"The Monster" by AC Darling
I wrote this story a couple of years ago. What do you think?
The clouded vision of the Monster that lurked within the shroud of darkness was caused not only by self-afflicted pain, but by the herbs that had been expertly thrown onto the burning embers of his den-fire that very evening, causing his heart to pump faster and his breath to come a bit harder. Through the shadow-scape that had become more and more his home these past months came the glare of a piercing gaze, grey-green in its quality and yet not pale or dull, but bright and vibrant in hue. The Monster moved as if his body was made from the shadows surrounding his form, languid and liquidly, moving to stretch his very form, contorts the darkness about his muscled frame, bending the light as to make sure that he, the Monster, wasn’t visible to his prey.
Claws stretched through their thick finger-sheaths, the silver-grey things clicking rapturously upon the cave floor, causing small sounds to resonate throughout the darkness. The entrance to the cave was familiar to many, but not to him. As he snaked through the shadows to the mouth of the den-cave, the black Monster found that he was, quickly and painfully, into his half-human form. The creature that he had been previously had morphed into what learned beings liked to call a werewolf, created mainly by the infusion of different strands of DNA, of human and wolves. He was a monster, thick-necked and grunting, dark-minded and evil. His coat, which was black, seemed to show to the world his darker insides.
Tak’s voice spilled unhelpfully into the Monster’s mind, words as vile and bitter as their messenger; “Rape her, kill her, break her, bleed her.” With each new set of words, the Monster’s heart beat that much faster, his breath came that much harder, and his eyes clouded that much more. His mind, which was intelligent in all its aspects, was clouded and corrupt. Tak, the snake of darkness, slithered into the Monster’s soul, brought with him havoc and corruption, hatred and lust. The Monster had never felt such emotions before. He had never even thought of touching another being in such a way. In this state, he was vulnerable, and open to attack. Tak took this opportunity to embody himself within a being that was his spitting image, in every way, except the eyes. Tak’s eyes were intense silver, bright and dull at the same time, soft and hard, bitter and sweet. Tak was a hard God to predict.
Those grey-green eyes that belonged to the Monster shifted from being half-clouded to fully milky, showing any on-looker that this creature was not to be reckoned with. The Monster slipped quietly into the dark safety of the cave; someone’s home, someone’s safe haven against such monsters as he. The sudden rush of excitement and adrenaline passed through the Monster’s dark veins, bringing the blood to his temples, to his eyes, breaking him out of that controlled state into a state of sheer frenzy. His once-careful steps were now hastened and reckless - his paw falls were loud and noisy, calling upon his prey to take notice of its predator.
One quick movement and the Monster was level with the being’s sleeping mat. The being that had been fast asleep had stirred, muted eyes seeing nothing but that darkness and the occasional gleam of a silvery-green. It didn’t know it was being hunted.
The Monster grabbed the smaller being’s dark leg with his huge hand, claws digging deep into the other’s flesh. As blood dripped down the Monster’s claws, a sudden moan of longing escaped his lips. The gasp from the other, of pain and surprise, was drowned out by the sudden noise that the Monster emitted. The mess of his mind was undeniable - he didn’t know what he was doing, in reality.
Tak was in control now.
In a frenzy, a dash to receive what his body was longing for, the Monster was careless and clumsy. Hands gripped firmly the flesh of another, tearing the limbs apart as he thrust as deep and far as he could forward into the warmth and darkness of the nether-region. His head was thrown back in defiance of her shrill shrieks, her arms and claws bashing his much larger, stronger arms in an attempt at freedom. But her attempts were ignored completely, lost in the mess of his mind as he drew a blank, only concerned with the repeated motion of in and out, in and out. Moans of desire and longing escaped his elongated snout, teeth bearing in such intervals as would be necessary if he were trying to intimidate an enemy. The small being beneath him screamed her hoarse, calling for help in the long miles that she had separated herself from humanity - or what was closest to it. She hadn’t expected such an attack on her personal space.
