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Halloween special: Hunted Feline

By Icurthus

“Fastest, feline, my arse!" Edward mumbled, taking another swig of the potent punch the organiser of the Halloween party had concocted. The wolf, already missing several bandages from his mummy costume, staggered slightly as he motioned to his companion, spilling some of the mysterious mismatch of alcoholic drinks from his polystyrene cup.

Carl scoffed before downing the last of his drink. The cheetah, who by now regretted coming dressed up as The Flash, was somehow more stable on his feet. But that did not mean he was mentally in a much better state.

“Have you not watched, whatsitcalledagain, Discovery Channel?"

“I've seen enough to know not ALL feral traits carry over to Anthroes," Edward challenged his friend with a poke to the chest. “Am I right, or… am I right?"

“Okay, so I can't outrun a Jeep. But I'm still the fastest in town." Carl took another swig of his cup, only to find it was empty. With a soft whine, he glanced over to the other side of the room where a crowd surrounded the bowl of dubious punch. For a moment he wondered between getting another serving or trying to avoid being one of the first to pass out. He had enough to drink several cups prior, but the night was still young, and the punch didn't look like it would last much longer. He wasn't quite ready to call it a night.

“I think you need to prove it." Edward suddenly said, derailing the cheetah's rickety train of thought.

“Prove what?"

“That you are the fastest in town, dumb ass."

“I think I will," Carl said, the dwindling supply of punch forgotten in the face of his pride being challenged. “Meet me tomorrow at the gym and I'll…"

“Why bother with all that?" Edward said, poking the cheetah in the chest again. “I dare you to go out into Isdine Forest and… and go pick a Moonshade flower from near the waterfall. There should still be some left blooming."

The whole point of Dutch Courage was that it blurred the line between bravery and stupidity, but not in a good way. His alcohol stream was not diluted with blood sufficiently enough for him to realise he was getting in over his head and with an exaggerated motion, he put his cup down and made one of the more dubious choices of his young adult life.

“You know what? You're on!"

***

Twenty minutes later Carl was jogging along the final stretch of dirt road that led to what had once been the car park. The trees which had offered shade to park under had lost most of their leaves this late in the season, leaving behind unkempt branches that creaked as they raked across the face of the full moon like thin fingers of skeletal hands. A musty stench lingered despite the cold breeze as leaves from previous seasons lay rotting in eddies across the parking lot. Enough dirt had caught between the discarded plant matter to allow some small plants to grow where they shouldn't have, though the grasses were now withered and the wildflowers long dead.

The cheetah climbed over the chain strung across the road, not paying much attention to the faded sign that read “Park closed until further notice" and it swung about with soft squeaks. Finally at his destination, he stopped to catch his breath, leaning on the brick structure that carried a large, dark green sign welcoming visitors to the municipal park on the outskirts of town. Isdine Forest had been a popular weekend getaway where people from town could enjoy the vast outdoors, with several hidden picnic spots scattered amidst the maze of hiking trails. Or that was the case until the Beast of Isdine decided to make the forest its home. When the vague rumours of some scaled quadruped in the forest were finally confirmed, the local municipal government promised a swift removal of the creature. But it has been two years now and still the park remains closed. The monster displayed a frightening level of intelligence in the way it remained elusive, avoiding all serious attempts to remove it and only giving tantalising hints that it was still around to annoy the mayor and frighten the civilians.

Like the shred of shed skin that clung to the unkept bushes not too far away from where Carl was leaning against the brick structure.

His heart froze at the sight and for a moment clarity managed to break through the dull buzz that still dominated his mind. In that moment he questioned the wisdom of coming out here in the dead of night or at least the lack thereof. But he had given his word to the wolf and to back out now would earn him at least a month's ridicule. And as the ever-present haze in his mind attested, it was a fate he needed to avoid at all costs.

Taking one last deep breath, he walked over to the large metal display that mapped out the various trails in the park. The sun-worn paint had started to peel, making it difficult to consult the ruined image. But at least the location of the parking lot with the large red letters “YOU ARE HERE" was still in good order in one corner, as was the far corner at the back of the ravine where the park's main attraction was located - Isdine Falls.

“Right then," Carl mumbled under his breath, trying and failing to connect the two edges of the map. “You've been here many times before. How hard can it be?"

An owl hooted in the distance as he glanced around the abandoned parking, trying to orient himself again before picking out a vaguely familiar trailhead in the pale moonlight. With a last “Right then," he committed to the idiotic challenge set to him.

Within the forest itself, the old walkways were even more neglected and overgrown than the parking lot had been, but for the most part not yet impassable. However, the old trail signs were illegible, and Carl got turned around twice. So it was well over an hour before he finally managed to reach the waterfall and by then the pleasant buzz in his mind that had accompanied him on his adventure started to give way to a dull ache right between his eyes. And with the fading haze came a better understanding of the situation he had gotten himself into. He was swearing to himself by now as he lingered in the dark shadows of the overgrown trial, using the time to catch his breath once more as he nervously regarded the clearing by the waterfall where he had enjoyed many picnics with friends when the forest was still safe. The open space with its long yellowed grasses seemed as deserted as the rest of the forest and by the river, he could see the white pedals of his prize almost glowing in the moonlight.

