Came up with the idea for a little like .. semi-fantasy Bethyl AU
Cervitaur!Beth Greene who’s very mischievous n sometimes wanders out to the shallower parts of the forest . Mainly to eye up hunters , curious about their somewhat brutal nature (trophy hunters at least) . She’s so fascinated by them .
Hunter!Daryl Dixon who keeps getting little piles of flowers on his cabin porch . He would always discard them but they keep coming the next day . His traps constantly messed with , at night he feels a presence in the trees , he actually isn’t sure if it’s a threat or not , but it is watching him .
There was this one time however , he was walking through the thicker part of the forest , his steps slow , crossbow in hand . He swore he saw a little tan n white tail disappear into the tall grass .
He knew something was watching him , he wasn’t sure why but he would end up chasing the creature . Upon finding it , or rather , her — He would quickly tackle her n question her . At first she was fearful , then , she became playful . Answering all his questions with a sweet , innocent smile . Clearly , she was already quite smitten with the man who’s got her caught . Whipped was she !!!
“Did you like the flowers ?? They’re — !!“
“Cherokee Roses , yeah . But the hells the matter with you , girl ?! Coulda’ got yourself killed !”
Summary: You’re a young Cervitaur – a human-deer hybrid, akin to centaurs – who hasn’t found her mate yet. Will the attractive Stag you meet one day have a chance?
Warnings: formerly injured animal, potential dead animal, a tiny bit of fighting, otherwise this is just cute and fluffy
Terms and idioms
Reaching Doehood/Staghood – reaching adulthood
You were carefully wandering through the forest. It wasn’t your herd’s territory anymore, but not far away and you knew the area well by now. During the past weeks, you had been here every day. Over your back, you carried a bag filled with grass and leaves for the injured deer doe you had found. You had found her a couple weeks ago, not able to fend for herself and her fawn after a predator had injured her.
Your father – whom you had asked for his permission to care for the doe – had told you that doe and fawn would most likely die as it was the course of nature in this case and that you weren’t allowed to intervene. You on the other hand couldn’t stand the thought of not at least trying to help. So you had done it in secret and so far, the doe was recovering well and her fawn growing strong.
When you reached the little clearing the two of them had been staying, it was empty. Instantly, your heart sunk. Had a predator found them, happy about an easy meal? You had known the entire time that this was a highly possible outcome but so far, they had been lucky and undiscovered.
Extremely careful and with the hand on the hilt of your dagger – a present your father had made from his antler for reaching Doehood – you entered the glade. If it had been a predator, you wanted to know which kind it was since it’d be a safety concern for your herd as well. Every step of your four legs was placed with greatest care to not produce a sound and you were ready to bolt the second a predator showed itself – though that would cost you the bag as it was too heavy to keep it while being on the run.
The rustle of leaves moved by something large moving through the forest immediately alerted you. And while you doubted that it was a hunting predator as they’d be much more silent, it didn’t mean that thing could not be dangerous to you. Especially since it approached from the opposite direction you had come from.
It was a Cervitaur-Stag. His cervine body-half was huge, his human body-half muscular, even though he had to be rather young still – judging by his antlers. He was a Six-pointer, his days as pointer couldn’t be very far behind him. And while even now this Stag had the potential to be a threat to you, one look into his face convinced you that the chance for it was very very slim.
He looked surprised and sheepish. Quite obviously, he hadn’t expected to meet you. “Uhm...I just...I wanted to look after the doe.”, he stumbled. His body language was carefully controlled, probably in an attempt not to scare you. Your ears perked up when the Stag spoke. There had been subtle signs of somebody else visiting the glade which you had dismissed as your imagination up till now.
“I wanted to do the same but it seems they left. I couldn’t find a trace of predators and she’s been doing well so...she probably recovered enough to leave.”, you replied carefully. A tiny, hesitant smile appeared on the stranger’s face. “That would be amazing.”, he answered softly.
It was just now that you realized something. Unlike your father and the rest of your herd, it seemed like the foreign Stag did not adhere to the old rule of letting nature take its course and not to intervene. Instead, he had decided to do what he could to help. You felt your face grow warm. It wasn’t much you knew about this Stag, but it was already enough for you to actually start considering him someone you’d like to get more and maybe even accept as mate eventually.
