Hunted

Silent paws creep silently across the freezing grass. The icy scent in the air is the only guide that the starving creature has. A warm creature is nearby, ready to be eaten. The stalking creature knows the danger, but desperation overules it. Closer to the source of the scent, stomach tight and twisted. Lips begin to draw back in a silent snarl, revealing a row of white teeth. The prey is very near. The hunter can see it now.
A young girl shivers in the cold of the night. She wishes to finish her chores quickly, so she can go back inside and sit by the blazing fire. Impatiently, she waits for the lazy chickens to go inside their coop, so she can lock them in. While no chickens had been killed by wild animals for years now, it was still a slight threat. Clucking at the plump, silly creatures, she began to herd them, feeling colder by the second. Above her, the full moon rose higher in the frozen air.
The scent of warm blood was now floating towards the hunter. It took all he had to not rush out there and then. But he had to wait, had to be a little bit closer before charging. The frail looking prey would come down easily and would make a great meal.
Locking up the coop, the girl turned around, but then froze. She had seen something, a swift movment, a glimmer of eyes, hidden in the bushes. She stared intently into the bushes, waiting for the creature to appear.
Appear the hunter did. He leapt out of the bushes and hurtled towards the girl. Hunger now led him completely and he gave no thought as to what he did. All he knew was that the girl was prey and would soon be eaten. He leapt at her throat, teeth ready.
The girl didn't scream. But all of a sudden, the girl wasn't there anymore. Instead, a large wildcat stood there. Without a moment's hesitation, the cat attacked the wolf, tearing with both teeth and claws. The surprised wolf never stood a chance and within seconds, his worries were forever over.
The girl stood, gazing over the ripped apart remains of the wolf. She looked back at the chicken coop, where the chickens were all panicking at the sound of the fight.
"You're safe for now, you silly things. Be quiet." She said to them, and then, after wiping her hands free of blood on the the cold grass, she turned and walked away from the body of the wolf.

The Adventures of Katkin Sharpeyes-And so we begin

(Let me begin this by telling you about Katkin. She's a character that reflects myself in many ways. She's also a wonderful character to write, because she's so diverse and can be anything I want. I haven't done many short stories lately, because they've felt constricting, but now Katkin has opened up the short story world again. I plan for her adventures to be many, and to not be read in any order. Except for this intro: This is where it begins.)

And so we begin:

A gentle breeze blows in a blue glowing void. Almost like water, yet it is air, not water. Small, nearly seen figures flit in and out of the blue area.

“Child.”

One figure solidifies, giggling. “Yes?”

The first Voice is unseen. “You must leave this place. It is time you live elsewhere.”

The figure, a young girl, pouts a little. Suddenly, her human looking ears are replaced with cat ears. A tail appears from under her floating skirt.

“Must I?”

The Voice laughed gently. “You’ll have fun, I promise.”

The tail disappeared and wings like an eagle appeared. “Alright. But only if it’s fun and exciting.” She said, cat ears replaced with rabbit ears.

A glass ball appeared, suspended in the air. “Take this. And go live.”

She grabbed the sphere, looking at it curiously. Then she grinned, turned her red hair green, and then disappeared.

*        *        *        *        * 

All is quiet, frozen in a timeless place. Every tree is a thin skeleton, a shadow of a better time, reaching outwards and upwards. Snow covered the ground, creating a beautiful, yet monotonous setting. Sound is muffled by the thick blanket of white.

As a little bird appears from under a nearby bush, another figure appears. The bird doesn’t see the newcomer, busy instead with the need to find food. The second figure crouches in the darkness, waiting.

With a sudden burst of energy, the second figure leaps upon the first. A squeak emits from the bird but it then falls into silence. The small, lithe cat that attacked it batted at it, searching for life. But it was too late now.

The cat meowed and took a step back. Then, in less than a blink of an eye, there stood not a cat, but a young woman. She sat down on the snow and picked up the bird, green eyes glittering with sorrow.  Holding the bird closer, she gazed at it intently.

"I’m sorry. I only wanted to play.” She whispered.

She dropped the bird onto the ground and then stood up, dusting snow from her pants. She took one last look at the pathetic little bird, and then walked away.