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By OzzyLizard.

Thanks to OriTiefling, Jack Waltz and Dr Shoulder for some crit.

More by this author:

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Image Credits:

NotDeer2 - Here

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Item#: 6448

Containment Class: keter

Secondary Class: none

Disruption Class: keneq

Risk Class: warning

SCP-6448 instance imitating a non-anomalous deer.

Special Containment Procedures: Containment of SCP-6448 should be focused on investigation of deer exhibiting anomalous traits within and around the Appalachian area.1 All civilian sightings of SCP-6448 should be attended to by Mobile Task Force Gamma-4 (“Green Stags”). Possible deaths resulting from SCP-6448 should be attributed to hiking accidents, and sightings are to be blamed upon Chronic Wasting Disease.2

The Site-44 Cryptozoology Division is tasked with ongoing research into the ‘not deer’ phenomenon. Should an SCP-6448 instance be captured, it is to be brought to Site-44 for containment and study.3

An SCP-6448 instance attempting to communicate with non-anomalous deer.

Description: SCP-6448 is an anomalous branch of the Cervidae family.4 All members of this group display heightened intelligence and are presumed to be sapient. Many specimens exhibit some form of physical malformation, causing them to stand out from non-anomalous deer. While the exact details of physical abnormalities differ between instances, repeat commonalities are as follows:

. Legs bent backwards

. Barrel chested/bloated abdomen

. Emaciation

. Eyes belonging to unrelated animals

. Forward-facing eyes

. Jerky movements

. Loss of fear towards humans

. Tendency to walk on two hind legs

. General bodily disfigurement

Aside from physical disfigurement, instances show severe divergence from the behaviour of other cervids. Namely, SCP-6448 are known to watch, observe and stalk humans, often for hours or days. This includes following humans to and from their homes, wherein they will proceed to steal belongings, weapons and food. Very rarely will SCP-6448 attack victims while they are indoors.

SCP-6448 are most commonly encountered in deep woodland, particularly at night or dusk, when a person is alone. Any form of direct acknowledgment of SCP-6448’s anomalous traits in these situations will always result in the victim’s termination.5 In such situations, personnel are to observe the extract of Cervus Protocol attached to this file immediately (See below).

CERVUS PROTOCOL

HIDE

SCP FOUNDATION

———

CRYPTOZOOLOGY DIVISION

These actions should be carried out by anyone inadvertently interacting with SCP-6448 and are necessary for your survival. Please skip to the section with relevant information if your life is under threat.

If you notice a deer that seems “off”, look away and ignore it. If it knows that you’ve noticed it, it’s too late. If you hear your name, whistling or something else in the woods calling for you, don’t acknowledge it. Never acknowledge it exists, don’t respond, don’t go looking for it, don’t call back to it.

If you’re walking at night and you feel something breathing on your neck or whispering behind you, the key to your safety is pretending that everything is normal.

Your survival is dependant on your ignorance.

Presently, SCP-6448 are known to inhabit only the Appalachian region of North America.6

History:

SCP-6448 was officially assigned anomalous classification in 1980, though they have been recognised by local people since 1947. SCP-6448 is a firmly cemented figure in Appalachian folklore, known colloquially as the "Not Deer" due to their striking similarity to the species they imitate. Many locals claim to have encountered instances of SCP-6448, or possess knowledge of an individual who has. A majority of local communities living in rural areas of high activity are aware of the precautions required to avoid hostile encounters, primarily due to urban legends and stories involving the entities.

SCP-6448 were previously researched at Site-41, located in ████, North Carolina. On 11/01/1994, a group of 3 SCP-6448 instances broke into the Site utilising a tunnel system carved over an extended period of time. This triggered containment breach alarm systems and the Site entered lockdown protocol. The single instance kept in containment, being prepared for dissection, was lost in the breach and not recovered. Over the following decade, a further 5 SCP-6448 instances would be captured and contained, all of which would escape the Site through tunnels carved by other SCP-6448 entities. The decision was made to transfer all instances to Site-44, overseas, to prevent further breaches. Since this decision, no capture attempts have been successful.

