Werbear
I love those moments. Just after the sunset, when the only thing preventing the cold from creeping in, is the campfire in front of you. Its flames draw the shadows of the surrounding grasses on the edge of the clearing and create little images of creatures dancing. Sometimes I like to think, these are people enjoying an evening in the tavern while the bard plays a happy tune. Sometimes they jump around in joy and just forget about their problems for just those few hours. Later on, as the fire burns down, the songs become calmer, the people come together in pairs and enjoy the moment with another person. Just feeling their warm hands and the heat radiating from their faces, which are still slightly red from the ecstatic dance before.
But not this time. Today I see people shouting, fighting, killing and dying. Four humans are waiting behind the sketches on the edge of the clearing for me to settle down to sleep. One of them is scared, I smelled him hours ago. Probably around the middle of his teenage years. Maybe it's his first job. He will run away, I don't need to kill him. The other three are either experienced hunters or really stupid, to stay that calm. I should pay a little more attention to them.
Now that they start moving, I will loosen the flask I got from the last adventures. For a short moment they won't be able to see me through the bushes. Then I open it, filling the Glade with smoke and blocking their view. Now I’ll retreat a little back in the forest. They always expect me to be loud, but I never am.
The woman in front of me is still looking in the direction of the fire, as I sneak behind her. One step behind her, my legs start to extend, getting longer and bulkier, same for my arms. My whole body starts to grow hair on every inch of my skin. My snout extends, my ears become small half circles on the top of my head and I can feel the teeth starting to grow. The silence is left unbroken. I open my mouth and crack the skull of the hunter with one bite.
Three left.
I catch her with my claws to prevent any sound from her dropping to the ground and slowly put her down. The next one is a few meters left from me. I slowly and carefully approach him from the side. Just before I reach him, he notices me, but before he can make any sound, my claw pierces through the neck, and he drops to the ground with a clattering sound.
I hear the poor impression of a bird, as the third hunter checks on the others. The boy doesn't answer and the third hunter, despite not getting a reply, starts moving in my direction. I climb up the tree next to me and wait for a few seconds for her to arrive.
She checks the surrounding area before checking on her ally. I can smell salt running down her face, maybe it was also a friend of hers. I break a branch to alarm her. She immediately rolls away and has her spear ready the moment she stands up. Her eyes are fixed on my face, filled with hate. She will never give up. I jump down and she backs away for a second.
It is the moment of absolut tension, before the fight starts. The adrenaline flows through her body and her senses sharpen. This is the moment they realize they are alone. This is the moment they know that nobody can come to help them. The moment they know that their chances of survival are low. I know that they are zero.
She lunges towards me with her spear extended. I don't even try to block it and instead go for a swipe with my claw. Her spear hits me and I feel the burn of a silvered weapon in my left shoulder, but it's still just a scratch. She ducks away and manages to escape my claw. I set after her and go for another strike, this time with my other claw. Just in time, she brings her spear between her and the claw, but the impact knocks her prone. I sink my teeth into her leg and she groans in pain. I back away, while she swings her spear in my direction and rolls to the side. But before she can get up, I jump on her back, breaking a few rips. She lets out a scream filled with pain, which stops, as I pierce her heart with my claws.
In the distance, I can hear the boy running away. He won't stop, before he reaches the next village.
The fire has burned down to a glimmer. The fight on the edge of the clearing is finished. The dead get dragged away by the last people standing. It’s nonetheless never their last fight.
They don't like the way I live. It’s different, and what they don’t understand, they fear, what they fear, they hate and what they hate, they try to kill. Even though it is against all reason.
But not this time. Today I see people shouting, fighting, killing and dying. Four humans are waiting behind the sketches on the edge of the clearing for me to settle down to sleep. One of them is scared, I smelled him hours ago. Probably around the middle of his teenage years. Maybe it's his first job. He will run away, I don't need to kill him. The other three are either experienced hunters or really stupid, to stay that calm. I should pay a little more attention to them.
Now that they start moving, I will loosen the flask I got from the last adventures. For a short moment they won't be able to see me through the bushes. Then I open it, filling the Glade with smoke and blocking their view. Now I’ll retreat a little back in the forest. They always expect me to be loud, but I never am.
The woman in front of me is still looking in the direction of the fire, as I sneak behind her. One step behind her, my legs start to extend, getting longer and bulkier, same for my arms. My whole body starts to grow hair on every inch of my skin. My snout extends, my ears become small half circles on the top of my head and I can feel the teeth starting to grow. The silence is left unbroken. I open my mouth and crack the skull of the hunter with one bite.
Three left.
I catch her with my claws to prevent any sound from her dropping to the ground and slowly put her down. The next one is a few meters left from me. I slowly and carefully approach him from the side. Just before I reach him, he notices me, but before he can make any sound, my claw pierces through the neck, and he drops to the ground with a clattering sound.
I hear the poor impression of a bird, as the third hunter checks on the others. The boy doesn't answer and the third hunter, despite not getting a reply, starts moving in my direction. I climb up the tree next to me and wait for a few seconds for her to arrive.
She checks the surrounding area before checking on her ally. I can smell salt running down her face, maybe it was also a friend of hers. I break a branch to alarm her. She immediately rolls away and has her spear ready the moment she stands up. Her eyes are fixed on my face, filled with hate. She will never give up. I jump down and she backs away for a second.
It is the moment of absolut tension, before the fight starts. The adrenaline flows through her body and her senses sharpen. This is the moment they realize they are alone. This is the moment they know that nobody can come to help them. The moment they know that their chances of survival are low. I know that they are zero.
She lunges towards me with her spear extended. I don't even try to block it and instead go for a swipe with my claw. Her spear hits me and I feel the burn of a silvered weapon in my left shoulder, but it's still just a scratch. She ducks away and manages to escape my claw. I set after her and go for another strike, this time with my other claw. Just in time, she brings her spear between her and the claw, but the impact knocks her prone. I sink my teeth into her leg and she groans in pain. I back away, while she swings her spear in my direction and rolls to the side. But before she can get up, I jump on her back, breaking a few rips. She lets out a scream filled with pain, which stops, as I pierce her heart with my claws.
In the distance, I can hear the boy running away. He won't stop, before he reaches the next village.
The fire has burned down to a glimmer. The fight on the edge of the clearing is finished. The dead get dragged away by the last people standing. It’s nonetheless never their last fight.
They don't like the way I live. It’s different, and what they don’t understand, they fear, what they fear, they hate and what they hate, they try to kill. Even though it is against all reason.
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