Winter Prey

Chapter 27

Chapter 27

It approached the crumbled vehicle slowly and halted a few feet away, nearly close enough to touch with long arms - if It dropped the burden. But something would not let It any closer.

Sharp vision, however, peered through snow that would have blinded a lesser being. Both humans were unconscious. The one who drove - the Midé - lay against the back of the seat, his neck angled awkwardly. Blood - It sniffed in the aroma - covered the man's face and poured from his mouth and nose.

The other one - the white man, Caleb - draped across the seat, half his body out the door that sprang open when they hit the birch tree. They both still breathed. Its sharp hearing picked that up, and Its eyes noticed the slight rise and fall of their chests, less so on the Midé's. The white man appeared less injured, his breathing steadier. In fact, as It watched, that one stirred a bit.

It focused on the other man, the Midé. Even in his near-death state, his powers kept the barrier in place, keeping It away. He would be a prime target, since he carried knowledge from the spirit world. It narrowed a sharp gaze to the invisible shield of light emanating from the Midé's chest. The spirit bundle was there somewhere, hidden in his clothing.

It would enjoy a hunt where It collected two prey on one foray from the lair. Were the white man not regaining his senses, It would ponder the situation a while. There might be a way to remove that protection and capture this descendant from the age-old adversary, had It time. A Midé would be a notable kill in the line of descent. A kill that would mean much more than the humble descendant It held now. Yet they all mattered, male, female, high in the tribal hierarchy, low-born.

Probably the Midé would die, anyway, before another measure of revenge could be meted out. It waited as long as possible, hoping to hear the death rattle in the man's throat. When the white man grunted and started moving, It knew the time to escape had come.

Yet...It tried to move forward once again. The spirit bundle, filled with ancient protections against an entity such as It, lost no power as it protected the Midé. Maybe even...It glanced at the other one. Some sort of light surrounded him where his head lay on the ground. He, too, wore something.

It sniffed...and remembered. The white man had been with Her. It had smelled him when standing on the lake looking up at the cabin. Watched him ride away that night. This one had interfered with Its attempt to make Her understand. With the renewed power coursing through Its veins and heightening the thought process, It had finally discerned the reason for the early wakening. Her. It needed Her if the ending would come during this wakening period. If this would truly be the last period of this agonizing existence. If not, the knowledge and strength gained during this hunt would power future hunts.

The white man pushed himself back up into the seat, and the light moved with him. The wind died for a second, and It allowed Itself one small pleasure - that of meeting the white man's eyes through the shattered glass of the vehicle they had thought capable of catching It.

It latched gazes, never breaking the contact as the howl of both victory and promise broke free. Seconds later, It was back in the lair, the fresh meal waiting to be tortured and consumed. Now that the power was at peak, sustenance would keep it high until She could fulfill destiny.