Family Ties

Hunt

      The moon was a sliver in the black night. A few stars were lit like small candles in the distance. Gentle wind blew through the branches of the  monstrous trees, evergreen leaves rustling softly.

      The deep forest seemed at peace. Every creature at rest. Until a hellish cry was heard, and a shot echoed through the woods.

      "Run away!" A voice called out into the void, sounding pained, desperate, lost.

The beat of hundreds of hooves pounding against grass, leaves, and the cold ground echoed through the darkened forests. The only light seen was brought down from the nearly hidden moon and occasional flickering, yellow flames. Rough voices yelled through the woods, shouting obscenities and barking orders.

From a distance, a silhouette raced across the towering pine trees. It looked much like something out of a fairytale or a lucid imagination.

Half deer. Half boy.

He seemed to be nowhere near fully grown; small buds peeking from his brown hair instead of horns, round face and doe eyes filled with terror and confusion, little high-pitched sounds escaping him as he ran.

An odd sound was heard by the child. He stopped in his tracks, breath shaking. His hands were held close to his chest, and he wouldn't dare to move a muscle. The same sound echoed twice more through the woods, and he continued running, hopefully away from the noise.

      He soon reached a patch of the forest where a still river lay, deciding to rest for the remainder of the night. The raspy, low voices continued to scream through the woods. The boy decided to sleep, something that he had no idea how he would manage to do.

~

      The sun had begun to rise. The deertaur had made it through the night. Steadily opening his dark brown eyes, he woke up in pain. It took a moment for him to process what had happened the previous night, but the memories hit the young boy like a bullet.

      He realized he had to have been the only one in his family to survive. If he weren't they would be looking for him. He was the youngest-born in his tribe and wasn't expected to know his way home.

      Moments passed before the creature hopped up to his hooves and began to look around frantically. He could only emit small cries through the barren woods, unable to speak clear English.

Minutes passed before the deertaur worked up the strength to head down the long, still river he had taken shelter by the last night. He hadn't seen any sign of his family or the odd noises he heard the previous night.

      Hours passed. The sun had begun to set. The river had nearly ended. The boy was worn out from an entire day of endless, tireless, painful searching.

      Slowing down once again, he found a tree to lean against and rest. In his mind, he told himself that he would stay just for the night, and later be reunited with everyone he knew and loved.

      Of course, he knew that this thought had to be too good to be true.