My Deer Girlfriend

Prologue

The dense woods echoed with the faint rustle of leaves as Soyeon, clad in camouflage, maneuvered silently through the undergrowth. Her father's voice lingered in her thoughts, urging precision with the sniper rifle. The crisp morning air heightened her senses as she honed her skills as a sharpshooter.

Lying prone, Soyeon lined up her target in the scope, the crosshairs steady on her prey. However, a flicker of movement diverted her attention. Intrigued, she shifted her focus to a pair of antlers emerging from the foliage. Her trained eye discerned the subtle nuances of the forest as a figure materialized – a deer hybrid girl, antlers gracefully adorning her head.

The creature's eyes met Soyeon's, an unspoken connection forming. The crosshairs wavered as Soyeon hesitated, captivated by the enigma before her. The deer hybrid, resembling a human with ethereal antlers, stood as a guardian of the woods' secrets.

Soyeon's sniper rifle hung suspended as the mysterious encounter unfolded. The deer hybrid, adorned with antlers, gracefully nibbled on the grass, unaware of the imminent disruption that would alter the course of its day. The air buzzed with serenity until a sudden gunshot pierced the tranquility.

Startled, both Soyeon and the deer hybrid turned towards the source of the sound. Fear flickered in the creature's eyes, prompting it to bound away into the thicket. Soyeon, shaken by the unexpected gunshot, hesitated before gathering herself. Rising to her feet, she ventured forward, a sense of urgency guiding her steps.

As she reached a clearing, a disconcerting scene unfolded before her eyes. Her father, a figure of authority, stood over a bear hybrid, the creature's life extinguished by a single gunshot. Soyeon's emotions churned within as she absorbed the conflicting reality of the hunter's world.

Her father's stern gaze met hers, revealing a mix of pride and severity. The clearing hung heavy with the aftermath of the fateful encounter. Soyeon's conflicted gaze shifted between her father, still standing resolute, and the lifeless bear hybrid on the forest floor.

Her father's expression softened as he noticed the turmoil in Soyeon's eyes. "This is the way of our people, Soyeon," he uttered, his voice a somber echo in the clearing. "We maintain the balance, ensuring our survival."

Soyeon's gaze lingered on the bear hybrid sprawled across the forest floor, a silent witness to the hunter's reality. Despite the gravity of the scene, her expression remained stoic, betraying no trace of the turmoil within. The echoes of the gunshot reverberated in the clearing as she composed herself.

Without a word, Soyeon turned to her father, her eyes locking onto his. "Was it a predator?" she asked, her voice betraying no hint of emotion. The question hung in the air, a fragile bridge between the duty she was taught and the uncertainties unraveling within her.

Her father met her gaze, his features weathered by years of adherence to tradition. "Whether hybrid or not, they disrupt the balance. We must protect our way of life," he declared, the weight of his words underscoring the unyielding nature of their existence. As her father walked away, leaving the hybrid behind, Soyeon's gaze lingered on the scene.

As Soyeon's father departed, the air was heavy with the aftermath of the gunshot. However, a sound caught Soyeon's attention—the bear hybrid, not yet lifeless, was slowly gagging. In that moment, the hunter's daughter, typically impervious to the emotions that stirred within her, felt an unfamiliar pang of empathy.

"I-I didn't do anything wrong...," the bear hybrid stammered, a tear escaping his eye. Soyeon's gaze, usually cold and detached, softened as she knelt down beside him, her sharp eyes meeting his.

"You should've run away," Soyeon uttered, her voice carrying a subtle mixture of compassion and resignation. The bear hybrid met her gaze, his eyes filled with a plea for understanding. "I did," he whispered, his voice barely audible amidst the rustling leaves.

Soyeon's brow furrowed as the complexities of the moment unfolded. "You should've stayed out of our sight..." she stated, a hint of regret in her voice. The boundaries between predator and prey, right and wrong, blurred in this moment of vulnerability.

Despite the tear that glistened in the bear hybrid's eye and the plea in his voice, Soyeon rose from her crouched position. The weight of tradition, duty, and the unwavering principles instilled by her father pressed upon her shoulders.

With a solemn gaze, Soyeon turned away, leaving the bear hybrid to his fate. The rustling leaves seemed to carry the echoes of the choices made in that clearing—choices that resonated through the dense woods and lingered in the air like a haunting melody.

As she walked away, the bear hybrid's struggles gradually faded into the backdrop of the forest. Soyeon's heart, shielded by the armor of a hunter's resolve, remained untouched by the turmoil that continued to unfold behind her.

The woods, once a sanctuary, held silent witnesses to the complexities of a world where humans and hybrids danced along the edges of coexistence. Soyeon, caught in the delicate interplay of duty and morality, took measured steps forward, unknowingly entering a narrative where the choices made in the shadows of the trees would reverberate across the tapestry of her life, forever altering the course of her journey into the enigmatic world of human-animal hybrids.