The beast that beckons and howls, he grows delightfully close. I suppose it could be a she, but the more terrifying a thing is the more masculine it is presumed to be.
There has been a hunt ages and ages long raging in the heart and soul of my people. We are taught from birth to chase this beast and that obtaining it as a carcass is the way to become the noblest. Men hunting alongside women for this creature of obscurity and amazement.
Few and far between have any of us seen what this demon creature looks like, yet when one of us do peer at it, even if only for a second, it encourages every last one of us to rise earlier in the morn and hunt later into the night. This elegant beast, loud and ferocious, massive in size and legend, yet as elusive as the tiniest object in the universe.
Yet here we are again, hearing the thunderous roar of this confounding creature. He cannot be far from here as the tracks are laid out so steadily before us, clear for all of us to see in the clearest of blue skies.
This is going to be my day. I will have this beast with no name. I will sit atop my chair as the most masterful, most praised tribesman to ever live. The one who slayed the beast, the master of the trickiest creature alive.
Another roar from just out of eye sight, too many trees blocking my view. Certainly, though, the beast cannot hear me nearing in on him.
The other hunters decided to travel together in a pack, a decent group of five. We always come back with game when we travel in a pack, but we never get the prize in which we all truly seek. Some claim that they are satisfied with a good sized deer, maybe even a buffalo. They are lying to themselves, though. They want the creature who cannot be caught. That is why they go out on a hunt the day after capturing a big meal for all of us to share.
I, however, had to venture out alone. I can't lie to myself any longer. I want the beast we all know exists, yet cannot find. I found him. He is just on the other side of this shrubbery. His grunt is patterned the way a man snoring in the middle of the night might be. It is harsh, it is loud, it is angry, and it is big.
The tales report the beast being ten or fifteen feet tall and just as wide. Enough to feed the entire village for months, or make us all fatter than we could imagine. The one who captures it decides, though, how it is dispersed and I want it all for myself. I want to live off of it for the remainder of my life. I could finally stop hunting.
Some of the other hunters say that they'd share with everyone. They say that everyone is equal, but they are a liar. Even if that were the case, someone would try to steal extra for themselves. Do you know how many furs could be cut from a beast that size?
Sure, some of them would be satisfied just having slightly more than everyone else, but not me. I want it all. I want everyone to see me with the furs as I pack the pounds onto my now tiny little frame. Tiny because I don't eat enough. Tiny because I spend so much time and effort trying to hunt.
I find myself still standing on the wrong side of the bush - a bush so massive that it would be the only one to hide this beast from my sight now. I must be clever if I'm to take him down. Strategy is everything. My attack must be swift and precise. I've trained my whole life for this and the time is finally here.
Some of the other tribesman weigh more than I, and I do not understand how. They hunt small game, squirrels, rabbits, and the like. They always have food, though.
As I'm rounding the corner the loud noises start to fade. Is the beast aware of my presence? How could the beast know? No, he surely cannot know. I've been as silent as silent can be.
I creep even more slowly around the corner. The noise is still there and still does not sound startled; however, it doesn't sound as intense as it once did. It does not sound as intense as it did while I was further away.
As I finish rounding the corner, I see nothing. The sound is louder than it has ever been, yet nothing.
No, there is something there. The beast to end all beasts, however, is no beast at all. It is tiny. It is the size of a small rodent, a mouse perhaps. It opens its mouth and lets out the most ferocious and loud noise I have ever heard before it scurries into the shrubbery. It is gone, gone now and forever.
Now I'm faced with a choice. Did I find the fifteen foot monster and let him get away or did I fail at another hunting excursion?
-Dustin S. Stover
For more pleasures reading my work, click below!
Kindle: Happiness in a Void of Darkness
Nook: Happiness in a Void of Darkness
There has been a hunt ages and ages long raging in the heart and soul of my people. We are taught from birth to chase this beast and that obtaining it as a carcass is the way to become the noblest. Men hunting alongside women for this creature of obscurity and amazement.
Few and far between have any of us seen what this demon creature looks like, yet when one of us do peer at it, even if only for a second, it encourages every last one of us to rise earlier in the morn and hunt later into the night. This elegant beast, loud and ferocious, massive in size and legend, yet as elusive as the tiniest object in the universe.
Yet here we are again, hearing the thunderous roar of this confounding creature. He cannot be far from here as the tracks are laid out so steadily before us, clear for all of us to see in the clearest of blue skies.
This is going to be my day. I will have this beast with no name. I will sit atop my chair as the most masterful, most praised tribesman to ever live. The one who slayed the beast, the master of the trickiest creature alive.
Another roar from just out of eye sight, too many trees blocking my view. Certainly, though, the beast cannot hear me nearing in on him.
The other hunters decided to travel together in a pack, a decent group of five. We always come back with game when we travel in a pack, but we never get the prize in which we all truly seek. Some claim that they are satisfied with a good sized deer, maybe even a buffalo. They are lying to themselves, though. They want the creature who cannot be caught. That is why they go out on a hunt the day after capturing a big meal for all of us to share.
I, however, had to venture out alone. I can't lie to myself any longer. I want the beast we all know exists, yet cannot find. I found him. He is just on the other side of this shrubbery. His grunt is patterned the way a man snoring in the middle of the night might be. It is harsh, it is loud, it is angry, and it is big.
The tales report the beast being ten or fifteen feet tall and just as wide. Enough to feed the entire village for months, or make us all fatter than we could imagine. The one who captures it decides, though, how it is dispersed and I want it all for myself. I want to live off of it for the remainder of my life. I could finally stop hunting.
Some of the other hunters say that they'd share with everyone. They say that everyone is equal, but they are a liar. Even if that were the case, someone would try to steal extra for themselves. Do you know how many furs could be cut from a beast that size?
Sure, some of them would be satisfied just having slightly more than everyone else, but not me. I want it all. I want everyone to see me with the furs as I pack the pounds onto my now tiny little frame. Tiny because I don't eat enough. Tiny because I spend so much time and effort trying to hunt.
I find myself still standing on the wrong side of the bush - a bush so massive that it would be the only one to hide this beast from my sight now. I must be clever if I'm to take him down. Strategy is everything. My attack must be swift and precise. I've trained my whole life for this and the time is finally here.
Some of the other tribesman weigh more than I, and I do not understand how. They hunt small game, squirrels, rabbits, and the like. They always have food, though.
As I'm rounding the corner the loud noises start to fade. Is the beast aware of my presence? How could the beast know? No, he surely cannot know. I've been as silent as silent can be.
I creep even more slowly around the corner. The noise is still there and still does not sound startled; however, it doesn't sound as intense as it once did. It does not sound as intense as it did while I was further away.
As I finish rounding the corner, I see nothing. The sound is louder than it has ever been, yet nothing.
No, there is something there. The beast to end all beasts, however, is no beast at all. It is tiny. It is the size of a small rodent, a mouse perhaps. It opens its mouth and lets out the most ferocious and loud noise I have ever heard before it scurries into the shrubbery. It is gone, gone now and forever.
Now I'm faced with a choice. Did I find the fifteen foot monster and let him get away or did I fail at another hunting excursion?
-Dustin S. Stover
For more pleasures reading my work, click below!
Kindle: Happiness in a Void of Darkness
Nook: Happiness in a Void of Darkness
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