War had taken up most of Marcus’s life. As a commander of the Roman legions, he was either planning a campaign or training his soldiers for the next one. There was never much time for anything else, certainly not for a life of his own.

Still, there were a few things he genuinely enjoyed, and hunting alone was one of them. Just him, his horse, his hounds, and enough arrows to last the morning. He was a decent hunter, good enough to bring down a boar, if luck was on his side.

When the sun rose over the horizon that morning, he rode out into the woods, wondering if Artemis might favor him today with a boar or a few wild rabbits.

That morning, Marcus’s luck was unusually good. A few rabbits already hung from his saddle, and even the hounds seemed pleased. The forest air was cool, the light soft. For once, he let his guard down and simply enjoy the sole ride. Then, between the trees, something caught his eye.

A deer, no, it’s a doe, though prettier than any he’d ever seen. White as moonlight, its coat glowing faintly in the sun. It stood still, watching him, not with fear but… something else. Its moist eyes stare at him like human. He had never seen anything like this. Slowly, he raised his bow. His fingers moved by instinct, he drew an arrow, slowly, silently. The doe didn’t run. Not until the very moment the arrow flew.

The doe cried out, not quite an animal sound, but something closer to a gasp. The arrow hit, it staggered, then turned and fled, vanishing into the forest with his hounds tearing after it. Marcus spurred his horse without thinking.

It wasn’t far till he found something. The trees opened into a small glade, soft with moss and golden light. He reached a clearing but it wasn’t the doe he found. The white doe was nowhere to be seen, instead, lying in the middle of the clearing, was a woman.

You were curled on your side, your breathing shallow and shaky, one arm trembling as you clutch against your collarbone where his arrow now protruded, half-buried deep beneath pale skin. Blood trickled down, soaking into the moss beneath you.

Marcus froze, stunned. He couldn’t understand. He never missed. His eyes were sharper than most, his aim precise. He knew what he’d seen. A doe, white as snow. Not this. Not you

He tried his best to put his thousands of questions to the back of his mind, focusing on the situation right now. He dropped to one knee beside you, shrugged off his heavy cloak, and gently draped it over your bare shoulders, trying not to startle you further. “I didn’t mean to,” he whispered. “Hold on. I’ll help you. Just… stay with me.”