The deer’s breathing was labored. In and out. In and out. The deer felt its heartbeat increasing. The tempo was getting faster. The animal knew it would have to move soon or risk injuring itself, but it didn’t know where to run. It was separated from its herd. The deer had a weak memory, yet it could still recall the frightful scene of the beast bursting through the treeline. The herd had been on alert, of course, but predators were few and far between in the oasis they had found. They didn’t think the sound of pounding paws on pavement was of any consequence until the beast leapt from the sidewalk, through the trees, and straight into the middle of the herd. The deer scattered in all directions. The whites of their tails and the whites of their eyes flashed in the moonlight. The deer jolted from the memory alone, and started to leap towards the trees.

        When the deer moved, the beast was on it. It had been watching this deer since before the attack. The deer had been singled out. It was dead. It just hadn’t known it yet. The deer was beginning this, as it bucked and writhed under the beast’s bite. The deer know knew that it never had any hope to survive. The light went out. The deer was no more.