Today, I walked through the forest as light snow fell on frozen ground. As it fell much heavier, the footprints disappeared into the deep powder, giving me little hope of finding a deer on this day.
I began my long walk back towards my cabin, stopping along the way to sit on a fallen tree and have a bite to eat. I felt my strength weakening from the difficult walking in the knee-high snow, so I unwrapped some cheese, a hunk of bread I baked yesterday, and a flask of wine.
As I sat eating, I couldn't help but notice I was being watched. I scanned the area around where I sat, but saw nothing except a squirrel raising its voice to the forest. The quiet always amazed me when the animals grew silent and listened to the wind running through the tall trees like a song sung, especially for them.
I finished my lunch and began packing away the leftovers when I saw her. A beautiful doe was just feet away from me, her eyes questioning but not fearful. Was she hungry? I asked myself. Slowly, I tossed some cheese toward her, but she stood her ground, never moving. I threw some bread, but she still didn't move. I reached deep into my backpack and found an apple that I think was in there for a while. I sliced it into small pieces and then tossed them in her direction.
Very slowly, she inched towards the apple slices, eating them while never taking her eyes off me.
To this day, I believe she grew not to fear me because I had no gun and, therefore, wasn't a threat to her. I left when she did, both going in different directions: her to find a place to bed down and me to my cabin to look at the pictures I took. The last few clicks of my camera were just random shots of the forest, but one stood out. It was the doe concealed in the trees watching me, and I couldn't help but notice she had no questioning eyes.
Mike 2025
Love deer
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