The Skins of Beasts

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The Skins of Beasts 2

By: Kasey Altman3

Cold droplets of freezing rain fell from an onyx colored night sky. Thin layers of ice were beginning to form over the open country side that slept below. No moon could be seen from behind the veil of storm clouds, leaving ominous shadows to blanket the frozen earth. In the expanse of a large back field, a small herd of goats huddled together for warmth. The small animals dozed within their little group, unaware of the four crouched figures that watched them from the fence line. 4

The strange creatures sat beneath the pouring rain, their awkwardly long limbs folded into sitting positions under hunched bodies. Thin vaporous clouds of breath polluted the air in front of their faces, giving little warning to the quarry only yards away. Thick water logged fur covered most of the backsides of their bodies but the surfaces of pale white skin were evident to soft bellied torso’s. 5

As they scanned over the herd for an easy feast a break in the clouds allowed a sliver of moonlight to fall over the pasture. The shrouded figures crouched low against the freezing earth, the heat from their breathing momentarily thawing the ice from blades of grass. The shadows they cast were that of large wolves with hind limbs too long and shoulders too broad and narrow. The most disturbing image of these creatures were the profiles of jawless heads that grinned with an upper skull devoid of facial movement of any kind. 6

With the same speed as whence it came, the moonlight was forced from the sky and all light was once again vanquished. The abnormal wolves quivered with excitement as a stray goat made her way toward the sleeping group with a newborn following uncertainly behind her. The infants course hair was still wet from the womb but the fluid was quickly being rinsed away by the pelting rain. Anticipation swept over the four predators and soft sighs rumbled from their chests. Hot breath steamed from between their jawless skulls as they began their hunt.7

The creatures kept low to the ground but their hind ends stuck higher into the air as the length of back legs were not made for such a posture. Lifeless tails swung behind them as they moved and the sodden fur on their backs did little against the cold but still they closed in. The new mother glanced into the night, not seeing any danger to her newborn so she dozed against the warmth of a neighboring herd mate. The little infant stood at his mothers side and looked eagerly for her milk. Neither new how close the danger had actually come. In the darkness of a stormy night the piercing scream of a frightened animal echoed through the rain but was quickly overwhelmed by the hyena like laughter and shrieks of unnatural creatures.