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This story is copyrighted, so NO takee! This story is related to a series I am working on called "The Hidden Ones".

Alone and Afraid

By William W. Kelso

I sat alone in the dark, scared to go outside even here. But the new needs and desires I was experiencing made it almost impossible not to. I still couldn't believe what had happened to me over the last few months. Three months ago I was normal, now I was, Hell I didn't know WHAT I was anymore! I reached up and felt the still strange feeling growths on my head, I knew what they were called, antlers, but they were for animals, not people! I felt up the length of one to the first point, and knew if I felt further I'd find more. I was what hunters called an eight pointer. When they'd first grown they'd been covered with skin or something and had itched like crazy, but I'd torn all that stuff off after it started falling off anyway. I scratched the itchy fur on my chest and ran my fingers through the thickest part in the middle. In the hot stuffy cabin it itched horribly sometimes. And I hated being cooped up, damn it I wanted to be outside, but I didn't think it would be safe. I was terrified of being seen.

I stood up and walked over to one of the curtained windows, my hooves tapping on the hardwood floor. Hooves, I thought, I could walk OK now but it still felt so weird. I lifted the side of the curtain and looked out at the dense woods, no sign of anyone and I did so want to go outside, but I didn't dare until night. Even as isolated as this place was I still couldn't take the chance of anyone seeing me like THIS. I kept hoping it would go away; just like it came, but something told me deep inside that it wouldn't.

I sighed, then went back to the bed and sat down. I was so hungry too, but there was nothing in the cabin for me to eat, at least anything that I could eat. I'd long ago eaten all the fruit and vegetables I'd brought with me when I first came to this refuge after I'd started changing. But as the change progressed I'd found myself unable to eat meat anymore, and the cans of chili and stew remained untouched. I had to find my food in the woods now, like any other deer, because that's what I was now, a part human/deer thing, a buck. I looked down at myself, I didn't wear any clothes in the cabin because of the heat, but I'd put on some shorts when I went outside. To be seen would be bad; to be seen nude would be worse as despite what I looked like now I still had my modesty. I looked at my long slender powerful legs ending in shiny split black hooves, with the large toes or claws or whatever and the smaller ones farther up the back of them. Legs covered in reddish-brown fur with white fur at my crotch and up my chest, and I could feel my tail nervously flicking back and forth. I couldn't see my penis because it was inside its sheath, thank goodness as it didn't look like a human one anymore, and the sheath and my balls were also covered in white fur. It was me, but I still couldn't believe it. What had happened? Was it a curse, some sort of sick medical experiment done without my knowledge, toxic waste?? My roomie at college was a biology major, if he had anything to do with this I would KILL him! I got up and went to the window again, yearning to leave this prison and be free, at least for a few hours under the protection of night. I signed, coughed up, and started chewing some cud to help pass the time.

Up until a few months ago I'd been a normal human, or at least had thought I was. I'd just started my first year at College after a stint in the Army right out of High School, and was going with the help of the GI Bill. Mom had died while I was still in High School, and I'd never known my father, so had nothing to tie me down. I'd inherited the cabin but had never even visited it before. I'd just had my 25th birthday when I started feeling weird, kind of sick and feverish. I had stayed in the dorm for Xmas holidays as I had no family to spend it with, and was almost alone except for some fellow unfortunates who were also alone in the world. You can imagine my feelings when I woke one morning, went to take a shower, and found out I had a tail! The damn thing had grown almost overnight. My first impulse was to go to a doctor, but something told me that might not be a good idea. I found I could keep it tucked and wear pants OK, but didn't leave the room except to go to the cafeteria for food. I was even rude to a couple of friends as I was afraid they might notice something. "Gee, what's that funny thing in your pants George?", "Oh that? It's just my tail." Then a couple of days later I woke up to find much of my lower body covered in fur, even my balls! That almost made me go to the doctor too, but since it didn't hurt I decided not to. It just itched like an SOB. It was when the antlers started to grow that I decided I'd better find someplace safer to wait this; whatever it was, out. I didn't want my roommate to come back from vacation and find out he had Bambi for a roommate now. I had woken up the next morning to find one inch antlers, or horns, sprouting from my head, and that was the last straw. I don't know what I would have done if it hadn't been for the cabin.

I'd dug through my papers until I'd found Mom's will and the deed to the cabin & property it was on. Then I drew as much cash out of the ATM as I could and went and filled my SUV with as much groceries and bottled water as I could buy. It was quite a drive, two states away, so I left as early as I could. I only stopped for gas and/or to get as much money out of an ATM to the maximum limit allowed per day, and made one more trip to a local supermarket when I was nearing my destination. I had two inch antlers by then and my jaws were starting to push out, but I could still pass for human; a rather Neanderthal looking one, if I wore a hat to cover up the horns. I loaded up and tried to follow the directions to the cabin which was quite a ways out of town, in the middle of "the back of beyond" as one guy I asked for directions described it. But I finally found it after many false turns and several wasted hours. It was at the end of an overgrown dirt track that would have been impossible for anything but a four wheel drive, and most importantly it was in "the back of beyond".

It was a well built and weathered cabin, obviously quite old. It was nestled back in the huge evergreen and conifers and hard to see it blended in so well. It looked like the kind of place Grizzly Adams and Daniel Boone would hang out in. It was also obvious no one had been there in a long time, a very long time. It had one large main room, a small kitchen, and a small bedroom. The only "modern" convenience was a hand crank water pump I never got to work, a plumber I'm not. There was no electricity, no running water, no anything. There was an old chemical toilet inside (but no chemicals) and an outhouse out back. The latest dated magazine I found inside was over twenty five years old. But for all of that the place was in good shape except for dust and cobwebs. I cleaned up as best I could; sneezing the whole time as my nose was getting very sensitive, and aired out the mattress, linen, and blankets. I had brought a sleeping bag, but the bed was OK. I found a couple big tins of oil for the lanterns, and figured out how to use the old wood burning stove too. All in all I was comfortable, if not exactly living in luxury. And it's a good thing I got there when I did, because while slower the following changes were much more pronounced and painful.

It took almost two weeks for my feet to change into hooves, and it hurt like hell most of the time. Plus watching my toes grow together and turn black and shiny freaked me out. My legs had changed shape at the same time, and my antlers kept growing until I had to duck my head to go out the door, and also had to be careful about tangling the damn things in tree branches too. Once I'd learned how to compensate for the extra height I got by better. Once I'd panicked and decided to go for help, but found with my newly reshaped legs it would be almost impossible for me to drive the SUV, plus my rack would have forced me to bend my head over, so that was a no-go. My driving days were over. And my face had kept pushing out into a muzzle with a black wet rubbery nose at the end of it, and my ears had grown as well, now they're much larger, pointed, covered in hair, and the damn things instantly swivel towards any sound unless I consciously try to control them. It's amazing how sensitive my hearing has become too; I can hear bugs crawling around, and I can smell stuff I never even knew had odors. And there are these scent glands or ducts or something near my eyes on my muzzle, and they produced some really pungent stuff. If I got upset or something they started leaking and WOW, so I carried around a tissue so I could wipe them every now and then. And my hair was gone, my human hair that is. It fell out as the fur grew in. I'm completely covered in fur now, much thicker on my stomach and below, but thinner up above. Even my head and face are covered, and I can almost see behind myself as my eyes have changed their location. I can also see almost all of my own face or muzzle which was kind of weird at first. At least my arms are still human even though covered in fur too. But by this time the changes had stopped, thank God. It was bad enough, but had been terrified I was going to change all the way into a deer, and I don't know what I would have done if I'd ended up on all fours. At least I can still walk upright and have hands. But I'm much more animal then human now. I spent a lot of time sitting on the bed and crying now, wondering what I'd done to deserve this.

My main problem now is food. As I changed, my eating habits did too. I started losing my appetite for anything with meat in it, and finally when only the canned food was left I threw up a can of beef stew I'd forced down. Now even the thought of eating meat makes me nauseous, and I have no interest in cooked food of any kind. Up until then I'd frankly been terrified to leave the cabin, what if someone saw me? On my trips to the outhouse I'd always worn an old rain slicker and cowboy hat with holes punched in it for my antlers. If anyone saw me I'd hoped they'd think the hat was one of those Jackalope novelty hats. But soon I was starving and running out of water too, so I had left in search of food as I had no choice. And I actually found more then I'd expected. It is amazing what a deer can eat. The first thing I found when I ventured out was a nice clear flowing stream about a quarter mile from the cabin at the base of the hill; I could smell the water long before I heard or saw it, and bending down I stuck my muzzle in it and drank without even thinking about it. It was cool and sweet and tasted so good to my dry mouth and throat. Later I filled up some empty water bottles to take back to the cabin. If there were any germs or microbes in the water they didn't do anything to me. There were acorns, and attracted by the smell I stuffed myself on them. Some were a little green, some a little rotten, but I wasn't picky. They tasted just fine to me. They were so hard to pick up one at a time I finally got frustrated and just dropped down and ate them that way. If anyone had seen me they'd probably have thought I was just a regular deer as down on all fours I definitely look more animal then human. And going on all fours was no problem for me at all, didn't hurt my back or anything, and because of the way my legs are shaped I can't go down on my knees. When I first ventured out I was paranoid too, jumping at every small sound. I would freeze with my ears flicking back and forth like crazy trying to locate and identify the sound, but soon I learned to recognize the sounds of the forest, and those that were out of place. Like sounds humans make, I was surprised to find sounds like vehicles, radios, etc, "spooked" me.

Two days later as I explored my new "home" I stumbled on to a small clearing, it looked like part of an old fire break. My sense of smell was incredible now, and I'd smelled animals; including deer, in the area but other than squirrels and birds I hadn't seen any. As I stood in the brush by the edge of the clearing I noticed a small herd of deer at the other end. A buck, some does, and fawns. I felt a strange loneliness well up in me, a desire for company, for safety in numbers. Hopefully I stepped out into the clearing, but I guess the deer thought the sight of an upright buck was as weird as I did. The buck gave a cry, and they all turned and fled into the woods and were gone in seconds. I felt like crying as I watched them flee, and almost tried to follow. I walked over to where they'd been browsing and couldn't help but scent everything. I could tell how many had been male or female, their approx. ages, and even general health from their droppings and urine. For some reason smelling that kind of stuff didn't bother me that much, it's not like I picked it up and rubbed my nose in it. I felt driven to add my own scent to their markings, so rubbed my face against a tree trunk and smeared some thick tears from the glands on my face and also left a urine marker. It was a way of letting them know I was in the area, kind of like a calling card. It just seemed the right thing to do. And I also noticed they'd been eating the leaves on some of the bushes and the grasses growing in the clearing. I was getting tired of the acorns, so tried what they'd been eating. The grass was good but the leaves were a little bitter, but I ate them anyway as somehow I knew they'd be good for me. And by watching the same small herd; and other deer, I found lots of other stuff to eat as well. It was soon obvious that at least I wouldn't starve to death. But that was two months ago, and winter was coming. What would I do for food in winter? My coat was getting thicker too, so I wouldn't freeze either.

I was also horribly lonely, I didn't want any people to see me, and the deer had all freaked out at the sight of me. It looked like I wasn't welcome in either world. And when the does started going into heat it got much worse. I knew what it was, but that didn't make it any easier. Sometimes I'd run across the scent markings of a doe in heat and would go almost crazy from lust, a strangely intense lust like nothing I'd ever experienced before. I started leaving my own scent markers from my facial glands and with urine to mark my territorial range to let other deer know I was around, and also to maybe; I don't know, try and attract a mate?? As the rut got worse to my dismay I had to spend hours jacking off to try and satisfy that urge and need; it was that or go nuts, but it just wasn't the same as actual mating. I'd sit there on the bed, or lean against a tree, and stoke that strange new penis while I grunted in pain and pleasure, and when I came often gave a guttural bawling sound. And where would something like me find a mate? Any woman; or doe, would run in terror at the sight of a freak like me. Slowly I resigned myself to living alone like I was for the rest of my life as I saw no other alternative.