A couple days had passed since you met the Cervitaur-Stag. He had been a pleasant companion and despite your attempts to forget him, your mind wandered to him time and time again. No matter how often you tried to tell yourself that somebody as kind as him who’d on top of that would grow into a strong and impressive Buck certainly would be swarmed by Does who’d try gain him as their mate.
That evening, you were on the clearing your herd had chosen as their current home, along with your younger siblings and cousins – the Fawns of your group. Your parents and their friends they had formed the herd with talked to a small group of travelling Cervitaurs, most likely about things like a permission to travel through their territory and if they’d be allowed to stay for the night or if they wouldn’t.
During these times, you were grouped with the Fawns despite being a fully grown Doe yourself. You didn’t lead the Herd and – provided you’d stay in the territory – you would be treated that way until all of them decided to step down and live their days as Elders in peace. Which would be quite another couple years currently.
One of your cousins settled down next to you. It was his fifteenth spring and he started growing his first spikes. The huff he let out was a clear sign of how annoyed and bored he was. An amused smile flashed over your face. “Ellie said they’re Stags.”, he announced. Ellie was his younger sister of six springs who loved to do whatever she felt like and cared little about possible consequences. You wouldn’t be surprised if she had eavesdropped.
“They won’t be dangerous to any of us. We’ve got your dad and my dad and uncle August to protect us.”, you replied. Ben was starting to show signs of protectiveness, another hint that he wasn’t a child anymore entirely. Though it’d take a couple springs before he’d be considered adult enough to be expelled by the Stags of your Herd.
“It’s not about us not being safe.”, your cousin admitted. The bored behaviour slipped a bit and let a rather childish worry shine through. You put an arm around Ben. There was clearly something bothering him and apparently, he was about to open up about it to you. “What if one of them wants you as their mate and takes you away from us?”, he finally asked.
That was the fly in the ointment! Ben was worried to lose you. You leaned your cheek against his hair to show him your affection. “First of all, if they had come to court me, we’d already know it. There are very strict rules about courtship a Stag has to obey to – which includes giving presents to the leaders of the Herd they wish to court somebody from to gain their favour because otherwise they’d be chased away harshly. That hasn’t happened. And even if they get the permission – without my approval, nobody is going to become my mate and take me with them.”, you explained.
Ben nodded and leaned against you. “So they’re nothing but a bunch of Stags passing through our territory?”, he asked, relief already audible in his voice. You smiled gently, glad that even the brief explanation of courting rituals had been enough to calm his worries. This was one of the cases where the strict rules all Cervitaur-herds adhered to were a comfort.
Even you were almost asleep when the quiet sound of hooves became audible and announced the return of the leaders of your herd. As soon as you realized that the sound belonged to more than six Cervitaurs, you were instantly wide awake. It seemed like there’d be guests staying with you for the night.
Ben woke with a start when you moved, but he was still rather sleep-drugged. Which didn’t surprise you as the moon was hanging high in the nightly sky. “We have guests who’ll stay for two nights.”, Ben’s father announced. “These are Steve” a blond Cervitaur with rather light coat bowed his head in respectful greeting. “Sam” A Cervitaur with dark skin, hair and coat bowed his head. Both of them were six-pointers. “and James.”
Everything seemed to stop for several heartbeats when the third Cervitaur stepped forwards to greet your herd. He was the stranger you had met several days ago whom you had been unable to entirely banish from your thoughts. “It’s late. You should rest for now. We can talk tomorrow.”, your mother said. Her voice was calm and kind, but still held audible authority. It was enough to bring you back to the here and now. At least for the moment.
Once everyone had settled down – the three strangers at a respectful distance from everyone else – your thoughts started to race. The hope that James – he finally had a name you could attach to him – was in fact still a bachelor and not courting a Doe was soaring. Because he wouldn’t be travelling with other bachelors if he courted somebody and if any of them had a mate, they would have brought her along.
However, there was also worry. If James actually did like you the way you did and your father found out the two of you had already met, he’d probably be furious because it’d seem like James ignored the traditions that surrounded the whole courting process. And your father was somebody who considered adhering to traditions important.
In the next morning, you were still nervous but more collected. When your father introduced you to the three bachelors, James’ eyes widened in surprise for a second, but he quickly gained control over his mien again. The following breakfast was filled with polite small talk. The three bachelors were good friends who had grown up in the same herd and – due to being of roughly the same age – had banded together in their search for mates and a new home where they could stay.
