These things were inevitable, regrettably. Wess crouched as he chewed on the skin and bones of a man who had been unfortunate enough to travel a little too close to his territory. People disappeared in the Forbidden Forest all the time. It was a dangerous place, even without a hungry Wendigo roaming.
The food made the fog consuming his mental state lessen some, but even with all he had eaten, Wess still felt his stomach complaining, twisting, hurting with starvation. He groaned inwardly as he stood, peering around the darkness that had become home for him. Wess might have dragged the remains of the body to his cavern, but he only did that to those still alive. It kept the meat fresher.
Instead, the man finished his meal off, sucking the bones clean and gathering them up. He did enjoy gnawing the bones and sucking the marrow as a kind of snack, also, they were useful when winter came around and it was never too early to gather bones for winter.
Caroline was annoyed, yet she moved when Mike told her he wanted to take her with him to the Forbidden Forest. She hated the most when something or someone disturbed her while polishing her jars, but this was the first time he actually offered her to go there with him and she couldn't help it!
In her opinion he could have waited until she finishes, but he insisted on going at once and it made her angry. She walked a step behind him playing with her stun gun, not even trying to talk to him all the way. When they arrived the spooky atmosphere of the forest made her grumpiness let up a bit so she spoke, though still slightly annoyed which was obvious in the tone of her voice.
"I really don't get why did you avoid to bring me along to this place until now..." She commented trying to show how much she liked it. "Anyways, what are we gonna do here? Why were you in such a hurry?"
@Arcadia @FoxalypticWorld
In her opinion he could have waited until she finishes, but he insisted on going at once and it made her angry. She walked a step behind him playing with her stun gun, not even trying to talk to him all the way. When they arrived the spooky atmosphere of the forest made her grumpiness let up a bit so she spoke, though still slightly annoyed which was obvious in the tone of her voice.
"I really don't get why did you avoid to bring me along to this place until now..." She commented trying to show how much she liked it. "Anyways, what are we gonna do here? Why were you in such a hurry?"
@Arcadia @FoxalypticWorld
Mike's face was a face of uncertainty. "Very simple answer for all of your questions. One. Don't worry about it. Two. Don't worry about it. And three. Don't worry about it." Mike's mind drifted off to when he first came here. Mike, don't let that bear see you again. Or....what ever that thing was.... "You don't think I know that!? It's likely already pissed I ripped the nexus out of its gullet. Probably wants to get me back for it." Can a bear even think that much? "Don't question the ability of things like that." Mike quickly ran along forest ground. He hated this place so much. But the rumors always seemed to be true.
It wasn't that Wess was great with enhanced senses or anything. If anything, his senses weren't as good as when he was human, not in the way people would think. But he knew when people were in his territory. That, he thought, was instinct.
So as they came upon the bloody bones and torn up carcass he'd been feeding on, Wess leaped out of sight high into the trees and watched. Stalked, even. He stalked his prey, debating which he wanted to hone in on. He decided the woman. Women were easier prey than men.
Something smelled wrong. They didn't smell normal, but Wess had gotten used to that, living here. When they came upon his previous meal, Wess moved a short distance away and let loose a terrible scream. The sound of a woman being murdered, or a puma, if someone knew enough about big cats to know that.
"Tsch!" Caroline's cheeks went red in rage, but she knew insisting on more accurate answer than a mere don't worry was futile when he was engaged in conversation with his AIs. Besides, there was something that easily drew her attention - the nasty pile of bones lying on the ground not too far from them, at the spot she heard rustling noise coming from a moment ago.
She could swear those were human bones and at first glance it looked like not many of them were missing, so the perfect skeleton could be made gathering them.
"Waaaah, I'm sooo taking this for my collection!" Caroline squealed happily and grabbed Mike's hand pulling him towards the pile. She didn't care the least what made the noise she heard, she believed it must have been some harmless animal which intended to feed on her future collection but ran away frightened by their presence.
Only when she (still pulling Mike) approached the bones and the awful scream resounded from some place nearby, has she realized her decision to come that close to the animal's pray was too rushed! She let Mike's hand to cover her ears and hid behind his back.
"W... What the hell could this be?!" She tried to keep calm, but her voice was trembling.
She could swear those were human bones and at first glance it looked like not many of them were missing, so the perfect skeleton could be made gathering them.
"Waaaah, I'm sooo taking this for my collection!" Caroline squealed happily and grabbed Mike's hand pulling him towards the pile. She didn't care the least what made the noise she heard, she believed it must have been some harmless animal which intended to feed on her future collection but ran away frightened by their presence.
Only when she (still pulling Mike) approached the bones and the awful scream resounded from some place nearby, has she realized her decision to come that close to the animal's pray was too rushed! She let Mike's hand to cover her ears and hid behind his back.
"W... What the hell could this be?!" She tried to keep calm, but her voice was trembling.
Mike examined the bloody bones and carcass's. "I'm no doctor but this is definetly the works of something....." Gee thanks Mike, something is a lot to go on "I mean it's very unlikely to be natural! Now what the hell could have c-" Before Mike could even finish his sentence his question was answered. He had to cover his ears when he heard the shriek. Mike had little time to react to anything going on, his head was hurting and his ears were pounding.
A sudden silence followed the shrieking and nothing in the woods made a noise. The land was tense with the music of the hunt. There was a predator here, but Wess wasn't as close to them as he had been when he screamed. He had stepped back for a breather, not wanting to give away his location.
Somewhere in the distance, a little girl cried softly, hiccuping. "H-Hello? Mommy... is that you?" She was terrified. Sobbing. And just a little distorted by distance. She echoed from a nearby cavern.