Bigfoot

15.

"Do you see that?"

River watched the tiny beings move around. "Yes."

"Those are humans."

River was a little confused. The tales he had heard, humans were these awful beasts that roam the land to kill, eat, and destroy. They were supposed to be savages. These were just sitting around their contained fire. Drinking from silver metal things and laughing.

"Those long sticks are guns. The object that comes from them can kill you in one hit, if they get you in the right place."

River had seen his father's scars. He had places where the gun's object had pierced his flesh. Lucky for him, their kind was extremely strong. Some of their people had been hit all over, head, neck, thighs. If it was to get them in the eye, they would be dead for sure.

"Maybe we should just scare them." His mother offered.

His Father shook his head. "I watch them every season they come out. They bring more males and get closer to our home each time. They need to be taught a lesson. Death is their punishment. "

His mother made a noise in her throat, obviously annoyed with her mate.

River watched as a younger human stepped out. He sort of danced around their fire and his voice rang out in song. River stifled his giggle, knowing it would anger his father for him to find amusement in such a tense time.

"Tonight, we will attack them." Father said matter of fact. The tree knocks did not make them fear the unknown. He wasn't gonna stand there another evening hitting the trees for no reason. If the humans wanted to play in the forest, then play they would. He watched the leader, who always had a gun over his shoulder play with the youngster. "I will kill the leader. You," he turned and looked at River, "will kill the little one."

Night approached quicker than River was comfortable with. They had on their thick furs, stalking the humans, knowing they couldn't be seen.

His mother absolutely refused to kill anyone. She was just going to scare the ones closest to her and if they ran into the clutches of her mate, oh well.

River swallowed hard. His father expected him to kill something. He could hunt fish, deer, elk, bear, whatever and kill it, but the idea of ending the life of something that looked just like him, made him unsettled. He didn't understand why the humans would hurt them.

They were the same.

Except they were giants and they were not.

River wasn't ready, even though he told his father he was, when the attack started. The blood curdling scream of a man right before the sickening sound of a crack, nearly caused him to vomit. His mother frightened him as she sprang from the woods like a wild beast.

He watched as his father pinned the leader. The man had to be begging for his life the way he grabbed onto his father's large hand and shook his head.

River looked eyes with the youngling right as his father set the limp human down. The scent of fear filled the forest.

He took after the youngling. The poor thing kept stumbling all over. River had to make it look like he gave it a good try, but it was hard when he would keep running. He would try and River would have to trip.

The human would speed up and slow down and River would have to do the same. It was exhausting.

He had probably run the human for about four miles when he thought he had enough. The youngling pressed himself against a log and tried to catch his breath.