Addendum 6448.1: Recently Recorded Civilian Encounters

The first reports of SCP-6448 surfaced around the week of 07/07/1947. In the time since the genus’ discovery, many members of the public have encountered the entities, though most accidentally stumbling upon them do not alert local authorities. This is typically due to the SCP-6448 instance either merely watching the subject or becoming hostile. The following is a log of all recorded 911 calls related to SCP-6448 phenomena since the year 2000.

Date
Details

02/01/2000
Victim (aged 41, female) dialed emergency services after hearing their name being called from the woods near their home. The victim recounts the vocalisation being likened to a scream in a voice that they do not recognise and requested assistance in locating the source. Emergency personnel requested the subject place their phone on the floor outside the home to listen for the alleged sounds. After 2 minutes, a vocalisation was heard that was calling to the subject by name, emanating from the nearby forest.

‎

The subject was instructed to investigate the disturbance themselves and keep services updated on the situation. The victim then begins to walk into the woodland, getting about 50 metres into the underbrush before inexplicably stopping. They claim there to be a noticeably large deer standing in the way of the path. She begins to walk closer, though states it does not move. Subject diverts from the path and begins walking in a different direction. After 30 minutes, no source of the voice is determined. The caller returns to their residence.

13/06/2002
Victim (aged 28, male) calls 911 regarding a home break-in. The caller notes numerous items to be missing from their residence and requests an investigation. Operators dispatch two investigators to visit the home and discern a potential perpetrator. The pair note that, based on earlier CCTV images, all cutlery, sharp objects, firearms, lightbulbs and a single copy of the novel ‘The Day After Roswell’ are missing. Also noted is that there is a complete lack of any fingerprints at the scene, with no doors or windows having been broken into. Analysis of the home’s CCTV footage revealed there to be a two hour period of missing film, with the exception of a single frame containing a Cervus nippon7 on its hind legs, reaching towards the camera. Its frontal hooves have been warped to resemble fingers. No footage of the entity exiting the home was discovered.

19/11/2005
A cattle farmer (aged 54, male) reported to local authorities the sudden disappearance of over 30% of his largest herd. Response teams searched the nearby area for 4 hours though found no trace of the cattle. The victim was recommended to set up trail cameras and note any unusual activity overnight. At 01:11 AM, two SCP-6448 are seen walking through the field before fleeing. One places an object into the ground, later discovered to be a single fork. A week after this discovery, 200 discarded bovine hooves appear at the location.

04/03/2009
Victim (age unknown, gender unknown) dials 911 to request assistance from animal services. The victim is stood within a forest in front of a Cervus elaphus8 which is violently contorting. The animal is repeatedly ramming itself into a tree, covered in blood and viscera. The victim begins to state "You'd better get a vet or something, I don't think it's well" before a piercing screech is heard and the line falls silent. Recovered footage depicts the aforementioned animal squirming, seemingly in pain. A viscous churning is audible as a black mass erupts out of the instance and the video turns to static.

11/10/2012
Victim (aged 23, male) is a junior wildlife officer at Cherokee National Forest, Tennessee. They radio their supervisor in early evening regarding a herd of Odocoileus virginianus9 within the reserve. Supposedly, there is a single animal that upon first glance appears average, though possesses divergent attributes including backwards joints, an enlarged abdomen and forward-facing eyes. Upon stating this, a distant whistle is audible and the victim stumbles slightly. They begin to say “What the he- did it just whistle at me?” before the sound of hooves rapidly getting closer is heard. Notably, the hoof steps did not sound to be in the traditional gallop of a cervid.

12/10/2012
The aforementioned victim’s supervisor calls authorities following the victim’s absence from the reserve night shift. Following this, their radio begins to crackle. The victim’s voice can be heard on the other end and he requests the supervisor’s attention.

