The Wailing Moors
A piece I wrote when I was in more of a philosophic mood.
The sun shines down on the Moorland as the pack lazily suns themselves on the Sunning Rocks. Eros lays on his back sleeping as his pack either play in the sun or relax in the nice warm breeze. Two sentries stand guard at the edge of the rocks scanning the perimeter for any danger. They look left then right and they sniffed the air. A pungent scent hits their muzzles, they grimace and put their paws over their muzzles and whine. "Oh Great Fang, what is that smell?" A black furred wolf whines loudly. The brown furred wolf looks at him. "It smells like rotting flesh." The two of them look up and sees a figure hobbling up to them slowly, carrion birds flying overhead. They begin growling and barking, the figure gets closer. "It's a wolf?" The black lichen infested wolf collapses to the ground with a groan. He heavily lifts his head and calls. "Ikar! Faris!" He collapses to the ground again in a grunt. The two wolves rush over to him and begin sniffing their friend. "Who did this to you Dole! Who!" Faris the black wolf barks. Dole slowly lifts up his head and says in a heavy hiss. "Nyx!" On the lower half of the Moorland, screams are heard. The other Moorland creatures flee to the highlands if they can. The ones who didn't, no creature knows what became of them. This miasma seems to be hunting every single one of them, with no care if it is young or old. The Miasma drifts toward a warren of hares. The other hares heard the wails and fled for their lives, taking their leverets if they can. As the animals flee the Miasma coalesces and forms into the shape of a fair skinned women. Long black luxurious sylvan hair. She wears a nice silk white robe and she nimbly walks to the warren and softly removes the freshly dug earth and pulls out the warren of hares. She picks up one of the dead leverets, she kisses it softly and it begins to chirp softly. She smiles and puts it down and continues to breathe new life into the once dead family of hares. And as soon as they spring to life they vanish in a wisp. The Wolf Lands where racked with fear and confusion. One of their brothers is heavily wounded and sick, and other animals began flooding into their territory. The Great Parliament of Owls have flown in from the forests of the south, The Proud Bears of the North have retreated from their caves. The beautiful white deer herd that had once graced the land, are now but a very few, Then the Tods, those canniest creatures of the Moor gather to discuss Nyx. "We must Strike back, we've lost far too much to just retreat!" Arcotos the brown Great Bear bellowed deeply. "Ohh yeah that's a brilliant idea, let's just charge into death." Tod the red fox sneered. "It's better than lying down on our backs waiting to die." Arcotos replied. "Enough! We are here to find a solution to this plague, not fight one another!" Clove the white stag snorted as he stomped his left hoof. "I agree with Clove, let us find a resolution. The other animals in our community are counting on us. What do you think we should do Eros?" Arlatha the white feathered Tyto stated. The old black wolf sighs and opens his mouth to speak, but is soon cut off from the sound of a yelp. Then a wail. Arcotos turns as he hears the growl of his mate then silence. Soon the cries of the animals around them where silenced. They look slowly look up and see the miasma slowly falling toward them. Arlatha screeched loudly as she flaps her wings furiously. Arcotos gets on his hind legs and roars, baring his yellow stained fangs. Clove stomps his hoofs on the ground and shakes his sharpened horns as Eros growls and bares his fangs. The miasma coalesces into the figure of Nyx. She descends and touches Arlatha softly on her head. She falls from her perch, she lands on the ground with a thud. Nyx softly sets herself on the ground. Arcotos roars and takes a swipe at her with his claws, she glares at him and he becomes petrified, she walks up to him and rubs his head softly, soon his giant brown furred body slowly collapses to the dirt. She turns to Clove and places her hand on his head and he slumps to the ground. She looks around and extends her hand at a bush, it begins to wilt and die as Eros hears the dying bark of Tod. Eros snarls as she goes down on her knees before him. He looks into her viridian eyes and she said softly with care. "Please don't fight me Eros, let me help you." He growled and barked at her. "Shhhhhh, it is your time, my old friend." She placed her hand on his cheek and Eros became relaxed and became calm. "Let me help you, please" She asked. Eros sighed and laid on his stomach and waited. She sobs softly and runs her hand over his face and he exhaled his last breath. The bodies of the animals vanish is a white wisp as tears rolled down her face. She walks out of the forest and hears a gunshot being fired. She gazes down on the moor land and sees two men and two hunting dogs. She glares down at them with contempt and she muttered to herself. "My Worst Creation"