Moonlit

Shocking red feathers dipped in black ruffled among the dappled green of the forest. Squawking throatily, the bird hastily took flight, trails of floating red feathers falling in its wake. The hunter clicked his tongue. Irritably, he swung his rifle back, and gathered his tools up from the muddy leaf cluttered ground. He wasn't going to get any kills today. Water the size of teardrops cascaded down shivering trees, clattering noisily onto the soft earth. Cacophonous shrieks of monkeys wailed off into the distance, the lively jittering of insects blurring his thoughts for him. The man sighed, put off, yet peaceful, and began his careful way back home.

As dried leaves crinkled under his boots like wasted paper, etching into the mushy earth his haphazard way back, a low growl emanated from a bit beyond the bushes near the hunter. Like the beginning of predictable horror movies, the bushes shivered ominously, a black shape flitting from tree to tree. The hunter was irked. Wary eyes crinkled in suspicion, his hands cautiously taking out his gun. His eyes primed for any sliver of movement, he loaded his rifle and cocked it in his arms. Harsh guttural breathing echoed around the moonlit forest, the creature’s savage presence blocking all other sounds. Sleek abnormal limbs teased the old hunter, elusively cloaked by the fading light of the dark. The hunter suddenly perceived the creature glaring at him balefully. His finger calmly rested on the trigger.

Serrated yellow claws, blunted from overuse sprang outwards, stocky black fur bristling with fury. As the monster pounced forward, the hunter fell to the floor, breathing heavily. Pain stung his temples. The creature turned back. White orbs stained with inky black gloomily stared at the old hunter. Howling, ugly jaws gaping apart, the creature sprang for the second time, angry spittle flying out.

Tearing apart the hunter, the creature methodically ripped the crumpled body from its clothes, crumpling the rifle into a line of metal. Panting with the joy of killing, it let out hot bursts of air, and began dragging the shrivelled body across the soft, springy earth.

Blood trailed from the man like falling roses, unfurling gracefully on the wet ground. Petals shed onto dying leaves, thick drops left to dry on broken twigs. Before the creature bit into her dead prey, red mush oozing from between her teeth, she howled for one last time, rejoicing in her kill.