‎ ‎

He calls regarding a herd of Odocoileus virginianus within the reserve. They claim there is a single animal that upon first glance appears average, though possesses divergent attributes including backwards joints, an enlarged abdomen and forward-facing eyes. Suspecting the creature to be a rare genetic malformation, the victim requests their supervisor to come to the location. The supervisor questions the victim about what happened the night previous. There is no reply. Upon the supervisor’s and law enforcement’s arrival at the site, a herd of approximately 80 Odocoileus virginianus was present. A single entity is in the field’s centre and appeared to be standing separately from the rest of the group. It flees the scene upon realising the law enforcement’s presence. Where it formerly stood layed a park ranger's standard two-way radio.

08/04/2016
Victim (aged 35, female) dials 911 using a satellite phone, distressed. They state that they are in ████ County Woods and are being followed. She claims that, despite seeing no one for the duration of her hike, she “feels as if she’s being watched” and has heard someone walking behind her at various points in the trip. The victim is unable to give an adequate description of her location, but knows the route to return to her residence. Operators request the victim to return to a point wherein she can provide a sufficient geographic description of her position.

‎

The victim remains on the line for the duration of the hike back to a readily used portion of the wilderness trail. Along the journey, various unnatural sounds can be heard. These include footsteps, rockslides, coughing, whispering and whistling. Nearing the main trail, all woodland noises such as birds and wind cease suddenly, and the victim states she can see a malformed deer carcass coated in a thick layer of a black slime-like substance. At this time, human screams can be heard in the distance. Operators request the victim continue and ignore other stimuli. Agents embedded in local law enforcement, suspecting SCP-6448 involvement, notify Gamma-4 to the situation. 20 minutes later, the victim returns to the main trail. Gamma-4, now operating the 911 call, inform the victim to not respond to any further unusual activity and briefly outline Cervus Protocol. For the duration of the victim’s journey to her home, two sets of breathing are audible.

‎

The victim successfully returns to her residence and shuts the door behind her. Now out of sight from SCP-6448, agents inquire upon the victim’s address and the victim promptly complies. Operatives instruct the victim to have possession of all firearms and weapons on the premises and to barricade herself inside a safe space with one exfil point. The victim swiftly begins grabbing all available weapons and throwing them inside a wardrobe. It is at this time that there is a knock on the front door. The victim does not respond and continues to hoard sharp objects from kitchen drawers. The knocking becomes more violent as the handle is being jostled and shaken incessantly. A voice on the other side repeats the phrase “Hello, it is me. Hello, let me in.” in a calm manner as the door begins to shake. The victim retreats to her wardrobe, armed with a small firearm. Upon sealing herself in the space, the knocking ceases and footsteps can be heard, decreasing in volume. The sound of galloping is audible as the front door caves in. Hoof steps can now be heard inside the home.

‎

The entity continues to repeat “Hello, it is me. Hello, let me in.” as it searches the small building. A bright light flashes overhead, seemingly circling the house. Eventually the entity enters the victim’s bedroom. Through a small slit in the wardrobe door, the victim can see a Cervus canadensis10 standing on its hind legs and surveying the room. Its movements are crooked and stiff, seeming to struggle to stand in a bipedal fashion. It slouches down to a quadrupedal crouch, similar to the stance of an arachnid. It inhales heavily, and its head locks on the view of the wardrobe. It is noted as possessing human eyes. It scampers towards the subject and opens the door. A single gunshot is heard. Responders found no trace of either SCP-6448 or the victim.

It should be noted that this represents a small fraction of human to SCP-6448 encounters, as the majority of occasions go unnoticed and undocumented. On each of these occasions, all associated video, photographs and objects were confiscated by MTF Gamma-4, whom also called off public investigation. Cover stories 356α “Home Break-In” and 898Γ “Missing 411” were successfully implemented.

Addendum 6448.2: INCIDENT 6448-ALPHA

On 29/11/2019, MTF Gamma-4 (“Green Stags”) successfully detained and captured an instance of SCP-6448, with the assistance of MTF Nu-7 (“Hammer Down”)’s heavy vehicles division and highly experimental shock rifles. The resulting skirmish left a single instance unconscious, which was swiftly placed aboard an armoured CH-47 Chinook helicopter en route to Site-44 in England to prevent outside assistance. Upon reaching the Site, the sedated entity was transferred to a containment cell without incident. The following is a log of events thereafter.

