imposter syndrome 2

The human's breath hitched as his hands—no, his hooves—trembled in front of his face. What the hell's going on? He'd seen his hands change right before his eyes, and now he was standing in the middle of a dark alley as a deer. The doe in front of him stared, tilting her head with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. Her brown fur shimmered under the dim streetlights, and her dark eyes bore into him.

"You good, Buck?" she asked, her Southern twang light but unmistakable. She took a cautious step forward, holding her hands up in a gesture of peace. "You look like you've seen a ghost or somethin'."

He blinked, trying to play it off, even though his mind was spinning. Buck? Did she think that was his name? He forced himself to nod, clearing his throat. His voice came out deep and rougher than before, but familiar enough to roll with it. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just, uh, startled."

Her eyes softened, and she smiled like she'd just figured something out. "Ohhh, you here to loot the place too, huh?" She nodded toward the small electronics shop nearby. "Don't worry, we ain't gonna rat ya out or nothin'. You got tools with ya too!" She pointed to the hatchet hanging at his hip. "What, you tryin' to break in through the front door? Rookie mistake." She laughed lightly, her tone teasing.

He managed a weak laugh, trying to keep up. His mind raced as he took stock of the situation. She didn't seem suspicious of him yet—maybe he could play along. He glanced down at his hooves, his heart pounding. He had to figure out how to talk his way through this. He had to keep blending in.

The doe leaned in a little, her tone conspiratorial now. "We've been scoutin' this place for a while. You with us or what? We could use an extra hand. Gotta split the loot, though. No freeloaders."

"Uh, yeah, I'm with you," he replied, still trying to keep up the act. It was like his brain was scrambling to pull words together while his body screamed for answers.

She nodded approvingly. "Name's Iris. That over there's Bess." She motioned to a younger doe lingering in the shadows near the alleyway's entrance. Bess gave him a cautious nod but didn't approach.

"Nice to meet y'all," he muttered, still trying to adjust to the surreal situation. What do I even say to them?

"So," Iris continued, flashing him a crooked grin, "we're hittin' up this place for copper wire and any other scraps we can get our hooves on. If you're game, we could use someone to help carry the heavy stuff. Ain't easy workin' with just two of us."

He gave a slow nod, trying to stay cool. "Yeah, I can help with that."

Iris chuckled and gestured toward the back of the electronics shop. "Window's busted out back. It's how we been gettin' in. You go on first—make sure the coast's clear."

Without thinking too much about it, he moved toward the broken window, crouching down to duck under the jagged glass. The shop was dim, shadows stretching across the floor as the last bit of daylight faded outside. Shelves were mostly cleared out, save for a few abandoned gadgets and tangled wires. The place had clearly been looted before, but there was still enough left to make the trip worthwhile.

Iris and Bess slipped in behind him, their hooves clicking softly against the floor tiles. Iris flicked on a small flashlight, casting a narrow beam of light around the room. "Alright, we grab what we can and get outta here. Ain't no need to stay longer than necessary."

As they spread out, the human kept his eyes on the girls, trying to keep his nerves in check. He had to stay cool, blend in, and hopefully figure out what the hell was happening.

"So, where you from, anyway?" Iris asked as she dug through a pile of cables. "You don't look like you're from 'round here."

His heart skipped a beat. Crap. Think fast. He glanced at her, trying to keep his tone casual. "Uh, I'm from outta town. Just kinda… passing through."

She raised an eyebrow, pausing her search to look at him. "Passin' through? You sound like you ran away or somethin'." There was a hint of playfulness in her tone, but also a hint of curiosity. "What, you too good for your hometown or somethin'?"

He hesitated, trying to come up with something believable. "Yeah, I… I kinda left home. Needed to get away from my family for a bit."

Iris frowned, her head tilting slightly. "You runnin' from somethin', Buck? Or just tired of listenin' to your folks?"

He shrugged, feeling the pressure to keep up the lie. "Just needed a change of scenery, I guess."

