The Devil in Me

I

n the heart of the Highlands, a monster dwelled. It was not terribly far from where she had been born, not too great a distance from the happier memories of her earliest months. But like a landslide, all of what was good was far behind, with destruction left in its voracious wake. At one year old, Rue was not a child any longer. Savage red eyes scowled out from the darkest shadows of the night that concealed her from view as she waited for her solitude to be interrupted by an unknowing wolf.


How does a broken heart keep on beating? Why do mortals carry on, knowing that their untimely demise could be weeks, days, even minutes away? Survival was a funny thing. Even the most abysmal minds, the most tortured and tormented by old ghosts, felt that natural instinct to keep on living, even when that life did not amount to much. Rue had no outward motivation to press onward. Her family was gone, her belly empty, paws tired and raw. Her young mind no longer conjured up fantasies of how things could get better, if only...


At one year old, the dreams of fancy had all been ruined by the reality of life lived on own’s one. No one would care but Rue if her next theft ended in destruction, except perhaps for Rue… but then, she reasoned silently within her tortured mind, if she were dead, it would not matter much anymore to her, either, would it?


Rue pulled herself from her imagination. Getting lost in one’s thoughts was far more dangerous, she had found, than being lost in a dark, deep forest. Overhead, the sky was dotted with countless stars, but no moon illuminated this night, giving the dark teenager some semblance of stealth and cover as she waited for another of her kind to wander through.



@Danya

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danya imperatoria

Stars stretched endlessly above Danya’s head, the moon’s all but solitary vigil in the night sky illuminating his path. From his teeth dangled two hares, their throats little more than a bloody mess from where he’d hunted them down. One had dirt around the wound, much the same dirt that coated his forepaws now. It was clear that he had dug the things from their burrows in their slumber and tore their throats out. It was easier to do such devilish acts when one hunted for two, without the help of the other’s jaws. Aurelia, as useful as she was, was useless in providing food. But even Danya could not fault her for that – her lack of sight was not something she chose nor could control. From his understanding, she’d been born with the problem, and it had only gotten worse as she’d aged. In their time together, he’d grown to know a great deal about her, and she, if she listened, knew a deal about him and his past.

The rivers beside him filled his ears, and the scent of blood flooded his nostrils. He had to use the only sense he had left, to spy for the glint of eyes in the darkness, hidden amongst the foliage by the river’s edge. He could see, in the distance, the top of the structure that he and Aurelia called home. His paws were weary, and sore, he’d trekked far to find the hares’ burrow, and worked even harder to pull them screaming from it. He paused, rolloing his shoulders slightly, lifting his head to peer across the river’s surface. He padded closer, laying the rabbits between his paws as he bent his head to drink, and clean the blood from his maw. While she couldn’t see the gore, he figured it would be best to not distract his courtesan with thinking the blood was his own. He shook his head, eyes glittering as the coolness of the water refreshed him. Danya gave a stretch, arching his back slightly. He felt the gentle pop of his spine and gave a quiet groan.

It was then that he scented another. The fur along his spine bristled, his lips peeling back slightly in a soft growl. He gave a huff before scooping up his hares and beginning to continue on his trek. He was now, however, on high alert.





397 words
TRANSLATIONS
none

@Rue

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S

he was pleased when her would-be target appeared, a male, though his size was difficult to detect from afar. This mattered little, for Rue’s mind was made up the moment he came into view. Now, what was this? He had not one, but two hares? Their lifeless bodies hung limp from his maw, the smell of their spilled life’s blood intoxicating, especially when the girl’s belly was so empty. She could not let her hunger distract from her purpose, and as he drew unconsciously nearer to where Rue was hiding, a sneaking smile traced its way along the dark youth’s thin lips. If he had seen her yet, he gave no indication as he washed himself clean -- such manners, she thought with grim humor. And if he had two kills, then surely, he would not mind sharing one.


Of course, Rue had no intention of asking nicely. She had been raised with manners, but chose to ignore them, for customs and niceties were a waste of time to the desperate and deplorable. Oversized paws began to carry the large girl with surprising silence for a brute like Rue, but it was then that she noted the change in the stranger’s demeanor. Her presence had been detected, and he was on guard. No matter.


