Eternal Love
The Most Suspicious of Muffins
It began with an Autumn Breeze...
The cold air passed through me, sending a tremble down my spine which left a buzzing in my skull. I shivered but not because I was cold. No, it was excitement that caused my body to quake like an old tree. I awoke from my slumber slowly, my body aching as it came back to life. The summer hibernation was always hard but it was necessary. Despite the abundance of food there was, the sun was harsh on my pale skin and all that damned greenery made it hard to stay hidden. The nights were too bright, too short, but that was about to change. A shiver of excitement passed through me at the thought.
The waking ache of my body heralded my hunger which created an even greater ache than what I felt in my bones. As my eyes opened, I took in the darkness of my temporary tomb. It was the place I had dug out carefully, a safe place to rest my body when it died like it did every spring. I was already hungry but I couldn't begin hunting yet, not until the days became short and the nights became dark. I could last until then, excitement would keep me sated in the meantime. I lay in the spot I died in for a while, letting my body continue to bring itself back to life. When I felt able to move, I pushed myself up to all fours. Aside from my empty stomach, my limbs ached the most; they always ached after waking, reminding me of how they grew during those dark winter nights. I attempted to satisfy my hunger with mushrooms, grubs and the bones from my last meal. These morsels kept me occupied but they wouldn't satisfy my hunger, nothing ever would.
When I emerged from my tomb, it was already dark. Pitch blackness filled the forest, swallowing every part of it. I welcomed the darkness as it makes my hunts easier. A rustling caught my attention; a deer that had not yet seen me was trying to graze among fallen leaves. My hunger convulsed through my body and exited my mouth as the sound of an injured fawn. The doe heard me and lifted her head to listen. I made the sound again, backing into my tomb to remain hidden. My prey followed the sound cautiously and I sprang out of my den when it got close enough. I sank my sharp teeth into her neck and dragged her into my den. The doe would occupy me for a while at least. I repeated this hunt as much as I could until snow began to fall. When the forest was covered in it's icy blanket, I left my tomb and the bones of my meals. Soon it would be time for a real hunt. I was still hungry, so very hungry. I could hardly wait to find the prey I desired most; their meat would satisfy me. That was what my body said, what my hunger bellowed to me. But nothing would ever satiate me. I was doomed to hunger until true death took me.
I prowled the snowy forest until I heard them. I heard their chattering that used to make sense to me. I was like them once but one winter changed me forever. I followed the sound of their movements, climbing through the trees with the aid of my sharp claws which sat atop blackened, elongated digits. My spindly body and white skin kept me hidden among snowy tree branches. The only thing that could have given me away was the small puffs of steam that escaped my maw; my teeth had grown too long and sharp for me to ever fully close it, the flesh around my mouth too torn.
Soon enough, I found my prey wandering about the frozen land. What they were doing did not matter to me. It would be dark soon and they would be mine. I kept to the trees as I followed them through the forest. When they began to grow uneasy and skittish, I slowed down despite how hungry I was. I was salivating at the mere thought of their meat and while I wanted nothing more than to sink my teeth into them, I had to be careful. I knew my limits; stealth was my strength, that and trickery. Mimicking the frightened noises of my prey always worked to lure in more. "Help me... Help me..." I groaned out, watching their smaller forms pause to listen. The sun was setting and all I had to do was lead them off their path. The darkness would confuse them and then they'd be mine. "Help me... over here, please... Help me." I called again after moving a bit farther away. My prey became panicked then but instead of running away, they ran toward me. I kept my distance as they called back to me with noises that still meant nothing to me.
As the darkness of night slithered into the forest, my prey became confused and tired. I continued to call but only one began to follow my chattering calls, leaving the other two alone. I lead the first deeper into the forest and left it there, climbing and creeping back to where the other two remained. From my perch among the tree branches, I leapt upon my prey, tackling one of them into the blanket of snow. It became stained with red as I sunk my teeth into their throat. The second one was frozen at first, a scream echoing through the forest. The one I lead away would surely hear it and come back. The screaming one attempted to run away but they had lingered in shock for too long. I leapt upon them as well, biting until a sharp crack came from their fragile neck. I wanted to eat but I returned to the trees instead and waited. The remaining human returned to find my kills and I leapt upon it too. I consumed all three of them, my hunger remaining even as I devoured their meatless bones. Even they couldn't satisfy my accursed stomach.
