Chapter Text
The atmosphere of the small town was always the same; the people were close-knit, and the aroma of pastries filled the streets. There were few inhabitants, only on the hundrers really. Everyone knew everyone, a remote place. The small houses and shops that existed were on the edge of a dense, deep forest, which is why it was known as a hunting village. It remained on the map thanks to its pastries and the sale of animal furs and other items obtained from rabbits, bears, birds, and deer. Cody was born and lived his whole life in that place. His father was a hunter, a truly renowned one. Inside the house, there was always a deer head hanging above the fireplace, fur blankets, and even knives made from deer antlers.
Still with the popular image of his father as a hunter, the blonde was never interested in hunting, he had other hobbies, other interests, killing animals was never his thing. As a child, he would accompany Dusty to the woods, where they would go to the riverbank. There, bears would come to fish, and while his father would be there to hunt the bears, Cody would be distracted collecting some of the small stones that glittered on the river. Even with his lack of interest, Dusty always took him along. He included both his sons in the hunt, and he never forced his youngest son to hold a rifle or to understand where to shoot so as not to harm the animal. He wouldn't force a passion that Cody clearly didn't have, but he took advantage of the opportunity to have father-son moments with his two "babies," as he still called them. Even if they didn't share the same love for his profession as Dusty did, his sons always spent time with him, he made sure that when they were older, they will remember his old man like not only their father, but their best friend, someone who was always there.
When Dusty Rhodes passed away, Cody was 24, and the news It hit hard. He lived in a small four-story apartment just a few houses away from his father's house. The town felt the weight of the loss. Dusty was highly respected by everyone, not only within the community but also in nearby towns with hunting groups. He was recognized as a pioneer among the rest. His father's passing came during the winter season so the rain, fog, and cold seemed to mourn the loss alongside the Rhodes family. Cody was a sweet young man, known by everyone. He was kind and respectful to others. After the news, he became slightly more reserved. Cody loved the other inhabitants and would always be grateful for how they treated him, but it felt like a weight on his chest because of the way they looked at him, the way they murmured when he passed by. He could sense the pity in their eyes. When he was organizing the funeral, it was a difficult week, and when he tried to distract himself by going out to dinner at the small diner downstairs from his apartment or going to the park alone to read, he knew people were looking at him. They weren't judging him, of course not, but he detested the pity of people. He didn't need more pity during the hour of the day when he wasn't crying and feeling sorry for himself, so he stopped leaving his house.
He enjoyed the silence, being alone just to think about everything, cry after just thinking about the great man his father was. It took him a bit to go to the hope for the rest of Dusty's stuff, some of what it had been left on the old house, clothes, old books, and his rifles. It was Cody's time to finally go home and take a look at the belongings that reminded there. It took him hours, looking at everything with all the careful of the world, he was taking the books, some jackets and his hands stopped at the rifles. Some had special leather straps and sleeves, the Rhodes name engraved on the material, a lump forming in Cody's throat, already used to the constant urge to cry. His hands lightly took one of the ones his father had used, the most carefully preserved of the three he owned. So, with a fixed gaze and a heavy sigh, he took it home, the one he had chosen, and the rifle.
[SIX A.M. 6:23 — Woodstock, forest.]
For the first time in his life, Cody would go to the forest alone, not like a simple companion anymore, now, as the a hunter. He thought about what he would do for long days and nights after taking the gun with him, on those nights when he still couldn't sleep. He didn't know how to hunt, but his mind still remembered some of his old man's teachings. Furthermore, this wasn't something he would do to continue the legacy of the elder Rhodes. He loved his father, but this was for him, to still have a way to keep his memory close, just a day of hunting like old times. He wasn't looking to hunt, he wasn't looking to kill anything alive, just to spend the morning in the place where his father had enjoyed spending his life. The blond decided to leave early so as not to run into anyone, so no one would ask him where he was going, because he carried that recognizable rifle on his back he needed this moment alone.
The atmosphere of the forest was humid, a sensation of constant cold, intense aromas of nature and a strange silence, he heard nothing but the leaves and branches that he stepped on, but the feeling of knowing that he was not alone in the forest was something strange. Cody walked, not quite sure where he was going. He looked at the ground to avoid tripping, glancing around if there was a path or anything to guide him and his eyes darting around too, searching for anything he could see, any animal. He held the rifle, but knew he wasn't gripping it properly. His fingers were holding the weapon incorrectly, his shoulders too tense. Even so, he wasn't looking for perfection at that moment. He just needed to get deeper into the woods and forget for a second how much things had changed in such a short time, to reconnect with his father, or well, the memory of his father.
