04-29-2009, 10:33 AM
The predator had been deeply gratified by the consumption of the last child, which had inadvertently wandered near its lair in the human city. Pups were small creatures, and it had not sustained the massive creature for long. It had been forced to spend the remainder of that day seeking rabbits and other small mammals, and though it was expert at keeping itself fed, it had a lot of mass to feed. It's passive, all-day hunting had lasted for a few days at this point, and now it had found itself on the border of the pack that the feathered wolf had called home. The predator had run from that wolf initially, but now it was in better health, and would be able to defend any kill it made.
It halted at the border, smelling the scent left by the leader, and while it considered turning back, there were other, more compelling scents, on the air. While the predator did not understand precisely why it devouring children brought such satisfaction--that was something that only Brennt himself would know, but never thought about long enough to actually spell out for himself using what scant talent he had with words--it was developing a taste for them, independent of Brennt's psychological dependency. Their flesh was tender, and while they weren't as good as rabbit, they were easier to catch. The only thing it had to fear were wolves who sought to protect them, and it understood how big it was in comparison to most wolves.
It could smell a puppy very near the border, and after a moment's hesitation, crossed over the border into pack territory. The border was a long perimeter; packs rarely noticed when someone crossed into their lands, provided they hadn't gone in very deep. The predator knew that, so long as it wasn't caught, there would be no immediate consequences of crossing the line. Instinct told it that where there were puppies, there were defenders, and that it would need to be wary of them. It's hunger wasn't as powerful as it had been last time, and it would avoid a fight if it could. Hopefully it would be able to grab the pup, kill it, and leave before anyone intervened.
It halted at the border, smelling the scent left by the leader, and while it considered turning back, there were other, more compelling scents, on the air. While the predator did not understand precisely why it devouring children brought such satisfaction--that was something that only Brennt himself would know, but never thought about long enough to actually spell out for himself using what scant talent he had with words--it was developing a taste for them, independent of Brennt's psychological dependency. Their flesh was tender, and while they weren't as good as rabbit, they were easier to catch. The only thing it had to fear were wolves who sought to protect them, and it understood how big it was in comparison to most wolves.
It could smell a puppy very near the border, and after a moment's hesitation, crossed over the border into pack territory. The border was a long perimeter; packs rarely noticed when someone crossed into their lands, provided they hadn't gone in very deep. The predator knew that, so long as it wasn't caught, there would be no immediate consequences of crossing the line. Instinct told it that where there were puppies, there were defenders, and that it would need to be wary of them. It's hunger wasn't as powerful as it had been last time, and it would avoid a fight if it could. Hopefully it would be able to grab the pup, kill it, and leave before anyone intervened.