Her hand is hot in mine and wet with tears.

“Shhh… It’s our little secret. Keep low to the ground so Daddy doesn’t catch you and shoot you with his gun.” I lie to the poor girl but she’s too consumed with fear to pick up the traces of excitement in my voice.

I know Daddy will hear her. He told me to let her out. He said we can have fun and go on a hunt like the fancy people in country. She can be our deer in the woods.

“That’s right. Quickly, out the door. Run to the woods and hide!” I urge her on.

Quivering she gets to her bambi feet and darts for the door. Rattling it violently, she wrenches it open and runs madly down the lawn to the tree line.

As she runs I a scream with glee “Daddy!” Daddy! The deer got away!”

She whips her head round at the sound, her face a picture of dismayed shock at being double crossed. Her legs falter for a moment, then with renewed vigour and a satisfying scream she propels herself into the dark thick of the woods, weaving between the trunks.

His hand on the back of my neck lets me know he’s watching her too, blonde hair bobbing in between the trees and a flash of her red dress, wildly darting left then right, jumping over fallen logs, until swallowed completely by the forest, ready to be hunted down.

“Good girl” Daddy’s calm words are betrayed by the hardness pushing against me and the heat of his kiss.

“Let’s go babygirl! Quickly, quietly, let’s go snare us a deer!” his maniacal smile partially obscured by a finger to his lips instructing me to stay silent.

I follow his lead, staying low, running lightly. I wonder if he’ll let me use the gun, held firmly against him. I imagine the weight of it in my hands, smooth, cold and deadly, aiming to kill.

He slows as we approach the wooded area, listening keenly for sounds of the girl. Excited energy rolls off him in infectious waves. It forms beads of sweat on his forehead and lights fire in his eyes. He looks at me now, that smile still pulling his lips into an inhuman sneer, he signals that I should follow him and stay quiet.

Like his good girl I follow orders, watching intently to take the same path, snaking our way through the woodland following in the footsteps of our frightened prey. Along the way Daddy points out evidence of our little deer’s presence, a broken branch, torn red cloth, footprints. Each clue heightens his excitement, face distorted by a silent laugh.

“Oh she’s in so much trouble…” He whispers, hot breath in my ear. Hot fingers clutching a firm hold between my legs and leading me through to a slight clearing at the side of a stream.

I follow the focus of his intense stare to the alien object discarded on the bank. Starkly obvious in the hues of browns and greens our deer’s blood stained white plimsoll beckons us to follow her path.

Down by the water’s edge a second abandoned shoe leads us a short jump across the water and up the bank on the other side. It’s cold under the shade of the canopy and I shiver, drawing myself into Daddy who’s stopped, crouched, muscles tensed and ready to pounce.

Shortly in the distance the trees make way to open field, a clearing of wild grass and meadow flowers. The girl is perched at the edge, looking around nervously, preparing to make a break for it.

Daddy holds the gun strong and sure. He stands there in a silent pose, not a breath coming out of his mouth. Time stops and everything is silent.

Boom, goes my little heart.

In a fluid motion the girl spins as if suddenly aware of us, some sixth sense exposing our presence. Daddy shoots. Boom. The bang of the gun rattling my bones and echoing throughout the trees. With a silent thud the shot hits the girl in the shoulder and her body explodes in a magnificent fountain of pearly red.

Boom, goes my tiny heart.

Slowly Daddy sighs and lets out a breath. “She’s marked now, little one.” His hand on my shoulder, “It’s only a matter of time before we have her.” His smile is grim, “Soon you will have your deer to mount on the wall and your fur to make your red cape as I promised.”

A cape? How wonderful and kind my Daddy is to me!

Boom, goes my precious heart.

Panting the girl stumbles back to her feet, clutching her seeping wound. Not looking back she darts left along the tree line. Something about the wide open frightens her now she knows there’s a gun in play; her primal instinct draws her back into the darkness of the woods.

Boom, goes the dancing of my heart.

More slowly now we move through the woods; Daddy more confident and less stealthy in his movements. Yet still, in no time at all we make it to the spot where the bullet collided with her soft vulnerable body.

Skipping along next to Daddy I sing a little tune to myself. He smiles at me, all warm and fuzzy, “Look little one,” pointing at a blood stained tree, “this is where we shot her.” With his finger he draws off a thick red paste from a leaf, “This is her blood.” He offers it to me and I taste it tentatively like a treat.

