The Diviner

The creature lifted its head to inhale the luscious scent of fear. The scent was coming from the west. Fear meant pain and pain means a meal, the savage best thought. It stretched its mouth to form something that looked crudely like a smile. The beast howled and took off in pursuit of this refreshing scent.

                                It stopped when he saw the beautiful sight. A grown man, about 30 years of age, who had been caught in his own trap! The beast laughed throatily at the irony of it all. Foolish human, it thought, you will make a fine meal for me. It strode forward then stopped. Images flashed in its head quickly. Images long forgotten, images that were painful to look at. A raven black as death itself, a girl with red eyes , and finally an image of a beautiful man dressed in a garb woven together from animals. It whined and scratched at its head. Stupid diviners always showing their faces when they aren't wanted, it thought.  Reluctantly it opened the stupid trap, and watched on as the stupid, stupid human crawled away quickly; but he was not quick enough for it to see that he had a haruspex tattoo painted on his back. The diviners had chosen to mark him as a diviner, and they chose the latin sign, the most powerful sign there is?!, it thought angrily, I am so much stronger than that weak human, I should have been chosen as the diviner of the hunt, but I suppose the diviners do have a purpose for everything. It snarled and backed out slowly. It will wait. It has been waiting for thousands of years for this day. It can wait some more.