Your uncle advised them to travel eastwards since he had heard that there was a territory occupied by only two pairs of Elders. There might be a chance for them to take over their territory in exchange for protection. “Thank you for this valuable information. We know it’s not something to share lightly and we appreciate that you consider us worthy to pass it on to us.”, Steve said.
It was a good sign. Given James would show interest in you, maybe there was a chance that your father wouldn’t be too upset if he asked for the permission to court you when the two of you pretended that it had happened during his visit. After all, the Herd in the nearly vacant territory had been dwindling for about two years already and the development had been rather obvious but the Stags of your Herd hadn’t told any other visitor about it, even though there had been at least one bachelor who had shown interest in you.
After the breakfast, it was time for the daily work. While your father and uncles set out to gather wood and twigs for the shelters, your aunts and some of your older cousins left to gather food. Your mother and you stayed at the current camp, watching the younger Fawns and weaving a new blanket since yours was riddled with holes and beyond repair. The guests too stayed at the camp since no good host would make their guest do any work.
James had soon started to play with the Fawns, who were delighted about having an adult play with them. His companions soon joined him as well. Only Ben had chosen to not participate in the games. Instead, he sulked at the edge and watched every move James made like a hawk. Last night’s conversation with him was at the front of your mind. Did he presume something?
Just at that moment James approached Ben. “Anything you’re up for, young Stag?”, the brunet asked. It caught your cousin off-guard, though you noticed how flustered he was by being called a young Stag instead of Fawn. He couldn’t even form a coherent answer. “How about a playful wrestle? Maybe I could show you a trick or two with your antlers.”, the brunet offered. Ben looked over to your mum who just nodded to show him her permission.
The two didn’t need anything else to start wrestling while Sam and Steve continued playing with the other Fawns. At first it was no more than testing out each other’s strength and skill – though James definitely held back to allow Ben to show what he knew and was able to do. After a while, the brunet begun to give your cousin hints and tips and willingly allowed him to attack again and again until he could put into practice what James had told him.
“He’s quite a catch, isn’t he?”, your mum asked suddenly, quiet enough that nobody else could hear. Conspiratorial and with a light smug smile on her lips. Which made you realize that you had stopped working in order to watch James and Ben. Heat immediately rushed to your face. “Well he’s handsome and he knows how to win people over.”, you replied. Your mother merely chuckled and continued her weaving. The rest of the day went by uneventful. Ben loved James and described every detail of their wrestling over dinner.
Shortly after breakfast the next day, another visitor came to the camp. Your oldest brother who had moved away several years ago but still came over for short visits every now and then. He was large – a twelve-pointer already – and didn’t seem too happy once he had assessed the situation at hand. After all, there were three adult male strangers, you were quite obviously still not with somebody while one of the aforementioned Stags stood right next to you.
Within less than a minute, Damien lowered his head until his antlers pointed towards James. Who gave you a nudge to get you out of harm’s way. Just in time before your brother charged at the brunet Stag, even though he hadn’t returned the Antler threat. The first clash between them went accordingly. Even only seeing your brother ramming his antlers into James’ torso made you wince. The brunet Stag stumbled to the ground.
Damien was about to charge at him again when a simple “Enough” stopped him dead in his tracks. It hadn’t been loud by any means, but spoken with the authority of somebody who had been leading a Herd for many years. And even though your brother had left your Herd and was part of his own, he still instinctively did as ordered. James used the break to get back on his hooves and retreat till he was out of sight.
“What’s gotten into you?”, you yelled at your brother, mad that he had just appeared and instantly attacked James. Damien’s nostrils flared – apparently he too was angry, but he didn’t dare to act on it after your father’s warning. Because he knew all too well that even he wouldn’t get a second one. And if a fight did break out, he’d have not only one, but three opponents. That he had once been one of their Fawns wouldn’t matter. Only that he had attacked the Herd.
“He obviously has a thing for you. I tested him. He’s not worth to become your mate.”, Damien replied coldly. You slapped him in the face, consequences be damned. “It’s not up to you to test somebody who might be interested in me.”, you hissed and then turned to leave. This had been the last straw for you to be done and over with your brother.
