Sheep to be Slaughtered

Prologue

         They were coming. He could hear them. The throaty howls of the creatures he had been taught to fear were coming closer, shrouded in darkness. The light the torches provided flickered, casting an unnerving glow upon the man bound to the tree. He could see his every exhale in the air, the cold having settled in for the night. The weather certainly hadn't worked out in his favor for his hands were nearly numb from the cold. He grappled with his restraints, working to get the blade of his knife through them. Yet his fingers were growing stiff and more difficult to move.

         Another howl made him pause in his attempt at escape. It was close. Had it spotted him? Had it spotted the torches that spotlighted his position, exposing him to the danger of the woods that surrounded him? Perhaps it was the adrenaline or the fear that spurred him back into action, but he began working faster. He was through one of the ropes now, there were only a couple more to cut.

         Then a pair of yellow-orange eyes appeared through the trees. His blood ran cold. He was quickly running out of time. He couldn't let himself get himself distracted or let his fear paralyze him. He had to live. He had to go back... He would not die like this. He was so close... just a little more time...

           A massive paw, covered in black fur stepped into the light. Another paw followed... the claws looked like daggers... long and curling in on themselves. Then the growling face of the creature came into view... the elongated skull of the creature was exposed, bits of its flesh and muscles stretched over the bone but were clearly rotting away. The teeth flashed from the glow of the torches; fire danced in the animal's piercing eyes. It came further into view... he could see it fully now... the deformed arc of its spine... the bony sides... the scars that crisscrossed over its entire body and the fangs...

         The man glanced at the scattered bones at the trees beside him; all that remained of the victim that had come before him. Those fangs were likely the last thing the poor soul had seen before they were ripped apart... the same fate that would befall him in moments if he did not get himself free.

         He could hear the creature's teeth clacking together... the sound that he had been told was the sound all their prey heard... it was excited, ready to devour... He was out of time. The creature lunged, a dark blur of fur and teeth aiming straight for his throat. His hands were free. He rolled out of the way as its mouth closed around the tree, teeth sinking into the rough bark that had only just been digging into the man's skin.

          He acted quickly, making a mad dash for one of the nearby trees. He snatched the torch from its holder and raised it towards the angry creature that was wrenching its mouth from the tree, its body squirming wildly as it tried to free itself... those teeth had hooked deep... he cringed; the thought of those teeth piercing through his skin was terrifying. With a grunt, the raging animal freed itself, bark came flying off the tree and dropped to the ground. He clenched the knife and torch tightly in his hands. The others hadn't come yet. If he could get away from this one... he had a chance. He may yet survive this.

         The creature lunged.

         He braced himself.