The rustling that Dan heard was another hunter. Dan didn't know that yet, but he had already figured out that it was hunting season and that Kat's spell had finished transforming him into an actual deer. He tried his best to walk softly, slowly, silently so as not to be spotted.
Dan stopped and held still. He slowly looked around, trying to determine where the rustling sound had come from. He thought if he just held still he might hear the rustling again and be able to tell where it was, then move away from it or run in the opposite direction.
However, he heard nothing but silence. Then the silence was broken by a quiet metallic "click," about 10 yards off to his right. He instantly recognized the sound of a rifle's safety being turned off. Instinctively, his adrenaline raged as he shoved off with his hind legs to run. But before he even gained forward momentum, POW!!!
A single bullet, straight through his heart. He lost his breath, went dizzy and fell right to the ground. The pain in his chest was incredible. He couldn't move.
"Whoooo!!!" Dan heard an excited female voice yell out. Then silence again. Dan heard nothing for what felt like an eternity, but was probably only 15 minutes or so. Then he heard the hunter stand up and walk toward him. He had fallen on his left side, and so out of his right eye he saw her approaching.
The hunter walked up to Dan, and stood over him, looking down on him. He could see her towering over him, still holding her rifle. Dan was technically dead, but otherwise still had all of his senses, thanks to Kat's spell. "My God, what has Kat done to me?" he thought to himself, as he watched the woman standing over him.
She finally spoke. "Are you dead?" She pointed the rifle at his head, while she used her boot to push and prod at each of his legs, insuring that her deer was indeed dead. "Yep, I guess so!" she said. "You're my first deer, so I'm not sure exactly what I'm supposed to do now..."
As Dan could see from his right eye, the woman was dressed in camo, from head to toe. But the excitement had gotten her heart racing and warmed her up a bit. He saw her reach down to carefully set her rifle on the ground, then quickly stand back up, take her hat off and let her hair down. She was blonde, with bright blue eyes, and smiling as she removed her camo top to reveal the pink shirt she was wearing underneath. She was very attractive looking, Dan thought to himself, or she would be anyway if she wasn't looking down on him as a source of meat...
"Sorry about that, bud," she said as she looked down on Dan again. "Nothing personal, just like venison and trying to fill the freezer, ok?" She made this kind of awkward small talk, trying to calm herself down. "You know, you're not that smart, are you? Walking right in front of me... I guess I don't need to feel too bad, do I? I mean, you haven't complained a bit!" She made herself chuckle. "Let's see, one, two, three.... hmmm... wow. A twelve point buck! Dang, not bad for a girl, huh?"
She pulled out her phone, pointed it down at Dan and took a picture. Then she sat down on the ground, about a foot in front of Dan's face. Dan could see her firing off a quick text, and knew she was sending his photo to someone. She set her phone down. She reached over, grabbed Dan by his antlers and picked up his head. She studied him for a brief moment and said to herself "what a beautiful animal," as she set his head back down.
Just then her phone rang, and she answered. "Hey Babe! You got the pic?!.... Yes! I got one! How about that?! ... Yep, I did just like you said... I sat and waited in the bushes, about 10 yards off the trail. Sure enough, before too long, here comes this big buck. I was afraid he'd see me, but he didn't. Dumb thing literally stopped right in front of me. I aimed carefully, shot him straight through the heart, just like ya said to!" Dan, still in agonizing pain but unable to move could hear nothing but sheer delight in the woman's voice as she spoke on the phone to whom he presumed must be her boyfriend or husband. "Anyway, you gonna get out of work and help me with this thing? Ha! No babe, I'm not doing that, EWWW!.... Haha, yeah that was the deal, you said if I got a deer you'd gut it!..... Ok babe. Yeah, it's a 12 point! Can you believe it?! Ok. Oh yeah, it's for sure dead... Should I do anything with it till you get here? Ok, yeah I'm just sitting here right next to it till ya get here then, ok?... Yup, see ya in a few babe. Love you too! Oh my God, I'm so excited!! Ok bye!"
She looked at her deer again, "Ok buddy, good news. We're gonna get somebody who know's what he's doing to gut ya, ok? Yep, my hubby's gonna be here in about 15 minutes."