My Deer

ch1 meet the pact

The Deerkin Pact consists of twenty-four formidable individuals. The males possess a strong and robust physique, resembling bulky human figures with the heads of deer. Their upper bodies exhibit human-like features, while their lower halves resemble deer-like anatomy. Their primary role is to protect our village by luring away any potential predators.

As a female Deerkin, I bear a striking resemblance to humans, yet with distinct deer-like features. I have graceful antlers adorning my head, ears that resemble those of deer, and a delicate tail. My face is adorned with light freckles, reminiscent of the speckled patterns found on deer.

We, the Deerkin, have made our home here for nearly a year, constructing our dwellings from woven strands of grass and large leaves we find in the woods. Although we are not natural fighters, our agility allows us to evade danger and find our way back to the Pact.

"Help!" the entire town was filled with a scream. As I rushed over, I saw a woman lying on the ground. She was pregnant and screaming her head off. A few of the elders arrived just in time to help with the birth of a baby girl. Its tail and ears were visible, but the antlers would come in near her 9th birthday as a sign of her getting older. When they come in, the elders assign her a husband to get to know for a few years until she turns 16. Then she will officially get married to her husband, unless they are not compatible, in which case she can switch. But most of the time, it works out since we are kind-natured people.

"There's my husband now!" I cried out as I ran into his arms. He was wearing a belt he found from humans around his chest, and he had a few bags filled with things he found on his watch. I wrapped my arms around him as if it were the first time we had seen each other in years, even though I saw him earlier today. I couldn't help it.

"You know we're not married yet. You have to wait a little longer; your antlers are almost fully developed," he said as he sniffed the top of my head. His nose tickled me. "Stop," I said as I playfully pushed him away.

"Sorry, I can't help it. I love the smell of your hair, and it's too beautiful to resist with the long amber locks."

"Stop, we all have the same hair," I said in embarrassment.

"Not you, your hair is the most spectacular I've ever seen," he said as we walked to his tent.

"Why can't we just get married already? It's only a few more months. Besides, I want to take your name. After all, Lilyana Scut doesn't sound too good," I said.

"And Lilyana Don sounds better?" he said as he placed down his bag.

"It's better because it's your name," I said as I grabbed him around the neck again, and we rubbed our noses together. As I looked into his big eyes, my heart felt like it was melting and trying to hop out of my chest.

"You know, I found a special place up the mountain while I was scouting. I can ask for a day off, and we can spend the day up there. There's plenty of berry bushes and a waterfall," he said. I would go anywhere with him. "Of course, I will go, but we have to sneak out. You know my dad doesn't like me going far from the pack."

"I know, but soon it won't be up to him. You will be mine, and we can go wherever and whenever we want," he said as he nibbled on my ear.

"Stop, Dad should be home soon," I said as I walked out of the tent. I saw my sister, and my jaw dropped as I ran over to her. I grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. "Tina, what are you doing?! You cut your hair, and now you pierced your antlers." As I looked at my sister, I was in shock. Seeing her hair cut to her ears and her antlers with jewels and rings pierced into them, I pushed her into a nearby tent. "What were you thinking? Dad will freak, the entire pack will freak."

"What does it matter? I'm married. I can do whatever I want, and so can you. Come on, let me pierce your antlers. A few jewels will look nice. It doesn't hurt. All we need to do is drill a hole in it with a small metal nail and then thread a necklace or earring through it," Tina said.

"Where did you even find those things? Help me get them out before Dad comes home," I said as I frantically tried to get them off her antlers. "How did you even get these on there?"

"Sis, you need to lighten up. My man found them while he was out. He took them from some humans who were camping out. They're easy to take out. Look," Tina said as she quickly took one out and proceeded to hold it next to my head. "See, you would look nice with them."

"Stop, do you hear that?" I said as my ears twitched. "Someone is coming. Quick, take those out. I'll try and stall them." I quickly ran out of the tent. There I saw my dad walking back into camp. "Hey, Dad, how was it out in the wild today?" I asked, trying to look cute by placing my hands behind my back.

"You're not going out there," he said as he walked past me and toward the tent. I grabbed his hand and placed my head on his shoulder. "That's not it, Dad. I was just wondering, where have you been? What did you see?"

"Nothing new. I did see a few tracks, but they were going away from the pack," my dad said as we heard my sister's earrings chime. My heart sank, hoping my dad didn't hear it. As his ears twitched, I knew it was too late. My dad walked forward and opened the tent where my sister was. "I thought I heard something chime. What is the meaning of this? You broke one of our most sacred rules and defiled your antlers!" my dad said as he walked up to my sister, his horns scraping the top of the tent. He was bulking up as he walked with so much rage I could almost see his breath. His horn got caught on the tent, and he shook his head, causing the entire thing to collapse on them. They crashed through the tent to the side, and my sister was on the ground, scared. I had never seen my dad like this. He was unrecognizable.

"I'm sorry, Dad, but it's a stupid rule. Why can men butt their heads together, and we have to protect our horns? It's not a big deal. It's my choice," my sister pleaded.

"We do that for practice to protect you all, so you will never get a scratch on you. And you defiling your antlers like this says all our work every day is futile. The horns represent our strength, our ability to protect you. You know this, yet you do this to yourself. What is wrong with you?" my dad spoke with a flurry of words that we had heard since birth. It's amazing the words truly struck me at that moment. I never realized what it meant to him, to all the men that protect us each day. "Go to your mother and have her take those out. Then bring them to me once we both calm down and tell me where you got them," my dad ordered as my sister ran off.

It was quiet. My dad's head snapped around, his eyes looking at me as he walked over. "You knew. You were trying to hide it, why?"

"I... I was trying to give her time to take them out. I didn't help her. I was telling her it was bad before you arrived. I'm sorry, Dad, but I didn't know until a moment ago," I pleaded as my dad's face turned away.

"Okay, but you still tried to hide it. You can't talk to your soon-to-be husband for a week. I'll tell everyone. If they see you, you will be in more trouble. Also, you aren't to leave the pack at all, except for laundry duty that you will do every day with your mother. Do I make myself clear?"