The Beast of the Briar Woods

Chapter Three. The Beast

“he who makes a beast of himself

gets rid of the pain of being a man”

dr. seuss

I didn’t sleep in anymore.

There was a restlessness inside me that made it impossible to fall back asleep whenever I was roused from slumber. Or, maybe it was the nightmares. They always plagued my sleep, and I never felt rested no matter what time I woke up.

So I welcomed the new dawn outside with a frown on my face. Today was bound to be… well, just like any other day. I looked around the small shack that I called a home and knew I’d spend most of my time outside. It wasn’t like I had many options.

I slipped out of the large and tattered shirt I slept in and pulled on comfortable jeans, a clean shirt and a thick jacket – all courtesy of hunters I had scared off. Once I was dressed, I finally ventured outside to see what the day held for me.

I loved the feel of the morning sun on my face and the cool kiss of the breeze on my skin. I took a moment to savor both before heading towards the river nearby. I knew berries grew on the bushes near the riverbanks, and they’d have to do for my breakfast this morning. As I walked, I could feel other eyes on me.

My fellow beasts were watching me. For some reason, they didn’t fear me. Maybe they knew I was one of them. Humming softly under my breath, I smiled at each bird and each squirrel I passed by like they were my neighbors. They kind of were.

The nightmares seemed to vanish in the light of the new day. They slinked back into the shadows, beaten down by the bright rays of morning shining down on me. There in the shadows, they would wait until they had a chance to sink their claws into me when night fell again. But, for now, I was free. For now, I could forget about the horrible images that haunted me in my sleep. For now-

My stomach grumbled in hunger.

For now, I needed to eat breakfast; otherwise, I’d risk letting loose a different kind of beast. Thankfully, I reached the berries. I began to pick the big ones and throw them in my small basket. I would gather a few days’ supply so I wouldn’t have to come back every morning. Once my basket was full, I grabbed a bit more and sat down by the riverbank, enjoying my breakfast while I watched the water flow in front of me.

When I was full, I dusted myself off and headed back to my tiny shack. The uneven pile of wood that I called home was originally supposed to be a cottage, but I wasn’t really an expert in engineering or architecture, so I had to work with what I had. I was pretty sure Shrek had a better home than me, though.

I was surprised my little shack could survive the storms that passed through our area. I took a wager that I had the surrounding trees to thank for that.

I quickly set the berries aside, then headed out again. I usually didn’t have any plans, letting each day guide me and going with the flow. I had no schedule to follow. No duties to accomplish. But, it was hunting season again, and I took it upon myself to make sure the hunters followed the rules.

With a deep breath, I readied myself for my patrol. Going on patrol always excited me. It was almost as exciting as going on a hunt because I could exert my muscles and use all my senses. I loved the feel of running through the trees, my hair flying behind me and the wind whipping past my face. I coiled my muscles, ready to pounce. After another deep breath, I shot through the trees, disappearing like a bullet from a fired gun.

The trees all blurred into one as I reached my top speed. The feeling was exhilarating – I knew nothing and no one would be able to keep up with me. Whenever I ran, I could almost imagine leaving all my problems and my memories behind. A howl of joy escaped my lips, and I threw my head back as I enjoyed my freedom. I was so caught up in the giddiness that I didn’t hear anything else moving through the woods.

My howl was cut short as a solid body made contact with me. The shock and the pain jarred me, and before I knew it, the beast had awakened. I could feel my body shift mid-tumble. My bones bent at odd angles, and my skin was replaced by a thick covering of fur. By the time I landed back on the ground, my crinos form had emerged.

My most dangerous form.

In this form, I barely had control over the beast. My wolf, which I could easily reign in before, was now a hulking, black mass that overtook me. Its instincts were stronger, its senses were sharper. And its bloodlust was nearly insatiable.

As I raised my eyes, my nostrils flaring in front of me, I almost felt sorry for the poor soul that lay before me. If only he hadn’t hit me, I probably would’ve been able to control the beast. But my wolf perceived the threat, and my eyes were trained on him.

Him being the man that was splayed out on the ground in front of me. Dirt was smeared all over his face and his clothes as he rolled over on the ground. When his wide eyes met mine, he froze. I was doing my best to win control over the beast, but it still wanted to rip the man to shreds. It would’ve been a waste though, seeing as he was quite handsome.

Golden hair framed his sculpted face. His strong jaw and high cheekbones made him look like a prince that fell out of a fairytale. As his golden eyes continued to stare into mine, I could feel the beast calming down. The snarls that were coming out of my mouth softened into grumblings, and I almost had enough control to turn around and find a quiet place to shift back to my homid form.

But new footsteps made my ears twitch, and the beast snapped back into focus. The man wasn’t alone. My eyes scanned the trees, waiting for the others that were with him. Surprise almost replaced my anger when five wolves in their glabrou form broke through the trees. Unlike me, they hadn’t fully shifted.

There were still traces of humanity on their faces, although their noses had already transformed into wolf-like snouts. Fur was beginning to cover their bodies, and their nails had sharpened into claws. The glabrou form was the middle ground between our homid or human form and our crinos or wolf form.

They didn’t notice me immediately, as their focus seemed to be on the man who stumbled upon me. As I watched their eyes zero in on him, I realized why he’d been running. Because they were chasing after him. Flashbacks of Caleb chasing me through the woods all those years ago emerged in my mind, and the memory made my beast bristle with anger.

This seemed to attract the attention of the intruders, and when their eyes fell on me, their angry expressions switched to one of fear. I didn’t need to read their minds to know what they were seeing. The Beast of Briar Woods. The famed Hellhound.

My crinos form- a gigantic, black wolf with a large snout. Sharp canine teeth ready and able to snap a tree in half. Hackles rose on my back from anger. Glinting, black claws ready to rip anyone or anything apart. And blood red eyes that promised damnation to anyone who crossed my path.

This was the Beast of Briar Woods.

This was my power.

And this was my curse.

As I stalked forward, my anger making me see red, one of the wolves gave a low whine. I snapped my teeth in anticipation, knowing I would enjoy this. My patrol had just turned into a hunt.

And as the wolves turned tail and ran away from me, the predators became the prey.