Suddenly, there was a yelp from your brother. You twirled around. Your father stood between the two of you. Staring at the Stag in a very threatening way while Damien held his rips. Apparently, he had gotten a taste of his own medicine. You were absolutely not mad about it, quite the opposite. When you turned around again, your mother nodded into a certain direction. It didn’t need words for you to know that you’d find James if you followed her hint.
Which you did, of course.
James had settled down on the ground and held his torso. There was pain written all over his face. “Let me take a look at it.”, you said gently and bent your front legs to match his height. The brunet Stag carefully moved his arm, revealing that – while he wasn’t bleeding – there’d be a nasty bruise from the attack which was already forming. “We’ve got to cool it to keep the swelling down.”
“Why are you taking care of me instead of your suitor?”, James asked silently, visibly and audibly defeated. Surprise made you yank your head up and blink at him. It took several long moments for you to understand what the brunet was talking about. “He’s not my suitor. That idiot is my older brother.”, you explained. And even if he was courting you, it’d be over right after this attack on a random stranger he had perceived as potential rival.
The shock was written on his face clear as a day. Though there was still some doubt. And something else you couldn’t quite place. “But…your dagger. Anything made from antlers are common courting gifts.”, he said. The Stag didn’t dare to look at you while his face was turning a bright shade of pink. You could feel your own cheeks start to grow warmer too. “A present my father gave me for reaching Doehood. I’ve always enjoyed wandering off on my own so he gave me something to protect myself with.”, you explained.
“So…there’s nobody courting you?”, James asked, careful hope in his voice. “I’m not being courted.”, you confirmed with a shy smile. He too showed a tiny smile. “Would your father be very upset if I started courting you?”, the brunet Stag wanted to know, a little more confident now. The smile on your face gave place to a more serious and thoughtful mien. “Traditions are important to him. I’m not sure how he’d take you as random guest asking for his permission to court his daughter.”, you replied.
“You are not wrong, Y/N. But even I can hardly blame a young Stag for falling in love with a Doe he unexpectedly meets.”, the voice of your father’s voice remarked calmly. Both you and James jumped to your hooves, though he winced. “How much did you hear, father?”, you asked carefully, though he didn’t appear angry or upset. “Enough. As I said, I will not reject James’ request to court you because he took a liking to you during his stay. However, I have two requirements.”, your father explained while eying the younger Stag. Who tried to stand a little straighter, despite his injury.
“Anything.”, he replied instantly. “I expect you to treat my daughter well. To respect her wishes and accept her boundaries.”, your father begun as if James hadn’t said anything. “I will. For as long as she’ll allow me to be part of her life.”, the brunet replied calmly and earnest. It made your heart flutter with excitement and happiness. “Second – I expect Y/N to consent to your courtship. Her happiness is essential in this affair.”, your father continued. “I do. I have been hoping for it since James spent time with Ben yesterday.”, you admitted. Your cheeks were once again growing hot.
Your father nodded with a content smile. “Then I give you my blessing to court my daughter.”, he said unctuous. Both you and James beamed. Hand in hand, you followed your father back to the camp. James’ friends instantly started grinning when they laid their eyes on you. “So it looks like Steve and I will move on without you.”, Sam jibed good-naturedly. “I wish you the best. And if the two of you happen to look for a place to establish a home…you’re always welcome at our territory if we find one.”, Steve added with a warm smile towards both of you.
“Thank you.”, you replied gently. You hadn’t paid much attention to the two of them, but what little you knew about the two bachelors painted a decent picture of them. Not yet enough for you to decide whether or not you’d form a herd with them, but you’d give them a chance. Given that you and James would actually become mates.
A while ago I had the urge to draw taurs specifically cervitaurs and remembered all the centaur AU's so I decided to make my own just for the fun of it. I don't know if this au is gonna go any where but it was fun to make the designs.
Virgil: white-tailed deer, melanistic. Small antlers from diet and age. Is the most skittish and jumpy, can jump higher than Logan's withers(moose half shoulders).
Patton: chital/spotted deer. Loves to 'fawn' over the others.
Roman: red deer, is twins with Remus. Him and Remus spar with their antlers often.
Remus: red deer, twins with Roman. Breaks antlers often.
Janus: water deer, piebald. Is the smallest but has a sharp tongue.
Logan: moose, (every one always makes him a big draft horse in the centaur au so I made him the biggest deer). Would much rather prefer to read.
This is a rough height comparison of all of them side by side.