The blue eyed walked for a while longer, not really knowing where he was in the woods, but that was problem for future Cody.
He didn't know, but Cody was entering a much deeper area than he should have, a place where inexperienced people shouldn't venture, as it was more complex to navigate, a place where bears, wolves, and even foxes could be found—a bad sign for the blond man, who didn't exactly know how to use the weapon he was carrying. Maybe he vaguely remembered where to shoot so the animal wouldn't suffer, but it wasn't very useful; he was entering a dangerous area. Though, he continued on his way, where the trees were denser, the clouds in the sky were hidden by tall pines, and the cold was a bit more intense. Cody stopped when he thought it was a good spot; there was a fallen log where he could sit, an area with a bit more space between the trees where he could stay as long as he needed. He set his backpack aside and sat on the tree trunk, a wisp of cool vapor escaping his lips. His eyes silently gazed at the trees, the beautiful flowers dancing between shades of blue and purple. He remained seated for a while, he didn't know how long, his mind drifting, thinking about everything and everything, about how, after a while, he would finally leave those four walls that were his home, escape the stares, the pity of others, where he could stay in a bubble for as long as he needed.
His ears caught the soft sound of wings flapping, his attention shifting to the noise. A bird had perched on a branch of one of the oak trees near where he sat. It was small, a blue finch, a duller shade of blue with a slightly metallic sheen. Cody glanced at the small bird, and out of the corner of his eye at his rifle. Did he want to achieve something with it? No, not really, but maybe just one shot, just to try. Dusty would probably take the first shot and do it perfectly.
He raised the rifle, aimed, but his hands trembled slightly. He closed one eye to look through the scope, but the movement of his sweaty hands made it impossible to keep the weapon steady. A small sigh escaped his lips, something quick and cold, coming from his slightly cracked lips. His finger moved towards the trigger with a small tremor, he thought about it, about pressing it, about seeing if he could, but an uncomfortable feeling appeared in his stomach, the small bird, small chirps and those precious blue feathers. Tho, he quickly turned his head back at the sound of branches breaking and leaves rustling. He lowered his weapon, fear coursing through his body in an instant. Someone was out there, maybe an animal, but that was no good. Even so, Cody didn't have to do much, didn't have much time to either scream or move, the creature walked on its own from the shadows, revealing itself to Rhodes.
Sami's nose twitched a bit. Cody watched the figure emerge from the plants, hearing the sound of hooves on the ground and the soft crackling of branches. The hindquarters of a deer, soft fur, four legs, and the torso? Human. The man had longer hair, a more reddish hue, deep brown eyes, small freckle-like spots on his face, and two large antlers on his head. Cody had never seen a creature like that, he was truly surprised, but he didn't raise his rifle, still feeling humiliated at not having been able even to hunt a stupid bird.
Sami wasn't scared at the human either. He sensed people; he could smell it, understand what people intended. The blond young man...looked sad. He smelled it, it was soft, like that smell that lingers in the forest after a rain, damp, slightly like pollen but also like withered flowers. The one more scared was Cody, not really believing what he was seeing.
— I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I just saw that you were having a bit of a hard time there. — Sami glanced sideways, embarrassed, not really wanting to say anything mean to the man. Still, he took a step forward, his legs moving. He was much taller than Cody, his frame like a horse, or rather, a centaur, Sami's torso adding to his height. Cody didn't really know what to say. He didn't know whether to laugh or feel humiliated, because why was a freaking weird deer man approaching him when he was a hunter? But the creature's expression was gentle, soft. He knew it wasn't mocking him, that was the only reason he kept his guard down.
Cody felt his throat go dry, the words still stuck in his throat, his eyes taking in the figure before him, focusing more on his face than anything else: the small freckles, his eyelashes, the deep color of his eyes. The rifle remained down; even, he moved it, leaving it on the ground, hidden between the log where he sat and behind his legs, trying to camouflage it from the animal's, or well— human's view.
