Those Who Suffer, Those Who Survive

Demon versus Wolf

Noctis was enveloped in a mist of impenetrable dark. With the sun dying out outside, the cave slanting downwards from its entry was devoid of light. But he walked on with ease and caution. His amber eye seemed to glow in the dark as it guided him through the rocky interiors of the cave.

It was bigger than it appeared from the outside, going a good few feet below ground level. "It's a burrow" Noctis thinks,"The Wolf's burrow."

The half-demon puts his heightened sense of smell to use. The scent in the cavern had risen to that of a stench. The walls of the cave were damp with melting ice. And that moist air only magnified the putrid smell, which seemed to resemble that of tomatoes; a sack full of tomaotes slowly rotting away. There was the stench of the wolf,and a scent indicating a human presence.

Thankfully, there was no hint of blood in the air.... At least not yet.

The cavern was eerily silent, save the sound of water lazily dripping down the walls and landing in some shallow pool in a dull rhythm.

Noctis had reached the far end of the cave. Just a few steps more and the narrow cavern would take a sharp turn left. Just a few steps more and he would find the creature.

Few steps and-

Noctis hears a sound. Which was almost musical. Faint, dull. And wet.
At the turn, he stood, as if petrified for the moment. Before his eyes there was black. Only black and nothing else. But Noctis soon deciphered that blackness to not be mere shadows, it was living and very much breathing.

The great black beast's muscular back was turned to Noctis as it lay hunched over something. It was so still, so silent that Noct almost mistook it to be imbedded into the rocky wall. But then he saw its ears perk up and turn in his direction, finally sensing the presence which had dragged the Wolf out of its feast.

"Get away from the boy" Noctis heard himself say in a voice which echoed in the hollow space. His voice, too calm given the situation,was the sound of a crypt door swinging mindlessly on hinges clogged with black earth.

The wolf jerked up as if fully understanding the intruder's words. It stood up, on its hind legs, like a man.

At full height, it proved Noct's theory right and stood at nearly seven feet.
As it turned to face him in one fluid motion, Noctis was left staring at a face the darkest shade of black- almost blended into the shadow save the sinister and fiercely glowing dots of beastly eyes.

It snarled, a low growl as if to warn the rude intruder who had interrupted its meal. The Wolf's nostrils flared as it released warm, heavy breaths which came out like fog. Its body, covered in coarse black fur, was slender. From below the ribs, its stomach dipped into a smooth toned curve.

Almost..feminine. But the muscular arms resembling a human's- sharp with dagger like claws told otherwise. It was an agile,  powerful creature. Ruthless and lethal. And those eyes, that studied Noctis with a human's intelligence told the same to him.

The beast staggered towards the Knight on its two feet, in slow and casual steps as if to intimidate the human who had come to meet his end. It was taller than Noctis, but it walked with a hunched back which brought its eyes to the same level as Noct's mismatched ones.

Between its long limbs, Noct caught sight of the boy. The eight year old was passed out on the cold floor, brandishing  claw marks on his left arm. Seems the wolf had only just began tearing up the meal, much to Noct's relief. For the first time in a long while he found himself desperately praying. Praying to whoever was listening as ardently as he could  for the kid to be alive.

The Wolf, realizing the Knight's true intentions by then, stood like a wall between him and the child. It snarled in rage, revealing jagged, yellow teeth which promised a world of pain. Not allowing the Knight a second more, the beast pounced at him.