demon? DeMon. Sara Manzano Davila

after the sound and passed a gnarled tree with branches splayed out like a rack of antlers on a buck. he sharp-eyed man trailed the deer beyond another old, knotted tree while he turned and twisted through the woods, following sounds of twig snaps and hoof clacks. Emerging through some evergreens, he arrived at an unknowingly familiar tree to see the doe trot behind it, and a woman with fey green eyes appeared from the other side.

The man’s eyes widened as he stumbled back from the mysterious woman as she strode out of the shade. His body began to angle away from her as he tried to remember from which direction he came.

“Where are you going, hunter?” the woman inquired. “Aren't you glad you found your prey?”

The man twitched his fingers for the hunting bow he had left with the other men. She grinned and cocked her head like a feral cat looking at a curious new meal. When the man observed her face, he

demon? DeMon., Sara Manzano Davila, watercolor