The only problem was that there was a football pitch's worth of open space between him and success.

With a soft grunt, he removed the red and gold mask he was wearing, using the stiff fabric to wipe his forehead while he considered the issue at hand. Would it not be safer to turn back now? Sure, there had not been any confirmed deaths linked directly to this creature, but there was always a first time for everything. And being alive and humiliated was a far better fate than being dead and humiliated. Then again, the point of no return had been passed back at the parking lot. He had come so far already, it would be a shame to give up on the dare this close to achieving his goal.

A lone cloud drifted past the face of the moon, dunking the whole scene into unexpected darkness and daring not to second guess himself, Carl took the opportunity.

He dashed from his hiding spot, running through the long blades of dead grass as he sprinted the fastest 100m dash of his life. He reached the river and grabbed for one of the bright white trumpet-like flowers, yanking almost the entire plant out of the moist soil in his haste to return to the safety of the forest.

Crack.

Carl froze as the sound of a dry branch snapping echoed through the clearing.

He crouched, his heart in his mouth as he listened for any movement nearby. The treacherous cloud completed its traverse of the moon and the clearing was bathed once more in the pale silvery light.

And there, not fifty metres away he saw the hulking shadow of the monster he was trying to avoid. The slender, quadrupedal body the size of a draft horse crouched low to the ground, blocking off his planned route of escape back to the trail. Charl had barely registered the monster stalking him, when the thing pounced. He yelped in terror and not thinking twice about it, he turned and bolted for the relative safety of the dark trees, dropping the mask he had been wearing the whole night in the vague hope that the scent on it would distract the large predator long enough to secure his getaway.

As it turned out, the mask seemed to work as the hulking shadow lingered for a moment by the spot where Carl had picked the flower. But it was not enough to help the cheetah escape completely. Just as the feline reached the treeline, he heard an angry growl from behind and the thumping of heavy footsteps as the larger predator gave chase. Charl gave another yelp and dove into the darkness of the forest, crashing through the underbrush and stumbling over exposed tree roots as he fled.

The monster behind him was more surefooted in the uneven terrain between the trees and Charl cursed his inability to get back to the trail, where he was sure he could have outrun his pursuer easily. As it were, he ended up blundering through the foliage which only served to slow him down and announce his location to the predator giving chase. With the thunderous footsteps closing the distance behind him quicker than he liked, he knew his chances to survive this encounter were dwindling fast. He needed a new plan, but the choice of what to do was made for him as his foot found only open air and he crashed with a heavy thud into a dry streambed. Pain flared up in his one foot and it took all his willpower not to cry out in agony. The monster was nearly on top of him but when he tried to get up again, his twisted ankle gave out and he collapsed to the ground again. A dark patch of shadow amidst the roots of one of the larger trees of the forest offered dubious sanctuary, but at that moment the frantic feline had little other option. Despite the angry pain in his ankle, he crawled into the hiding spot, the dark red of his costume disappearing into the darkness just as the monster crashed through the brush behind him.

The scaled form of what can only be described as a wingless dragon rushed past his hiding spot at speed and leapt clear over the ditch where the cheetah was hiding, continuing on its way. Only Carl's relief turned out to be very short-lived. Barely five paces past the tree where he was hiding, the monster slowed to a halt. For a long moment, all was quiet and unable to stand the tension longer, Carl dared to sneak a peek around the trunk of the tree that was offering him salvation.

The monster stood there, absolutely still as it tilted its horned head this way and that, its long ears flicking about as it listened intently for the sound of its fleeing prey. There was a sudden whoosh of air as it sniffed at the night air and Carl ducked back into the shadows, biting his lip as he desperately tried not to whimper. Trapped in his hiding spot with an ankle that throbbed painfully and the monster stalking him only metres away, there was little else he could do but to keep as quiet as possible and pray like he never had before in his life.

All was quiet, except for the soft crunch of gravel and the odd puffing of the creature as it shifted about out of sight. The crickets, even the light breeze that had been blowing seemed to have fallen silent, awaiting the inevitable. Carl pressed himself as tightly against the crumbling ground beneath the tree roots, closing his eyes and curling up into as tight a ball as he could, when something clammy plopped down on his head. Unable to stop himself, he yelped in terror, grabbing wildly at the wet rag that lay sprawled across his flattened ears and not registering that the thing had caused him no harm, flung it away in a desperate attempt to be rid of it. The object plopped down with a moist splat in the moonlight and it took Carl almost five seconds before he registered what it was.