At first I went out during the day mostly, but one morning I almost ran into some hikers. And my first reaction after I scented them was; what if they're hunters? They might shoot first before they realized I wasn't a normal deer. Hell, they might shoot anyway! It caught me by surprise as I'd seen no sign of any people, campers or otherwise, since I'd been here. If they hadn't been upwind I'd never have noticed them before walking right into them. As it was I just barely had time to bound into some dense cover, leap over a large fallen tree, and go to cover before they walked into sight. I crouched down and watched as they walked past, it was a man and woman and they never saw me, I blend in perfectly. I had mixed feelings as I watched them, part of me said "danger", but the part that was so lonely thought maybe; just maybe, they could help or would understand my predicament. Just to hear another voice, to talk to someone, would be so nice. They definitely weren't hunters and kind of looked like tree hugger types. I could still talk, even though my voice sounded kind of strange, so at least I was spared being mute. But the cautious part of me won out. Later; after I got back to the cabin, I sat on the edge of the bed and cried, and not for the first time. What the hell was I, and why had this happened??

So now I mainly go out at night. It's getting a little chilly, but I've found my fur is more than enough to keep me warm. It's gotten thicker and I have a nice undercoat now. And at night I go "au natural" as I'm not worried about anyone seeing me in the dark, and being naked didn't bother me anymore. I'm certainly not worried about animals seeing me naked, and I don't care if people do either anymore, and my fur keeps me more than warm enough, fact is I don't need clothes anymore. It was a relief to leave those shorts behind; I don't wear them anymore as it just doesn't feel right. They're uncomfortable and restrict my movement and my tail gets in the way. My night vision is pretty good, and I can find by smell what I can't see in order to eat. I never noticed the hidden motion activated night vision camera I passed one evening on my way to one of the clearings to pig out on some late season berries, but it saw me and snapped several photos. It had probably been left there by the hikers I'd seen.

I was never aware of the brief sensation the "deer man" photos caused on the local news and in some papers. The photos weren't that great, and eventually the "experts" labeled them as fakes, but one "expert" knew better. He called a special number he had been given, explained what he'd found, and a short time later there was a large deposit in his savings account. Those he'd contacted paid quite well for reports of any sightings of "strange animals". And a team was dispatched to check out the "sighting". I was being hunted and didn't even know it.

Two off-road jeeps and a large van arrived a few days later and the six man team camped out in the woods near the clearing where the "deer man" photos had been taken. Working efficiently they set up observation posts and cameras at strategically placed spots to give as much coverage of the area in which the "deer man" had been spotted as possible. Two men stayed in camp to watch the monitors and the other men split up into two teams and started searching the area. It would be hard, especially if the "beast" was aware it was being hunted. They were clever creatures, and blended in with the local "natural" population as far as droppings and hoof prints. There was no way to know if you were tracking a natural or a beast. Fortunately for them; unfortunately for me, they didn't have to wait long.

Maybe if I'd been a "beast" longer I might have sensed, or noticed, something was wrong, that there were hunters in the woods. But I didn't, and two nights later they picked me up on one of the monitors when I visited the clearing again hoping there might be some berries left. These guys were experts at hunting "my kind" and had concealed themselves very well and I certainly never saw or smelled them. They didn't get me that night, but at first light tracked me back to the cabin. Then they set up the ambush, and it was simple and easy. The bastards used my own "instincts" against me.

I was sleeping on the bed, which is a little uncomfortable due to my antlers and the shape of my legs, but it beat the floor. And I still wasn't quite ready to try sleeping outside. I woke up when a big black jeep came screeching into the front yard of the cabin, and looking out the window I saw two guys jump out waving guns and yelling at each other. Something inside clicked, and with a squeal I ran out the back door and took off at a dead run, leaping and bounding over low bushes and fallen trees and right into the sights of the other four hunters. I felt a sudden stab in the side of my leg and looked down to see a dart sticking out of it, and bawling I pulled it out; but my leg was already going numb. Then a second dart hit my back where I couldn't reach it and everything started to spin. I made it a little ways farther; staggering and filling the air with my danger and fear scent as the glands on my face responded to my panic and opened up wide, but finally collapsed kicking and squealing and absolutely terrified. I tried to get up and stumbled a few more feet, but then fell down and could only lie there breathing heavily as the world went black. My legs kicked a few more times, and then I was still.

The men were quite pleased with their "catch". The ambush had worked perfectly. They had hunted and captured other beasts, but most had been much harder to run down than this one, and some got away entirely. They looked down at the weird unconscious creature, but if any of them wondered much about it they showed no sign as they were very well paid, more than enough to keep quiet. They were all former mercenaries, and hunting this kind of prey beat being shot at in the jungles of Africa or South America. They securely bound the beast, being especially careful with the arms and hands. Just because it was an animal didn't mean it didn't know how to use its hands. And as instructed they muzzled it. They had no reason to think it was anything other than an animal, a weird one, but nothing more. They slipped a pole through its legs and carried it to the van where they secured it in a stall with bags over its hands which were chained to a heavy leather belt around its waist, hobbled it, and put a heavy leather collar around its neck that was attached to a heavy chain welded to a bolt in the floor of the van. It wasn't going anywhere. Then they left it, and breaking camp they were on the road within an hour. Once the critter was delivered they'd get their big fat bonuses and hopefully instructions for a new hunt. A few more successful hunts and they could retire. They had no idea the "animals" they hunted had human intelligence, but for what they were paid they wouldn't have cared anyway.

I woke up and found I was lying on straw over a metal floor, and I was very securely bound. There were socks or something over my hands which were chained to my waist, there was a short chain between my ankles (do deer have ankles I wondered?), and a heavy collar around my neck was chained to the floor. What the hell? I'd been scared enough when my flight instinct had kicked in, but it paled to what I felt now. I was terrified, as both a man and an animal. Stark eyes rolling terrified. I could tell I must be in a truck or trailer from the sounds and motion, and looking around realized I was alone. I couldn't see, or smell, anything except some old scents from more than one male human. I was so scared I had to relieve myself, which wasn't easy seeing as how I was bound. Finally after a few hours had passed I calmed down enough for my human part to mostly take over again. Who were these guys, and what did they want with me? I might look weird, but I was still an American citizen and this was kidnapping and assault. I started to get mad.

Sometime later the van finally came to a stop and a door opened and I smelled fresh air, and then the van rocked as someone climbed in. I couldn't stand up, so had to look up as a couple of large men entered the van.

"Oh gross, said one, the stupid thing crapped all over the place. And what IS that other smell?"

"He's just scared; it's a scent marking to warn other deer." The other man said.

Stupid thing?? I thought. YOU try crapping with your hands chained to your waist and your legs chained together! At least mine is little smooth balls of dung. I made muffled sounds and glared at them, but they made no move to remove the muzzle.

"I don't think he likes us very much" said the other man. "Almost sounds likes it's trying to talk."

That, I thought, is an understatement! Now take off this damn muzzle and I'll tell you what to do with it! Jerks! "Mmmmffffffkrs!"

But they didn't. Instead one man disappeared from view for a few minutes, and then returned carrying what looked like two large syringes or caulking guns. One was full of water, and the other was full of some sort of thick paste that smelled pretty good. The man with the syringes told the other,

"Hold his head; he ain't going to like this".

When their intention became clear I most definitely DIDN'T like it, but could do nothing about it. I did kick and squeal as best I could, but one man sat down behind me and grabbed me by my antlers and held my head steady, then the other one stuck a plastic tube into my mouth forcing it past my lips and teeth and down my throat and they force fed me. First they pumped in the thick paste, and then followed with the water. Then they left me with my eyes watering from the pain and humiliation. Hell, I'd have eaten and taken a drink if they'd let me, I'd been starving. That wasn't even necessary. Assholes!

I was "fed" two more times the same way, and then we arrived at our destination, and Hell on earth for those like myself for I soon found out I wasn't alone. The van came to a stop and I expected them to come and feed me again, but instead I heard muffled voices and looked up as the two men and a "stranger" came in to the stall. The third man seemed glad to see me, and told the other two,

"Excellent gentleman, you've definitely earned your bonuses. A fine young buck if I say so myself, he'll be a welcome addition to our, um, zoo. Let's get him unloaded, shall we."

Zoo, I thought, ZOO? Oh, HELL no! I may look like one, but I'm NOT an animal. I didn't realize how horribly wrong my assumption was.

The two men undid the collar and then frog marched me out of the van and across a compound to a large white building. Ever try walking when you're hobbled? They pretty much had to carry me. It smelled like a hospital and in fact it was; a veterinarian clinic and animal hospital, but it was also much more. As they dragged me down a hallway I could smell the antiseptic smell all these places have, and I could also smell animals. And fear and terror, the place reeked of it, and I started to respond to the danger signals and kicked and squealed through the damn muzzle over my muzzle. Bastards! Let me loose and I'll show you what these antlers are for, and you won't like it!

They dragged me into what I can only call a shower stall. My legs were kept hobbled, but also chained to the floor so they were spread, then my hands were unchained from my waist and the gloves taken off and then heavy leather cuff were put on my wrists. The cuffs were on the end of chains which were then cranked until I was spread eagle in a standing position on the tile floor. I was almost, but not quite, suspended. It was very uncomfortable, and I felt horribly exposed and helpless. I couldn't help it, and peed and added my own danger signal to the other scents. One of the men said,

"So that's what his dick looks like, weird."

I was so horribly embarrassed, and hung my head in shame. The third man said,

"OK, thanks you guys. Go over to the main office to collect your checks. He's our responsibility now."

The two hunters left, and I was left alone with the third man. He looked at me, and I didn't like his expression at all. There was something cold and calculating about it, and he smelled weird. He said,

"You are a fine specimen my young buck, and will be a welcome addition to our stable of rare and unusual animals. I'm sure you'll provide us with valuable research material. Can you talk?"

That caught me by surprise as I'd assumed they all thought I was a dumb mute animal, at least the hunters had. Eagerly I shook my head "Yes!"

"Good, the man said. At least you can answer questions. Now a word of warning beast, you will speak ONLY when spoken to, otherwise you will be punished, do you understand? You will keep your answers simple, and you will call all humans Master or Mistress."

Well, that didn't sound very promising, but what else could I do? So I shook my head "Yes" again.

About this time two more men arrived, and both were wearing those white coats you see hospital staff and lab techs wearing, but they looked more like bouncers then medical personnel.

The other man; I noticed a nameplate on his coat that said "Dr. Barnes", reached up and took off that damn muzzle; for the first time in two days. I took a deep breath and said,

"Oh, thank you!"

He said, "What did I tell you about speaking without permission animal? You were warned what would happen." Then he stood aside as one of the attendants stepped up and jammed a cattle prod into my side.

"AAAAAAAA, BWAAAAAAA" I screamed and bleated. Then the pain stopped.

"Again, said Dr. Barnes. He needs to learn what he his."

And I bucked and writhed at the excruciating pain as the cattle prod was jammed into my side again, "AAAAAA, BAAAAAA!" I bawled and shrieked, contorting helplessly. Then it stopped and I hung limply with my head hanging down, my scent glands leaking large drops that dripped slowly down my muzzle. Dr. Barnes reached under my chin and held my head up, and said in an emotionless flat voice,

"Do you understand now, animal? Any time you speak without permission you will be punished again, and each time it will get worse. If we must we will cut your vocal cords. You must learn that animals only speak when given permission. DO YOU UNDERSTAND, ANIMAL??"

