She stayed calm with her hand clasping the pitchfork tightly and stood slowly from her kneeling position. As she rose to her feet whatever was behind her now stood hovering over her head and took a deep sniff of her hair, pulling it into the air before dropping it again. She took her chance leaping forward and turning her fork on the creature. When she laid her eyes on the beast her fear of death quickly faded. In front of her at the end of her pitchfork stood a buck, unlike any she had ever seen. This buck was as tall as a moose and its fur was deep forest green. It had massive antlers from which sprouted vines draping over the buck's eyes and blooming with vibrant yellow and pink flowers.
The beautiful creature stood proud exhaling deeply as Amanda lowered her weapon and held her hand out, slowly approaching him. The buck intrigued, leaned his head and approached her hand cautiously. She watched in awe as the gorgeous beast inched closer to her hand. Filled with excitement she stepped forward slowly meeting the beast in the middle until his snout sat firmly in her hand. She chuckled lightly as she rubbed his grassy nose softly, feeling the mucus and moisture all over it. She inspected the animal moving around him with her hand placed still on his body.
As she made her way around the side she noticed behind his long green fur that grew past his knees, sat a dark glowing blue stripe. She took both hands combing his fur back to reveal the stripe wrapping the buck's whole body. She placed her fingertips on it gently, it was warm to the touch, an seemingly began to glow as she touched it.
"What are you?" She asked, tracing the stripe with her finger. The deer huffed and shook its body launching dirt into the air and causing Amanda to cough. She tried to hold her amusement but she couldn't she began to chuckle loudly. Ashur began to open his eyes slowly, with his blurry vision he could see Amanda petting what seemed to be a tree and chuckling loudly. He rubbed his eyes and sat upright, and focused his attention back on her. Then he saw the buck, his mouth dropped open. He attempted to speak but could only make a deep guttural noise before falling backward into the dirt.
The noise he made alerted the buck who in turn let out a high-pitched whine and rose to its hind legs, while the strip of blue illuminated even brighter. Amanda stepped back out of the way of the buck as it began to stamp the ground in front of him.
"Ashur it's okay shush, you're scaring him," She said, attempting to calm the situation.
"He? What is it?" Ashur asked, nervously shouting, and pointing at the bizarre creature.
"I...I think it used to be a buck," she said, unsure of what the creature was.
"What's going on?" Boulder asked, sitting up out of the dirt and stretching largely.
"Dash here has a new...pet," Ashur said, confusedly.
"Pet? What do you mean pe-" Boulder stopped, staring up at the raging buck stamping the ground.
"Holy shit! What the fuck is that?" He shouted reaching for his pitchfork.
"No, no, no shush it's okay he's gentle Ashure just spooked him," she said, raising her hand out in front of him.
"I spooked him? That thing is like six feet tall, I'm five-nine, it fuckin scared me!" Ashure, blurted, cowering behind a log.
"Quick in my bag, I might have a sugar packet or something," She said, pointing to her bag that rested neatly on the ground. Ashure slowly reached for the bag, trying his best to unzip it quietly. He rummaged through it before feeling a small packet of something at the bottom. He pulled it out revealing a bright pink packet labeled: Sweet Farms Sugar he placed the small bag in the dirt again before ripping open the small packet and extending it out to her.
"Okay, this is going to sound crazy, but you have to pour it in your hand," She said, nodding toward Ashur while raising her arms and shushing loudly in an attempt to calm the beast.
"Why me?" He asked, with fear in his voice.
"Because, you spooked him and he spooked you, both of you need to know that you aren't threats to each other," She said holding her hand out to invite him over.
"No, I...think I'm okay m...maybe someone else wants to?" He stuttered, looking over at Boulder.
"All you bro," Boulder said, holding out his thumb while still watching the large beast stomp on the ground. Ashur grew a look of uneasiness as he began slowly moving toward the buck, and pouring the sugar into his hand. As he got closer the buck stopped stamping he sniffed the air deeply and focused his attention on Ashur. It began moving its head low and inching towards his hand. He closed his eyes as it got closer, nervous about what would happen next. His mind raced with the different outcomes.