The Monster’s motions were rough and strange - in and out, in and out - jagged and as if mechanical, controlled by a being higher than himself, in his true form. Tak had been in charge for the last hour, but had only really taken himself into account when the Monster’s claws had dug into the female’s flesh, drawing blood and painful cries into the night air. The moon had arisen fully into its glory, and Tak was ready for this sacrifice. The dark blankness in front of the Monster’s eyes suddenly burst into flame, eyes ripping open as his release was found. The last, longing, desirous moan was let loose and the Monster lay within her for a moment longer, before his body collapsed, pinning the small female to the ground.
Within fifteen minutes, the monster was awake, breathing roughly and darkly. The being was still pinned beneath his monstrous form, barely breathing and yet still painfully alive. The clouded eyes of the Monster cleared for a moment, one only and then suddenly darkened. The creature realized what his God had made him do - what he had committed was sin, the worst sin of all. The Monster felt sorry for the being beneath him as he moved away from her, tearing his man-flesh from his prey, eyes dark with rage and defeat. He hadn’t done such a thing before; not even in his dreams. He would have to right this wrong-
The claws that had dug deep into the creature’s thighs and calves now moved to grasp, threateningly, the creature’s throat. The Monster growled suddenly, deeply, eyes darkening in that short amount of time. His decision was made. He wasn’t fully himself. One hand pinned the being to the wall while the other worked quickly and mechanically as the being’s insides were spilled onto the cave floor. The first organ to hit the floor was the thing’s uterus - no children of his would be conceived in such a way. Next came the lungs, for having air to breath while he had raped her, and her heart, which had been beating all along. He had to end her misery. The being’s eyes had been closed long before; consciousness lost as soon as those frightening claws had wrapped themselves about her neck. She hadn’t been awake for any of the blood spilling.
The Monster growled again, deeply and ferociously, still unaware of what was happening within his true mind and form. Tak was still in control, raping, murdering this innocent. Without another thought, the Monster, inhabited by Tak, walked out of the cave, without a care in the world. His job had been done, the sacrifice had been made.
The Monster collapsed once again outside the cave, the life force which had been within his body had fled, afraid of being found out. The being that lay on the floor was no longer the Monster, but an innocent child, no more than barely past the brink of childhood. He had just passed through the threshold of adulthood, had been initiated into the adult ranks. This thing was no murderer, but who would see that now?
The mess on the walls told them otherwise.
The clouded vision of the Monster that lurked within the shroud of darkness was caused not only by self-afflicted pain, but by the herbs that had been expertly thrown onto the burning embers of his den-fire that very evening, causing his heart to pump faster and his breath to come a bit harder. Through the shadow-scape that had become more and more his home these past months came the glare of a piercing gaze, grey-green in its quality and yet not pale or dull, but bright and vibrant in hue. The Monster moved as if his body was made from the shadows surrounding his form, languid and liquidly, moving to stretch his very form, contorts the darkness about his muscled frame, bending the light as to make sure that he, the Monster, wasn’t visible to his prey.
Claws stretched through their thick finger-sheaths, the silver-grey things clicking rapturously upon the cave floor, causing small sounds to resonate throughout the darkness. The entrance to the cave was familiar to many, but not to him. As he snaked through the shadows to the mouth of the den-cave, the black Monster found that he was, quickly and painfully, into his half-human form. The creature that he had been previously had morphed into what learned beings liked to call a werewolf, created mainly by the infusion of different strands of DNA, of human and wolves. He was a monster, thick-necked and grunting, dark-minded and evil. His coat, which was black, seemed to show to the world his darker insides.
Tak’s voice spilled unhelpfully into the Monster’s mind, words as vile and bitter as their messenger; “Rape her, kill her, break her, bleed her.” With each new set of words, the Monster’s heart beat that much faster, his breath came that much harder, and his eyes clouded that much more. His mind, which was intelligent in all its aspects, was clouded and corrupt. Tak, the snake of darkness, slithered into the Monster’s soul, brought with him havoc and corruption, hatred and lust. The Monster had never felt such emotions before. He had never even thought of touching another being in such a way. In this state, he was vulnerable, and open to attack. Tak took this opportunity to embody himself within a being that was his spitting image, in every way, except the eyes. Tak’s eyes were intense silver, bright and dull at the same time, soft and hard, bitter and sweet. Tak was a hard God to predict.