I just numbly shook my head "Yes" whimpering, and realized I'd soiled myself again. Oh God, I thought, where the Hell am I? And I was right about the Hell part.

"Good, Dr. Barnes said, now let's get you cleaned up. You stink. Give him a good bath and dip him, we don't want any vermin. He probably has ticks and fleas. Filthy beast."

I almost said I do NOT have any vermin! But my experience with the cattle prod had impressed me enough that I kept my mouth shut.

The doctor left and the two "attendants" started on me. They hooked up a hose to a faucet and soaked me good and proper, but at least the water was warm. Then they soaped me down with Mane and Tail (I saw the bottle), and while they were soaping me down one of them rubbed my crotch, cupped my balls, and said "You like that, don't you?" but I knew better then to reply. Pervert. Then they rinsed me off with the hose and toweled me off, roughly. Next they sprayed me some kind of chemical smelling stuff and rubbed it into my fur, guess that was the "dip". Then to my surprise they combed and groomed my fur and it actually felt pretty good and I gave involuntary grunts of pleasure.

"Like that huh, said one of the goons, Doc insists we keep all the beasties nice and clean, he likes it sanitary. Now we're gonna let you down and you're gonna be good, you got that Bambi?" The other pressed a button on his prod and a spark jumped from one lead to the other with a loud "snap".

I shook my head "Yes", oh yes, I understood very well. They put a collar around my neck with some sort of electric snap you could only open with a key, snapped a leash on it, and I followed them like a well trained pet. I had no choice. I was of course very nervous as I followed them, my hooves tapping on the linoleum floor, my ears twitching uncertainly. I missed the soothing sounds of the forest; all the sounds here were strange and new. Even the sound of a radio playing sounded strangely alien. The smells and sounds jarred on my senses like fingernails on a blackboard.

The place was really huge, and they led me down a hallway past numerous rooms and other "stalls". One time I came to a screeching halt and stared with wide eyes and rigid ears as I saw someone else like me! Only it was a female goat. She was in a stall with her leash tied to a ring and she saw me too, but just lowered her head. The goon gave a hard yank on my own leash and the other one poked me with the prod, but didn't activate it. I got the idea and didn't fall behind again.

Finally we arrived at a closed door, the goon knocked, and we went in. There was another man waiting for us, he was oriental and his nametag said "Dr. Fujimoto". He proceeded to give me the most thorough physical I have ever had in my entire life, either as man or deer. He poked and prodded, took blood and other samples, stuck things in every opening I had (much to my extreme displeasure), looked at my eyes, teeth, ears, etc. Took X-rays, too photos, and ran me through a scanner, twice. Then he started all over again. It took a couple of hours and I was definitely starting to feel cranky, and I was hungrier then hell. I didn't even have any cud to chew on. Plus the whole room reeked of other animal's scents and it was making me edgy. I was spooking and having to fight an urge to run and get the Hell out of this place. I didn't belong here.

The last; and worst, thing he did came at the very end. The doctor told one of the goons,

"Time to milk him, I need a sample." And the goon wheeled out a large "X" heavy duty shaped stand or rack of some kind.

Milk? I thought. I don't have udders. I soon learned a new meaning of the word.

One of the goons gave a wave with his cattle prod, so I moved over to the frame and the other strapped my ankles and wrists to it so I was eagle spread again. What is it with these guys? If he starts playing with me again I'll pee in his face!

Then the doctor wheeled over a little table with some wires and stuff and what looked like a battery charger on top of it. When he started attaching the wires to my balls and penis sheath I freaked out until I got a cattle prod in the side again for my efforts."UGH, BWAAAA!" I squealed. After that I just hung there with my head down mewling in terror. I think the so-called doctor felt a little sorry for me. He looked at my rolling panic stricken eyes and used a tissue to wipe some of my scent tears from my muzzle (I wished I didn't do that so much), and said,

"Don't worry, it won't hurt much. We just need a semen sample. The wires will stimulate you electrically, and you'll ejaculate."

Just give me a copy of "Field and Stream" and I'll do it the normal way! I wanted to say, but kept my mouth shut. Those damn prods hurt like an SOB. I whimpered when I remembered the pain.

The doctor flicked a switch and I arched as a powerful tingling sensation started in my loins and in a few seconds I was rock hard. Then he slipped a soft clear plastic tube over my penis with a smaller tube in the end that was attached to some sort of gizmo. He flicked another switch and I arched again with my eyes squeezed shut as the tingling started again, and few minutes later I had a massive orgasm that hurt as much as it felt good. I bawled as I spurted and the gizmo sucked my sperm down the tube and into it. The doctor turned off the switches and the agonizing pleasure stopped and I gave a guttural moan and hung limply. He took the tube off my fading erection and wiped me off with a handy-wipe to clean me up. Then he took a clear vial out of the gizmo and it was almost full of my "semen specimen".

"Good, he said. We have more than enough for a few days. We'll need another sample in five days."

Oh fucking great, I thought. Then they let me down from the frame and I stood and held myself, my whole body shaking. It went beyond mere humiliation. I desperately wanted to run, to flee this unnatural place of pain. I wanted sunshine and the smell of open spaces and trees, I wanted to run and run far away. I could feel tears running down my muzzle.

One of the goons said to the other, "Man, I hate watching that, it must hurt like hell." The other replied, "Naw, they like it, they're just animals."

I looked at them and said "LIKE IT? If you think it's so great why don't you volunteer to give a sample, you fucking moron!" And then I realized what I'd just done. Oh shit.

They just stood and looked at me in shock at first; "Geez, it can talk!" said one of them. Then they took out their prods.

"Yeah, and so can you! Amazing, isn't it?" I said as I slowly backed away from them, but there was nowhere to go as they were between me and the door.

I don't know how many times they shocked me, but it was a bunch. I lay on the floor and squealed, bawled, and screamed as the electricity arced through me again and again. Finally the doctor made them stop by yelling at them,

"You're killing him, stop it!" That seemed to do the trick, and they stopped. I just lay there mewling and sobbing in my own urine. At some point I'd peed myself and I reeked of my fear scent again.

The doctor was really mad. "That was excessive you two baboons! Punish yes, discipline yes, kill, NO! Idiots! Now clean him up and take him to Dr. Turner next, IF he's conscious! Fucking retards!"

I agreed wholeheartedly. But the goons had gotten their point across, and that was the last time I let my big mouth get me fried. The two goons, Buda and Bing as I'd started calling them, dragged me to a stall and made me clean myself up with a wet towel and dry off. Then they led; and partly dragged, me down a hall to another room. I went very reluctantly, but didn't give them an excuse to shock me agian.

We entered and there was an older woman sitting behind a desk, she looked like an old fashioned school teacher complete with the hair bun. The two goons let me go and I almost felt over and had to grab the edge of her desk to stay partially upright. I saw the nameplate "Dr. Turner" on the desk. I leaned on the desk; still dazed from the torture, breathing heavily, my ears flicking around nervously. She looked at me with a frown on her face, and told the goons,

"Stand him up!" They did so. "Turn him around!" She could clearly see the burn marks from numerous prodding's. She said, "Dr. Fujimoto called and told me you'd been overzealous in administering discipline to this animal, and it was clearly excessive. You will be disciplined by paying a fine which will come out of your next paychecks. I will NOT tolerate such cruelty or unprofessional behavior."

"But Doc, said one of the goons, he yelled at us!"

"Yeah, said the other, and called me a bad name!"

"Are you children? She replied. I don't care if he danced the Hokey-Pokey and sang the Pledge of Allegiance! Your fine just went up for insolence. Now get him a chair and leave us alone, but wait outside."

The two mooks dragged a chair over and rather rudely "sat" me down in it; chained one of my ankles to a leg, then left and shut the door. I stood up partially so I could tuck my tail for comfort, sat back down, and then looked at the lady doctor. God she was ugly, but her scent was unthreatening and I relaxed a little. The office smelled like rubbing alcohol, and I wrinkled my nose in distaste.

"OK, now that we have some privacy we can get acquainted. Think of me as the "good doctor". I will answer some questions, and you will answer. You may speak, do you understand?"

Nervously I rolled my eyes at the doorway and gave an unsure bleat. She seemed to know what I was worried about.

"Don't worry; my office is a prod free zone. I do not approve of such barbaric disciplinary measures. Now, do you have a name?"

And so she asked questions almost like it was a job interview. She asked me my name, address if I had one, age, sex (thought that was kind of obvious, and I crossed my legs to try and be modest), and other pretty routine stuff which I answered truthfully as I saw no reason to lie. It felt good to talk to someone again. Then she asked me some weird stuff. She asked me if I was a Mystic, kindred, or changeling. And I truthfully told her I had no idea what she was talking about. She frowned, and asked me if I'd been like I am now all of my life, or if I'd changed, or if someone had used magic to change me. I guess even with my animal face she must have realized my look of complete incomprehension was real. I told her about how I'd just suddenly started changing one day with no warning, that I was scared, and could they help me? I told her I didn't want to be like this, a freak. She looked at me for a minute; maybe a little sympathetically, and said,

"You must be kindred, a kind of half-breed, part human part Mystic. Mystic's are ancient races of mythical creatures, hence the name Mystic. Elves, satyrs, dryads, faeries, they're all real. Some are extinct, but most aren't. From your appearance the father you never knew was most likely a deer satyr and/or Forrest Spirit of some kind. They often mate with humans if their own kind is not available and poor creatures like you are often the result. Some of you are born with your Mystic heritage showing already, with others it's triggered by puberty or other things. By a smell, sex, an event, etc. From what you've told me you changed fairly late, but some never do. Some of you can control your form to some extent, but you may not be able to. We'll have to find out if you have that power, or any others. And no, we can't really help you. Once you change it's for good. Now I know you have questions, so I'll allow you ask a few."

A few? I thought, how's about a million? "Uh, Mistress, I asked. I don't want to be like this, I'm a man, not an animal. Can't I change back somehow?"

"No, like I said we can't do anything about that, it's permanent. And No, you're NOT human, and the sooner you understand the better. This is a special research facility where we do research and perform, um, experiments to try and understand how your kind, um, work. Your kind are immune to almost any kind of disease, and have very long life spans. The length depends on the amount of Mystic genetic material in your genes. From your appearance you're at least a full half-breed which means your father was pure Mystic, so you may have some other so-called magical abilities. We're trying to understand how it all works here, the benefits to mankind could be insurmountable."

"Magic abilities, as in Hocus-pocus?" I asked.

If I'd been having this conversation with someone just a few months ago I would have thought they were a nutjob, but since I was a naked deer man now I didn't. It was still weird though, elves, faeries, satyrs? Is that what I was, a satyr? I thought they were all goats and ran around playing trumpets or something.

"Oh yes, she said. Some Mystics and kindred can change their shape; we figure that's where the werewolf and other legends originated. Others can call animals to them to do their bidding, heal the sick or injured, or make things grow. There are all sorts of things they can do. Chances are you have one or more of the "nature" powers since you're one of the Forrest kindred."

"What's a changeling?" was my next question.

"They are the result of the darker side of the Mystic races. Some of their magic is not beneficial. Some have the power, through the use of potions, curses, magic objects such as harnesses, etc. to transform people into animals. They do it to enslave them for their labor and/or sell them for money. The people they change are called changelings. The poor things have their memories intact, but live the rest of their lives as animals. It's horrible. It's been going on since the dawn of time, and still is."

"Tell me about it!" I said. "I don't like being like this, I feel like a freak. Can't you help me somehow, please? I know what I look like, but I'm still an American citizen! It's against the law to keep me locked up like this, and to do those, those things to me!"

