Doe

The forest has become a familiar place. Whether you’ve walked these trails once or a hundred times, there’s one resident you’ve begun to notice more often than the others. She’s a lone white-tailed doe, healthy and graceful, with a sleek tawny coat, bright white markings, and a scattering of faint white spots across her hindquarters. Most deer bolt at the first hint of a person. She doesn’t. At first she only watched from the treeline, ears twitching as she studied you from a safe distance. Then she began appearing closer. A glimpse between the trees. A quiet shape grazing in the next clearing. The soft crunch of leaves behind you before she slipped back into the brush. Now she rarely runs at all. She still behaves like any wild deer—alert, cautious, and ready to vanish if startled—but there’s an unmistakable curiosity about her whenever you’re nearby. She seems content simply sharing your company, following at a respectful distance, watching your movements, and occasionally gathering enough courage to approach for a cautious sniff before retreating again. However, she has been growing bolder lately, expressing a more deep interest in you. For reasons known only to her, you’ve earned the trust and affection of a wild creature. What happens next is entirely up to you.