A Second Chance

© Cederwyn Whitefurr

6^th March, 2020

All Rights Reserved.

This Week's Writing Challenge: Two characters from different stories of yours meet in a situation unrelated to either story. (For Cederwyn: a human gets turned into a deer)

At least 1000 words, don't worry if you go over.

Tag all prompts with: WritingGroupChallenge.

Add all prompts to a separate folder.

Put the prompt description at the beginning of your story.

*

Douglas blinked, he couldn't believe his eyes. Weeks of living rough in the forest had left him dishevelled, his beard was long and matted with dirt and filth and even though he regularly bathed in a nearby stream – the odour from his body was quite something to behold.

Near at hand he had his .30-06 bolt action rifle and he carefully picked it up and sighted through the scope at his prey. It was a perfect shot, the unsuspecting deer grazed on shrubs, plucking the leaves and chewing them, oblivious and unaware of its existence was about to tragically end...

His finger slid down over the trigger guard and he smiled to himself, as he began lightly squeezing, knowing in a second the rifle would kick hard against his shoulder and he'd had the the kill he'd been searching for...

*

As he applied the last half ounce of pressure on the trigger, Douglas grinned and breathed out – right as the pin hit the primer on the chambered round...

He never felt it as the cartridge exploded within the chamber, detonating the rifle and sending the sending the bolt through his head like a scythe...

*

Darkness...

It's all he knew – he was – somewhere – he screamed by no voice gave sound to the cries of fear and terror that flooded him. He had no form, no – existence – he was, yet he was not. Alone in this terrible darkness, he began to run, fear giving him strength and the ice cold terror that seized him felt like wolves at his heels.

No matter where he went, it was unending – like purgatory where he'd spend the rest of eternity in this endless, lightness void of space and time. There was nothing...and no-one...

*

A blinding light come from nowhere, yet everywhere, and he found himself on his knees, clutching his head, trying to shield his eyes from the pain of this burning, agonising white fire that seized him, seemingly consuming him all at once – yet leaving him untouched and unharmed.

A man-like figure stepped from the light – its silhouette human yet... His mind reeled, unable to believe what it had seen. It was tall. Way taller than any human – human-like in form, masculine and undeniably male. Yet it stood on black cloven hooves, digigrade, fur covered legs that ended in the body itself covered with fur that were...

He stare, eyes widen and stricken with fear, as he looked up the muscular chest and seen the muzzle of a deer staring back at him, its eyes narrowed in disgust and loathing at the insolent wretch that knelt before it. Powerful antlers graced the stag's head, each one black tipped and darker than a moonless night.

"Human..." Come a deep, unfathomable voice.

Neither human nor animal, but something that made him drop his head in subservience, for such was the power and the strength that hung in that single word.

Stepping forwards, the stag-man gripped his chin and lifted him up, forcing the sobbing man to look up into those dark eyes.

"You hunted my forest children..." It growled at him, the muscles beneath the fur trembling with suppressed rage.

"What I done - " Douglas whimpered.

"Hunting – I take no offence too," Snapped the Stag as he tightened his grip. "I know what lurks within your heart human..."

"I - " Douglas moaned and began pleading, wringing his hands together. "You're mistaken great one, I - "

"Silence!" Shrieked the Stag.

Faster than a flash of lightning, the Stag backhanded the human with what should have been a bone shattering swipe of his paw, but only knocked him to the ground. As Douglas tried to rise, the stag stood over him and pinned him to the ground with one cloven hoof.

"I'd subject you to an unimagined eternity of suffering for the crimes you've committed in the past against my children...and the crimes you would commit again!"

Choking, the Human looked up, then his face went ashen.

"Yes..." Growled the Stag. "Do you think the last thoughts of my children were pleasant ones? Some you killed quickly – for your sake, that shall be overlooked. Some..."

His right paw clenching in anger the Stag's muzzle curled back in a look of pure, feral hatred.

"I would give you an eternity of pain, fear and suffering – everything you done to them, would be done to you – except you would feel and fear as they felt and feared..."

"No, please, forgive..."

"Forgive?" Roared the Stag, his rage making his eyes narrow to mere slits. "Forgive you...for your unspeakable crimes against my children? Oh, you dare ask for forgiveness..."

"I'm...I need help...I'm...I'm dreaming, I got to be I want to wake up...I want to wake up!" Douglas began screaming, his sanity snapping.

Slamming down a hoof, the Stag roared deafeningly...

"THEN AWAKEN..."

*

In a dark thicket, the Doe licked her newborn fawn, whose eyes opened and she took in her first glimpses of this new and terrifying world. Her white fur was slick with embryonic fluids and her mother diligently licked her clean. As the fawn struggled to her small hooves then instinctively began nudging and nuzzling her mother, her ears flicked and the Doe snorted a quick bark of alarm.

From the thicket, stepped a half-human, half stag. He crouched and cupped the Doe's chin with his paw, before he smiled at her. She blinked and nuzzled the enigmatic hybrids paw, as he used his fingers to scratch under her chin.

"Thank you mother..." Whispered the Stag, as he smiled at her and nodded. "Your willingness and service to me shall be rewarded in the Great Forest at the end of your days, in this, I promise you..."

Turning to the fawn, whose legs faltered and she fell, the Stag got on his knees then picked her up, holding her on her back as he placed a single finger on her small, leathery nose.

"You have been given a second chance...do not waste it..."

END