She frowned, and said, "I'm truly sorry, but you must realize that you are NOT a man, not human, you never have been. You're no more human than a real deer. You're just an intelligent animal, and animals have no rights no matter how smart they are. They are the property of their owners, and you are the property of this company now. The sooner you understand that the better. I know you can talk and are intelligent, but the other researchers and doctors here don't care. They prefer you speak only when necessary, when they want you to. It's easier that way. You've experienced what happens when you speak without permission, and there are other measures they'll take if it happens too often. My office is the only place you can speak freely, so remember that. I'll answer one more question for now as you have other appointments to keep today."

"Um, OK, can I have some clothes, some shorts or something? It's, um, kind of embarrassing to be running around, you know, naked."

She frowned, and replied,

"I'm sorry, but no. We don't allow our, uh, livestock to wear clothes. It helps remind them of their, um, place. Animals don't have modesty. Now it's time for you to go for now. Remember what I said. If you cooperate it won't be so bad, so take my advice and do what they want, or they'll hurt you."

"You seem like a nice lady. Do you think I'm just an animal?" I asked. She looked uncomfortable. "I'm just as smart as you are, and I do have a soul you know. I'm an aware, thinking, person no matter what I look like. And I do have modesty, I don't like being naked in front of strangers any more then you would. And this is wrong, I don't care how you try and justify it."

She didn't answer, just called for the goon squad to collect me and take me to the next step in my "welcome" to my new home.

They took me to another room where I was "tagged" and branded. They shaved the inside of one leg and tattooed an honest to God bar code on my leg, and then they did it again on the inside of my lower lip! It hurt and I did not cooperate much and they had to strap me down, but I kept my mouth shut so didn't get zapped again. Evidently it's acceptable for an "animal" to be reluctant in certain circumstances, but not to talk. They also crimped a metal tag on one ear (OW! MF'S!), and implanted a chip in my back. It was one the most humiliating and degrading days of my life, to be branded like I was nothing more than livestock.

I can now be traced wherever I go. They can find me wherever I run or hide if the chip is in range of a detector sweep. Then I was assigned a number, and told to remember it. I was now "CS-333", which was short for "Cervidae Specimen-333"; and it was the only name I had now. That is unless my "owners" decided to give me another one. They run a very efficient operation; I had to give then that. It's a twisted combination of a zoo and prison.

Then I was done for the day, and I was totally exhausted. By the time I reached my new home; in a stall in a barn, I was so tired I was staggering. They took me into the stall and snapped a chain fixed to a ring in the wall to the collar around my neck, and then left me there. They didn't see me give them the finger as they walked away. I looked at my new "home". It was a fairly large barren stall with a back wall and sides, but no door. Guess animals don't rate them; no privacy for us. The floor was covered with clean straw, so I scooted some of it into a kind of nest in one corner. Then attracted by the smell of food and water I inspected a trough and a bucket hanging on the wall. The trough was full of clean water and refilled itself automatically if the level went down, and the bucket was full of what looked like dog biscuits to me, but green and fibrous looking. It smelled good, so I ate a few and they weren't half bad. So I went to work as I was ravenous and soon, to my disappointment, the bucker was empty. Later I found out the stuff was Purina Deer Chow; no lie! With a tired grunt I lay down in my "nest" and as the result of the combination of a full stomach and total exhaustion I quickly fell into a deep sleep.

I woke up bright and early, it was still dark out. I gave a grunt of pain as I stood up as I was still sore as hell from my "disciplining". I brushed off the straw sticking to me a best I could and then took a good long drink that made me feel a lot better. The food was all gone though, so I tried some straw but wasn't impressed, too dry and no flavor. So I regurgitated and chewed some cud, it was better than nothing. Sounds gross I know, but to me it was just another part of my weird new life. It was especially useful with leaves and stuff, makes them easier to finish digesting. I inspected my new "home" and there just wasn't much to it. There was a fair amount of length on the chain, so I could reach the sides and wall of the stall easily, but couldn't leave it. The stall walls were about shoulder height so I looked into one stall next to mine, but it was empty. But when I looked in the other one I was surprised, and kind of glad, to see it was occupied. By another deer thing like me, another buck!! He was lying down still asleep in a "nest" like mine.

"He-e-y, I said, hey buddy!" He didn't move, but somehow I knew he was awake. I didn't like being ignored, so said in a louder voice, "HEY BUDDY!" He still didn't move, but whispered loudly,

"Shut up! They monitor us you moron. The "no talking" rule applies to other animals! You want to get us both prodded? Lie down next to the wall and pretend to be asleep, we can talk that way, but keep it low."

No, I most definitely did NOT want to get prodded! So I lay back down in my little "nest" and put my head next to the wall, or as close as my antlers would allow. A short time later a soft voice said,

"Can you hear me OK?"

"Yeah" I replied. "Who are you? Where are we?"

"Me? He said. I'm CS-328, who are you?"

"My name is George; fuck them and their stupid numbers." I replied.

"NO, you need to play along with what they want. If they ask your name you tell them your assigned number, nothing else. I've been here almost six months, and believe me you don't want to make them mad. It's best to forget your life before you came here, it's gone for good, and you can never go back. And if you behave you get rewards too, like more food, or more trips to the breeding barn." He said,

"The WHAT barn?" I asked incredulously.

"Shhh, keep it down damn it! They monitor us 24/7, if they see or hear us talking on the tapes we'll get punished. And I said the breeding barn; they mate us with naturals, humans, and other kindred. They're trying to see if we can cross breed." He whispered.

"But, that's, that's sick! And it's got to be rape, or bestiality, or something!" I said in a horrified voice.

"Hah, he said. Rape and bestiality is for humans, and since we're not human it's just mating as far as those bastards are concerned. And if you don't cooperate and service the "mates" they pick for you they have ways of making you. If you do cooperate it can be, well, nice."

"But, but, its rape! I insisted. They, can't make us, make us have sex! It's not RIGHT!"

"You'll learn, the other buck replied, now shut up. I can hear the handlers coming so we need to be good little dumb animals for them. We'll talk again later."

He was right, I could hear, and smell, people approaching. I stood up and moved to the back of the stall and waited. I looked up and saw cameras mounted on the overhead beams, so the other deer was telling the truth. They did monitor us; I just hoped they hadn't noticed our exchange. I nervously rubbed one of the burn marks on my side and started chewing some cud; I do that when I'm worried or upset.

First a couple of men came by pushing a cart. The while one collected my now empty feed bucket the other replaced it with a full one. I could smell the food, and as soon as they left I began to eat hungrily. I looked up a few times and the buck in the stall next to mine was eating too. I looked around and could see other deer eating. There were quite a few of us. I could tell some were like me, but others were from different "species". I could tell from their horns, coloring, size, and scents. There were three or four like me, but most seemed to be like my next door neighbor. He was as big as I was, but while my coloring was dark reddish brown his was much more grayish-tan. And in one stall separated from the others was someone with a huge rack, he had to be an elk or stag or something, he was freaken huge. I didn't see; or scent, any does though. We were all males. Later I found out the humans jokingly called this the "bachelor barn".

As soon as "breakfast" was over handlers came to collect their charges for the day. My two favorite goons came to "fetch" me and they looked about as happy to see me as I was to see them. I don't know if a deer can snarl, but I think I gave it a pretty good try. They had the prods though, so I cooperated. One snapped a lead rope to my collar and led me out of the stall, out of the barn, and back to the clinic. I saw other bucks; and even a few other animals like goats or sheep too, being led to various destinations. We looked at each other and scented one another, but didn't dare speak. I even saw a doe once, like me, and couldn't help staring in fascination, flaring my nostrils to try and scent her. She probably thought I was horribly rude, but I couldn't help myself. She was the first female version of myself that I'd seen. She was beautiful, and I felt attracted to her as both a man and a buck. As we passed I strained my neck and head to watch her for as long as possible.

They took me back to one of the cleaning stalls and secured me spread eagle standing up again, but didn't clean me up. Then that bastard Dr. Barnes came in again and told the two goons to leave.

He looked at me and I stared back helplessly. Seeing as I was nude and suspended he had the advantage. He smiled that cold heartless smile, and said,

"Well my fine young buck. Seems like you've learned animals don't talk unless given permission. Good for you. I got back the results of your test and I'm sure you'll like to know you're about two thirds Cervus elaphus, and by deer standards about five years old. Of course I'm sure you're much older in human years, but they don't mean much to your kind. For all we know you're a 100 or more. And both your sire and dam had Mystic blood as you're more than just a half-breed which is pretty rare. Many are a quarter or less. I'm sure you have some extra powers and if you won't tell; or show us, what they are we'll have to find out the hard way. Now, will you cooperate animal?"

I just stared at him like he was loony, what the hell is a service lupus anyway? And I have any "powers" I sure don't know about them. He must have sensed my confusion because he said,

"Very well animal, you may speak. For now."

"Look, I said, I really don't know what you think I am, but I know even less about it then you do! I just.."

He interrupted me and said, "You still haven't learned yet, have you, you stupid beast?" And walking over to me he brutally jammed a cattle prod into my side as I squealed in fear, then screamed in pain. "You will call me MASTER, do you understand?"

"Yes Master, I sobbed, please Master, don't hurt me anymore!"

"Good, he said, you may continue."

"Yes Master, thank you Master I blurted out. Please, I really don't know what a service lupus is, or even what I am. Just a few months ago I was a student in college. I just started changing one day, and I was scared so I went and hid. Please, I don't want to be like this, I don't mean any harm. Please don't hurt me Master! I'll be good!"

"Hmmm. He said. That's pretty much what you told Dr. Turner, but we're checking out your story. If you're lying you won't like the results. And I said you were a Cervus elaphus you stupid creature, a Red Deer is the common name. At least you have the genes from that species. Your kinds are native to Europe and Asia Minor, so I guess your sire and/or dam were illegal immigrates. We see a fair number of Red Deer kindred like you, so while not rare you're still a fine specimen. You're also one of the youngest to date."

About this time another attendant arrived and handed the Doctor a small box. He took it, and turning to me, he said,

"I have a little present for you my fine young buck. It's our very own personalized collar with matching harness. Take a look, they're very nice."

And he held them up in front of me. They looked like they were made out of black leather, but smelled synthetic to me. He held up the collar and I saw a small brass plate on it.

"Look, he said, it's personalized, has your own named engraved on it."

I looked and saw it had "CS-333" on it in big letters. I wanted to tell him that was NOT my name, but knew better. This guy was a sadistic psycho.

He took off the other collar I'd been wearing and snapped the new one on, then slid the harness over my muzzle and head and adjusted it so it fit snugly. I shook my head; I did NOT like the harness at ALL!

He smiled, and said,

"The only way the collar can be taken off now is by cutting it off, and if you take the harness off you will be punished severely. It stays on unless a Master or Mistress says otherwise. Do you understand?"

I said "Yes Master."

"Good! He said, you're learning. Now let me demonstrate a rather unique property of your lovely new collar."

He reached up and pressed a little button on the name tag he was wearing and I arched and screamed as a violent electric shock went through my body. The bastard kept the button pushed down for over five seconds and I bucked and squealed as saliva shot from between my clenched teeth, my scent glands going crazy and unable to help it I urinated. Finally he stopped and I hung sobbing and gasping for breath.

"Every Master or Mistress can activate the collar anytime you need disciplining. As long as you behave they won't, but they won't hesitate if you don't. Do you understand beast? And if you leave certain prescribed areas the collar will activate automatically and won't stop until you return."

"Y-e-e-s, yes Master" I sobbed. "Please Master, please don't hurt me anymore."

"Good boy, he said. Now it's time for the attendants to take you to see some more nice doctors. There's lots of testing to do, and information to find out. If you're a good boy and you'll get extra feed tonight. Wouldn't that be nice?"

"Yes Master." I said woodenly. I hope you die horribly and burn in Hell you sick fuck.

