Night Howlers and Blood Suckers

Een (1)

The smell of moss was thick in the cold air tonight, as he walked about the woods, eyes lurking and ears hunting for his prey.

Usually, Taehyung would've found and devoured his prey by now, but this was new territory.

He'd moved into his new apartment just a few weeks ago and the forest at the edge of his new town was still something he had to get used to. Back in his previous home, the woods were home to large bisons that thankfully travelled solo. It would be a lie to say it was easy to take one down but, the meal it provided would satisfy his thirst for a whole week.

He'd sit atop the dead animal, once he'd killed it, then use his old dagger to remove as much fur as he could from its neck. His fangs would then sink gums deep into the now exposed flesh of the animal's throat. He'd sit there for hours in the dark of the wood, draining every last drop of blood from the lifeless creature. And his thirst would be satisfied for the week.

But, in this forest, the biggest animal he could find was a stag and even those were rather rare. So, he had to settle for critters like chipmunks and squirrels. Which barely satisfied him for one night. And so, Taehyung had found himself hunting in this unfamiliar forest every night for the past few weeks.

He'd been roaming about the forest for about thirty minutes now and there was still no sign of a potential meal. Until, he heard something.

Something running against the soft damp ground and through the tall wet grass. It sounded large. But, it also sounded fast.

But, it sounded like more than four hooves were sprinting against the forest floor.

He crouched down, tilting his head so one ear faced the ground for him to listen closer. There were definitely another set of legs running with the supposed deer. Two deer? But, the movement of the other creature's feet didn't sound like hooves against the wet dirt. They sounded softer. Rougher. Faster.

Another vamp, perhaps? If so, then Taehyung should be running in the opposite direction to escape such. Hunting vampires were possessive and savage when their thirst came out to play. They'd even attack another vampire. Heck, Taehyung himself had once attacked his elder brother when he came too close to his prey.

But, his feet wouldn't move him away. Curiosity had him hooked. Besides, whatever feet ran with the deer's didn't sound like two shoes.

Taehyung now moved gently on all fours as he approached the sound. It grew louder after only a few steps and before he knew it, a deer ran right past him, its firm hoof stepping on his knuckles.

He hissed, drawing back and holding his aching hand when a short dark shadow dashed past him and after the deer. Definitely not a vamp.

The shadow chased the deer up a hill and, to the creature's advantage, the deer skidded along the slippery moss, allowing the shadow to pounce onto it. Rows of gleaming sharp teeth bared from a long mouth before disappearing into the skin of the deer's neck. Razor claws dug into the shoulders of the dying animal as the other creature swung its head about, tearing the deer's flesh.

Within moments, the deer dropped to its knees and Taehyung could see the life leave the innocent animal's eyes.

The creature released the deer's neck when it felt the animal still and heavy. Large teeth marks splattered in crimson decorated the ripped flesh of the bite it left. The shadow licked the bloody wound and Taehyung saw it shiver when it swallowed.

His own mouth salivated at the sight of blood, considering his thirst still needed to be quenched. And, by now, he was starving.

He was tempted to kill the shadow creature and devour the both of them. That amount of blood would satisfy his thirst for a bit more than a week. The thought had him baring his fangs, his body already on board with the idea.

There was a strong cold wind that shook the trees and ruffled his hair. It made the clouds shift in the night sky to reveal a glowing half moon. The natural light shun down and illuminated the shadow, revealing its features.

Thick black fur, a midlength snout, a long furry tail and a short strong body. Four legs, paws and not feet...

A growl emitted from his own throat when he realised that it was far too big to be an everyday hound. Of all the creatures in the woods, he had to come across a fucken werewolf.

Now, he really wanted to kill it. His whole life he'd learnt from his family about werewolves. And he hated them with his entire being. However, he'd heard many rumours that werewolf blood was the best one would ever drink.

But, werewolves were far more vicious than regular wolves since they had the intelligence of a human to aid their attack strategies. There have been instances where vampires have won against them. However, it took more than one vamp to take down one wolf.

The wolf looked down at him, its small golden eyes glowing against its dark fur. By now, it should've made a move. It should've growled or leapt or done something threatening.

But, it didn't.

It remained on top of its deceased prey, calmy gazing at Taehyung's eyes, his irises probably glowing red from hunger and rage. Its head tilted, looking more like an innocent dog than a killer beast. It stepped down from the deer, never breaking eye contact. Using its strong snout, it pushed the deer off the hill.

The dead animal slid down the short slope and stopped at Taehyung's feet. His mind didn't register anything before he found his fangs deep in the bite wound of the deer's neck, the body atop his lap. Its still warm blood flowed down his throat and he couldn't help but groan in satisfaction. When probably half of the animal's fluids were in his stomach, he left its neck and slowly looked up.

The wolf was laying down, its front legs crossed with its head resting on top. It was still staring at him, observing the way he ravished the prey he hadn't even caught himself. It didn't seem upset or threatening. It appeared calm and curious.

Taehyung started to wonder if it really was a werewolf or if it was just a rather large regular wolf. But, even those wouldn't be behaving like this. And gold wasn't a common eye colour among any animal.

Any normal werewolf wouldn't even let him live let alone give its prey to him without anything in return. What game are you playing?

He looked around, wondering if maybe the rest of its pack was about to ambush him. But, there was silence. Nothing but the rustling of leaves and the chirping of crickets filled his ears. No stalking paws. No growls. No other furry beasts.

He locked gazes with the wolf once again, his enhanced vision observing the golden irises he stared into. Dilated pupils surrounded by glowing lines that lightened as they neared the edges of the iris. Bright yellow and gold crypts gave its eyes an almost magical look. The shining colours contrasted with its seemingly soft black fur, making its small eyes a rather beautiful feature.

He'd never actually looked a werewolf in the eye so intensely. At least not while they were in their animal form. Their eyes were such a gorgeous gold that he actually felt a bit jealous that his weren't as spectacular. Just red and threatening. Just bloodied orbs.

The scent of the deer's blood brought him out of the trance he'd unknowingly put himself in. He went back to drinking from its neck, still looking up at the wolf.

The wolf was so calm, it was terrifying. What was it thinking as it watched him drink? Did it want something from him? Should he go ahead and kill it while it's calm?

Eventually, he found that he'd sucked the deer dry and it was now a sack of skin, bones and withered organs that he held in his lap.

He pushed the bloodless corpse off and stood up, the wolf standing with him. Had it just let him drink so it could have a fair fight with him?

They locked gazes once again and he saw the wolf give a very slight nod. Then it turned and walked away, leaving him alone and still alive. Unharmed. Untouched. And very confused.

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aNd SO iT hAs BEgUn ✨