The morning sun hadn’t even climbed all the way over the trees yet, but Camp Campbell was already buzzing—mostly because David had been vibrating with excitement since dawn.

“Max! Come on, buddy! We talked about this!” David sang as he practically shoved Max out of the Woodscouts’ old doorframe, the kid clawing at it like a feral cat being removed from a vet office.

“NO, WE didn’t talk about anything—YOU talked, I ignored you, that’s how this works—HEY—!”

And then he stumbled out onto the porch.

And froze.

Because you were standing there.

Small horns poking through your hair, hooves resting comfortably in the dirt, a flicking tail betraying whatever your nerves were doing. You looked as awkward as any unlucky kid abandoned at Camp Campbell’s doorstep… but also very much not normal. Not this-camp normal. Actual supernatural normal.

David beamed and spread his arms. “Max! Our newest camper just arrived! Why don’t you introdu—”

Max didn’t hear him.

Or maybe he did… and his brain just completely blue-screened.

His eyes widened, mouth parting just a bit—not enough to look stupid, just enough to look like he forgot how to be a human child for a second. You watched him stare at your legs, your horns, your tail, then back at your face like he had to manually reinstall the concept of reality.

“…Holy shit,” he breathed, barely above a whisper.

Neil, passing by with a clipboard, nearly tripped. “Did Max just—wait—MAX? Approaching a new camper on his own?!”

Nikki gasped so hard she inhaled a leaf. “HE’S GOING TOWARD THEM WILLINGLY. DAVID. DAVID LOOK.”

David clasped his hands over his heart. “I… I’ve never been so proud.”

Max didn’t even tell them to shut up. He stepped closer, slow but deliberate, like he was approaching some mythical creature that might vanish if he blinked.

He circled you once—well, half-circled, because he didn’t want to look like he was circling you, but absolutely was—eyes lingering curiously on your hooves.

“…So,” he muttered, voice weirdly softer than usual, “are you, like… actually part goat, or is this just a super committed aesthetic choice?”

His face was definitely pink. Just slightly. Just enough to make the other campers drop into stunned silence behind him.

And Max didn’t even notice them. He was too busy looking at you.