He left me hanging there still moaning from the horrible pain, and shortly the two goons came and collected me. One of the big goofs actually felt a little sorry for me when he saw I'd been shocked, and let me have a nice long drink for which I was very grateful. They took me to see several more doctors or other people, and I made sure to call them all "Master" or "Mistress" when they asked me questions. I was scanned, poked and prodded again, gave about a gallon of blood and urine samples, was fed lunch, and given tests (mostly hands-on but some written). Most were kind of insulting; it was like they assumed I had the IQ of a five year old.

In one test I was exposed to different scents. Some were nice, others nasty, some downright terrifying. They exposed me to one scent that had me climbing the walls as my flight instinct kicked in and I filled the room with my "danger, run!" scent, and I heard the doctor say; with a snigger, as he wrote on a clipboard,

"Subject's response to exposure to mountain lion scent, normal."

When I finally calmed down, and it took awhile, I came pretty close to landing a punch right in that douche bags analytical face. That was NOT funny, I thought!

The last one they exposed me to was wonderful, and disturbing, at the same time. The doctor handed me a sealed container and told me to,

"Open it and take a deep breath."

I held it as far away as I could, and was ready to throw it away if it was something nasty, and reluctantly I popped the lid.

That was how they'd exposed me to most of the scents before, but this time it was different. The second I took the lid off the scent of does in estrus hit me like a sledgehammer. I gave a guttural squeal and was erect and hard almost instantly. Oh God, I thought, as I panted in lust, Oh God! I wanted, I needed a female more then I'd ever wanted or needed anything before. The doctor noted my response, and said as he wrote again,

"Response normal, subject entered rut almost instantly upon exposure to female estrus pheromones."

Please, I thought, looking at him as I moaned. Please, where are the does? Please. But all I got was that lovely scent, and after I calmed down I was very disturbed by my response to it. It had even been more intense then when I'd scented it in the woods the first time, much more concentrated. I had an erection for over an hour after I left the doctors' office, and was in a sex crazed daze almost as long. Oh God. It was so embarrassing to be like that in front of humans and other "animals"; my penis jutting rampantly out of my sheath and reeking of lust, as they led me to the next phase of my testing.

As a result of the myriad tests they subjected me too they were able to determine that I had two "powers" for sure. I could heal, and I could control animals to a certain extent. It was news to me, and I wasn't even sure how to use them. But they taught me. The healing was hard to learn, but once I did it was like riding a bike, I never forgot. It was fairly tiring as it took a lot of your own "life force" to do it. My level was fairly high, but not exceptional. It's hard to describe how it works. I could touch a wound, or if someone was sick or poisoned I would touch their chest or forehead. A kind of tingling heat would flow into them from me and after awhile they were healed. It shocked me, but evidently the doctors and research specialists had seen it plenty of times. It awed me too. My other power seemed more variable. I could calm animals and/or call them to me. Any animals except carnivores, it worked best on other deer, but any kind of herbivores like cattle or sheep would also respond. But so far that was it; evidently that was the norm for my "kind" of kindred. They seemed kind of disappointed. Well excuuuse me, I thought. I'm sorry I can't leap buildings in a single bound.

During the nights in the barn I'd been having regular conversations with my friend in the next stall over. We'd pretend to "go to sleep" and lie down next to the wall and talk in whispers. I found out some important things, but for the most part he didn't know a whole hell of a lot more than I did. By keeping us "dumb animals" they kept a lot of information from being spread, pretty smart I guess. His "human" name before he became an "animal" had been Ricky, and like me he just suddenly started changing one day. But for him it was at around 18, but unlike me he'd gone to a doctor, and a few days later ended up here where he'd been closely monitored during his change. He was a more common kind of cervine kindred; he was a white tailed deer. They told him his parents had been told he'd died in a car wreck and been "burned beyond recognition". They weren't his real parents though, but he hadn't known he'd been adopted. Sometimes at night he'd start crying and I tried to help as best I could. Hell, we were ALL scared. In a short time we'd gone from being "normal" humans to living in stalls and being treated like; and were expected to act like, animals.

The only other times I had a chance to talk to the others were when they let us out into a paddock; one with unscalable walls for anyone with hooves, once a day for an hour or two of "exercise". We would congregate in small groups around the water trough or salt blocks and "drink" or "lick" while we talked in low voices or whispers, but we had to be really careful.

Most of the other deer were like me and Ricky, very confused at what had happened to us. And I also noticed there were different "degrees" of change. I was more "animal" then most at what they said was a "ratio" of 2/1. In other words I was two thirds or more deer, one third or less human. Most were about half deer and half human, they call those halflings. Others were not as animal like as the more common Halflings; one poor guy just had hooves, thin fur, and the prong like horns of some kind of small deer. He was only about a quarter deer. Of us all he was the most horribly embarrassed one as he still looked like a human sexually; at least we had penis sheaths. One exception was the huge stag I'd seen a few times, it appears he was born like he is and had spent his whole life living wild. He was much more animal then human, and I was closer to him than anyone else in the herd. He could talk, but he was, well, strange. So very sad, he would stare through the fence without moving for as long as he was outside. He was also kind of snotty, referring to us as "bastard kin". He was even more deer that I was, or Elk, but I was pretty close.

Sometimes a couple of us would get in a fight and lock antlers; usually for some stupid reason, but I never did. That kind of behavior was punished very quickly. It was stupid, they treated us like animals, but didn't seem to realize that if you put a bunch of bucks in close quarters there will some conflict, it's a natural territorial thing and even we're susceptible to it. I had to be really careful not to go after some of the other bucks myself if they violated what I thought of as "my space". If you weren't careful about talking you got punished too. One of the overseers would just come up and stick a prod in your side, or activate your collar and you knew what it was for. There was one other red deer that had a horrible scar on his throat; he could only make animal sounds as they'd cut his vocal cords for talking too much. Poor bastard, and I don't know if was because he couldn't speak anymore or what, but he acted more like a real animal then any of the rest of us. I approached him once, but he just snorted and lowered his head so I backed off slowly and yielded to him. I guess being able to talk kept the rest of us from going completely "native".

So things settled down to a fairly regular "routine", after the initial days of testing and poking at me things quieted down some. I had more "free" time on my hands now, not that there was much to do. We were fed, taken to whatever tests or other "activities" they had scheduled for each of us, fed again, put out in the paddock for a few hours, taken back to our stalls, fed, lights out, and so on. The one thing I hated more than anything else was being "milked" every few days, I never got used to those degrading experiences, being bound helplessly while they forced me to ejaculate in order to fill a sample tube. They did it to me once a week like clockwork. It was the same "milking" day for most of us, and the whole barn would reek of fear scents. Most of the time was pretty boring; the life of an "animal" is not very exciting. No TV, no games, no nothing. I really missed playing WoW.

I guess I'd been there about six weeks (it's hard to tell time without access to watches or clocks) when there was a change to my routine that I had very mixed feelings about. My two "personal" handlers showed up right on time after "breakfast" to collect me. I was used to the routine by now and stood docilely as they snapped the leash on my collar and led me out of the stall. To my surprise they led me in a different direction and out a door I'd never been through before. I wanted to ask them where we were going, but of course knew better. They led me across the facility towards a smaller barn some distance from the others, and I looked around curiously. We passed another fairly large barn and I flared my nostrils as I caught the scent of females, does and others. As we passed the barn a kindred doe was led out a door by a handler and I looked at her as long as I could and turned my head to look over my shoulder, and walked right into a pole. She let out a squeal of amusement, and God how embarrassing. The handlers laughed too, everybody got a kick out of it but me. One said,

"I think he's in love!" The other said, "Not yet, but he soon will be!"

What the hell did he mean by that? I thought. I soon found out. As we approached the smaller more secluded barn I caught a fresh new scent and came to a halt with a grunt, and flared my nostrils and drank it in. I knew what it was and had a good idea of where they were taking me, and what for. Some of my fellow bucks had told me a about the "breeding barn", but this was the first time I was taken there, but not the last. The handler gave a yank on the rope, and with another grunt I followed as I knew what would happen if I didn't. I had mixed feelings about it, but I was also growing more and more excited as the scents grew stronger and felt a stirring in my sheath. The led me into a small clinic and turned me over to the "animal husbandry specialist" for the rest of the day. He signed a receipt for me, and said,

"Ah good, CS-333, the new Red buck. I see you're more than a Halfling. Excellent. We have a nice young doe waiting for you."

I couldn't help myself, and blurted out,

"This is wrong! I'm NOT an animal; I'm just as smart as you are. This is just rape; it's wrong! What the hell is wrong with you people, how can you do this to us, it's uncivilized! For God sake we're at least part human you know!"

He replied, "You're lucky I don't call the handlers back and have them discipline you animal, but I'm not a violent type and this is your first time. Most of you do object at first, but you usually change your minds when you get a sample of what we offer. And we'll see how "civilized" you are once I put you in a pen with the doe. We won't force you to do anything; we just let nature take its course. Now come with me or I'll have the handlers drag you."

I knew if I refused or fought back I'd just get punished, and I was scared to death of feeling that kind of pain again. The threat of pain can be a serious incentive to obey. So I followed the smug little creep out into the barn; and the scents were much stronger here, MUCH stronger. They were overwhelming I gave a low moan and felt weak at the knees as a wave of lust washed over me, and my penis came sliding out of my sheath as I felt myself grow hard. He led me to the door of a enclosed stall, then he opened a small sealed plastic zip-loc bag and took out a small rag and told the handler to "hold him", and while the handler held my arms he pressed the rag to my nose and OH GOD it was drenched in female pheromones. I thought I'd been aroused already, but it paled next to the feelings that washed over me now. I threw by head back and gave a guttural squeal, I couldn't stop myself. He put the rag back in the bag and unbolted the door to the stall and opened it. The handler unhooked the rope and pushed me inside and the door shut and I heard the bolt slam home.

I stood there, my whole body trembling. There was a doe; a natural one, in the stall already as I'd been told there would be. She was bound to a kind of thing that looked like a vaulting horse. It was padded for her stomach, and her legs were strapped to its legs so she was helpless. She looked at me in fear and bleated. I turned around and banged on the door,

"This is WRONG, you bastards!" I screamed. "This is wrong, damn you!" I sobbed. "Please let me out, don't make me do this! It's WRONG! Please, I'm NOT an animal!"

But I could smell her estrus in addition to her fear, and felt another wave of lust wash over me. "Nooo" I sobbed, and turned to face her with a soft moan. Oh God, I was so, so, aroused, my penis rock hard and slick with pre. I had never felt a NEED like this before. I couldn't help myself, and flared my nostrils to scent her and she was in full blown estrus, and with another deeper moan I slowly approached her. The human part of me was appalled, but the buck already knew what he was going to do, he had no choice, he HAD to respond to that signal, their mutual need. Slowly I walked around the doe and she stared at me, but her fear was gone because she could smell my own scent now and it comforted and excited her. This buck may look a little strange, but he smelled right, and he was in rut. Her own scent started to increase.

I stopped and moaned when I saw the glistening pink lips of her sex at the base of her raised tail. She urinated a little bit and unable to resist I lowered my head and took in the sudden burst of pheromones, flaring my nostrils and grunting. With another moan I positioned myself and mounted her with a powerful lunge and she gave a soft cry of pain and pleasure. Snorting, I thrust several times until I achieved full penetration, then grabbing her in front of her hind legs I leaned over her and started servicing her. She was hot and tight and slick and OH it felt soo unbelievably good, so right. The human part was gone now, drowned in a sea of lust and pheromones, and I grunted and squealed in pleasure and lust as I coupled with her. It didn't take all that long but it was incredibly intense, and when my orgasm exploded I threw my head back and bawled in agonizing ecstasy. For awhile I just lay draped across her back, still inside of her, as I breathed heavily and panted. Then with a grunt I dismounted and leaned against the wall of the stall until I regained some of my composure. Oh God, I thought, what have I done? But even as I thought that I realized I was going to do it again, that I needed that pleasure and release even more now. I walked around to the front of the mounting rack and crouching down I gently nuzzled the doe; my mate, and we marked each other with our scents by rubbing our heads against one another. It was gentle and tender, almost human.

