A Dark Night

The fur around my mouth dripped with blood that had sprayed from the neck of the elk beneath me. My clawed hands pressing against its limp body i held down in the snow to deliver the final bite to its jugular, to prevent further thrashing. I drag my sizable fangs from the flesh of the carcass and stand to my feet. Its blood painted the surrounding snow a dull pink. The forest now lay silent, ever silent after a hunt, as if every forest creature takes a moment to absorb the moment and caress their families at the relief that they are not the ones laying lifeless before me. I inhale the cold night air, face turned to the heavens, a cloud of mist as I exhale.

The elk is no easy traveling partner the weight makes my journey that much more grueling but the meat will last quite some time,essential for the coming season. A mile does not feel like much when I know the effort will be well worth it. I come upon a larger wooden door pressed into the opening of a cliff at the edge of the forest. I drop the elk and push through the door. The warmth of a fire kisses my forehead as I lean in.

"Kay, you're back." The soft tone of my mate graces my ears and the fire is not the only thing bringing me warmth.

Along with small barks from my young children. Still unable to speak at their ages but as rambunctious as ever as the race around my feet. I kneel and with a single claw gently give the each a scratch behind their ears. My wife let's out a low groan, snatching my attention away from the pups and to her side.

"How is it?" I asked as she held a makeshift patch i had made from, dead leaves, to her gut. Her blood had soaked into the cotton of our bed.

"I think the bleeding is slowing, but the fire seems to be getting low."

Without hesitation I rush out the door. I go to the closest oak and with claw and strength I rip off plenty of bark for the fire, but I PAUSE.

Turning my nose to the sky I sniff frantically, I catch a scent. The golden glow of my of eyes narrow as they dilate. Anger ignites in my stomach gripping the bark I race back to my home and throw the door open.

"Whats wrong?" She sees the fury in my face, teeth clenched so tight together that any tighter they would surely shatter.

"He's back!" I shout as i launch the bark into the fire igniting it.

"Wait," is all I heard as i launched back out the door, now on all fours like the beast they see me as. I gallop into the foreesst in the direction of his scent. I spot light in the woods as his scent grew. I leapt against the closest tree and climbed. Leaping from, tree to tree I neared the light.

"I wounded the creature I'm sure the monster ran in this direction!" A tall bearded man the size of a bear stood in front of a group of 3 more men wielding an ax and all of them carrying torches. "It couldn't have gotten too far, while the others search that way we'll go this way pointing his ax in the opposite direction of my home.

As i knelt in the tree above them watching i exhaled in relief as they begun in the wrong direction. Snow fall peppering my fur.

"The beast was a coward, fleeing at the sight of me! I kill it yet and mount it's head above my fire." The crew began to roar with laughter shattering the silence of the forest.

Their laughter at wife's pain sent me into a fury, nothing could restrain my rage as I leapt from the tree, crashing into the snow behind the men. A sudden burst of snow obscured their view as my claw torn into the first man, sending his innards scattering across the snow in front of them. One of the men. Seeing this breaks off from the group fleeing into the woods. Another leaps at me torch in hand and I catch him by the neck lifting him off the ground. His torch illuminates my face, teeth bare. Crushing his neck I toss him aside. Leaving me and the man who harmed my mate. He remained stoic as I towereds over him, ax in his hand.

"Not going to run now?"

I clench my teeth and growl at his over confident words. He swings his ax. Effortlessly i catch his arm a sever it at the shoulder in the same moment. He let's out a gutteral scream in agony as he drops to the ground. The blood spray coated the snow.

"Finish it, you monster!"

In this moment the rage was gone, all that was left was pity at his helplessness.

"You're not the same beast," he spoke weak and coughs. "No wound, so there's more? No matter you'll all die!" With his last scream of defiance he falls over dead.

His words sent a chill down, my spine. Just then the scent of smoke hit my nose. A fire since when. Dread hit me like a ton of bricks as I remembered the man's words about a second party and I broke into a full sprint home. Kicking up snow and dodging trees. I arrived to a blaze shooting out of my home. My wife lay outside in the snow. I approach, shaking. Her back, pierced multiple times. As I examine closer our children lay beneath her lifeless as if she was trying to protect them. I stood there alone. No perpetrators, no one. I let out the deepest howl in sorrow. But you sorrow quickly made way for rage.

Humans had did this. Not a singular one. They all did. And they all must face judgment.