Boom, goes my hungry heart.

“That’s right my precious Blade,” he talks to me softly, “taste and remember her scent. This is how we hunt our prey.” He offers me the rest and I devour it greedily. As my sweet wet tongue wraps around his extended fingers he lets out a deep growl. “Good girl.”

Boom, goes my proud heart.

Taking a deep kiss and turning on his heel we follow her trace. We follow her trail of blood and devastation, evidence that she’s still limping through the undergrowth. Daddy concentrates, stops, tastes, touches and grunts with confirmation that we are hot on her trail. All the while I skip next to him singing my songs. Such a wonderful day to be outside catching deer.

Boom, goes my innocent heart.

We follow for hours. In a moments rest, I touch his arm to catch his attention and say in my best voice, “Daddy. Please could we rest soon? My feet are hurting me something bad.” I smile sweetly at him, which is met with a kind expression. “Of course. The deer isn’t far ahead but we have all the time we want to catch her.”

I relax, “Oh good!” my voice heavy with exhaustion “I am very tired.” Chuckling, he wraps me in his big arms, “That was an awful big sigh for such a small girl.” He nuzzles into my hair and smothers me in kisses. “Why don’t we camp for the night and catch our prey in the morning?”

Boom, goes my excited heart.

“Oh yes please Daddy! I do love to camp!” I squeal. And with that we set about digging in and creating a suitable hollow to sleep in. I sing and Daddy shovels. Gathering brush he creates a covering and a nest for us to cuddle up in. “Daddy,” I ask, nuzzled up in his embrace, “why do other people use big silly sheets to camp in? They must get very cold out above ground.” “Because they don’t know any better little one.” He answers plainly.

Of course they don’t. People are stupid cattle. Daddy told me so. They don’t know how to look after themselves or what is right or wrong. That’s why they make good deer, because they are as stupid as deer.

Boom, goes my tired heart.

Breathing deep I feel the sandman pull at me. My eyes focusing for a moment on a black hairy spider crawling over the bracken above, seemly unaware of us. Slowly drifting off I feel Daddy’s big hands slide down and touch me in my special place. He moves inside me under the stars and makes me scream with the force of his hips. He makes me sing. He makes me sing a special song for him that he knows the deer will hear.

Boom, goes my ravaged heart.

Scooping me up out of our hollow, Daddy brings me out into the bright sunlight. Blinking I cover my eyes. “Time to get up sleepy head!” He says in a booming voice. “We have a deer to catch and a supper to cook.” His lips smacking at the thought of a hot meal.

Boom, goes my happy heart.

We race through the trees. The dawn light piercing through and flashing in my vision as we swoop down on this bit of broken branch and that dash of dried blood.

“She has tried her very best to escape,” Daddy thinks aloud, “all the better for the hunt.”

Boom, goes my racing heart.

As the morning passes the blood trails become deeper and increasingly fresh and wet. We are catching up on our prey. The poor thing must have been moving through the woods all night, walking in circles.

Boom, goes my keen heart.

All of a sudden we burst upon her in a clearing. She clings to a rock, a deep red stain showing the path she’d taken, dragging her wretched body across the green carpet. Looking up at us, her eyes are vacant and weak. We stop for a moment and observe one another. Daddy measures her up while she looks back almost pleading for death. The smell of blood is intoxicating.

Boom, goes my eager heart.

“Daddy.” I say, gripping his side. “I know, babygirl. The blood.” He says acknowledging my thirst and stroking my neck. “She’s all yours my precious.” With that I leap forwards, bounding across the clearing to the sound of her screaming voice. A red haze takes over and I lunge from all fours, leaping up into the air and down upon her. Landing naturally, I encase her in my grip and sink my teeth into her pale white flesh.

Her neck succumbs to my tearing jaws. Drinking deeply I am lost to my dark lust. Her screams making way to gurgling quietness.

Boom, goes my voracious heart.

A day or so later we leave the clearing. Daddy’s arms swing happily, holding my hand in one and the head of the trophy we claimed in the other. My mind flits back to glimpses of memories, the taste of the hot stew, the feeling of the writhing wet guts in my hands and mouth, the smell of the drying leather over fire. A chilly wind gusts through the trees and I shiver. Daddy wraps my new cape around me. My new soft leather cape. Made special, by my Daddy. Just for me. Because I’m his precious little girl.

Boom, goes my tender heart.