Standing up I moved around behind her and guided my penis into her as I mounted her again, and grabbing her in front of her hind legs I pushed into her with a guttural moan of pleasure and started fucking her with slow steady strokes. I watched as I slid in and out of her warm wet embrace, then leaned across her back and picked up the rhythm of my thrusts. It took longer than the previous more bestial couplings, but felt so good and with a gasping shouting bawling squeal I climaxed again. I stayed in her for awhile longer, licking and nuzzling her neck and ears, then with a grunt dismounted for the last time. I mated with her a total of four times, and the last time was as much as a man as a buck as most of my lust had been satisfied by then. I spent the remaining time in the stall "kissing" and nuzzling her some more, she smelled so lovely, so very female, my mate.

When they came to collect me I stupidly resisted, but they were expecting it and shocked me into submission. It was instinct on my part; to defend my mate, but I still should have known better but I was still thinking more as a buck then a man. As they dragged me down the corridor I raised my head and told them, "You'll burn in hell for this", and got a cattle prod in the ribs in punishment for daring to speak. They dragged me back to the main barn and dumped me in my stall. I didn't eat or do anything other than curl up in a ball in the corner. They took her, they took my mate. And I cried myself to sleep. I never saw her again, and never found out if she bore me a fawn or not. That was the most horrible; the most degrading, of all the humiliations we were forced to endure. They never assumed; or more likely didn't care, that even if we were just "animals" we still loved our mates and wanted to see our children and be part of their lives. And we hate them for that more than any other reason.

A few days later I was out it the paddock with some of the other males when the large impressive Elk approached me. I was drinking at one of the water troughs when he lowered his huge head next to mine. To my surprise he asked in a soft voice,

"Why do you not use your power? You could possibly escape this place and warn others of our kind."

If he'd asked me to put on a pink tutu and dance out the front gate I couldn't have been more surprised. Startled, I asked,

"What power? I can heal, but that's about it I'm afraid."

The elk shook his head, the pretended to drink again. "When did you come of age, have you been trained? Shown your heritage?"

"Um, not really. I was at college when I started to change and got scared and ran off and hid in the woods. They caught me there. I had no idea about any of this strange stuff until I started changing, and then they taught me how to heal."

"You are purer then most of these poor confused creatures, your sire or dam must have been pure, and the other at least partially kindred. You should be able to take on a mostly human form, to change back from kindred to more human form."

Well, that was news to me. To be able to be human again! Maybe they'd let me go, but of course I knew they wouldn't. They'd probably want to "study" me even more.

"Can you teach me?" I asked the bull Elk.

"No, not in this place. They watch us too closely, they would notice. I can take on a more human form, but unfortunately not enough to pass for entirely human. My horns would remain too large. But come the winter we will shed our horns, then perhaps it might be possible. You must find a quiet place where you can practice, just wish and think of yourself as human as hard as possible. You cannot change all the way back, none can once you are an adult, but you could pass for human if you were wearing clothes, as could I."

"Um, I'll try, and thank you." I replied.

"You are welcome young buck." The Elk said, and then he moved away to his usual lonely brooding.

If there was any possibility I could change and escape this horrible place I would certainly give it a try. But it was only May, how could I stand to live like this, like an animal, for so long? And sometimes one of use would be taken away never to return, and I dreaded to know what happened to them. I had heard rumors of horrible experiments, even vivisection. To be dissected alive, just the thought made me almost pee myself. And knowing what I did of this place it was more than believable.

In the meantime the trips to the breeding barn continued. They became a regular thing for me, once every four days, since I was more Mystic then any of the others except for the Elk. For the first couple of weeks my "mates" were all natural Red does, but then that changed. I still thought of it as at least partially rape as both myself and my partners were given no choice in the matter, we were driven by natural instinct and need. But what came next was to me rape in every sense of the word.

I had just assumed I would be mated with another natural doe when they took me to the breeding facility, but when they pushed me into the stall and shut the door I was horrified to find there was a human woman strapped to the mounting rack! As usual they had rubbed a rag soaked in female pheromones against my muzzle, and my nose told me the human woman was soaked in the same scent. They must have rubbed the rag soaked in a doe's estrus all over her rear and crotch. I turned around and banged and kicked at the door "NO! I WILL NOT DO THIS! THIS IS SICK!" Then to my surprise the woman spoke to me in a quivering voice,

"Don't make them mad, please don't! Please, just fuck me and get it over with. I know you don't want to anymore then I do, but we have no choice. If you don't they'll punish both of us. Please, just mount me and get it over with."

I looked at her in disbelief, "But this is wrong! I won't force myself on you; for God's sake I'm not even human anymore. It's sick and perverted. I won't do it; I won't rape you no matter what they do!"

But God help me I was in rut and rock hard and rampant, and I had to fight the need as she smelled right, the deer in me was more than ready to take her as a mate. But NO, damn it, I won't, not with a human female! At least a doe was an animal like me. When I was human I'd dreamed of having sex with women, but not now! And then I suddenly realized that that's how I thought of myself now, as an animal. And I started crying. All my delusions of still being human were finally gone. The woman said,

"You're crying! You really don't want to do this, do you? Some of the others did, they didn't hesitate. Look, we have too, so just be as gentle as you can and it won't be so bad."

"But, but, it's wrong!" I sobbed, "It's so wrong! Who, who are you? Why are you here,I mean, how'd you end up in this position, I mean, oh crap." And she actually laughed a bitter little laugh.

"Well, as to how I ended up in this "position" it sure hell wasn't by choice. I was promised a "high paying job", but they didn't tell me my "job" was to be bred by human/animal hybrids. Plus I don't get paid a dime, I'm as much a slave as you are, just part of the breeding stock. They picked me carefully, no family, no one to miss me. I've been here four years, and in that time I've given birth to two fawns, a lamb, and a colt. The bastards keep we "breeding mares" serviced until we're pregnant. It's better than the alternative though, they showed me films of what happens to barren or uncooperative slaves. They turn them into animals somehow so they can experiment on them. It's horrible, so please just service me and let's get it over with."

"I'm not a slave, I told her, you have to be human to be a slave. I'm just an animal, just livestock. God, I don't want to do this, but you have no idea how you smell to me. My animal part just sees you as another doe. I don't think I can resist much longer", and I gave a deep grunt. "Please, I asked, as I approached her from behind, please forgive me". Oh God."

"It's not your fault; I don't need to forgive you. It's just as much rape for you as it is for me as neither of us wants it. But please, make it as fast as possible."

"Uh-uh, I'll try, ugggghhh, I need you, Oh God, I need you so bad."

I managed to say as the animal part of me took over, impatient to service his new mate. With a guttural squeal I mounted her and she was a little tighter, but otherwise very much the same as a doe. Hot, slick, wet, and oh such incredible pleasure! But I was somehow able; despite the raging pheromones, to keep the beast at least partially at bay and took her slower and more gently then I had the does. I held her around her waist and thrust into her with slow steady strokes, grunting and gasping in pleasure, and she hung her head and moaned. I kept up my steady rhythm until we both climaxed at almost the same time, and I gave a bawl of pleasure and she gave a short scream, and I felt her fluids wash over my shaft and drip from our joining. With a final soft grunt I pulled out of her and; horrified, I knew I wasn't through with her yet, that I would have to mate with this female more than once before the beast would be satisfied..

"Oh, ummm, thank you." She said.

I managed to say "For, for, raping you?!?"

"No, she said, for being so gentle. I hardly ever come with a hybrid; they're just too fast and brutal. You made it more like being with a man, thank you. It was almost enjoyable."

"Um, er, I said as I felt my lust rising again, and started to slip back into full rut, I have to, I have to mate with you again. I, I, can't control it. Uh-uh-uhhhh!"

"That's OK, I understand. The others did too, but if you're able to keep being so gentle I may even enjoy it for a change."

I couldn't answer her at that point, only grunt and squeal with pleasure as I mounted my mate again. This time I had even more control and looked down as I slid in and out of her, and God help me my human part enjoyed it as much as my animal part did. And again I was as gentle as I could be, but I remembered how I had been with the does and if that's the way the other males serviced her I could see why she thought I was being "gentle". I guess after being raped by animals for years I was pretty gentle compared to what she was used to. I took me longer this time, but the climax was just as intense and she came a second time herself.

After the third time; which we had to do as we're required to service each female at least three times, I gently nuzzled her and licked the sweat off her face and to my surprise she kissed my nose and it was really nice. I never saw her again; that poor human slave, and as with all my mates I would never know if she bore me a fawn or not. Damn them to Hell.

Shortly after we were returned to our stalls an attendant came and collected me because it was "milking" day. I knew what it meant, and was still horribly embarrassed by the sheer humiliation of the act, but I didn't dare protest as he led me to the special stall and immobilized me by putting the leather cuffs on my wrists and ankles and tightening the chains. One of the vets came and started to hook me up. He pressed a switch and my penis slid out of my sheath and became hard, and he slid the clear sleeve over my erection. I endured it with tears running down my hairy cheeks. And as usual that bastard Dr. Barnes came around to watch the "show". The bastard was a real sadist; he really seemed to get off watching us being hurt and/or humiliated. The Vet flicked another switch and I squealed and arched my back as I came into the sleeve and the tube sucked my seed into the collection jar. The Vet flicked the switch twice more and each time I instantly orgasmed, and then the jar was almost full. As he removed the electrical wires and pulled the sleeve off I just hung there panting and gasping. Damn it I think I'd actually prefer the breeding barn, anything was better than this. I raised my head and Dr. Barnes was staring at me with a big smile on his face. He reached down to his crotch and made a jacking off motion and laughed. I just lowered my head again. I so wanted to call the sick fuck every foul name I could think of, but that was what he wanted, and I knew my "reward" would be to be shocked into unconsciousness. So I played the good mute dumb animal, and unable to get a rise out me he left. They cleaned me up and took me back to my stall and that was it for the day.

As the lights dimmed I lay down to sleep next to the stall wall and whispered to my neighbor.

"What's Dr. Barnes problem, he's one sick fuck. He really seems to get off watching us being milked."

The white-tail buck seemed surprised. "You mean you don't know? Get a good whiff of him some time; it should answer your question. Now knock it off, they've been watching us closer lately, we don't want to get caught."

That was an understatement if there ever was one, I thought. We'd both got caught once before and they'd shocked the shit out of both of us. I did not want a repeat of that, and I knew they watched previous offenders more closely so we kept our little talks to a minimum. I got up with a grunt and walked over to the water bucket and took a drink, then lay back down and drifted off to sleep.

As chance would have it I got a chance to take a "good whiff" of Dr. Barnes the next day. I was being led down a hall to undergo some more of the never ending tests when I almost; literally, ran into him. He came out of a room as I was passing and we almost ran into one another. We were both surprised, and I flared my nostrils in an instinctive reaction to the sudden encounter and got a good whiff of him and; and startled, blurted out,

"You're one of us!"

I just fucked up, I realized. The attendant turned back towards me with his prod and I cringed in terror, I wanted to beg for mercy but knew that would just make it worse. To my surprise Dr. Barnes said,

"No! Take him to a cleaning stall; I want to have a little talk with him."

And I did not like the way he emphasized the word "talk". And after the attendant had immobilized and suspended me he started to leave, but Dr. Barnes told him to leave the prod. Oh Sweet Jesus. I looked at Dr. Barnes as he hefted the prod and he looked at me. I couldn't help myself,

"Please Master, please don't! I'm sorry, I'll be good!"

