Shadow Beast

II. Breach

The beast paces down the dirt roads lined with quaint, flimsy wooden houses. It sniffs the air with its long snout and pads along in pursuit of a single scent. Its pointed ears flick back and forth to listen to the uneven breaths of the townspeople tossing around in their sleep. The creature senses several restless beings, but only one sprinting heart catches its attention.

Bretta jumps at every small noise in the night, never falling into a deep sleep, for something always woke her up. She hears a scraping sound next to her bed, like the sound of a dog's nails on the wood plank floor, and tells herself it is only the branches of the tiny birch scratching against the walls of the house.

The beast fills almost the whole space of the single-roomed house as it looks first at the empty bed, and then at the bowed bed occupied by two shadowed figures. It looks over the two humans, inhaling the sweet scent of the sleeping beings.

Bretta feels an iciness wash over the room. The floor moans under added pressure and the girl stiffens, not daring to even open her eyes.

The beast stares down at the figures. It knows that one sleeps and one does not. It leans over and takes a close whiff of the far one pressed against the wall.

A hot breath touches Bretta's skin and she can hardly bear to keep her eyes closed. She silently hopes that it is only her imagination, but also that her mother stays still, all the same. A small whimper escapes her lips as the breaths move closer.

The beast pulls back suddenly, and turns away. It dashes out of the house.

Bretta opens her eyes when the breaths all but vanish. She sees a ginormous creature covered in black fur exit the house in a rush. She burrows her face deep in her mother's shoulder and presses her small body against that of her mother. Her breath hitches.

The sun filters through the single window in the tiny home, waking Bretta after a long and sleepless night.

"Did you feel it, Mama?" the girl asks.

The mother pulls the teapot off the hook in the fireplace and fixes two bowls of porridge. "Feel what, my darling?"

"The creature's presence." Bretta can't force her voice to be louder than a whisper. "It came into our house last night."

The mother fixes a stern look on her daughter. "Do not say such things and cause a panic where there is none."

"But there is, Mam, I felt it!"

"It was just a dream," the mother assures her daughter.

"I heard it. I felt its breath. It wasn't a dream, Mama."

"The creature could not have gotten through the wall. You were dreaming."

"What if it did? What if I wasn't dreaming?"

"Enough. If any of the other children hear you, I'll be getting an earful from their mothers." She sets one of the steaming bowls in front of her daughter.

Bretta does not press the subject any longer, but still it fills her mind.

The beast crawls out from under the remains of a ruined house and searches again for the scent.

The mother steals away the empty bowl and nods towards the door. "Go play, now. And I don't want you telling stories of how the creature came to your house in the night, you hear?"

"Yes, Mama. I won't, I promise."

It watches the tiny girl wander through a patch of mud. She plops onto the ground and begins drawing with a stick. The beast moves toward her, every step propelling it closer to the sweet-smelling child's back. It can see that the girl creates a simple depiction of a creature with the tail and ears of a wolf, the legs of a panther with long, sharp claws, and the body and muzzle of a great bear with large fangs dripping what is assumed to be blood. The beast looks on in interest as a bed with two figures is added to the picture, a small addition compared to the giant creature beside it. The child then stands and moves on to a new space of smooth mud.

The hairs on the back of Bretta's neck stand on end as she continues doodling, not taking her eyes off the picture she just drew. A chill washes through her veins and she drops the stick. Hot breath hits her back and the sound of an animal panting fills her ears. She turns.

The beast slips behind the nearest structure and waits once more in the ruins of an old house.

Bretta closes her eyes and breathes a sigh of relief to be met with nothing except a lonely home and empty street. Still, she runs back to the house, much to her mother's disdain.

"Are you hurt?" the mother asks. A head shake in response leads to her continuation. "Did it begin storming?" Again, the young girl uses her head to say no. "Then why are you home so early?"

"I got scared," Bretta replies truthfully. "I felt the creature's presence again."

The mother looks closely at her daughter. "Come here." She wraps her daughter in a warm embrace and kisses the top of her head. "Don't let your fears get the better of you. If the creature was close enough to sense twice, then it would seem that it has no intention of taking you away."

Bretta shrugs. "I guess you're right, Mama."

"I still don't believe it got through the wall."

A chorus of shouts fill the village, interrupting Bretta's and her mother's hug. They step out of their home in confusion and walk down to where a group is gathered in the center of the village.

"What is the meaning of this?" the mother demands of the nearest citizen.

The haggard old man shakes his head. "I don't know for sure, but I've been hearing that the wall has been broken through."

Bretta's stomach clenches.

"People, calm down! If you are so curious as to the commotion, take a moment to be quiet and listen!" a man thunders from a platform in the middle of the crowd. A hush falls over the area. "Now, it has come to my attention that the barrier has been breached by something big. An old wooden door that had been thoroughly concealed was found splintered, leaving an opening to the outside. We encourage that you all remain calm as we search the village to see if the thing is still around."

"What about the children?" someone exclaims.

"Or the livestock?"

A horde of questions mingle together until it sounds like nothing more than a loud buzz to the beast. It stays hiding as men break into hunting parties while women and children lock themselves inside their useless, rickety houses. The crunching of gravel underfoot alerts the beast to a passing party. It resists the urge to pick one off, knowing it will only draw unwanted attention.

"We have searched far and wide, and,
I assure you, there is no creature in our village. The wall has been sealed once again, and we are safer than before," the same man addresses the reassembled crowd.

A feeling in the pit of her stomach leaves Bretta feeling unsure about the man's confidence.