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

new version 2, chapter 1

chapter 1, an old dead dream.

"This is such a bad idea. Why did we even come out here?" Virginia asked, her voice low and trembling as her breath puffed out into the crisp autumn night. She clutched her flashlight tightly, scanning the dark forest around them. The young white-tailed deer girl, with her slender frame and spotted coat, looked nervously at the surrounding shadows. The thick Appalachian woods seemed to stretch on endlessly, every creak of branches and rustle of leaves adding to her unease.

Her companions carried an assortment of torches, lanterns, and flashlights. Some held them in their hands, while others had them strapped to rifles or perched on old, patched backpacks. The faint light cast long, flickering shadows against the looming trees.

"Well, there's nothing better to do in town," Red replied confidently, the taller red deer girl brushing her auburn hair back over her shoulder. She hefted her rifle and glanced at Virginia, her amber eyes glinting in the firelight. "Besides, there's a huge reward if we can get any photo evidence of the thing. Even tracks could earn us something decent." She paused, her voice softening slightly. "My mom really needs the money, and I know I'm not the only one here who could use the extra cash. Let's just try to hunt this thing down, okay?"

The group murmured in agreement, their nerves settling slightly at Red's steadiness. Their traveling party consisted of girls from small towns scattered across the rolling hills and valleys between Knoxville and Asheville. All of them were middle schoolers on the cusp of high school, their shared apprehension hidden beneath layers of bravado and teenage curiosity.

"I just want to fire my dad's shotgun," Sika, an Asian deer with sleek dark hair and a long braid, said with a mischievous grin. "He only agreed to let me take it because he thinks this is some kind of 'learning experience.'" She laughed softly, her small antlers catching the light.

Shiver, a reindeer with silvery fur and a rifle slung across her back, frowned as she carefully picked her way over a fallen tree covered in damp moss. "I'm not even sure half the guns we're carrying are legal," she muttered. "With all the restrictions on large calibers these days, it's a miracle the regional council lifted the ban on firearms for this community search."

"They only did that because they're desperate to catch this thing," Sika replied, hopping down from the log and onto the narrow dirt path. Her boots crunched on the gravel as she landed. "Besides, isn't it cool? We're like pioneers or something."

Virginia adjusted the straps of her backpack and glanced nervously at the shadows beyond their flickering lights. "How sure are we about what this thing is? The witnesses called it a monster, but the police just said it's some kind of lunatic running wild. Then the news called it a dangerous criminal. So... is it a carnivore? A scavenger? An omnivore? Are we sure we can even take it down if we find it?"

Milu, the quietest of the group and a milu deer with soft brown fur and curved antlers, spoke up from the back. "Does it really matter?" she asked, her voice tinged with unease. "Whatever it is, it's dangerous. And if it's a big carnivore... I don't think these guns will do much against it."

The group fell silent as they passed a decaying old house nestled in the woods. Its once-grand exterior was now a rotting husk, the driveway crumbled into fragmented pieces as the ground eroded beneath it. Vines and brambles tangled around the collapsing fence, and the wooden porch sagged dangerously under years of neglect. They hesitated for a moment before stepping inside.

The interior reeked of mildew and decay. Mold grew in patches along the walls, and graffiti covered the peeling wallpaper. Broken glass crunched underfoot as they moved cautiously through the rooms. The remains of a long-dead fire sat in a rusted barrel near the fireplace, where several faded garments—mostly women's underwear—hung limply from its edge. Virginia wrinkled her nose as they passed, her flashlight catching the edge of a half-burned photograph on the floor. The faint outline of a lipstick kiss was still visible on its scorched surface.

"This place is creepy," Sika whispered, her voice barely audible over the sound of their footsteps. The others nodded in agreement, their movements growing quicker as they exited through the back door, which had been barred shut by a broken chain. A rusted chair toppled over as they pushed the door open, its sharp clatter echoing unnervingly in the night.

The Appalachian woods seemed darker here, the tall birches and sprawling oaks casting jagged shadows over the dense underbrush. The faint smell of rot and damp leaves mixed with the acrid tang of old coal smoke drifting in from the mountains. Appalachia was full of memories—some good, many bad—but mostly tragic. These woods told stories of resilience and decay, of communities abandoned to rot while progress marched on elsewhere.

Elk, a gruff-voiced girl from another search party, crackled through the walkie-talkie Virginia held. "Anyone see anything yet?" her voice asked. "We're heading toward the old factory. Keep your eyes peeled."

Virginia pressed the button and replied, "Nothing yet. We're near the old car plant now." She glanced at her group. "Let's keep moving."

The trail ahead was littered with the skeletons of dead trees, their gnarled branches reaching skyward like twisted fingers. The ground beneath their feet was damp, the smell of wet moss mingling with the faint odor of sulfur from polluted streams. They passed a rusted bicycle, its frame half-buried in the earth, tangled with vines and moss. Nearby, a stream trickled sluggishly over rocks, its surface marred by the rainbow sheen of chemical runoff.

"This place is a dump," Shiver muttered as she stepped carefully over a puddle. "It's no wonder they want to dig up the forest. There's probably more money under the ground than in these trees."

Milu's voice was wistful as she looked around. "It's sad, though. These woods used to be beautiful. My grandma said people would come here just to see the leaves change in fall."

"Yeah, well, now all anyone sees is the smog," Sika replied, kicking at a patch of gravel. "Welcome to Black Mountain."

The sky above was darkening quickly, the sun long hidden behind thick clouds of coal dust and rain-laden mist. The air felt heavy, the usual grey-brown haze of pollution tinged with the damp chill of impending rain. The towering birches and pines ahead loomed larger, their dense canopies blocking out what little light remained. The group pressed on, their chatter turning quieter as the eerie stillness of the forest seemed to envelop them.

Milu, attempting to lighten the mood, began humming along to the tinny beat of her Walkman. "I can't believe I got the new Victims of Midnight album for free," she said, skipping ahead through a patch of flowers. "Some guy in a chat room sent me the files. It's amazing."

Shiver hopped across some rocks in the murky stream, glancing at Milu with a raised brow. "Free? Really? How's that even legal? I had to buy all my CDs from Hot Topic."

"It's not technically legal," Milu admitted with a shrug. "But who's going to catch me? The cops are too busy chasing this monster to care about some pirated music."

Virginia shuddered, pulling her jacket tighter. "Ugh, $200 fines for piracy? That's insane. That'd bankrupt my whole family. Milu, you really shouldn't mess with stuff like that."

Milu grinned, unfazed. "Relax, Virginia. I'm not worried. Besides, the head teacher said we might even get community service credits for helping out with this search. Maybe I can use those to snag some extra bread from the soup kitchen."

"Don't be selfish, Milu," Red chided, shaking her head. "Other people need that food more than you do. Your parents have a garden; not everyone's that lucky."

Milu shrugged, unconcerned. "Credits are credits."

"Honestly," Red added, "you should focus on getting a high credit score for council work someday. Bureaucrats get the best perks: nice apartments, real cable, hot showers... even healthcare."

Shiver snorted. "Healthcare isn't real. That's just propaganda from the Canadians in the royal estates."

Virginia raised an eyebrow. "I have cable. It's nothing but reruns and movies."

Red waved dismissively. "Not local cable. I'm talking about international cable. You'd get all the great shows from the European heartlands—and Wi-Fi! You could play online games or even meet someone cute."

"Yeah, because meeting some city gamer boy online screams romance," Virginia quipped, rolling her eyes. "Sounds like a dream come true."

The group laughed, their nervous tension breaking for a moment as they continued deeper into the woods.