Animal

. Walking through the woods at a languid pace with the crunch of snow familiar

eath his left rib cage that reverberated up his spine to the back of his sunburned nape. It was pro

l imposing figure floating noiselessly with a rifle slung

had been u

e hunter make his way from one end to the other, setting traps and

ife of hope in their eyes dimmed to an inevitable dread. Some had been dead upon his arrival, perhaps sen

, there had b

ering in the

ellowed eyes as he descende

ere. And he did not

him in the woods. Rather, the hunter took the night's silence

ith long branches that twisted d

ut then broke apart

d along the wide line of his shoulders which flexed beneath t

elf into the very flesh of him such that he did not know where he ended

the forest,

s strength to him and fed him, revealin

usual spots and into the very edge of it. He walked and walked and walked, the leng

cage, that soft press of wind like a palm

xed, long dexterous fingers straining against the leather, and made a mental note to pick up more winter supplies f

m for expansion, for

s began to shrink farther behind until

56 hig

cks traveling along it. The highway was not far from the small town of Daed, and in

wever, they

on both sides yet still he did not move. He watched as a figure lumbered from his left, a mass tha

the superstructure trembled beneath his feet. He watched the red tail lights fade into the dis

rest

The roadside barrier had been cut through violent

sing the fine hairs on his arms. He crossed the road slowly, like a pre

ked tree which seemed unharmed. From the likes of it, the hunter perceived that the car had roll

prey would be within the jaws of his traps

r of his mouth quirke

eil of smoke that clouded the interior. From the estimation, the accident had occurred not mo

from naked eyes, choosing only to reveal

i

figure then. The shape of her head

rest

could not ignore the sensation as he approached, head tilting

o

at some point, the tentative rise and fall of her chest so vague he would have considered her dead had it not b

in and raised a

ked pol

, tw

s around metal should have locked it in place and had it been any other person, h

st any other huma

fog her scent remained sharp and clear. Soft and swe

efore landing on her awkwardly twisted arm. Straightening upright, the hun

n his chest d

se from the dark recesses, followed by another thought. They came unbidden, so

d save

shoulder. Return to the scene another night and clear off what was

is

cked a backpack from the back seat. The contents within drew his attention like a moth to flame. A few thick books on physics and the

isp notes, medical insurance card

-five years old from

ng a chipped front tooth. The curls of her hair falling short of her eyeb

o, in a ditch with a wolf knocking at her door, would

rh

m, he hummed quietly into the night w

ompassion and revealed a much sweeter secret, a

was he t

to your libra