— What are you? I- I don't– sorry, I wasn't planning to kill that bird. — Maybe he was hallucinating, imagining things, the spirit of the forest coming to torment him for wanting to kill an innocent creature for no reason? But the hybrid's expression was the same as before, friendly; he was smiling, smiling a lot, like he was happy to see Cody. He got closer, looking down at the human. The blond did stand up, not really wanting to be feeling so small at the moment, his hands like fist, just still a bit nervous, scared.
Sami had never interacted much with humans, they weren't seen in the area where he lived, the deep part of the forest known as the Blue Side because of a large lagoon located there. So, seeing Cody was like seeing a animal hybrid like him, but without the hybrid. He got close to the human very quickly because, despite his initial reluctance, Sami wasn't afraid of them at all. They were just like any other animal, hairless. And Cody was pretty nice too, and he talked, too? That was great. He had waited a long time to find someone he could talk to and get answers from, to not be the only one talking like it happend when he spoke to other deers.
— Don't be sorry, silly, it's normal to hunt for food here, but I've never seen anything like what you were carrying. You're a human, right? That's so weird, I've never seen one in this part of the forest. — The deer had seen humans a couple of times when he went to a not-so-deep area in the forest in search of food. He'd glanced at them out of the corner of his eye, interested, but this was the first time he'd been able to approach one. He was pretty excited. — You have a name? I have one! It's Sami. — He actually sat down, still all happy about Cody's presence.
It was a bit silly. Sami sat like a horse, his butt on the ground, his long back deer legs stretched out, his front legs also stiffly forward, and his arms positioned behind him, hands in the soil. Still, Cody didn't say nothing, he just sat down, not really understand himself and why he was sitting and not just going home, but maybe talk to someone, or something that didn't knew much about his life and smiled at him happy and not out of pity, it was something I could enjoy for a bit .
— Cody. — He didn't talk much either, he wasn't curt, he didn't mention the fact that Sami had mentioned his thought that Cody had wanted to kill the bird because it was his food. He preferred to say nothing, more ashamed to admit that the truth was he was going to shoot an animal without even a clear reason.
— Cody! That's a pretty name, so what are you doing here? It's actually pretty cool meeting a human for the first time! I like your hair. — Cody could feel the excitement building from Sami, but he was going to be honest. He needed to vent, and maybe it wasn't the best idea for a deer who had never spoken to humans, but oh well, he was already there.
— My father... — He paused for a second, not thinking it was a good idea to mention that his father was a hunter. — My father, he died. Recently. He loved being here in the forest, he cut wood, he was a lumberjack. So, I wanted to be here just one last time for him. I was never a big fan of his job, but I want to be close to him, even though he's gone. — He looked down just for a few seconds, looking back up, looking at Sami's eyes.
Sami didn't speak, he let Cody talk. And he spoke, he really talked about how he felt, how he started to isolate himself, the fear of not being able to properly represent his father's name, and the deer nodded, listening to everything, both sitting across from each other, strangers who remained unknown, but who shared the same space, where Cody sought a shoulder to cry on, and Sami was that shoulder. Cody reached for his bag, taking something out. A small black frame with yellow polka dots, a photo framed behind the glass. Cody looked at the photo for a few seconds, turning it over so Sami could take a look.
Silence reigned for a few seconds as they looked at the frame with the photo Cody held in his hands, a photo of him, Dustin and Dusty from one of the days they went fishing together. He had brought it in his backpack because it was one of his favorite childhood memories. Sami looked at the photo, noticing the big smiles, how much Cody resembled his father, how similar the three of them were. His tail twitched a bit, thinking about what to say, but he just blurted out the first thing that came to mind. Being a creature alone in the forest, it wasn't as if he had many references from interacting with other people about what he should and shouldn't say.
— I'm sorry. I never knew my parents, but when here a creature dies, we are grateful for the life he had, i'm sorry for your lost. — Sami looked at Cody, a sad smile on his face. Cody looked up at Sami's soft expression, the deer's nose and fingers a little bit pink probably because of the freezing cold, yeah, he was without a jacket or any shirt, but he had four big furry legs, probably that explained why he didn't have cold. The blond finally responded hands still gripping the picture, now lightly clearing his throat.
— I'm sorry too, I guess? About you not knowing your parents. — Cody felt a little embarrassed, but Sami just smiled, now not sad, more cheerful, his eyes closed, a small grin showing his teeth. Sami gave Cody a friendly tap on the arm, stretching slightly closer.