I am the spirit of the lonely places, the wendigo, and my hunger is endless.
The cold air passed through me, sending a tremble down my spine which left a buzzing in my skull. I shivered but not because I was cold. No, it was excitement that caused my body to quake like an old tree. I awoke from my slumber slowly, my body aching as it came back to life. The summer hibernation was always hard but it was necessary. Despite the abundance of food there was, the sun was harsh on my pale skin and all that damned greenery made it hard to stay hidden. The nights were too bright, too short, but that was about to change. A shiver of excitement passed through me at the thought.
The waking ache of my body heralded my hunger which created an even greater ache than what I felt in my bones. As my eyes opened, I took in the darkness of my temporary tomb. It was the place I had dug out carefully, a safe place to rest my body when it died like it did every spring. I was already hungry but I couldn't begin hunting yet, not until the days became short and the nights became dark. I could last until then, excitement would keep me sated in the meantime. I lay in the spot I died in for a while, letting my body continue to bring itself back to life. When I felt able to move, I pushed myself up to all fours. Aside from my empty stomach, my limbs ached the most; they always ached after waking, reminding me of how they grew during those dark winter nights. I attempted to satisfy my hunger with mushrooms, grubs and the bones from my last meal. These morsels kept me occupied but they wouldn't satisfy my hunger, nothing ever would.
When I emerged from my tomb, it was already dark. Pitch blackness filled the forest, swallowing every part of it. I welcomed the darkness as it makes my hunts easier. A rustling caught my attention; a deer that had not yet seen me was trying to graze among fallen leaves. My hunger convulsed through my body and exited my mouth as the sound of an injured fawn. The doe heard me and lifted her head to listen. I made the sound again, backing into my tomb to remain hidden. My prey followed the sound cautiously and I sprang out of my den when it got close enough. I sank my sharp teeth into her neck and dragged her into my den. The doe would occupy me for a while at least. I repeated this hunt as much as I could until snow began to fall. When the forest was covered in it's icy blanket, I left my tomb and the bones of my meals. Soon it would be time for a real hunt. I was still hungry, so very hungry. I could hardly wait to find the prey I desired most; their meat would satisfy me. That was what my body said, what my hunger bellowed to me. But nothing would ever satiate me. I was doomed to hunger until true death took me.
I prowled the snowy forest until I heard them. I heard their chattering that used to make sense to me. I was like them once but one winter changed me forever. I followed the sound of their movements, climbing through the trees with the aid of my sharp claws which sat atop blackened, elongated digits. My spindly body and white skin kept me hidden among snowy tree branches. The only thing that could have given me away was the small puffs of steam that escaped my maw; my teeth had grown too long and sharp for me to ever fully close it, the flesh around my mouth too torn.
Soon enough, I found my prey wandering about the frozen land. What they were doing did not matter to me. It would be dark soon and they would be mine. I kept to the trees as I followed them through the forest. When they began to grow uneasy and skittish, I slowed down despite how hungry I was. I was salivating at the mere thought of their meat and while I wanted nothing more than to sink my teeth into them, I had to be careful. I knew my limits; stealth was my strength, that and trickery. Mimicking the frightened noises of my prey always worked to lure in more. "Help me... Help me..." I groaned out, watching their smaller forms pause to listen. The sun was setting and all I had to do was lead them off their path. The darkness would confuse them and then they'd be mine. "Help me... over here, please... Help me." I called again after moving a bit farther away. My prey became panicked then but instead of running away, they ran toward me. I kept my distance as they called back to me with noises that still meant nothing to me.
As the darkness of night slithered into the forest, my prey became confused and tired. I continued to call but only one began to follow my chattering calls, leaving the other two alone. I lead the first deeper into the forest and left it there, climbing and creeping back to where the other two remained. From my perch among the tree branches, I leapt upon my prey, tackling one of them into the blanket of snow. It became stained with red as I sunk my teeth into their throat. The second one was frozen at first, a scream echoing through the forest. The one I lead away would surely hear it and come back. The screaming one attempted to run away but they had lingered in shock for too long. I leapt upon them as well, biting until a sharp crack came from their fragile neck. I wanted to eat but I returned to the trees instead and waited. The remaining human returned to find my kills and I leapt upon it too. I consumed all three of them, my hunger remaining even as I devoured their meatless bones. Even they couldn't satisfy my accursed stomach.
I am the spirit of the lonely places, the wendigo, and my hunger is endless.