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It was a dark moonless night in the forest. It was dark, and yet, provided by the thick layer of snow covering the ground and hanging on the trees, it was not too dark too see. It was a quiet night. The heavy snowfall muffled all sounds and added a certain ambient soundscape itself. In addition did it quickly cover up all tracks left in the deep snow.

Even her own tracks were almost gone as quickly as she produced them. She had left the security of her herd for a quick stroll through the thickest of this dark forest. Sure, the herd provided safety, warmth, and distraction, but it also was literally overwhelming in itself sometimes. If one wanted a bit of solitude and peace, one had to leave the herd behind for a short while to get some much needed personal time.

Given, leaving the herd in the middle of the night under heavy snowfall and in this cold was not the brightest of ideas, but she was certain, that she would be fine. In fact she was only a few fast jumps away from the herd, what could go wrong?

The condensation of her breath hung heavy in the freezing air, as she took a few more cautious steps into the woods. She was by now totally enveloped by the heavy snowfall and she did not hear her kin anymore. Finally, silence, even though it wasn't really quiet. The sound of the snow falling was eerily loud in the silence surrounding her.

She shivered. Her winter coat was thick and it held her warm enough for sure, but being completely outside her herd let her feel the sting of the coldness. It was like a thousand tiny daggers stinging her all over her body. It had only been a few minutes since she had left them behind, but already there was a thick layer of snow forming on her back weighing her down. On the one hand it was a good feeling, a feeling of freedom, not being forced to conform with the masses around her, on the other hand she felt vulnerable. Without the safety of numbers, she would be an ideal prey for any predator on the prowl this night.

But surely in this weather conditions there was no predator out to hunt. The heavy snowfall limiting the sight, the snow covering the tracks so fast and the snowfall hindering the scent from flying far. No predator would hunt in this condition.

She took a few more steps as she saw some loose bark at a tree only a few steps from her. Maybe there was a little goody hidden behind it.

Focused on the tree in front of her and hidden by the muffling properties of the falling snow she did not hear her herd moving on. Nor did she realize that she wasn't alone anymore.

In fact a pair of prying eyes had followed her every step for a while now. Her stalker sat high up in a tree and had followed her herd since the early afternoon and had waited patiently for his chance, when finally she had stepped out the it and went on her little walk. He was a patient hunter knowing to bid his time and wait for the right moment as he would only get on chance to strike, or else she would flee back into the safety of the herd, and with that out of his reach. And so he had waited, had lain still and unmoving on his branch letting himself get covered head to tail with that white blanket, that was covering all traces of his existence.

He had eaten snow as to eliminate the condensation of his breath, had slowed his heartbeat as much he could as not to generate to much heat and melt the snow covering him.

When the herd started to move on, he had felt the urge to jump her now, but when she did not make any move to return to the herd, he relaxed again. She was now truly alone, an ideal victim. Slowly oh so slowly he turned around and prepared himself to pounce.

She was gnawing at the bark of the tree as a sudden feeling took hold of her. It ran like an ice cold shiver down her spine all the way to the tip of her short tail, making her lift it up, exposing the soft snow-white fur underneath.

She was certain, this was not the cold she was feeling. She immediately stopped gnawing at the bark and raised her head. Her ears swiveled on her head back and forth searching for a sound, a dead giveaway. But there was none. Only the all encompassing sound-deadening falling of the snow. She looked around but the thick snowflakes falling obstructed her view and she barely was able to see where she had come from. As she turned around her tracks were only just still visible, little dents in the else smooth white blanket of freshly fallen snow. Her breath quickened, leaving thick clouds before her head. The feeling of being watched, of not being alone anymore was ever more present and nagged her from the back of her mind.

She felt the hair in her neck stand on end and a panic began to rise in her. She turned around feverishly searching for a sign of anyone being near her.

But there was only snow, snow and tree trunks. Again she turned and she made a few steps forward but she quickly realized she had lost her bearings. Her tracks were covered up by the snow and she could neither hear nor see her herd. She was lost. Lost in the woods, in the night, alone... all of a sudden the darkness seemed to encroach around her. A mere half an hour ago she had embraced the darkness, the solitude and had been happy not to stand in the middle of a stinking herd all the time.

Her heard began to pound as instinct took over and she fully entered fight or flight mode. Her eyes and ears were constantly on the move. She knew he was there, he had to be, but she did not know where.

Her stalker bathed in her panic. He reveled in the fact that did not know where he was. By now she was well and truly lost. If she would dart now, she be running in the completely false direction. He crept forward, careful not to disturb the snow on the branch he was sitting on. Only a few inches more, almost there. He was tense as loaded spring, his heart was beating in a steady rhythm and his breath came in slow, deliberate puffs.

She turned again, looking almost straight at him. He could see her pulse in her jugular artery. She trembled from excitement and tension. Silently he loomed over her like a bodily incarnation of death itself. Still she did not see him.

But then he made a small error and some of the snow fell from his back and landed a few steps in front of her. He winced back and finally looked up.