+ INCIDENT 6448-ALPHA

- INCIDENT 6448-ALPHA

Date: 30/11/2019

Location: Site-44, Foulness Island, England

[BEGIN LOG]

SCP-6448 instance is contained within a large reinforced steel containment cell, having just awoken from heavy sedation. Cryptozoology Specialist F. Ozz stands in front of a large one-way glass window that encompasses the room’s South side.

Researcher Ozz: Greetings, SCP-6448.

The instance suddenly bolts upright and stares at the intercom.

Researcher Ozz: Can you understand me? We’ve seen your genus speak English just fine in the past.

The instance does not respond. It begins licking its arm.

Researcher Ozz: Please, we know your secret.

The instance pauses.

Researcher Ozz: Admittedly it wasn’t exactly well kept. If you’d just look at yourself for more than a few seconds, it is very clear that you’re not… normal.

The instance is stood facing away from the window. Its neck swivels 180°, visibly breaking multiple vertebrae as there is an audible crack. It does not blink.

Researcher Ozz: (To containment staff) I thought you said this was one-way? (Staff mumbling) It is?

The instance’s gaze remains locked on Researcher Ozz.

Researcher Ozz: Are you something imitating deer? It is clear that, if so, you possess basic anatomical knowledge on them, though details are faulty. In fact, a better question would be… how? Assuming you are not what you pretend to be.

The instance opens its mouth, which contains abnormally sharp teeth. Its jaw moves in a manner that seems to imitate speech. No intelligible dialect is heard, rather, a sound similar to gagging or choking is audible.

Researcher Ozz: Shall we move on? What I’m more concerned with here is why you take our people. Is it to settle a vendetta? For food? Spite?

The instance blinks for the first time in the interview. The movement is noticeably forced.

Researcher Ozz: Responding is mandatory.

The instance shows no reaction.

Researcher Ozz: (Sternly) If you will not comply, maybe you’d like to see your brand new containment cel-

SCP-6448: R-

Researcher Ozz: (Pauses)

SCP-6448: R- Rasaerch. Research. (The instance speaks in a distorted version of Ozz’s own voice)

Researcher Ozz: Research? What kind of-

SCP-6448: July 7, 1947.

The instance suddenly rams the 20 inch thick one-way glass, cracking it slightly.

Researcher Ozz: (Stumbles backwards)

The instance begins to collapse. It contorts violently and begins screaming. Its abdomen bulges and writhes.

Researcher Ozz: Get the Stags in here now!

A black, viscous, tendrily mass erupts out of the instance's side. It leaps and squirms around the cell before shattering the viewing window. The remaining carcass is entirely hollow.

Site-44 Breach System: Containment breach detected. All personnel report to the nearest safe room. Containment Sector 4 blast doors will seal in 10 seconds.

The tendrilous mass swiftly manoeuvres outside of Sector 4 in seconds, clearing the lockdown area. It travels in the direction of the main exit.

Site-44 Breach System: Full Site lockdown initiated. Locking main exit in 5 seconds.

The mass clears the main desk. It shatters the glass on the front exit and disappears into the outside shrubbery.

[END LOG]

A two month long search proved inefficient in locating the escaped anomaly. Additionally, since this incident, there has been an unprecedented increase of CWD afflicted deer and UFO reports in the area surrounding Site-44. Further research is ongoing.

Footnotes

1. Appalachia is a mountainous region in the Eastern United States that is known for its dense woodland.

2. CWD, sometimes called zombie deer disease, is a prion-based illness affecting members of the Cervidae family. It causes extreme loss of motor function control, may affect decision making and is always 100% fatal. While CWD is a legitimate disease, the majority of cervids in Appalachia exhibiting traits are known instances of SCP-6448.

3. Site-44 is located in Essex, England. See History for details.

4. More commonly known as deer. This includes true deer, muntjac, reindeer, elk and moose.

5. Though treating SCP-6448 instances as normal cervids triggers no reaction.

6. [UNDER REVIEW FOLLOWING INCIDENT 6448-ALPHA]

7. Sika Deer

8. Red Deer

9. White-Tailed Deer

10. Elk