With the recklessness of youth and determination set by scarcity, the ebony youth charged forward, ears flat and red eyes menacing. He was big… She was big, too, though not yet her final size. Her snarl certained sounded like that of an adult.


@Danya

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danya imperatoria

Danya’s ears sang with the sound of a snarl, coming from the opposite side of the river. Matching the ferocity, the man dropped the hares, and spun, maw gaping wide at whoever dared to approach him in such a manner. The scent of a bitch – but a child at that – traced into his nose and his anger soared. ’Kak posmela eta naglaya pizda!¹’ The thought flashed across his mind in pure, unfiltered rage. He would put the bitch in her place, teach her better than to approach a man in anything but goddamned submission.

Two-toned frozen eyes glittered with a sudden blood lust, and as his gaze settled upon the darkened hues of the brutish woman, he didn’t have time to think. In a moment, they would clash, and he knew it would become not a battle of the sexes. But, for once, a battle of almost equal match. The girl was almost as large as he was, but, the man had something on his side. Two things, rather. The strength of his sex, and the knowledge of actual battle. This child surely knew nothing beyond being a nuisance to whoever’s gaze she had the displeasure of spoiling. The Imperatorian man would not hold back on this bitch, despite being – clearly – hardly older than a child.





220 words
TRANSLATIONS
1. How dare this insolent cunt!

@Rue

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T

he stranger put up a good fight, as Rue had expected he would in defense of his meal, but the hungry girl remained focused throughout the skirmish. She would deal with her injuries later, when it became more obvious that treatment was indeed necessary. In the end, neither wolf came out unharmed, but Rue landed one final decisive blow that sent the brute falling.


The ebony adolescent watched with immense satisfaction as the male splashed into the river, where he struggled in the cold current. All around him, the crystal clear water was dyed by the spilling blood of the brute, which brought a savage smile to the young wolf’s dark muzzle. Blood red eyes dipped to the deceased prey that now awaited her. For good measure, before she departed the scene, she called out to the brute, in case he could hear her over the rushing river. ”Why, thank you, kind sir.”


She was not getting out unscathed, and once the adrenaline of the fight began to wear off, the girl would be left bloodied and aching from the male’s defenses. But for now, she felt pleased, both with herself and with her double prize. Her head craned down to gather both of the hares, which she would take away to a more private location to devour. For once, her growing appetite would be sated for the night to come.


/exit Rue


@Danya

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art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

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danya imperatoria

The fight was quick, harsh, and violent all the same. The man, however, felt himself losing at the last moment, rearing to avoid teeth tearing fully into his neck. He felt the puncture of fangs, the rip and rend of flesh. He felt the warm rush of crimson begin to run down to his chest as his throat was torn, nothing fatal nothing major, but torn all the same. A growl erupted from him as he reared, hoping to aim one last blow at the woman before a rock caught his paw.

Danya tumbled back, striking his back on a stone as he tumbled into the Iverness’ current. Insult to goddamned injury. He plunged beneath the surface, his mouth flooding with water. His brain acted on instinct, keeping him from sucking in just as his mouth filled with the frigid liquid. He felt the water wrap around him, strike him with a chilly blow to the chest. Air left his lungs in a bubbly rush. He floundered trying to right himself.

And as he did, managing to sit within the current itself, he heard the woman speak.

”Why, thank you, kind sir.” And with that, she was gone. Gone with the two hares he’d caught for Aurelia and himself. A snarl ripped from Danya as he struggled out of the waters and began to give chase. Although, for only a second though, before he stopped and gave a huff as he shook himself. Goddamn pointless, it was.

”Тупая сука,” he grumbled to himself. With a quiet sigh, Danya turned and began to plod home, dripping wet, without food, and most importantly… ashamed of himself. He would kill the bitch if he ever saw her again, he decided.


exit


287 words
TRANSLATIONS
1. Stupid bitch

@Rue

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