She let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head. "Well, you picked one hell of a place to stop by. This town's fallin' apart faster than you can blink. Ain't no jobs, ain't no money, and everyone's scrapin' by on whatever they can find." She shot him a sidelong glance, her expression shifting slightly. "You got a place to stay, Buck? Or you just wanderin' 'round?"

He blinked, caught off guard. "Uh, I—"

Before he could answer, she grinned and nudged him with her elbow. "Tell ya what, if you ain't got no place, you can crash at my place for a bit. We got a spare room. But it'll cost ya—maybe your share of the loot. And I can get you dinner and breakfast from my mom, since we buy in bulk."

The human hesitated, trying to process the offer. Stay at her place? That sounded like an opportunity to learn more about the town—and maybe find a way to reverse whatever had happened to him. But he couldn't let them know too much. "Uh, I've got my own food," he said quickly, trying to deflect.

"Oh?" Iris raised an eyebrow. "You got food, and you're in here lootin'? What are you lookin' for then—just electronics, or valuable metals like copper and silver?"

He nodded, swallowing hard. "Yeah, I, uh, like to collect. You know, old stuff. Just in case things get worse."

Iris studied him for a moment before she shrugged. "Alright, fair enough. So, what kinda food you got, anyway? Ain't no one got extra these days."

His mind raced again as he fumbled with his bag, pulling out the first thing his fingers touched—a random can of tuna. He held it up, trying to look nonchalant, but as soon as the girls saw it, their eyes widened in shock.

"Whoa," Bess whispered from across the room. "That's, like, the good stuff. Where'd you get that?"

"Uh… stole it from my parents' fridge," he said, mentally kicking himself as soon as the words left his mouth.

Iris let out a low whistle, shaking her head in disbelief. "Dang, Buck, you must've come from money. That stuff's expensive nowadays. And look at you—nice clothes, clean fur, good hair. You sure you ain't some big shot tryin' to lay low in our little ol' town?"

He forced a laugh, trying to shake off her teasing. "Nah, nothin' like that. Just, uh… tryna get by like everyone else."

Iris's eyes sparkled with mischief as she sidled closer, giving him a playful nudge. "Uh-huh, sure. You talk fancy too. Real smart-like." Her voice took on a flirtatious tone. "You some kinda rich boy tryin' to play it cool with us country folk?"

He could feel the heat rising to his face, his nerves fraying as the pressure of keeping up the charade mounted. "No, really, I'm just—"

Before he could finish, Iris's friends, two other doe girls he hadn't noticed before, joined in. They'd been waiting by the door, keeping lookout, but now they stepped closer, their eyes gleaming with curiosity and amusement. One of them, a lanky doe with long, dark hair, elbowed Iris with a smirk. "What, Iris? You finally found a buck to set you straight?"

Iris scowled, rolling her eyes dramatically. "Ugh, don't start with that nonsense. My mom's always on me about findin' a 'good buck' to 'settle down' with." She crossed her arms, her voice dripping with mockery. "Like I'm supposed to just forget about havin' fun."

The other girls giggled, but Iris shot them a look, her scowl deepening. "Gerr, she's always freakin' out when I bring girls home. Thinks I'm gonna end up… well, you know." She waved her hand dismissively, clearly frustrated. "She's just stuck in her old ways."

The human tried to suppress a laugh, his own discomfort momentarily forgotten. "Your mom sounds like a real pain. No offense."

Iris's eyes lit up, and she let out a bark of laughter. "Oh, none taken! She's the worst. Honestly, you'd be a great boyfriend with that attitude. I could spend all my years complainin' to you about her." She grinned, clearly amused by the idea.

He shrugged, trying to act casual. "Yeah, sounds fun…" He trailed off, clearly not feeling the same enthusiasm.

Iris snickered, patting his arm. "Aw, come on, Buck. Don't be such a downer. Stick with us, and maybe we'll make life a little more interesting for ya."

He nodded, not entirely convinced but knowing he didn't have many other options at the moment. Staying close to them meant he could gather more information about the town—and maybe figure out how to get himself out of this mess.