VHope Fluffshots

Beautiful Creature

Heavy breath, pounding feet, rustling leaves. Panic, fear, sadness. Racing head and heart, rumbling hunger, aching muscles. Racing through the trees, one objective on the mind; run. Run from those who harm him. Run from those who don't understand. Run from those who want him dead. Run and run and run and never go back.

His family is gone. They told him to run while they distracted the angry mob of villagers outside their door. Their lives were taken in place of his, to protect him, and the only way he can ever repay them is to run and survive. If he dies now, their deaths will be in vain. So within the hour, he has made it fifty miles just by running, and he shows no sign of stopping now.

Tears sting his eyes as he notices the sun rising off to the east. It's dangerous for him to be out with the daylight; like demons are poisoned by Heaven, he is poisoned by the daylight and all its purity. But he continues to run in the dense forest, using the large foliage as protection as much as he possibly can.  He speeds up when he sees the faint outline of a village; the inhabitants would definitely be asleep still and he could steal something to sustain his hunger.

A shadow darts into the butcher's shop - no sound is made as he enters. He dashes soundlessly to the giant vat of pig's blood behind the counter and indulges in it greedily. And he's messy, so messy as he feeds from it like it's his lifeline; eyes starved red slowly returning to a satisfied brown the longer he feeds. He feels himself getting stronger as he feeds, his senses sharpen and his mind clears. He feels better when he finishes, but he doesn't realize the messiness; blood covers his large white button-down. From his chin and throat all the way down his shirt to his black pants is soaked in blood and he decides that, the next village he comes across, will be convinced by his story.

And by the time the villagers awaken, he is long gone in the dark forest.

"Jung Hoseok, you know it's dangerous to go out into the forest! Get back here!" Mrs Jung scolds her youngest child as she calls him back into the house where it's safe. It was more of a shack than an actual house; the second floor was added two years before Hoseok's father went off to war and never came back. The downstairs had two bedrooms other than the main room and the kitchen, as well as a furnace to keep them warm. It was the disgrace of the village and the reason the young man doesn't have any friends, but he doesn't care. He was raised to be respectful and grateful, plus he was always daydreaming anyways.

He bows his head and nods as he steps back into the house. "Yes, Mama. I'm sorry," he sighs and Mrs Jung pats his fluffy black hair affectionately. "It's okay, my dear. I just don't want you to get taken like the neighbors' pigs," she explains softly. Hoseok knows about the tale of the beast in the woods that feeds on the blood of farm animals. The beast has lived there for almost seventy-five years, only coming out to feed at night. A long time ago, Hoseok's favorite hen was taken by the beast and he cried over her for two days.

Some people say the beast is just another predator, like a wolf or something. Others say the beast is a demon sent from Hell to devour young children, substituting them for livestock instead as a warning. But Hoseok thinks there could be something more to the beast than what the others might think. To the young boy, the beast is neither demon nor animal, but certainly not an angel.

The next day, he sits deep in the woods by the creek to try to catch crayfish for his mother. The sun is starting to set, but he doesn't care. He needs to catch food for his mother and sister or they'll starve. His mother has no money and neither he nor his sister can get jobs. They're the poorest family in the entire village and Hoseok knows it. So he will do anything to help.