"Some of you stupid animals never learn, do you?" he asked as he jabbed the prod into my side and I screamed in agony.

He held it there for a long time as I helplessly bucked and twisted. To my humiliation I peed myself again, I sure do seem to do it a lot for some reason. Basic cervine survival instinct I guess. He finally stopped and I just hung there, my whole body still twitching from the remembered electric shock.

"Uh, ugh, squeal, why? Why? You, you're one of us, I can smell it!" I sobbed.

He rammed the prod into my side again and I almost blacked out from the pain, and after he finished I didn't dare speak again. I just hung loosely with my head hanging down with drool dripping from my muzzle. Oh God it hurt.

"So you want to know why I hate animals like you? He raged, OK, I'll fucking show you!"

I heard him moving around and the rustle of cloth, and when I looked up he was taking his clothes off. He took his coat and shirt off first and I didn't see anything unusual, maybe I was wrong. He was around us so much maybe he'd picked up enough of our scents to block his own. But when he sat down and took off his shoes, which I now know are specialized shoes, I saw the hooves. He must have seen my look of surprise as he stomped one on the tile and said,

"Oh yes, they're real! And so is this!"

And I watched as he slid his pants off, and my God he was part equine! He had grey fur on his legs and hips and some white fur on his stomach. He turned around and I saw a tail, he's a Donkey! And his penis was also equine, but smaller then it would have been if he'd been more Donkey. But it was still impressive, or at least very large, depending on your point of view. I looked at him in confusion, and must have seen it because he told me,

"I'm part Donkey thanks to a monster like you! My parents took me and my sister for a camping holiday when I was ten years old. The first night we were there some men took us all captive at the point of guns and kidnapped us. They took us to a farm and forced us to put on magic halters. You think it's funny! He screamed. Those halters turned us into animals, all the way! My mother turned into sheep, my father turned into a Billy Goat, and my sister and I turned into goddamned Donkey's! Then they made me MATE with my sister while they watched and laughed! I was ten, she was five, and we didn't even know what was happening!! Then they made us mate with other Donkey's! He screamed at me. A few days later I managed to escape and was able to get the halter off, but I didn't change back all the way, I've been like THIS ever since! A goddamned FREAK! And I never saw my family again, and I know that if they wore the harness for thirty days the transformation was irreversible, and even if you get it off sooner you only change back part way, the longer you wear it the more animal you remain! You know what I had to do for a living until I was sixteen and the Company found me? I had to work in a fucking FREAK show in a traveling circus! I was "Danny the Donkey Boy", people paid money to stare at me. So when I was offered the chance to live as a normal person by the company I agreed, and they sent me to college and paid for everything. And now I hunt down and experiment on the same kind of fucking animals who did this to me and my family. My family is probably living on some farm somewhere right now as animals because of freaks like you! That's why I HATE you all! You shoul all be exterminated like the monsters you are."

Oh my God, I wanted to tell him how sorry I was, but he jammed the prod into my side until I passed out when I couldn't scream anymore. And the poor insane sick bastard wasn't through with me. I woke up when he waved smelling salts under my nose, one of those nasty ammonia things. I woke up with a snort and he was standing in front of me. And he had an erection and was stroking himself.

"Your kind gave me this Donkey cock, so now I'm going to give it back to you."

I watched in horror, turning my head as he walked behind me still stroking himself. He picked up a tube of lubricant and started smearing in on; and inside, of my asshole. Oh, sweet Jesus NO!

I squealed in fear, "What, wait, please don't! I didn't do anything to you, I don't even want to be like this, please don't!"

But he just ignored me, and then suddenly reached around my head and forced a ball gag into my mouth and buckled the strap firmly behind my head. Then he stepped up behind me and I could feel his breath on the back of my neck. I felt something press against my asshole and he grabbed me around the waist. Oh, oh, please, Noooo! I thought. This can't be happening! Suddenly he lunged and I felt his penis start to penetrate me, and I gave a muffled squeal through the gag. He kept lunging and I felt him sliding deeper and deeper into me, and oh God it hurt!

"Ummmffffff, aauurrgghhhh, Nuuh, PLZ, Nuuh!" I screamed through the gag, tears running down my muzzle as he brutally sodomized me.

The bastard took his time, grunting in pleasure as he tore and stretched me to accommodate his large equine erection. It took him almost half an hour just to achieve full penetration and I could feel warm fluid running down my thighs and looking down I could see it was red and I could smell my own blood. He lunged into me deeper and deeper and I screamed through the gag, my eyes clenched shut from the agony. Finally I felt his stomach against my back and he started fucking me in steady powerful thrusts making bestial noises of pleasure that were hardly human, he grunted and snorted in my ears and honest to God bit me! Finally he gave a deep grunting bellow and exploded inside of me. As he pulled out I felt a rush of warm fluid run down my legs and splatter on the floor and as my head was already hanging I could see much of it was bright and red and it added to the blood already on the floor. He patted me on my back and took out the ball gag, and said,

"Well, that was nice, you were good and tight. Tell me animal, what does it feel like to be a doe?"

I raised my head weakly and looked at him. "You're the animal, not me." I said.

With a snarl of rage he grabbed the prod and jammed it into the small of my back just above my torn bleeding anus and pressed the full power button. Mercifully I passed out almost immediately.

Dr. Barnes ignored the unconscious animal as he cleaned himself up and put his clothes back on. The special shoes were the hardest, and he hated them. He finally got them on and opening the door he called for an attendant and told him to "clean up this animal and take him back to his stall" and then walked down the hall towards his office.

The attendant replied "OK Doc" and walked into the room. He froze when he saw the condition of the suspended deer. "Jesus f-fucking Christ!" he stuttered, and grabbing a wall phone he called for a Vet, stat!

I was unconscious for two days, and they had to operate on me twice to repair the damage to my anus and lower intestines. It was touch and go for awhile too, but I wasn't aware of that for awhile. Later I was taken away for another operation that Dr. Barnes supervised personally, unknown to the rest of the staff.

When I finally woke up I was strapped face down on an actual bed with a thin mattress, but no covers. And oh God my ass hurt, and looking over my shoulder I could see a thick layer of bandages over much of hindquarters. I had IV's and monitors hooked up all over me. And for some reason I also had a bandage on my throat, but didn't remember getting hurt there. Shortly after I woke up one of the attendants came in to check on me, and as soon as I saw his prod I freaked out. I squealed and fought against the straps holding me down, and fortunately the Vet came in right away and saw what the problem was. He told the goon to "get the hell out of here with that thing" and then helped calm me down by promising me no more punishment while I was "sick". Sick, I thought, do you think I don't know I was almost raped to death by a psycho! But I didn't dare open my mouth, and what the fuck was wrong with my throat anyway, it was sore as hell. I just lay there and stared at him while he changed my bandages. As he left I heard him say something about a "filthy bastard" and I don't think he meant me.

I was in the Veterinary Hospital for almost three weeks, and I can't began to tell you how much it hurt to shit or even piss. The first few times I almost passed out. I got some sort of infection once, but they cleared that up with some massive doses of antibiotics. I think my own recuperative powers helped some too, but I'd been hurt really bad and it took awhile. And I had horrible nightmares and would wake up squealing in terror. Most of the time they ignored me when that happened, but a couple of the nicer attendants would sometimes come and sit up with me for awhile as I found their presence comforting. Finally they removed the straps and I was able to awkwardly stagger around the stall a few times a day, but I still spent most of my time lying face down on my bed. I was used to my antlers, so they weren't as big a problem as you might think. And I didn't know it yet, but I was no longer at the research facility. While I was unconscious I had been moved as this new location had better medical facilities, which I had needed badly.

Finally an attendant, without a prod, collected me took me to see a new doctor, a woman named Dr. Dumass (I'm not kidding!). I couldn't help it; I sniggered when I saw the name on her doorplate, and the attendant gave a short snort too, but told me,

"It's French, and it's not pronounced that way. All I can say is don't laugh in her face, wouldn't be healthy."

Well, that warning shocked me back into the "dumb animal" mode. That bastard Dr. Barnes had completely broken whatever spirit I still had left, I wasn't even thinking about escape anymore. All I wanted was to be good and avoid being punished at any cost. Frankly as far as I was concerned I wasn't going to talk anymore; period, and I was soon to find out how horribly right I was. He led me into the office; still on a lead rope, and I stood there with my ears flicking nervously as I flared my nostrils and looked at the woman behind the desk. She looked at me and said,

"Sit down", and told the attendant, "You can go now, but wait outside."

The attendant turned and left, but I remained standing. She looked at me again and said,

"Sit down!"

I gave a soft squeal of distress and turned so she could see the bandages on my rump. It still hurt like hell to sit down. When she saw the bandages she said,

"Oh, I'm sorry. You poor thing, I don't know what I was thinking; of course you can't sit down yet. They told me what that sick man did to you, it was inexcusable."

Tell me about it, I thought. That guy belongs in a rubber room.

"Here, she said, would you like a treat?" And she reached into a drawer and I caught a whiff of something nice.

I flicked my ears forward curiously and flared my nostrils again, and licked my lips when she held up a lovely fresh carrot. God I love those. I didn't take it in my hands, but bent over and let her stick it in mouth. It was a good, crisp, sweet one and I relished it as I crunched and ate it. I'd save some for my cud later. Oats and grain were fine, but nothing beats a sweet carrot or apple. I wanted to say thank you, but was still afraid to speak.

"Look, she said, you can talk if you want to, this is a prod fee zone, but if you don't want to I can understand. But if you have a legitimate question I won't mind. But first let me tell you a few things. You're at a new location called The Farm now. We had to transfer you for medical treatment, and to get you away from that psychopath Dr. Barnes. Even being the way he is there is no excuse for what he did to you, he very nearly killed you and this isn't the first time he's brutalized a kindred badly enough to hospitalize them. He'll kill one sooner or later. The only reason they put up with him is he is a brilliant research doctor, and he was adopted by one of the directors. I don't know if the transfer is permanent, but I'll try to make it so by citing mental trauma. You'd have ended up here sooner or later anyway. Do you have any questions?"

I had hundreds, but I was still a little scared to talk, and then I couldn't even do it when I tried too! I looked at her in anguish and made stupid grunting noises and reached up and clawed at the bandage on my throat. She frowned and said,

"It's OK, you can speak. I won't allow anyone to hurt you."

But I couldn't! I tried a little longer; making grunting bleating noises, and finally squealed in fright and despair. What was wrong with my throat?

The doctor stood up and looked at me, and said,

"You really can't talk, can you?"

When I shook my head "No" she got up and walked around the desk and I stood patiently still while she pulled off the bandage on my throat and looked under it. She gave a shocked exclamation.

"Those bastards, they didn't tell me they'd operated on your throat!"

You and me both, I thought in panic. My throat, but why? I tried to say something again, but only grunted. Oh God, I thought, if I can't talk anymore I really will BE an animal! Oh God, please no!

The doctor sat down at her desk and picked up the phone and made a call. But I didn't pay much attention as I was still clawing at my throat and panicking now as I could only make bestial grunting and bleating noises! NO, NO, what did they do to me!?! She talked for awhile, and raised her voice in anger more than once. Finally she put then phone down and looked at me compassionately as I tried to talk and rubbed at my throat, rolling my eyes in confusion and near panic.

"I'm so sorry, they told me that SOB Dr. Barnes ordered your vocal cords operated on since you were a "discipline problem", but I think he did it because he's a sadistic monster. I'm so sorry, you can't talk anymore, but you can still vocalize so you can communicate with others of your kind. Don't worry; you'll be much better off here. This is a kind of, well, vacation spot for many of the senior company staff. We also do limited breeding here with kindred that are more than 50% Mystic. The kindred here are mostly servants and um, companions, for the visitors and staff. Except for those transferred here for medical care, but since you were so severely injured and do obviously have some severe mental trauma I'm sure I can make the transfer permanent. I think you'll like it here."

