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The Wolf
She was dead. At least I think she was dead. Peering into the shadows, I saw that her body was motionless on the ground. I crept closer to her corpse, curious yet cautious. Her body stood out among the freshly fallen snow. The once slender neck was twisted and broken. My fingers glided toward the pool of blood at her neck. Flecks of dirt and bone coated my hand as I played with her blood. The air was stagnant with rotten leaves and death causing me to choke back on the bile rising in my throat. Many thoughts ran through my head, zapping at the nerves to comprehend the sight before me. Did she belong to a family? Were there children waiting for her safe return? No, I cannot think such thoughts! My eyes grew wide as I stared back at my victim. Even though she was dead, a glimmer of life still remained. I staggered back, my hand still wet with her ruby blood. The moon hung above my quivering form, its star children watched tentatively from their beds. The winds howled through the forest, mourning for their child. I could feel the darkness descend upon me with its frigid grasp. My breath came in slow pants. For the first time in my life, I felt fear. Why was I afraid? I had not done anything wrong. Without a moment’s thought, I ran far away from that damned place. I sped down the twisted roads to my haven, my sanctuary. Solitude welcomed me home, sheltering me from the cruel world. Sleep dared not to claim me as her gentle face still burned in my mind. My heart pounded beneath my breast. Why do I feel pain? She was the prey and I, the hunter! The horrific scene played over and over in my head until everything went black. I was born to be without feelings, without emotions. That is how the strong stay strong, and weak stay dead. It felt like I was drowning in my own pity. Struggling to breath, I felt the weight of the water crush my body. My bones spilt under the pressure. My heart, the source of all, had just collapsed. So this is what dying feels like. She must have felt her soul shatter before the seraphs claimed her. The morning light bathed me in its warm glow. I dared not to move. I returned to her grave the following night. She lay there, still unmoving to the world. Her blood faded away into the earth. The body was nothing but an empty shell of her former life. I stared again before kneeling beside her. She felt warm and intoxicating. Hunger overtook my senses. I ripped through her belly and begun my feast. Her warm juices tasted so sweet. In the end, this doe would be my first kill of many. For, I am the one who stalks the fragile and devours them. I will be the one the forest whispers about. My name is and shall always be…the wolf.
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