Those grey-green eyes that belonged to the Monster shifted from being half-clouded to fully milky, showing any on-looker that this creature was not to be reckoned with. The Monster slipped quietly into the dark safety of the cave; someone’s home, someone’s safe haven against such monsters as he. The sudden rush of excitement and adrenaline passed through the Monster’s dark veins, bringing the blood to his temples, to his eyes, breaking him out of that controlled state into a state of sheer frenzy. His once-careful steps were now hastened and reckless - his paw falls were loud and noisy, calling upon his prey to take notice of its predator.
One quick movement and the Monster was level with the being’s sleeping mat. The being that had been fast asleep had stirred, muted eyes seeing nothing but that darkness and the occasional gleam of a silvery-green. It didn’t know it was being hunted.
The Monster grabbed the smaller being’s dark leg with his huge hand, claws digging deep into the other’s flesh. As blood dripped down the Monster’s claws, a sudden moan of longing escaped his lips. The gasp from the other, of pain and surprise, was drowned out by the sudden noise that the Monster emitted. The mess of his mind was undeniable - he didn’t know what he was doing, in reality.
Tak was in control now.
In a frenzy, a dash to receive what his body was longing for, the Monster was careless and clumsy. Hands gripped firmly the flesh of another, tearing the limbs apart as he thrust as deep and far as he could forward into the warmth and darkness of the nether-region. His head was thrown back in defiance of her shrill shrieks, her arms and claws bashing his much larger, stronger arms in an attempt at freedom. But her attempts were ignored completely, lost in the mess of his mind as he drew a blank, only concerned with the repeated motion of in and out, in and out. Moans of desire and longing escaped his elongated snout, teeth bearing in such intervals as would be necessary if he were trying to intimidate an enemy. The small being beneath him screamed her hoarse, calling for help in the long miles that she had separated herself from humanity - or what was closest to it. She hadn’t expected such an attack on her personal space.
The Monster’s motions were rough and strange - in and out, in and out - jagged and as if mechanical, controlled by a being higher than himself, in his true form. Tak had been in charge for the last hour, but had only really taken himself into account when the Monster’s claws had dug into the female’s flesh, drawing blood and painful cries into the night air. The moon had arisen fully into its glory, and Tak was ready for this sacrifice. The dark blankness in front of the Monster’s eyes suddenly burst into flame, eyes ripping open as his release was found. The last, longing, desirous moan was let loose and the Monster lay within her for a moment longer, before his body collapsed, pinning the small female to the ground.
Within fifteen minutes, the monster was awake, breathing roughly and darkly. The being was still pinned beneath his monstrous form, barely breathing and yet still painfully alive. The clouded eyes of the Monster cleared for a moment, one only and then suddenly darkened. The creature realized what his God had made him do - what he had committed was sin, the worst sin of all. The Monster felt sorry for the being beneath him as he moved away from her, tearing his man-flesh from his prey, eyes dark with rage and defeat. He hadn’t done such a thing before; not even in his dreams. He would have to right this wrong-
The claws that had dug deep into the creature’s thighs and calves now moved to grasp, threateningly, the creature’s throat. The Monster growled suddenly, deeply, eyes darkening in that short amount of time. His decision was made. He wasn’t fully himself. One hand pinned the being to the wall while the other worked quickly and mechanically as the being’s insides were spilled onto the cave floor. The first organ to hit the floor was the thing’s uterus - no children of his would be conceived in such a way. Next came the lungs, for having air to breath while he had raped her, and her heart, which had been beating all along. He had to end her misery. The being’s eyes had been closed long before; consciousness lost as soon as those frightening claws had wrapped themselves about her neck. She hadn’t been awake for any of the blood spilling.
The Monster growled again, deeply and ferociously, still unaware of what was happening within his true mind and form. Tak was still in control, raping, murdering this innocent. Without another thought, the Monster, inhabited by Tak, walked out of the cave, without a care in the world. His job had been done, the sacrifice had been made.
The Monster collapsed once again outside the cave, the life force which had been within his body had fled, afraid of being found out. The being that lay on the floor was no longer the Monster, but an innocent child, no more than barely past the brink of childhood. He had just passed through the threshold of adulthood, had been initiated into the adult ranks. This thing was no murderer, but who would see that now?
The mess on the walls told them otherwise.