(no subject)
Drops of crystal dew gathered on tiny stalks of grass, illuminated by the pale, deathly light of the full moon above. Filtered through emerald leaves of the forests’ trees, the rays of silver light danced upon the forest floor. A quiet night, if not for the pair of hunters in the clearing up ahead, laughing and drinking. It always happened this way. They came, they took whatever they wanted, destroyed whatever they wanted. And then they left, without any of the retribution considered so vital by their kind. An eye for an eye. Tooth for a tooth. But the laws of nature were no concern to those too conceited to look past their own preconceptions. Evidence of this was just ahead.. the scent of death filling the air from the carcass of the wolf, strung up by its feet from a tree. No doubt killed for just its’ hide, or perhaps the kine considered it a pest. An entire life, removed from the chain of renewal by a single person with a taste for cruelty and a shotgun. It wasn’t enough that the humans destroyed their own world. Polluting the cities. Filling the rivers with waste and powerful chemicals. The disaster of nuclear energy. They had to come into the wilds, and ruin life for every other creature as well. But not this evening. One can only be pushed so far before they break at the bend, or snap back and retaliate. The large, black wolf stepped silently amidst the damp grass and foliage, approaching the hunters in their drunken stupor. A glass bottle was thrown, hitting the hanging, silver furred body of the wolf with a dull thud before falling to the dirt, and the men laughed. Laughed. How dare they. The fury of it all sent a chill down the spine of the giant lupus, and with a snarl, and flash of long, wicked canines, Stalks-At-Midnight entered the clearing. The first man noticed in enough time to reach for his hunting rifle, before the form of the canine crashed into him, knocking him over, and burying teeth into the human’s throat. Quiet gurgling drowned out the scream as the body tensed, and went lifeless on the blood-sprayed grass. The second man rose to his feet, running into the darkness of the forest, and clumsily pushing his way through the brush. The wolf rose it’s slender head, ears perked, and listened for a moment, licking the warm vitae from his chops. Let the human run. It was more fun that way. The hunt. The kill. It would be a long night for him. Head was arched back, and piercing howl filled the night, a chorus of replies drifting from the other side of the forest, before Midnight slipped out of the firelight, and onto the crude trail.