The Deer
We stared at each other, the both of us poised to bolt if the other made any slight move. We were transfixed. He stared at me with his vacant black orbs, and I stared back at him with my sharp blue ones. I watched his ribcage move rhythmically in and out with each breath he took of the warm summer air.
I am face to face with a young buck--his nubbin horns are still bearing the soft velvet of newly forming horn. I wonder if someday he will grow to be large--a majestic buck with 10 points, like you see in movies or hunting magazines. But for right now, he is looking at me, a youg thing, still scared and wondering what to so faced with this pale thing in front of him.
Slowly I offer what I hold in my hand--a piece of carrot. He flinches slightly, unsure as to whether I mean to harm him or not. I am careful, aware that his horns may not be so dangerous, but his hooves are sharp, and one kick could gash me open.
It's strange to me--I never thought I would do something like this. This deer is wild, and here I am, crouched down at its level, offering it a piece of my world. The next time that it encounters humans, it will probably become someones meal, or a trophy to be mounted on the wall and bragged about. Yet I come only offering a carrot and peace of mind.
He slowly begins to advance towards me, his wet black nose sniffling out the scent of the carrot. I freeze everything, so not to scare him away. His graceful neck leans out, and his velvet soft lips snatch the carrot from my fingertips into the pink depths of his mouth. I rock back now. His skin flinches, and turning away fom me, he leaps off into the woods. I watch him run--his tail a white flag gradually disappearing into the thicket of trees, and I marvel at what just occured. Not many people have the experience of feeding a wild deer, of being close enough to touch it without shooting the creature. I sit for a minute longer, wondering if he will return. when he doesn't, I leap off into the woods, back towards civilization and away from my momentary friend.