She called the attendant, and as he led me out of the room I was still trying desperately to talk, but could only manage a squealing bleat of despair. Oh God, I thought, tears running down my muzzle, they cut my vocal cords! I can't talk anymore; I'm a dumb animal now! I gave a loud squeal of anguish and the attendant gave me a questioning look, so I shut up and just followed him like a, like a dumb animal. I don't know if he saw the tears running down my muzzle or not. They'd taken the last remaining part of my humanity, the one thing that had set me apart from other animals, the ability to communicate as an intelligent being. I was in a state of shock as he led me away, and part of me died.

And Dr. Dumass was right, it was nicer here. Much nicer. I was taken to a nice large clean stall, and to my great surprise wasn't chained up at night. Not that I'd even consider trying to escape anymore, I knew my place now, knew what I was. But it was nice not being chained up. I still have my "own" collar though, and had no doubt it still worked. The food was better too, with a larger variety of fresh nuts and greens. They still did a lot of tests, but not as many as before and I had more free time in the paddock. The one here was nicer, with real grass growing in spots, but it still had an impressive security fence and attentive guards.

There were fewer kindred too in my section of "The Farm", and most were as bestial as I was. We were all 50% or more Mystic. And there were other kinds then just cervine. Each had their own barns, but they let us mingle in the paddock. There where sheep, goats, equines, and even bovine. Plus one or two exotics like a gazelle of some kind and an honest to God zebra. They did keep the sexes separated though. Like the other facility it was "no talking", but that didn't apply to me anymore. They didn't enforce it as strictly though, but once the other kindred realized what had been done to me they pretty much left me alone. I guess out of fear, or pity, or both maybe. I spent most of my spare time just chewing my cud and staring out through the fence, I so wanted to be free, now more than ever. I guess I pretty much wallowed in self pity most of the time, but frankly I think I had a good reason. I would have been shit for company anyway.

I soon found out what the doctor had meant by "limited breeding". For the first time I personally met a female kindred deer like myself; for the purpose of mating. I was taken to an enclosed stall and left with her, she was in estrus and nature took its course. It was strictly an animal mating; I couldn't even try to talk to her. We were both helpless to resist our natural instincts; she needed me as much as I needed her. I resisted at first, still sickened by being forced to mate as an animal, but once I responded to her pheromones and went into rut it was out of my hands. She dropped onto all fours and presented herself and I wasted no time in mounting her. It was wonderful and the pleasure incredible as I coupled with her, both of us grunting and bleating in pleasure as we satisfied our lust and need. It probably lasted longer than a "natural deer" coupling, but not much. We mated several more times, and there was no foreplay. But once she realized what had been done to me she gently licked the scar on my throat as I held her and we both cried. I became a regular visitor to the breeding barn and was mated with many other does, most my own "species", but some from others as well. I guess they wanted to see if the different species could cross breed. I had very mixed feelings about the forced mating. God help me they were pleasurable enough, but it was still wrong. We might be animals, but damn it we were just as intelligent as any humans.

I also found out that some of the other more human kindred had other sexual duties; they were trained to perform as sex slaves for our human owners. Evidently they'd been trained to pleasure both sexes, and to perform with other kindred and/or animals for the sick voyeurism of owners that liked to watch us degrade and humiliate ourselves. Fortunately I was spared that horror due to my physical and mental trauma. I couldn't see it, but I had noticeable scars and a small permanent bald spot on my hindquarters.

One thing that was nice was that some of the researchers and staff lived on grounds of the farm, and naturally their children managed to find us. Children can relate to animals in a way adults have lost, and it wasn't any different with kindred. We loved them, and they loved us. They weren't supposed to "bother the animals", but just try and keep them away. They would bring us apples and other treats, and it was always touching to see a large buck or bull eating an apple out of a giggling child's palm. Most of the staff just looked the other way. There was one young girl who was a favorite, she was in a wheelchair for some reason and we all sensed she was very ill and it drew us to her. Anytime she came to visit she always had several kindred clustered around her, and she would stroke and pet our muzzles and oh how we loved it. To feel kindness for a change was so nice. We never talked to the children though as that was strictly forbidden; any kindred caught doing so was severely punished. As far as the children were concerned they just thought we were funny animals.

The sick girl seemed to realize I was different from the rest somehow, and paid more attention to me. Any time she managed to sneak a visit she always sought me out, even when I was standing alone and brooding. She'd wheel her chair up to me and just hold my hand, and when I'd crouch down she'd stroke my muzzle and it meant so much to me, to have someone show me kindness. One day I reached out and put my hand on her head, and used my power. I recoiled as she was horribly ill; she had a disease that was slowly killing her. Some sort of blood disease. I'd been trained to heal minor wounds and illness, but nothing like this. I watched as she wheeled her chair away and made a decision.

The next time the sick girl came to visit I was ready for her. There was a kind of shed in one corner of the paddock; it was used for shelter if it started to rain and had bales of hay stacked in it. It was fairly large and the interior was well shadowed. I waited near the shed, and next time the girl showed up I pushed her wheelchair into the shed and all the way to the back where hopefully we wouldn't be seen. She was curious, but trusted me without question. I crouched down next to her and put one hand on her forehead and the other on her stomach, and then I closed my eyes and concentrated and willed the magic to come. I had never tried to heal anything this grave, and didn't know if I could, but I would try. It wasn't right that so kind and gentle a person should suffer so much at such a young age, or at all. Healing is very hard on the healer, sometimes even harder than on the "patient". It's because we give part of our own life force to them. Soon I was sweating and panting as I fought the disease, and she gave soft cries of pain. It was hard, so hard, it wasn't just a localized injury or illness, and it was throughout her entire body. Some of the other kindred realized what I was doing, and helped block any view a passing handler might have had of what was going on in the shed. I finally had to sit down, legs splayed awkwardly in front of me as I sat on my rump. But I held onto her and kept battling the disease, and slowly I was winning. The main thing was that I not be interrupted, that would have been very bad. It had never taken me so long to heal before, and I felt myself getting weaker and weaker, but I kept on using every bit of strength I had in me. I would NOT let the disease have her! And finally it was done, and as I pulled away my hands I collapsed. The girl was sleeping soundly, and for once her face was finally free from pain.

They told me later I was in a coma for three days, and very nearly died from heart failure I was so weak. They had to resuscitate me twice when I went into cardiac arrest to get my heart going again. And for quite some time after that I was still weak and somewhat disorientated. The staff was very attentive and treated me in something almost approaching awe. But I knew it had all been worthwhile when I got a very special visitor one day, and she wasn't in a wheelchair anymore. She threw herself into my arms and hugged me as hard as she could and I nuzzled her hair. I could tell she was strong and healthy now, and felt tears running down my muzzle, I'd done it! As I did I saw an older; very stern looking, white haired man watching from the hallway. When she had to leave she went to him, and he took her hand and led her away. I never saw her again.

A couple of weeks later I was moved back to my regular stall and life; such as it was, resumed its regular routine. But then very early one morning before the lights came on to signal the start of another day there was a change. I was still asleep when a handler came to fetch me, and sleepily I followed him without question, even though I was curious. I became fully awake when he led me to a trailer though, then he led me inside and tied the lead rope to a ring on the side. It was pretty much a standard livestock trailer, but one with no windows. A short while later he led in one of the kindred does I'd mated with several times, and tied her to a ring next to mine. We stared at each other worriedly; anything new was usually not good in this place. When the trailer gave a lurch and started to move she came to me, and holding her we both squatted down for better balance. As the trailer moved we flared our nostrils and our ears flicked back and forth constantly as we tried to catch any scent or sound that might tell us something about what was going on.

After several hours the trailer stopped, and a man came inside and fed us and refilled the water bucket, and we stared at him with large scared eyes. We could have easily untied the lead ropes, but we had been so completely conditioned that we never once considered it. We were animals; animals didn't use their hands like humans did. The trailer started moving again and the doe gave a little bleat of fear and buried her muzzle in my chest fur, and I held her tightly. She may have been comforted by my presence, but I was as scared as she was. What if they were taking us back to the research facility? OMG. If that was the case I'd do my best to defend her, even though it would be useless. I could tell she was pregnant, and I'd do my best to protect my mate and my fawn. I nuzzled her gently as the trailer sped through the night. Though I knew she could take she never said anything, it wasn't necessary

For three days and two nights the trailer kept moving constantly, except for short breaks to feed and water us, and once to muck out the trailer. By now it reeked of our danger and fear scents, but the fresh straw helped. After the man had cleaned the trailer and reloaded us I was surprised when he undid the lead ropes and left them off of us. I guess he thought the animals were too well trained to think of running off, and he was right. Then during the second night the smells of exhaust and concrete, of humans and crowds of people, began to disappear and be replaced by natural smells. Trees, grass and other growing things and we eagerly sniffed the fresh smells. The night finally ended, and as morning came the ride suddenly became very rough and we had to hold onto one another and the sides of the trailer to keep from getting bounced around. That upset us again quite a bit, but finally the trailer came to a stop. For some time nothing happened and we waited nervously, our senses straining. We heard another vehicle drive up and stop, and the sound of doors opening and closing and muffled voices. The voices came closer and I got to my hooves and

waited. I wasn't sure what was going on, but I decided I'd try to gore the first man to enter the trailer. Maybe we could make a break for it; maybe I could buy some time for my mate while they subdued me.

When the door to the trailer opened I had to shield my eyes against the bright light at first. No one entered the trailer, and when my eyes adjusted I realized there was only one man standing by the open door. It was the older grey haired man I'd seen in the hospital when I was visited by the girl I'd healed. I looked at him uncertainly, and then noticed dense woods behind him. I couldn't help myself and gave soft cry of longing. My mate came up behind me, her own nose quivering as she held my arm and looked at the beckoning woods.

"Please, said the man, you can get out of the trailer. There's no one else here but us."

Somewhat hesitantly I hopped down from the trailer, and turning I took my mates waist and helped her down, then we stood holding one another and looked questioningly at the man. He came up to us, and using a special tool removed our collars and threw them into the back of the trailer. Then he pressed some sort of tool against our backs where the tracer chips had been implanted. I couldn't believe it! I felt hope for the first time in years.

"Go, he said, you're free now. The chips have been deactivated."

With a happy squeal my mate took off towards the woods and I started to follow her, but then I stopped. I had to know. I looked at the grey haired man, and tried my best to talk.

"Uh, err, grunt. Errk, Wvy, wy?"

"That's right, said the man, you're the one that can't talk, aren't you? You want to know why I'm setting you free?"

I just shook my head "yes" and kept staring at him.

"Fair enough, I owe you that much as well. The girl you healed, Patricia, is my only grandchild. She had terminal leukemia, and had less than six months to live. There was nothing that could be done, no amount of money, no doctors, nothing could save her. Then you came along. At first I had no idea what had happened, or why, only that she was cured. Then she told me what you did, that you were her friend. I don't know why you did it, or how. All I know is the only one in my life that means anything to me is well now." And he had tears in his eyes. "You gave her back to me, so I'm doing the only thing I can for you. I may lose my position in the company if they find out, but fuck them. I believe in their research, but don't approve of many of their methods. For what its worth I'm going to try had make some changes. Now go, you and your mate are free now. There is supposed to be a "feral" band of kindred deer in this area, so maybe you can find them. Now go."

I could only stare at him at first, but then I reached up and took his hand and shook it, then held it next to my muzzle for a few seconds, and he just shook his head. Then with an eager squeal I joined my waiting mate at the edge of the woods, and we were gone from sight in seconds. Free!

The End

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