Tik..

Tik...

Tik....

The crunching footsteps of the creature was near silenced by the snow, their soft sniffling being drowned by the howl of the wind. This was no longer their home, were had they ended up? The new surroundings were unwelcoming to its presence, all signs of life vanishing while even plants held their breath as they strode by.

Animals where always a rarity for its presence, but even now it felt like everything around them was dead. With no shadow or footprints to show which ways they'd come an gone, the creature was soon lost and had to revert to its old ways of just wandering until they found something at least. A weak sob slipping through their crooked maw, the familiar aching twist within his soul tearing his weakened heart with loneliness.

It seemed to be all the creature knew, yet the feeling never numbed like others would expect their own loneliness to do. His scratched its way to every nerve and hair, making sure he reeked of his loneliness and make him suffer with the pain of having no other living creature willingly around him. The only things that even dared to be around where the fleas constantly biting his tender flesh and the maggots squirming their way excitedly.. hungrily to the smell of blood..

The smell of smoke lifted the creatures sight up, they were not afraid of fire but fire usually meant people. Could he finally find a friend in these foreboding woods? The thought made the creatures soul twist with possible glee, fastening their stride to follow the scent of the smoke while it's bones creaked and popped in restraint of its speed. Brushing against the rough wood of the tall pines, his hollow eyes gazed out to spot a cabin resting in the middle of a clearing.

His frail ears twitch, the wind howling against the creature as it began to approach the cabin. The closer he'd gotten, the more he was sure of life within the cabin. The muffled sound of talking and laughter bringing him to bow his head to stare through the windows. With darkness filling his vision, he cried with annoyance circling the home. Searching for a place to peek through with his cries getting louder and more desperate, he must find the people within.

He must.. he must see them, befriend them and keep them. His long claws scrapped across the wooden frame, if he can't find a way in he'd make a way. Yet as he passed the door, it was opened by barely a crack. Pressing his muzzle to push the door farther open, a familiar scent of blood hit his nose making him reel back in disgust. He never liked the smell of it. The soft mumble of children made him push past the awful smell, his shoulders bumping the top of the door frame while he arched down to fit through the gap.

His sights set on two corpses fallen upon the wooden flooring, blood pooling around them in a amount that couldn't be mistaken as alive. They had been dead for a while, the embers within the fireplace crackled and unkempt while his ears strained to hear the soft muttering from the hall. Stepping carelessly over the furniture in his way, he clambered towards the room that the sounds where flooding from. Inside a small closet inside a equally as small room, he'd caught sight of the children. Huddled up and sniffling, holding each other like their lives depended to do so.

The boy looked to be the eldest, probably nine at most while the frail little girl seemed to be only three. Coo'ing to the frightened children, they flinched at his sound. Terror in their eyes as they seen him looming from above, just barely peeking through the shutters. One step was all it took to spur the eldest to defend his younger sibling, shielding her from the creatures view as he shouted for it to leave them alone. The creature flinched back, a hitched sob leaving its grumbled throat, howling sadly as it slowly slid down to crouch.

The boy went to take the closest object to throw it but the girl stopped him with a short shout while grabbing his arm. The creatures ears flattened back as she approached, clutching the little bow on her chest while her tear stained face looked uncertain yet hopeful. His snout instinctively closed the gap between him and her outstretched hand, rubbing his cold wet nose against the skin of her palm. She giggled lightly, releasing her dresses bow to reach out and stroke the matted fur of the creatures neck. The boy hesitantly followed behind, his hand retracting slightly when the creatures head tilted. Brushing along its flank lightly while the girl hugged the creature by its neck. Quiet and still the creature almost purred with joy, oil like tears beading down its snout where it stained the grey fur.

The crash from outside broke the joyous moment, the kids taking hold of the creature in fear as they heard a gruff voice curse and yell. The girl began to cry once more, muffling against the creatures shoulder. "D-Don't let the bad man take us.." Rising to its full height the creature let out a sharp cry of hatred to the supposed bad man, stalking its way through the house to lead the children out a different way. In their naive state, the kids quickly motioned the creature to follow it into the attic. It was a safe space they said, it was a simple jump in the park for the creature and in the bare attic the kids huddled like frightened rabbits once more.

The bad man shouted, throwing things to and fro in their search. Looking for a way out the creature peered out from the window, he could lower them down with his thin legs but it was too small for him to escape through. With a short cry to the children, he scrapped his jagged claws against the pane glass. The boy seeming to understand his plan, fiddled with the lock on the window before he pushed it as high as s

he could. The creature held out a paw for them to hold to, the boy was first motioning his sister to lean against him for she couldn't keep a strong grip of the creatures leg. With the two of them holding on for dear life, the creature slowly lowered them to the powdered ground.

Stretching as far as the window allowed while his shoulders pressed painfully into the frame, the boy lowered his sister to the ground with one arm before jumping down himself when she cleared the way. The creature coo'ed, raising himself back into the attic while the voice of the bad man got louder and louder. This irritated its frail ears, its lip curling up with a twitch to show its jagged teeth within its maw. The snapping of bones and flesh tearing echoing in the attic.. it would stop the bad man.

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Wobbling as his muzzle pushed back the door, his strides led him outside were the children had been waiting. Looking up at him nervously as he suddenly reeked of rot, the girl looked back to the house "...bad man, gone?" The creature cried out, bowing his head while rubbing his cheek along her coats shoulder. Then the three left, the girl settled on top of his neck and resting back on his shoulders while the boy walked beside the long legs of the beast. Arms crossed as a cloud puffed out from his breath, nose red while he began to speak. "Look.. i don't know if you understand me but that man did a really bad thing to our parents.. i hope you gave him what he deserved. I don't see any blood on you but that man isn't coming back... is he?"

The boy looked up to the creature hopefully, silent as its head nodded slow. "Good... I don't know how you did it but.. thank you." The creatures cold heart swelled with joy, the boy finally trusted him. These two he'd keep, they liked him truly because why else would they be with him. He loved the gentle pets the girl gave and despite the boys hesitance of him, he knew that he must like him too. As the wind picked up, the creature felt the shift of reality while its head lifted happily. It made it home with its new friends, they had come home with him.

Looking back to the boy, the creature noticed him tremble and rub his arms together. He must be excited to see their new home, he was basically pale with joy. The creature wailed with excitement, its speed picking up to a trot to show the children their home. Yet when he paused to see if the boy followed, the boy was gone and no where in sight. Crying out in shock, the creature turned to run back to find him yet when he did. He was on the ground, cold and motionless with his arm stretched out towards the creature. What was he reaching for, did he want to pet them again? Leaning it head down, the smaller body of the girl slid off his neck and collided to the swirled land.

Frozen in the same position she'd been in while on his neck, why was she frozen. Was she sleeping like the others, its nose prodded her cheek to wake her, ears twitching to listen for any sound from her. She didn't move, she wouldn't move no matter how much he tried to nudge her. He twisted his gaze, desperately rubbing his muzzle against the boys hand to see if he'd move. Why wouldn't they move, he begged them to move with his cries and gentle movements. Yet they refused, his heart sunk once more as the realization set in. They hated him now, they didn't like their new home and where punishing him for bringing them here. His loud wails begged for their forgiveness, he'd take them home if they would just move!

Loneliness hurt and he was experiencing it more then ever, it crawled back into him like a parasite that refused to die. It left unseen claw marks of anguish and suffering that hurt more that any arrow shot into his hide. Dragging himself away from the children in defeat, his hitched sobs echoed from his throat. He wanted a friend that would stay, he needed a friend that would stay and he'd find them if it killed him.

He'd do anything to get them.