Derrick looked back towards the inviting forest and thought of his does, his fawns, the intense fulfillment... and also the vague senses of time and self that had made what was more than 6 months nothing more than a blur of sensations. Still shivering in fear, he dropped his head and remained where he was.
"Such determination!" Diana smiled and stepped forward to place a hand on his neck. "Know that had you chosen the forest, you would have lived your remaining few years as a buck in peace, a content animal that I would have dealt a swift and painless death when you became infirm. However, you have proven yourself to be better than most males who enter my woods, even though you have taken great pleasure in being a stag. I give you the best of both worlds."
She gripped his antlers with shocking strength and lifted his head so that his right eye was staring directly at her. "You wished for the speed, the strength, and virility of the stag, but desire your human form. My judgement is that you be granted all that you desire." Searing heat suddenly shot through the antler that Diana was holding, spreading across Derrick's skull to the other side, and then rushing down his body until it felt like his blood had turned to searing lava. She stepped back, and Derrick gave a bleating cry of pain and terror as he crumpled to the ground. And just as suddenly, it stopped. Derrick lay still for a moment, panting and still shivering slightly, afraid to see what Diana had done to him. When he finally found the courage to look, his eyes went wide and he struggled to stand up.