— Ah, don't be! That's fine, my mother is here, in nature, the voice of the forest. Mother Nature welcomes all the creatures that come to her home. She makes sure we have a place to live, that we can get food. She is my mom, and any figure I need as a parent. I just don't know who I was born to, but in a way, I don't care? I'm not missing much if I don't know who they are. My mother always has been the one who makes sure I'm fine. — The possibility of a baby being born a hybrid to a human couple was low, but not impossible, it happened often. It was a genetic condition where a small defect occurred, and the baby was born with one or more animal traits.
So when Sami was born, his parents lived in the small town too. And when they saw their baby, they abandoned him in the forest with his four animal legs and even move to other town to not even be close to him, to that they they saw as a thing. It was thanks to the forest that he could survive, that he grew up and he would be forever grateful of that, of his more animal side, not thanks to his human face. The animals didn't attack him; he was protected by them, he was one animal more. The bears knew him. Sometimes he hung out with the wolves, he help the rabbits cross the lake. So no, he didn't have parents, but he understood Cody's loss. He also felt sadness when animals died, it was the cycle of life, normal, but it still hurt. One of his ears flicked a bit, and he looked at Cody; a hand softly resting on his shoulder.
He thought about what Cody said. The need to be good enough, to reach an standar he put in himself, and Sami thought pretty different about that, because for him, it was a little sad the idea of needed to be someone you weren't just to be good enough to be a son, to be the one that carried that name. That sounded..sad, and Sami didn't want to see this human he just met feeling sadness of any kind.
— Maybe...you don't need to look for your father in something that doesn't make you, you happy, know? I know he'd be excited to see you doing something you love and sharing your happiness with him, I think that's theu you can remember him, I know my friends are happy for me seeing me being happy. — It was crazy that the deer, who didn't have a family and lived alone in the forest, was more of a voice of reason than the people who lived in the village. And Cody felt the burning in his eyes, but he didn't cry, his fingers rested on the photo, his gaze and Sami's went down towards the picture, Cody, his brother and Dusty smiling back at them.
They actually stayed together for a few more hours, and that sense of being strangers began to fade. Cody had a pessimistic, human outlook, and listening to Sami talk was relaxing because the hybrid's perspective was unique, far removed from humanity, from everyday problems, from common conflicts. He spoke of nature, of plants, of animals. They learned about each others his tastes, the things they had in common. Sami knew more about Cody's life, what he did, how he didn't want to be a "lumberjack" like his father, what he was truly passionate about, what he ate, and what it was like to live in a town, to live with people. As the conversation continued, they drew closer and closer until Cody was leaning slightly back against Sami's deer back, his hands resting on the warm fur to keep his cold fingers warm. As the temperature began to drop, Cody knew it was time to go home. He started to feel the cold in his bones, even through his thick jacket. Sami offered to give him a ride so he wouldn't have to walk the entire way back.
Cody gathered his things, and they both started heading out of the depths of the forest. Zayn knew better routes and areas to get there faster, and they continued talking to each other. The only sounds were their voices and the leaves crunching underfoot. When they reached a spot where Cody knew his way, he stopped and turned to look at Sami.
— Thank you, really. It's fine here, I'll walk the rest of the way. I don't want you to go any closer to the line between the forest and the town, okay? I'll come back tomorrow to...see you. Wait for me, where were we, okay? — And the smile that appeared on Sami's face made the cold in Cody's body disappear for a few seconds as he felt a warmth in his chest.
— Yeah! Oh, of course, I can't wait, I'll see you tomorrow. — Sami nodded excitedly, lowering his torso slightly and rubbing his cheek against Cody's. The blond's cheeks turned softly pink; with the cold, it was disguised not as a blush, so he acted normal, but the soft sensation was electrifying, and Cody wanted more.
Sami's hooves echoed softly as he turned around, not before turning his head, smiling at Cody, and then taking off running, disappearing among the trees and plants. Rhodes stood still for a few seconds, watching where the hybrid had gone. For the first time in those days of mourning, in those weeks of complex emotions, Cody was able to forget his sadness for a few hours, and he connected with someone. Yeah, maybe he couldn't be a hunter, especially not now, not after seeing those eyes and the small white deer spots on Sami's legs and human skin.
But maybe that was good, because he knew his father would be happy for him. Cody began to walk again, now his mind occupied with something else and waiting for something, for the future. He wouldn't come home just to rot on his sofa, he needed to think about what he was going to talk to Sami about.