His discarded Flash mask.

Carl whimpered and, against his better judgment, looked up at the looming shadow staring down at him. The shadow studied him with piercing golden eyes that somehow reflected the moonlight even in the darkness of the shadowy forest.

“You dropped this," a gravelly voice said softly, the unmistakable lilt of amusement colouring the statement. “And sorry about the drool. I didn't expect you to get so far before I caught up."

“What?" was all Carl managed to get out. The large creature looked down at the cornered cheetah for a moment longer, a slender tongue flicking out to lick leisurely across one side of the sharp muzzle. Then it just turned around with a delighted chuckle and started to wander off.

“Wait, what the fuck dude?" Carl shouted, the cold fear in his chest giving way to hot anger. “You thought it was funny to scare me to death like that?"

“It kind of was," the creature replied over its shoulder, the rolling chuckle that reminded the cheetah of someone walking across loose gravel infuriating the feline even more.

“You're a real bully, you know… Ag!" Carl had tried to stand up out of his hiding spot, intending to retrieve the wet mask and throw it back at the creature. But in his frustration, he had completely forgotten of his sprained ankle and his foot rolled painfully under his weight. To his surprise, the wingless drake was by his side in an instant, sniffing curiously at the ankle that was already somewhat swollen.

“You're hurt."

“No kidding," Carl said through clenched teeth, trying and failing to bat the curious snout away. “That is what happens when one falls into a ditch in the dark!"

“Is the moonlight not bright enough for you?" The dragon tilted its horned head in curiosity as it regarded Carl.

“Barely. I'm practically blind in the shadow of the forest." Carl hissed in pain as he tried to stand again, but though he was more careful this time he still collapsed as soon as he put any weight on his injured leg. Or at least he would have, had the dragon not caught him with its large head.

“I am so sorry," it said softly, holding the cheetah up with its sturdy horns. “The chase was meant to be just a bit of harmless fun. I did not intend for anyone to get hurt."

“You call that fun?" Carl growled in annoyance, but it was hard to remain angry at the hulking beast next to him who did not hesitate to help keep him upright. Especially considering the genuine apologetic tone it spoke with now.

“Well, it can get awfully lonely out here, you know," the creature said, crouching low to the ground and nuzzling Carl closer to its shoulder. “Come, climb on my back and I will take you back to the entrance of the forest. With your foot like that, it will be difficult to get out of here otherwise."

“Have you ever considered that you might actually make friends if you tried to be less scary?" Carl grumbled even as he was hoisted onto the monster's back.

“I tried that back when I first settled here," the dragon said through a low growl as it handed Carl his mask back. “And look how that turned out."

It nosed at the cheetah one last time, making sure the awkward feline was securely settled on its shoulders before the large creature stood up again. It sniffed the air one last time, orienting itself before it started to jog in the direction of the gate. The monster moved with speed and agility through the undergrowth that was disheartening and with a sinking heart Carl realised that if this creature had genuinely tried to hurt him, he would never have gotten as far as he had.

“Thank-thank you," he muttered, clinging tightly to the thick neck as he was carried back to civilization.

“I am truly sorry for tonight," the dragon said once more. “If there is anything I can do to make it up to you."

“Actually," Carl said softly, cold reality crashing over him as he realised he jogged from the party to the forest. “There is something, but I don't think you will appreciate it."

“Let me be the judge of that."

“Can you take me back to town?" The dragon stopped walking to look over its shoulder at him. Though the shadows were too thick beneath the canopy to see, Carl could practically feel the frown on the heavy brow. “I came here on foot and I don't think I'll be able to return to town on my own like this."

“You are aware what a bad idea that is, right?" the dragon said, speaking carefully as if unsure of the cheetah's intentions. “There is some kind of weird celebration going on in town and despite the late hour, we will inevitably be spotted."

“It is Halloween," Carl admitted before he smirked. “You know, if there was ever a time you would be welcome to show yourself in town, tonight will be the night."

“How so? What makes this celebration different from any other day?"

“It is a long story," Carl leaned against the arch of the creature's neck once more. “But suffice to say, it is a time when we celebrate the scary things in life, so it should fit right in with your macabre sense of humour. And I'm pretty sure if you walk down the road with me on your back, people will be more awed than scared."

“Fine," the monster of Isdine Forest said as it started trotting towards the entrance again. “But if this doesn't go down as promised, I'm leaving you by the side of the road."

“Sure," Carl grinned, already imagining the looks on the faces of his fellow partygoers, if anyone was still standing by this point that is. “Can you do something else for me as well?"

“What is it this time?"

“Nothing much, just if anyone asks, can you tell them that I would have gotten away had I not sprained my ankle?"

The dragon did not answer. It only chuckled at the request as the two disappeared into the shadows of the forest.

---

Imperium of Derg - Oct 2024 Prompt: of the Month:

The Monster everyone fears is actually a nice person.