deer hunter, how i became a skinwalker in a world of animal people.

( will revise ) imposter syndrome part 2

The human's breath hitched as his hands—no, his hooves—trembled in front of his face. What the hell's going on? He'd seen his hands change right before his eyes, and now he was standing in the middle of a dark alley as a deer. The doe in front of him stared, tilting her head with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. Her brown fur shimmered under the dim streetlights, and her dark eyes bore into him.

"You good, Buck?" she asked, her Southern twang light but unmistakable. She took a cautious step forward, holding her hands up in a gesture of peace. "You look like you've seen a ghost or somethin'."

He blinked, trying to play it off, even though his mind was spinning. Buck? Did she think that was his name? He forced himself to nod, clearing his throat. His voice came out deep and rougher than before, but familiar enough to roll with it. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just, uh, startled."

Her eyes softened, and she smiled like she'd just figured something out. "Ohhh, you here to loot the place too, huh?" She nodded toward the small electronics shop nearby. "Don't worry, we ain't gonna rat ya out or nothin'. You got tools with ya too!" She pointed to the hatchet hanging at his hip. "What, you tryin' to break in through the front door? Rookie mistake." She laughed lightly, her tone teasing.

He managed a weak laugh, trying to keep up. His mind raced as he took stock of the situation. She didn't seem suspicious of him yet—maybe he could play along. He glanced down at his hooves, his heart pounding. He had to figure out how to talk his way through this. He had to keep blending in.

The doe leaned in a little, her tone conspiratorial now. "We've been scoutin' this place for a while. You with us or what? We could use an extra hand. Gotta split the loot, though. No freeloaders."

"Uh, yeah, I'm with you," he replied, still trying to keep up the act. It was like his brain was scrambling to pull words together while his body screamed for answers.

She nodded approvingly. "Name's Iris. That over there's Bess." She motioned to a younger doe lingering in the shadows near the alleyway's entrance. Bess gave him a cautious nod but didn't approach.

"Nice to meet y'all," he muttered, still trying to adjust to the surreal situation. What do I even say to them?

"So," Iris continued, flashing him a crooked grin, "we're hittin' up this place for copper wire and any other scraps we can get our hooves on. If you're game, we could use someone to help carry the heavy stuff. Ain't easy workin' with just two of us."

He gave a slow nod, trying to stay cool. "Yeah, I can help with that."

Iris chuckled and gestured toward the back of the electronics shop. "Window's busted out back. It's how we been gettin' in. You go on first—make sure the coast's clear."

Without thinking too much about it, he moved toward the broken window, crouching down to duck under the jagged glass. The shop was dim, shadows stretching across the floor as the last bit of daylight faded outside. Shelves were mostly cleared out, save for a few abandoned gadgets and tangled wires. The place had clearly been looted before, but there was still enough left to make the trip worthwhile.

Iris and Bess slipped in behind him, their hooves clicking softly against the floor tiles. Iris flicked on a small flashlight, casting a narrow beam of light around the room. "Alright, we grab what we can and get outta here. Ain't no need to stay longer than necessary."

As they spread out, the human kept his eyes on the girls, trying to keep his nerves in check. He had to stay cool, blend in, and hopefully figure out what the hell was happening.

"So, where you from, anyway?" Iris asked as she dug through a pile of cables. "You don't look like you're from 'round here."

His heart skipped a beat. Crap. Think fast. He glanced at her, trying to keep his tone casual. "Uh, I'm from outta town. Just kinda... passing through."