short within inches! I misjudged the distance but there's no time. Pushing off with my massive frog legs I launch myself towards it as it's reeling from the initial shock. Having no claws I have to resort to using my hands and the rope I got.

One hand manages to grab its horn and the other punches it in the eye. I'm hoping to blind it or mark it to recognize if I see it again, in case it makes it away.

It thrashes around and the horn scrapes me across thew side of my ribs. The wider frame of the boggard not allowing me to wear my makeshift armor. I can feel the blood warming up my skin.
It starts jumping and bucking, scraping me here and there with its horn and hooves.

Somehow I manage to hold on and I see an opportunity when it slows for just a second to breath.

I manage to get a foot in under its horn and push off with furor.
The horn comes ripping off its skull and it screams! My ears are ringing from the sound and half out of panic I stab the creatures neck with its own horn.

Standing over the dead deer I feel the pain creeping in, and a sensation of annoyance when I realize I'll have to carry this thing all the way to the goblins if I want help with it. Maybe they're still keeping scouts near my glen, even though they might not recognize me in this form.
Slouching down against the nearby tree it's hard to not feel proud; even though it didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped I still did manage to take it out. Food and materials, there's lots to be done out of this animal and I think the smart move might just be to trade it with the goblins. Part of me wants to try using it to open up the relationship with the boggards.

I feel a bit foggy in the head and it's hard to keep the eyes open. Fumbling a bit it takes some time to tie the rope around the creature in a secure way and after that it's just hauling it back home that's the issue.

Let's just say it takes a good while longer to get home than it took to get here this morning. Weak and encumbered I do my best to keep pushing on, not wanting to stop and accidentally pass out somewhere unsafe. There's definitely a flaw in my plan. As I near home I take a good look back and see the very obvious track of blood and broken vegetation leading whoever would be inclined to come barging in and finding me. Not that my home was anything particular in ways of security but it feels dumb to paint a sign you know.

Luckily the dizziness started clearing out as I sat down against the boulder. Tired as shit though I decided that my own survival was more important than getting the most amount of spoils from the kill, so I slunk down into the burrow and willed myself to change, not caring if someone stole my prey or not, as long as I live.

Judging by the intensity of the small amount of light that makes it down into the entrance of the burrow I can't have been out for more than an hour or two. Putting it on my mental to-do list to spend a day just changing back and forth into goblin to see how quick the change can get. My long slender form slips up above ground with ease, definitely feels the most comfortable like this. After a quick stretch I take a look around and it seems like something's been here. Squatting down to take a look it's very clear that something has taken a few bites out of the creature I killed. Cheap price for surviving though. Scouting around the area doesn't yield me much in trying to figure out what did it. That worries me more to be honest. Anyway I've got to get this thing over to the goblins if I want it to have been worth anything at all.

Grabbing all my usual things, armor, knife, pouches and then the deer that I sling over my shoulder I put one foot in front of the other and start moving. Definitely feels like something is watching me. There's a constant sensation like a cold spot on the back of my head. Slowly dropping the deer down to the ground I reach for my knife, not knowing what might be following me is a disadvantage for sure but hopefully there could be a patrol of goblins close enough should I need backup. Maybe I'm putting too much faith in them though?

I take a few steps forward and then spin around with knife in hand when I hear movement. Out of the bushes steps a mangy, snarling fox.