Eli's legs ached as he ran through the forest, jumping over fallen trees and ducking under branches. His hooves landed gracefully with each step, barely making noise other than the brushing of leaves. Brown hair bounced in his face, almost perfectly in rhythm with his running.

He could hear the sound of several paws thudding against the ground behind him. Laughs and shouts left the mouths of his pursuers. They were slowly growing closer, gaining on the terrified deer. There was only about three of four, but compared to how much larger they were than him, he wouldn't stand a chance against even one.

His breathing was heavy as mental prayers filled his head, begging that he'd make it out of this, but alas he seemed to be doomed. The lump that was forming in his throat was slowly growing more and more painful. It only made breathing more difficult. Eli's bright green eyes started watering, making his vision blurry and his direction unclear. His thoughts were with his family as he began to accept that it was over.

Just as he felt claws graze his bare back, his ankle twisted and he tumbled, falling to the side into the shrubbery that led down to a small clearing. His ears twitched as he picked up the sound of the wolves that had been chasing him. The seemed to be right by the bushes he had fallen into.

"Where'd he go? He just disappeared." The voice was low and rough, but strangely positive for someone who was hunting down the helpless. 

"I say we split up... He's gotta be here somewhere! I can still smell him" The second voice was slightly higher but still brittle as the last. Paws were barely visible on the ground from where Eli was hiding "Got any ideas, Liam?" 

The next voice was much softer, almost like what Eli would expect from his own kind, almost like one of the head bucks of his herd. Gentle yet deep and fierce "No... I'm fine with splitting up."

Another moment of silence passed and the paws disappeared to head off in separate directions. The sounds of crunching leaves and plants faded quickly, allowing Eli to let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Time to get out of here." He thought to himself, standing and stepping out of the shrubs before attempting to run again. 

Eli barely made it a foot before he fell, his arms and being tangled almost instantly by some unforeseen force. He struggled a bit, flailing and pulling against the restraints, but it only seemed to make it worse. A quick glance at his limbs told him that the bush he had fallen into was thick with ivy vines that grew down from the branches. They looked like knotted hair, hair that he was unfortunate enough to get tangled in.

Despite the efforts seeming pointless, he kicked and pulled more but quickly met the reality that there was no getting out of this. The forest ground had clawed at his legs, tearing the skin open and caking his thin fur with blood. The adrenaline running through his veins at the moment was enough to make the pain feel numb. 

He simply went limp, his body being held up by the vines tangled around his arms and his legs held back by the vines that found their way around around his legs. Eli tried to tell himself it was okay, that he would be fine, forcefully ignoring the throbbing feeling of dread taking over. It seemed to be working until the sound of something pushing through the bush behind him made his heart stop.