One-Shots / Restricted Chapters / Other

AUTHOR'S MESSAGE:[Hey guys. So this is a story I had planned a long time ago, but me being busy with other stories kind of made me push this away. I don't think I will be writing it. It's a great story and a great idea but I just can't. So instead of wasting this first chapter I had, I decided to just upload it and let you guys read it. Sorry! But there will be a lot more stories in the future that WILL make it]

               Brown, white spots, very small and thin. It would only last a maximum of five days. The baby deer sniffed the ground, ears perking up at the sound of my coming. My boots snapped a few twigs but it didn't make the animal run away, it was intrigued by my presence. Its dark eyes were staring at me as I lifted the spear, aiming it and then throwing the perfectly sharp pointed javelin through its body. It didn't suffer long. It quickly died and I raced to pick up the body in my hands. The meat would only last a few days but it was better than fish. Anything was better than fish at this point. This poor defenseless animal just provided me with jerky that would last me just a couple of days. It served its purpose.

               The sky was at the verge of becoming dark. The sun was just about to set and I needed to get back to my underground hut. I was deep in the forest, so if I made a run for it now then maybe I could make it back before the pack of wolves caught my scent. Quickly, I wrapped the deer's body in a bag and a few ropes. I tossed it over my shoulders and ran. The trees around me were frozen, the ground beneath me was a blanket of white snow. My boots would sink in deeply, making it hard for me to run. It was maybe three feet of snow. Could be more. My face was losing feeling due to the unbearable cold temperature, my eyes were watering and my heavy coat only made things worse. Let's just say I wasn't prepared today. The deer took me almost half the day to catch. Once I saw it exploring outside my hut, in the trees, I just had to go hunt it.

               I felt pretty proud of myself; capturing a deer was like getting presents during Christmas. If only it still existed. Deers were very rare around here, correction, anything over ten pounds was rare.  I mostly ate fish, which wasn't really that appetizing after a few months.

               Growing up I was taught to never chase an animal into the woods. Even if it looked like the most amazing dinner. It would only be risking your life. You did not want to be caught by them. Not in a million years. Most would rather be slaughtered by a pack of wolves and be eaten alive. But this was an emergency. I was running out of food and it looked so tempting. My father was a smart man. He taught me well. Unfortunately he died three years ago, leaving me all alone. I had no one. So risking your life for a small deer didn't really bother me. Most of my emotions ceased with my father. Now all I had was bravery and confidence - something that would easily get me killed.

               Far in the distance, a rumbling sound emerged. I stopped running and turned my attention towards the mountains. My eyes scanned the sky, especially behind the mountains, but there was nothing. Not yet. Quickly, I picked up speed and ran as fast as I could. They were coming. Could they have seen me? How was it possible?

               Everything around me became an unavoidable obstacle to get home safely. Trees that I never noticed where suddenly there and everything just became obvious. Threatening ponds and harmful trunks were making it hard for me to stay unseen. I kept dodging and jumping while smelling the scent of blood dripping down my shoulders. The rumbling sound became louder and changed to a high pitch roar. They were close. I could feel it.

               I was momentarily comforted at the thought of it being just an avalanche, but that changed as soon as I was hit after passing between two trees. The impact was so sudden that it took me a few seconds to process what had just happened. The damage had also been so severe that I think it dislocated my shoulder. I laid there, with my face against the snow, waiting to be killed. So many stories that you read as a child. So many nightmares. And now it was all happening. They were real. And it was happening to me.