The black woke with a start. He waited for his eyes to adjust, then looked warily around. He recognized the russet shape of his mate in the nest next to him. Clearly there was nothing that had woken her. Above them the wind rustled the trees and the moon shone brightly in the sky.
It must be moon-high!
He tried to shrugg it off and go back to sleep, but couldn't.
There's nobody here, so what woke me?
he thinks to himself. At last he sighs and stands up. He stretches his long legs and fluffs out his fur, feeling the sleep rush out of him. He looks at the moon and then down at his mate again, and decides he has time for a short walk.
Maybe that will tire me out enough.
He pads quietly through the forest, not straying more than ten fox-lengths away from their nests. Somewhere an owl hooted, and he could hear mice scuffling in their nests underground. He looks through the trees for any sign of a coming dawn, but without success. The night still has a long way to go.
Suddenly he freezes. A chill runs through him from nose to tail tip, and he shudders. It was not from cold though. No, the air was warm tonight. The chill came from the creepy stares of another creature. He lifts his muzzle to try to scent something, but the wind is blowing in the wrong direction. Slowly he turns to face whatever is watching him. Nothing there. He frowns and looks harder, confused. The strange feeling shifted and disappeared, only to come again from another angle. It kept going like this, staring, disappearing, until it felt like more creatures were coming. The tom felt like the world was spinning as he twisted and turned to find the animal creeping him out.
"WHO'S THERE?" he yowls, but gets no reply. he felt surrounded, boxed in, cornered. He couldn't stand it anymore, he had to get out! Fear threatened to overwhelm him, and in blind panic he raced out of the clearing into the bushes. The creatures reacted immediately, lunging at him, grabbing him. The cat wailed and sharp teeth sunk into him.
Hungrily they teared at the poor thing, ripping and snarling at each other. and then as fast as they had come, they were gone. All that was left was a few scraps of fur, black mixed with their own. Blood pooled where they had eaten.A nother dreadful wail sounded as they attacked the russet she-cat too, leaving a very similar scene.
Their eyes shone with bloodthirst, and their pelts were thick. Their tails waved as they sent silent signals to each other, until the biggest male lead them deeper into the forest. Their growling and snarling was almost illegible, the only thing the world around them understood was what they chanted as they ran.
As I run through the woods,
A bright autumn night.
I come to ask myself.
I have eyes that shine like stars,
A heart of gold,
And a smile so sweet.
YOU WISH
I am loved,
I am hated.
I am known,
I am mythical.
But most of all,
I am misunderstood.
YOU WISH
As I run through the woods,
A bright autumn night.
I come to ask myself.
What am I?
Soon the mood changed. The growling and snarling changed into barks and yipps, before they went silent. The bouncing a tumbling was replaced by graceful strides. But the scent of blood and death remained. Their eyes were still hostile, their teeth still stained. But for them, everything was perfect. The only thing missing now was another victim.
___________________________________________________________________________
The group halted as their leader raised his tail and gave a quick bark. They scattered and found dens for the night, ready to run again at dawn. A few hours of sleep was all they needed before they could kill again. Spirits were high, they were closing in on the Meadow. Deer was at the Meadow. Deer and Moose.
The leader snarled for one of his members. A big brown one with strong shoulders and a scar across one flank walked out from the trees with his head bowed and gaze lowered in respect.
"Far now?" the leader growled. The brown one shook his big head.
"No, not now. Be soon at Meadow." he barked. The leader paced.
"Good season, yes?" he asked, staring ahead.The member nodded.
"Good, very good. Deer be there, Moose too. Maybe Caribou, not sure how far North." he answered.
The leader snapped his head around.
"Find out!" he snarled and tunred away, settling down in his own den for some rest.
The brown one yipped and ran, disappearing into the shadows. The leader watched him go, then rested his head on his paws.
___________________________________________________________________________
At the first sight of dawn the group of creatures were up. Their leader was standing on a large boulder, adressing them all.
"Soon there. Meadow close now. Food, lot's of food! And you all know who braught you there." he barked. The pack responded with a chorus of yipping and yapping.
"Leader Vargos! Leader Vargos! Master of All!"
Vargos gazed down at his pack. He could sense the hunger radiating from all of them. He smiles. They were strong, they could kill. and they wouldn't say no to any free meal on the way....
