Reaching Into The Murky Current
A small spotted fawn paddled frantically through the brown, open floodwaters, its nose barely keeping clear of the surface.
A man wearing sunglasses and a blue shirt leaned over the green edge of his aluminum boat, stretching one arm out across the water.
The young deer kicked its slender legs, splashing erratically as the boat drifted alongside it.
“Come here, easy now,” the man murmured, lowering his palm flat above the ripples to avoid startling the animal.
The fawn veered away twice, paddling into open water with its ears pressed flat against its head.
The man leaned further over the gunwale, sinking both hands several inches beneath the surface behind the fawn’s chest and hindquarters.
With a smooth, continuous lift, he scooped the dripping animal completely out of the murky river.
Water streamed from the fawn’s white-speckled fur as the man swung it over the side and brought it onto the deck.
A Warm Blanket On The Bow
The fawn’s hooves clicked against the boat floor as the man lowered it into a folded, resting position.
He kept one hand firmly on the deer’s neck, stroking down its spine to keep it from leaping back toward the open water.
The animal collapsed against the bottom of the hull, its sides rising and falling rapidly.
Reaching beside the seat, the boater pulled out a gray towel and draped it over the shivering fawn.
He pressed the fabric along its damp flanks, wiping away river mud and soaking up excess water from its coat.
A grin broke across the man’s face as the deer rested its chin flat against the metal floorboards, finally still.
He then swapped the damp towel for a thick plaid fleece blanket, tucking the edges beneath the fawn’s legs on the front wooden bench.
The outboard motor hummed quietly as the boat sped across the flooded waterway, heading toward the distant tree line.
Finding Solid Ground
The fawn lay tucked beneath the wool covering, watching the cypress trees glide past the bow.
When the nose of the boat nudged against a dry embankment, the man gathered the blanketed fawn into his arms and stepped onto shore.
He carried the bundled deer through the low brush until he reached an open clearing beneath tall pine trees.
Kneeling in the pine needles, he peeled back the plaid blanket and placed the fawn’s hooves squarely on the dry soil.
The deer stood upright, shaking loose forest debris from its ears as it looked around the woods.
It sprang forward in a burst, leaping over a patch of green ferns and disappearing deep into the dense tree cover.
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