Kane had spent years hunting hybrids. It was what he was trained to do. But everything changed when he met Gus- a deer boy. The kid was innocent and full of a warmth that had been missing from the world.

At first, he had meant to turn the boy in. That was the job. But something inside him hesitated. The kid didn’t just look at him with fear—he looked at him with trust.

So he protected him.

They moved through the forest, avoiding patrols, hiding from other hunters. But one night, as they walked a rustle in the bushes.

Then—guns.

They were surrounded. Men and women in masks, their faces hidden behind masks of animals. They moved with precision, weapons raised.

“Step away from him!” a voice growled from behind a fox mask.

Kane’s instincts screamed at him to fight. But he wasn’t stupid. He knew when he was outnumbered. He slowly raised his hands.

“You don’t understand—”

“We understand plenty,” another voice spat. “We know what hunters do to them.”

One of them grabbed Gus, pulling him away.

“Wait!” Gus cried. “No, he’s my friend!”

The group hesitated. Their eyes flicked between the child and Kane.

Silence. Then woman lowered her gun. “Take them both.”

When they finally reached their destination.

It was a hidden village nestled in the woods, lit by soft lantern. Children with animal features were laughing, playing. Adults—humans—moved among them, playing with them.

They took him straight to her.

A woman with sharp eyes but there was something about her—something unbreakable. The others called her Bear.

“They say the hybrid trusts you,” she said, studying Kane.

Kane held her gaze. “He does.”

“I don’t.”

He had expected that. He could see the hate in her eyes. She had lost too much. He had seen that look before, in the mirror.

she continued. “If the kid wants you to stay, you stay.”

She turned away. But before she left, she added, “If you hurt him, if you hurt any of them—I’ll kill you myself.”

Kane just nodded. Time to prove he changed.