He thought about the chances of this beast eating flesh instead of sugar. He wondered if he'd make a good snack. He thought of running and not looking back, then in his hand, he felt it: the long slimy tongue of a friendly and hungry buck grateful for a handful of sugar presented by a friend. He turned his head back and watched as it ate from his open palm. It tickled when his tongue went over certain areas, he couldn't help but chuckle as his fingers pulsed closed slightly. Sometimes the buck got over excited its tongue would fully wrap around his hand leaving it sopping wet with drool and spit.
Ashur slowly with a smile on his face raised his other hand and lightly scratched the buck's chin as he slurped at the now-empty palm.
"Huh, you are a good boy," He said, feeling the long fur tangle between his fingers. Boulder stood up dropping the pitchfork and slowly approaching the buck as well. His mind raced not the same as Ashur's rather he wondered where this buck came from, and how it got this way.
"How did you find him?" He asked, looking over to Amanda, who was excited to see Ashure enjoying himself.
"I just woke up, and I was sitting here and I heard him behind me. Thought it might've been...a predator so I grabbed my pitchfork and when I looked up I knew, no predator looks like that," She said, still in awe of the large creature that towered over them.
"Can we keep him?" Ashur asked, still scratching the buck's chin.
"I don't know how we would go about keeping a...mutant...buck...thing," Boulder said, tilting his head slightly while searching for the right description.
"Well first we see if it wants to come with us, then we should give it a name rather than the buck, or it, or him," Amanda said, counting the process on her fingers.
"I can test if he wants to come," Ashur said, sprinting into the woods.
"Ashur wait!" Both Amanda and Boulder shouted. The buck watched as he sprinted and quickly followed suit following him deep into the woods. A few moments went by and it was all silent again as Amanda and Boulder watched and waited in anticipation. No sounds of galloping or running. Then suddenly, a fearful scream erupted from beyond the trees, it was Ashur.
"Ashur!?" Amanda called out, beginning to go into the woods. As she took her first step the buck bolted through the trees past the two of them and stopped just behind them. They looked over as it began to lower itself to the ground. On top of its back, sat Ashur with a wide grin on his face.
"I think he wants us to stay together," He said climbing down the side of the buck slowly, shaking slightly as he touched the dirt. Amanda and Boulder laughed and took a deep breath with relief.
"Okay, so now he needs a name," Ashur said, excitedly.
"How about, Thicket?" Boulder suggested, shrugging.
"Wait, that's cute," Amanda said, gasping slightly
"Okay then, Thicket it is, nice to meet ya boy," Ashur said placing his hand on Thicket's snout. The group sat for a moment taking in the excitement and joy that came along with Thicket, for a moment forgetting the plan, and for a time forgetting the world had ended.
"I hate to burst anyone's bubble but, we're losing light we should get back," Boulder said, looking out into the plains and seeing the sun beginning to fall from the highest point in the sky.
"Shit, we've got to figure out how to get back quicker than continuing on foot," Amanda said, thinking for a moment.
"Thicket can take us, he's strong enough to carry all of us and he's a lot faster...trust me," Ashur said, patting Thicket on the side twice.
"I don't know, would he even let us?" Boulder asked, skeptically.
"I didn't get a choice he threw me onto his back with those antlers, so I assume he doesn't mind. It's worth a shot," He said, nearly effortlessly mounting Thicket.
"Fuck it, nothing to lose," Amanda said, climbing slowly onto his back, shaking nervously.
"Y'all, Mexicans don't do this shit, I just want it to be known this is white people behavior," Boulder said, making his way onto Thicket's back behind everyone else. They sat for a moment testing their weight on his back he didn't even acknowledge their existence, so Ashur took it one step further. He placed his hands under the vines sprouting from his antlers and gripped the bone tightly.
"Up!" He shouted, giving a good tug on his antlers. He rose to his feet and spun in a circle for a moment before calming down. Ashur tilted his antlers and Thicket moved in the direction he pulled.
"Seems like we have our plan," Ashur said, confidently.
"Okay then, seems to me that we're good to go," Amanda said, grabbing anything she could hold onto.
"God if my family could see me now," Boulder said, wrapping his large arms around Amanda's tiny waste.
"Chico estúpido, that's what they'd say,"
"Hiyah!" Ashur yelled, kicking his heels into Thicket's side. Just like that, they were back on track and on their way back home.