The Demons Inside

Last Day of Peace

Bandit sat down in a shaded part of the clearing, keeping his distance from the alpha. He despised the alpha. Obsidian was cocky, self-centered, and cruel. He forced others to bow down at his presence like he was so great. Bandit scowled and looked up at the stars. They were sparkling, shining bright as ever. He gave a slight smile as they twinkled. A shooting star streaked across the night sky. Bandit perked his ears and thought of a wish off the top of his mind. I wish that someone else would become our alpha, he thought as he watched it fade from view. What am I doing? It's not like wishing upon a star will make that happen.

"Aren't you tired?" came a voice from behind him that made him jump. He whipped his head around quickly, his eyes narrowed at the wolf behind him. He realised that it was Midnight and she padded to his side. Bandit relaxed after a moment and thought about her question.

"Not really," he responded, shifting his weight. He kept his eyes fixed on the sparkling stars. Midnight looked up and her eyes drifted over them, saying, "They're quite beautiful tonight, aren't they?" Bandit gave a quick nod. He glanced at her. She looked back at him, smiling.

"Well, I'm going to go to bed. You should do the same," she said to him, standing up and padding back to her den made out of branches. Bandit watched her go, sleepiness tugging at his eyelids. He shook out his fur and blinked, trying to wake himself.

Suddenly, a howl rang across the clearing. Bandit stood up quickly, his eyes darting around the camp. No one stirred, as if they hadn't even heard the howl. Bandit narrowed his eyes and he crept forward, alert. A bird shot from a tree, making a loud rustling noise. Bandit leaped away, shocked by the sudden movement. It was just a bird, you idiot, he thought to himself,  cursing under his breath.

Bandit continued through the undergrowth towards the sound of the howl. He slithered between the bushes and soon picked up a scent of a wolf. He recognized it immediately. Obsidian had been this way. Bandit growled and quickened his pace. Who knows what that sick monster had been doing out here in the middle of the night.

"You will take care of that disgrace of a wolf, you here me?" Obsidian snarled at a wolf cowering in front of him, "You will, or I'll deal another blow!" The wolf yelped in agreement. Obsidian barked in frustration. "Get out of my sight!" he howled and the wolf scrambled beneath the bushes, quick to get away from the outraged Obsidian. Bandit squinted his eyes in confusion, a rush of questions running through his mind. Who was the disgrace? Who was that wolf? What is Obsidian up to?

"Is someone there?" Obsidian abruptly barked, snapping Bandit from his thoughts. Bandit looked down, his eyes widening at a stick cracked beneath his paws. You freaking idiot, he scolded himself once more, can you do anything right for once, you clumsy rabbit? Bandit held his breath and backed away carefully. Obsidian peered through the darkness, trying to locate anyone who had been eavesdropping. Bandit felt cold fear shoot through him. Obsidian could kill him in one vicious snap and be done with him.

"I can scent you. I know you're there," Obsidian growled. Bandit backed away more quickly, frantically trying to get away. He backed up against a tree. Obsidian pushed past the brambles that had been separating him from Bandit with one quick shove. He spotted Bandit immediately.

"How much did you hear?" he howled. Bandit whimpered and pushed up against the tree. "How. Much. Did. You. Hear?" Obsidian asked again. Bandit shook the fear from his fur. "Everything," he snarled. Obsidian roared in fury and leaped at him. The last thing Bandit could remember was pain striking his throat and hearing his own blood spatter on the trunk. He heard an attempt of a howl bubble from his lungs as the blood spilled out of his neck. This was the end. He knew it.