The Wolf and The Rose

The Hunger

 His bounds were filled with the fervor, eager to search each and every nook and cranny of this new world. He wanted to know how the air moved so swiftly and sweetly, what the places every creature big or small found pleasure and peace. Knowing he couldn't find answers aimlessly frolicking in this new world, he made his way for the shimmering pit in the distance. He was unfamiliar with the moist feeling carried on the wind, but continued being pulled to it by the gravity of his growing thirst. Even with this kind of focus, he immediately felt that intruder's presence. It was no surprise his old instincts overtook him when it entered his blind spot. He jumped a fair distance to his side but kept his pace. 

 Large, at least 3 sizes greater than The Wolf, this creature bore branches on his skull, but these limbs were barren of life. Their fine points betrayed it as one that had seen plenty of battles. Without locking eyes, they entered a competition, each one's breath resounding like cannon fire. Being smaller and leaner, The Wolf had the clear advantage, but he was still stuck beside it for reasons he couldn't explain. Instinctively, he bared his fangs studying every portion of his rival. He was overcome with a feeling tucked deep inside of him,one that had never made itself known before. His opponent still seemed unaware of his starved gaze. How easy it would be...He imagined what the sensation would be like in his teeth. 

This beast he had not yet known, but felt should fall before him. The more the thought burrowed itself into his mind, the heavier his legs began to feel. Realizing he was falling behind he altered his stance,prepared to become the victor and receive his spoils directly. Surprisingly, his opponent seemed to give up, standing still and more annoyingly, not in his grasp yet. Unlatching his eyes, The Wolf noticed the tough ground below him was now luminous and moved with little effort. He fell, meeting the ripples in the surface of a lake. Carrying the weight of his wet fur and his shame, he paddled his way to the opposing coastline.

 This new feeling, this Hunger, in its obstinacy, brought his eyes back across the waters where his victorious rival stood. Without warning this stranger, Hunger, took residence in his body, and adjusted The Wolf's will to its liking. He had survived so long without its consideration; he began to question what nourished him before. 

As he swam, he could feel he wasn't alone in the water. With every stroke, slick and slimy pass they brushed against him. He could only see their shadows on the surface, scattering through the waves but that was enough to launch a counter attack. He nipped at the water, trying his best to ward off these pursuers, but they were much too quick, having the field advantage. He immediately whipped the water off of him upon exiting to the shore, defeated.    

 Inspecting his body, he was relieved to find no new scars from this battle, then confused as to what just happened. There was much about this new world he had yet to learn and his eagerness was turning into impatience. He stared intently into the water, plotting his vengeance. He first attempted small strikes with his paw, unable to land any blow. He then tried a direct approach, gnawing in the lake only to have water flare up his nostrils. After this attempt however, he was surprised to find one of the slithering beast at his feet, now able to see it clearly for the pathetic, suffocating flesh pile it was. He looked to his right surprised but not shaken by what he saw.

This one seemed large enough to block out the sun, little more than a ball of blackness with beady eyes that managed to be of a darker shade. As soon as it noticed his glance, it turned focusing on the water. The Wolf ignored the easy meal in front of him, eyes glazed over with this new creature, its statuesque stance despite its absurd frame as it scoured the water. The explosion was building up silently as it tread a path around the water. 

In an instant, its massive clawed hand ripped the water apart, the geyser slapping its enormous head on its way back down. The water converged, now with a slight red tint. Some more of the little warriors flopped helplessly on the damp ground only some managing to find their way back home. One unfortunate victim had already been half devoured, its lower half sticking out the beast's mouth. The Wolf and this creature exchanged only a second's worth of a glance, but the message was clear. Its job complete, the creature walked away seeming to burn into ash on the face of the horizon as it vanished. 

 The Wolf kept a paw on his consolation prize, not eager to accept it, but also not willing to let it go. His thoughts silenced the growls of his stomach. He was forced to an unfamiliar pause when he realized his first thought upon receiving the gift, was not of gratitude but of frustration, then of a grudge. That stance that demanded him to kneel in humbleness, that face that told him "Take your time, this is how things are done here". He wouldn't let it happen to him. The moment he stopped fearing the light that inundated him with this vision, the light that showed him that desolate land no longer existed, he was assured this was a world of his design. 

The moment that weight left him, and his unburdened soul could now raise its head and feel the wind across its face, he knew he needed no guide. How much could this beast possibly have burdened, its body swelling with the fat of leisure? Had it just been a belittling gaze meant to throw The Wolf off guard, it would be nothing to compare with his past foe. Had it merely been an act of bashful kindness, The Wolf would have moved on. But this event was burned deeper into his mind than any of the lights that once graced his gaze. The look he received and the actions it took, this beast had the audacity to try and educate him in this world of his, to show him how his own realm worked. This was unforgivable, and the anger, unquenchable. 

He hadn't realized, in his rising aggression, the prey under his paw had now become a mushy pile of tiny guts soaking the ground. The Wolf glared at it,eyes bloodshot. As more flesh oozed from under his foot, his disgust grew from its meekness. He kicked it away, launching it into the lake. To his surprise,its brethren did not disperse with the fear of death that just entered its territory, or idly stand by in ignorant confusion as to what fate befell it. Rather, without hesitation they gathered over their fallen comrade, circling it with the strength of a cyclone. Forming a demon in the water. The red that had first leaked from the poor martyr's corpse became indistinguishable from the frenzy. The savagery of feeding on the fallen one was enough to sober The Wolf, but it was their sudden blindness to friend and foe that finally planted the revelation in his mind. 

Blindness... He took a step further, feeling sicker with the gooey residue still under his foot. He noticed a familiar face in the water. Those fierce features that seemed unaffected by the rippling waves, small sharp and sculpted for violence. That narrow jaw, built for precision and power, ready to tear apart any who came near. Those piercing yellow eyes fierce enough to pierce even the darkest night. He faced not himself, but that beast of gluttony hidden deep within his flesh, finally manifesting through that rapacious glare. He took a step further wanting to see the creature in its complete form. But to his surprise there were no scars or scabs covering bald patches of dying skin. What he found terrified him even more with how clear it painted the picture.

 In those old wounds, now nested thorns,protruding from his flesh. This world of his creation, this world made for his freedom. It was a hunting ground. Food and shelter surely in any world was necessary, but here he learned from escaping his war what it would mean to continue to pursue his purpose. Every opportunity that presented itself, he would have to take it, and his antagonists, a cast of unremarkable characters,were mere stepping stones meant to fall with so much as a gesture from him.      

As the water whipped around, drawing everyone into its faceless center, he felt memories try to resurface. But it was unnecessary. His history was playing before him, in a single moment it became clearer than ever, he was not like them. He could not be like them. He had tried to accept the light they saw, to find the happiness they found, all without the weight of The Storm. But it was there, in front of him and inside of him. 

This was his world, where he reigned atop a throne with no heir and no power. Truly he trusted no one, and served no one, but that one purpose. What were once scars, were now weapons left to justify him and this purpose. He had survived. Yes... Survived a war no one knew, a warrior no one remembered. The Wolf, proud and without peer, sought the comfort of the shadows. His hunger pangs were an echo and now the only remnant of his presence in this world.