*I wrote this pretty quickly as a free-write as I haven't written anything in over a year and am super rusty. I edited it lighlty but wanted to keep it short and simple. Not super confident in it but it's the first thing I've written in ages so it's a start!
Few have heard of the wolf who once lived on the mountain. On her
last day she sat alone on a slab of rock in a clearing, surrounded by
beautiful trees. She protected those trees, and the animals who lived
there. She loved each creature, even the white moths that fluttered
around her when the moon came out. They seemed to dance on her silver
fur and paws in the briefest of moments before letting the breeze carry
them back into the cool air. They left her one by one as dawn
approached, sending rays of gold and amber over the trees and drawing
dew drops from the grass. On this morning, the trees were grim and
still.
The animals told her that a hunter had come into the
forest to kill her, and she waited. She did not run or bare her deadly
teeth. She patiently rested her head on her paws and closed her eyes as
she listened to the human approach, his footsteps growing nearer and
nearer through the trees. When he came into the clearing the wolf raised
her head and observed him as he fumbled with his bow, a drop of sweat
running from his brow down to his chin. She considered how easily she
could crack his skull between her teeth, but remained motionless. The
hunter hesitated, clearly thinking the same thing, and wondering why she
did not rush at him now, but soon enough he tightened his grasp on his
bow and lodged an arrow in her chest. Quietly she laid down and died,
and the hunter stared at her body in awe. He felt sad and happy as he
watch the blood seep down her chest and pool up on the rocks. The thrill
of the kill was tainted. He could not enjoy a kill that was met with no
resistance. There was no fight, no chase, only death. Something about
the heaviness of her presences had shaken him. Something about the
acceptance in her eyes.
He knelt before her and tears flowed
freely down his face, but his greed could not be washed away. He smiled
as he examined her beautiful pelt, knowing no common wolf had fur so
long and white, or blood so dark and vibrant.
"I've killed a
forest spirit" he muttered as fear, pride, and sorrow fought for control
over his mind and body. He shivered when he looked at her eyes, which
seemed thoughtful and awake, gazing straight at him. He jumped to his
feet, then fell again to his knees when she used one last breath to
speak.
"You will take my place and protect this forest. Kill only
when you must. Take life only to preserve balance. Reap the benefits
only after you have served the trees and creatures. I have done this
duty long enough." As she spoke her fur became brown, her flesh began to
rot, melting away from her bones, and her eyes became black and
lifeless. "Fail me, and you will writhe between my jaws in the
afterlife." Even the trees were quieter after she finished speaking and
only a pile of bones and blood remained. The hunter groaned as he let
his bow fall to the ground. That beautiful pelt, probably worth more
gold that he could carry, was gone. There was nothing he could bring
home to his family except the bones, and what point was there in that.
He curled forward, resting his forearms on the ground, touching his head
to the dirt. What point was there in returning to his family at all. He
could no longer remember their names.
Suddenly every beast,
insect, and bird began call out. Even the trees spoke. Not in any
language he understood, but in thoughts and feelings that he could hear.
He began to scream with them, overwhelmed by terror. They all mourned
for the wolf he had killed. They begged to know what fate held now that
she had be replaced by her own murderer. Murderer, they repeated. He
felt his eyes trying to produce tears, but they could not. He began to
tear at them with his hands until blood spilled down his face, dark and
vibrant.
"Murderer," he said as he slowly sat back on his heels,
and the creatures went silent again. He gazed skyward, seeing only
blackness, and felt the rivers of blood run down his cheeks. He smiled.
They felt like tears. Drop by drop his emotions fell to the earth,
soaking into the soil. The creatures began to mutter softly throughout
the forest, some fearful, some curious. He could see them more clearly
than before. He could feel them. His fingers found the bow at his side
and he rose, holding it firmly in both hands as he listened to his
forest and his creatures. On calm and steady feet he walked out of the
clearing and disappeared into the trees.
Oh and welcome to YWS!
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