The Tragedy On Christmas

Chapter One

The deep cold of winter penetrates my pelt. Light snow drifts gently towards the ground as if with a sense of purpose, as if it knows exactly where it's going and what exactly its life purpose is.

A twinge of envy makes the fur along my spine rise. I'm here on the edge of a sidewalk, completely lost. I have no home, no food, no money, no anything. All I have is my life, and it's looking like it'll be very short and bleak. Everyday is a fight for my own survival in a world that is rigged against me... and her...

Painful memories flash through my mind, vivid and bright. The ringing in my ears grows louder. Tears start prickling in my eyes. It keeps persisting for what feels like hours, until... it eventually stops. It slips away gently back into the darkest corners of my mind. I finally regain my focus on the real world.

A truck is tearing down the road, loud music pulsating through the ground from such a distance. I watch as it races towards me. It approaches with such ferocious speed it passes by me before I can even register it. The wind from the massive truck tugs at my fur.

But... something draws me to that truck... as if  it is trying to tell me something: a pull telling me to follow it.

Before I know it, my paws are flying across the ground. I am charging after the truck, shapeshifting into a wolf. The truck of incredible noise and speed leads me down to a dark winding road, the cement giving way to gravel. The surrounding forest grows dense and the flakes of snow become thicker. It becomes increasingly more difficult to see the world surrounding me. The snow is now too thick and heavy, and the forest becomes impenetrable by the human eye. The snow is too dizzyingly painful to watch.

As if fate decided to give me a break, light pierces the darkness just further down the road. The truck starts to slow as we approach the beams. A large cabin emerges from around the bend of the gravel road. The truck pulls up in front of the cabin and slows to a halt. The headlights of the truck turns off and four people burst out of it.

The door of the cabin swings open, revealing two adults and a young child with joyful grins.

Another twinge of envy prickles along my back. They're so carefree. They have so little to worry about. They aren't fighting for their survival on a daily basis. They can just sit at home in warmth and not worry about a gang of criminals trying to kidnap and torture them.

I'll make sure that changes.

The raw taste of bloody iron rises in my mouth as the two adults and two older kids from the truck race up to the cabin doors and greet the others with grins and hugs.

Grief and anger makes the bloody iron taste stronger.

I stalk  into the dense forest, analyzing the bright cabin. The massive cabin is quite sturdy. Only a window or two on each of the three floors on each wall. Most of the windows betray nothing, but darkness. But, a couple windows are glowing, a cozy living room adorned with festive decorations for the holiday currently underway.

All of the people head inside, the door closing ever so softly behind them as if they don't want a single soul to notice.

I take a couple careful steps forwards.

The people appear in the living room only a short moment later. The children are bounding around together playfully, showing off their brand new toys.

I draw my attention back to the cabin itself.

Each window looks as if it is shut tight and locked.

I bound around to another side of the cabin.

All of the windows are shut tight... except for one. It is on a smaller fourth floor. It is probably just a room with a set of stairs leading to the rest of the massive cabin.

I shapeshift myself into a crow. I fly up through the thick snowflakes to the open window. I perch myself on the frigid sill, peering into the room.

My thirst for blood draws me into the room. I shapeshift back into a wolf. I scan the room for a set of stairs. I spot them across the room beyond the mindfield of toys. I creep towards the stairs, carefully weaving my way around the toys. I reach the stairs and follow the warm scent of food down to the living room.

I finally see the light at the end of the hallway. Sticking to the shadows, I stalk forwards to the threshold of the hallway and living room.

The children are still running around, playing with their toys. The adults are conversing together in the kitchen around the stove. None of them are aware of the danger lurking in the shadows.

I continue to watch them from the shadows, fighting the war inside my head. My paws are frozen to the ground, my legs as stiff as dry sticks.

My instinct takes over, snapping me out of the trance. My legs snap, launching me towards the eldest child. My teeth sink into the child's flesh.