Living in the badlands made us a bit different from your normal wolves. Corruption, mutations, abominations we are called by the two legs as they slink in fear, ever watchful of the horizon when the sunsets. For this is the time that we come out for the hunt.
I spy with my eyes a wooden thing drawn by the four-legged meatbags that whine when startled. Yet each one can deliver a swift kick that can knock the wind out of any foolish Spineback wolf who becomes careless. I could already savor the meat from their bodies.
Yet the prize is what drives these creatures of speed. Their meat soft and sweet as they take the bounty of the land and grow fat from it. They think of being masters of the world and everything in it but they do not hold sway over the pack.
I call my brothers and sisters to the hunt. Tonight we dine on two-legged flesh!
Silently we stalk our prey, running parallel to it and seeing our chance as they stopping and removed the ties that bind the four legs to their wooden things.
They light a fire and boil water on a metal object. Some sit near the fire cutting pieces of meat and throwing it into the watery mixture. Our nostrils are filled with the strange smell of their food and could not understand why they would waste meat like that when it taste so sweet with the blood in it.
Several of my pack circle towards the four legs, waiting for a chance to hamstring them and tear off their throats. I go for a harder prey.
The silence of the night is broken by the screams of the four legs as fangs tore through their legs and falling down. My pack will eat well tonight!
The two legs stands up, drawing from its side its long metal claw. I have seen how these creatures used that single claw to cleave a wolf in half. Some heft long wooden things with a metallic tip, glistening in the fire.
I long for combat and besting these two legs and eating their livers. I could practically smell the fear they were giving off.
From the underbrush I sprint towards the nearer one, hamstring one leg and retreat into the darkness. To stand and fight it in the open was foolish. You needed speed and guile to take down the two legs.
Dropping his wooden long claw, he fell down and held his wounded leg, crying for help. The one with the long metal claw was going to be more difficult as I saw metal cover its legs and arms, gleaming a silvery light.
He was barking commands to the others who held wooden long claws and I saw them encircle him with the claws forward.
I knew that we could end it tonight but at what cost to the pack. I retreat back to where my brothers and sisters were feasting on the four legs and tore a chunk of meat and found a solitary spot to enjoy it.
There will be other instances for the flesh of the two legs.
Without their beasts the two legs marched slowly. Hauling that wooden thing that creaked while it moved was proving to be tiring to them. Each night they would collapse around their fire thinking it would keep most animals away. Not us though. We do not fear the fire nor of these two legs.
We silently trailed them. No howling to give away our presence for in this hunt it required stealth and cunning.
We saw the two legs with the metal claw shouting at some of two legs with the long wooden things. We heard them grumble something and metal claw as we called him was shouting some more.
We spied one-two leg get up while the others sleep. He talks to another who was standing guard and both leave the safety of their pack. We let them leave and follow them in cover of darkness before twlight breaks.
They wander around till they get to a clearing and sit down to eat that dried meat they like. They did not even bother looking around as we inched towards them and suddenly pounce at their resting forms.
They try to cry out an alarm but was quickly silenced as we tore off their throats, blood gushing down and bathing our fur in crimson. I feast on the liver of one of them as my pack tore off meat and guts, savoring each bite.
A day has past but we quickly found metal claw again as they travelled slow. We were not done with them because when we start a hunt it only ends when the prey is dead.
He continues shouting at the other two legs and I could smell their fury. Each night someone would slip away and each night we feasted.
More than half of his pack was already gone and metal claw was weakening from the travel. He no longer wore those metal skins as he pulled the large wooden thing along with the others.
They collapsed in near exhaustion each night.
We were already near one of those places they called a "city" A few more moons and they would reach it.
I had to act fast if I wanted to finish this hunt. Again we watched in the shadows as they lit fire and huddled together with their furs around them. Metal claw sat apart from them, glaring at the others. He was barking that strange sound that comes from the two legs and I could smell the fear from the others.
This was the moment. I stepped out from the shadows and let the fire shine on my black coat, light bouncing off the yellow bone spikes on my back.
I stood proud and confident before my prey. He stands up and draws his metal claw. I see his hands trembling and I saw in his eyes resignation to his fate. Tonight he dies by my fangs.
The others run to get their wooden claws but are quickly taken down by my pack. They lie in the ground, blooding streaming into the earth. Their lives ebbing away.
Metal claw's eyes never waver and only sees me in front of him. We circle each other, sizing up the enemy, waiting for the attack.
I let out a howl and the rest of my pack join in. It startles him and pushes him into action. He lunges at me, the tip of his metal claw aimed at my throat but I move away and it slides harmlessly over me but cutting his arms on the spikes on my back like thorns.
He swings down, hoping to get split me in half but the spikes dig deeper into his arms, stopping the swing. He cries out in pain and drops his metal claw that bounces off my back without any power behind it.
I tore through his leg, removing a good chunk of it, making him kneel down. I then latch on his throat and drink the warm blood coursing through his veins.
A such is the sweet taste of these two legs. This signals for the rest of my pack to feast on the others.
I hear a twig snap off the distance. My ears perked up and so does the rest of my pack. We watch as from the shadows a two legs emerge clothed in a flowing material. He wears a skull and his eyes glow yellow like ours. From his hands emit green light and there was something off his smell.
He did not have the smell of other two legs. He smelled wrong and of death. The bristles of my fur stood as primordially I knew he was dangerous.
He then spoke but his lips did not move. He spoke directly into my mind and was the first two legs I understood.
"You are in presence of Zintar Mortalis." he said "I have followed the trail of death that you have brought to these men and I admire that. For death is the only thing constant in this world."
" I have seen your strength and cunning. I have seen your appetite to hunt and kill. I have seen you take your fill and never be satisfied." he said.
" How about a give you a never ending hunt, one that will bring you before a lot of men." he continued. " You can have all the men you can eat and hunt them down in these cities you have so far avoided."
"Join me and we will begin the Great Hunt where your pack will be able to slaughter all sorts of living beings." he teased me with his thoughts.
"Tell me more." I said through my mind, as I licked the blood off my snout.
There you have it my tale for this week. This was a story that I was thinking when I first joined the different Splinters and finally joined the Black Splinter.
I had a lot of stories in mind for the Black Splinter and through the weekly contest I am given a chance to write it.
If you are interested to join Steem Monsters Common Card Fantasy Story Contest! // Week 15