There between the branches she saw his eyes, like two sapphires in front of the black and white of the nightly forest.

Now everything happened lightning fast.

She shrieked, turned and bolted. He pounced after her, missing her by a hairs width. He had not yet touched the ground when she kicked out as hard as she could. She caught him square in the shoulder. He crashed hard into the snow and watched as she bolted away. He looked after her, she was not yet out of the woods. She had started in the wrong direction running away from her herd not towards it, and her shriek would most likely prompt them to run in the opposite direction, if they had heard her in the first place.

He got up and moved his left leg, it hurt, but it was functional. His thick musculature had cushioned the blow significantly. He would be limping for a few days, but nothing what a good nice fresh reindeer meal could not compensate. He ran after her, following her freshly laid tracks he dashed through the woods. He knew he would not be able to catch her running, she would be was to fast, but he also knew, she would soon stop running as she would be totally lost in the woods and the deep snow would take a toll on her strength and endurance.

In a real fight she would have no chance at all.

And sure enough there she stood in a small clearing. Her chest was heaving and she was surrounded by steam, as her breath was pumping hard and her back was steaming with heat in the freezing air. Her head was constantly moving as she looked around trying to orientate herself, her ears were swiveling to hear if he was following her. Her soft sounds of panic with every exhale made his heart pound. He crouched down into the snow waiting for the right moment. This time he had to succeed. She turned once more. Sheer panic in her eyes her ears flicked back and forth, the thick clouds obstructing her view. She was certain she had heard something. But her own breathing and the pounding of her heartbeat in her ears made it difficult to discern what sound was what and from where it came.

He was there, she knew he was there. Where else would he be? But where was he? She needed to know, else she would run right into him.

The thrill of the hunt was something she did understand. The adrenaline rush, the excitement, the knowledge that he was out to get her, not any reindeer, but her. She had never felt more alive and at the same time she had never felt such fear and panic.

He watched her, his mouth watering his tail flicked back and forth. Almost… just a little bit closer… Before he could stop himself he let out a low growl.

As she heard him rumble she whirled around. Again she saw his eyes like two sparkling sapphires in the dark beyond the treeline. Her eyes widened as she turned to bolt again. He acknowledged his error and exploded out of his stance, charging after her. This time she would not escape. He was too close and she was out of her league.

She managed to turn away from him and get two jumps done before he crashed into her with the force of a wrecking ball. He swept her from her feet in one go, and they landed like a meteor in the deep snow. It was a quick struggle as he tore into her rear legs. She shriek her panic and her desperation out loud, but he knew no mercy. It was survival of the fittest, and she had lost. He dug his claws deep into her muscles pulling her in and as her neck was in range, he lunged at it with all his ferocity. He had no eyes for her sheer panic. He would kill her, no matter what.

She knew it was all over when he had tackled her to the ground. Her weak struggle was just her instincts not yet giving up, but she knew, she was no match for that mighty cat. She plead for mercy, but she knew he would not understand, why would he, she was prey… she was made for this. As he puller himself up on her and lunged at her neck she hoped he would kill her fast, but she also knew, now that she was on the ground and her neck was not yet broken, she would die agonizingly slow. Suffocating, drowning in her own blood, before loosing her consciousness and drifting into the long sleep.

She felt the bite, that unrelenting force, crushing her windpipe, suffocating her shrieks for mercy and help, his fangs penetrated her throat and ripped apart her jugular artery, spraying himself and her with her hot, bright red blood. It was her baptism in death as he bit down even harder. Already her movements became slower and more erratic. She could no longer breath and her circular system, in full panic mode, burned through the remaining oxygen fast. Her heart, pounding like there was no tomorrow, pumped her lifeblood out of her vascular system in a rapid manner. She felt how her head became heavier and how her legs stopped struggling.

Her vision grew dim, and it darkened around the edges. She felt like her body gave a last effort before going limb. She could have cried if she had been able to, but her body did not obey her commands anymore. Her though processes slowed down and all that was left was the thought that she was too young… way too young… and then darkness befell her, and with the darkness came peace.

When she stopped all movement and he felt her heartbeat slowing he relaxed. He kept the pressure on her throat up for a bit longer, but he knew, her fight was over. She had fought valiantly, but in the end she never had a chance. He was made for this, as was she. All he was, was a machine bred for killing. Today she had been the unlucky one and had ended on his menu. He took a deep breath. All he could smell and taste was the coppery smell of blood.

Slowly he led go of her throat and got up. He looked over his catch. A fine specimen. He was the lucky one today. Normally he focused on the old, weak, sick members of the herd, as they were not able to keep up with the herd, but today he had a young one, healthy and strong.

He would eat his fair share and would hide the rest for later consumption, whereas most likely the rest would be frozen solid sooner rather than later…

It did not take long for the falling snow to cover up the blood and the tracks leading away from the site.

Concept and Idea by

El Poyo Diabolo

Written by

El Poyo Diabolo

Characters by

El Poyo Diabolo

Edit by

El Poyo Diabolo

Published by

El Poyo Diabolo