It had been many years, since she had been around anyone she could consider a friend. What was the point? She would live, forever young, never getting sick nor jaded by the passing years watching her youth slip away. Yet others would be ravaged by time, wrinkled, sickly and eventually fade away. So what was the point in getting attached? It would only lead to hurt and pain.
She dealt with enough of that as it was.
How long had she been alone? Isolating herself to the endless forests that enveloped Canada was the only way she could truly be herself. The humans did not take kindly to her. The very air about her caused them to stay on edge. Thousands of years of primitive fear warning them away from a dangerous predator.
She could remember a time where it was safe to venture into a town. Her endless curiosity with the humans could never be stated. Everything about them intrigued her. She risked herself many times. If nothing more than to watch them mill around, always in a hurry, trying to accomplish everything as fast as possible. So different from her.
But with the passage of time, they became much more advanced. She risked much more by venturing in. It was a harsh lesson learned, one that took three days for her body to heal itself enough for her to move.
Fall had just arrived, creating a pleasant air about the small town below her. Cocking her head to the side she contemplated going down to people watch in the main square. There was so many of them today, they were putting up colored paper and setting up stands in the middle of the streets. The excitement was infectious. Of course she wouldn't be able to resist.
With a goofy grin, she slid down from her previously occupied tree. Meandering into the town at a leisurely pace. Stuffing her hands in the pockets of her pants, to hide her very prominent claws, she let the smells and noises take over her senses.
These humans were always getting into something. From the couple in the alleyway being less than virtuous, to the family sitting in the bench feeding their cub treats. Each of them different from the last.
She had never met someone like her. Maybe there was no one else like her? That thought saddened her.
She spied a bench tucked away underneath an overhang, one that would provide her a perfect view of the on goings without causing her to stand out. Softly she settled herself down on the wood, and for hours comfortably watched the humans.
Her mind wandered back to her previous musings. What were the odds that she was alone in this world? She didn't feel like a … freak. That is what they liked to call her, when they found out that she wasn't like them. Surely there was no way that she was alone. How could she be the only one of her kind? It just didn't make sense. There had to be a reason, a purpose, for her being like this.
Her inner self growled that there was nothing wrong with them. That they should pity these humans. So fragile, so fleeting.
Her existence was a comfortable one, she could easily manage herself in the middle of the forest. That is where her inner self was most comfortable, where she was safe to give in to her baser instincts.
Truly there was nothing better than lounging high up in the trees, full from hunting, just staring at the sky. Or maybe playing in the stream while attempting to catch fish. Hmm. It was a close call. Snickering at her inner debate, she focused once again on the humans.
The day had long ago faded away, lanterns had been lit, the flames inside flickering with the soft breeze. The humans were on a wooden floor that had been erected in the square, dancing the night away.
They twirled a sashayed, a mix of colors and laughter. She wondered what they were celebrating, what would cause these humans such pleasure?
A movement in her direction diverted her attention from the dancing group. Her bright green eyes honing in on the small approaching human.
A young cub seemed to have outsmarted its mother. Slowly making its way to her bench, with a sweet smile plastered on its face, head full of black curly hair. She watched its progress as it steadily crept closer and closer to her perch. The cub had nearly reached its destination when a small stone caused it to stumble.
Her reaction had been immediate, her instinct to protect the cub from hurting itself had overrode her rational mind. She caught the cub, before he fell, holding him before her.
A blonde haired woman ran up, her face flushed red.
"Lucas! Oh my! Thank you so much, I was so worried!"
She held out her hands expectantly for her cub, Lucas.
It was during the transfer, that the day went downhill. Everything happened so fast, that even for her advanced senses, it was hard to comprehend. She passed the cub to the blonde woman, whom had seemingly frozen on the spot – during the middle of yet another apology.
Raising her eyes, the sickeningly sweet stench of fear invaded her senses. The woman was staring at her claws, something that she had completely disregarded in her rush to help the cub.
She opening her mouth to reassure the woman that she meant no harm, her fangs now in full few. The women went from scared, to downright hysterical in a matter of seconds.
Her memory of that night was a bit fuzzy after that. There was a lot of screaming. She remembered running, faster than she ever had before. She remembered loud booms, almost deafening sounds with her sensitive hearing. But above all, she remembered the pain. There were men above her, lots of them. They had metals sticks pointed at her. Then… there was nothing.
When she woke, she could tell it had been a while. She was starving, her stomach seemed like it was trying to eat itself. She sat up slowly, there were hundreds of small metal balls surrounding her body. Obviously her body had ejected these whilst healing itself. She picked one up, inspecting it. Did these come out of those metal sticks? It seemed possible. Dropping the metal ball back in the dirt she stood, preparing herself to hunt.
That had been a couple of years ago. She had learned a lot since then about the nature of humans. They called her a monster, yet their fickle nature made them just as dangerous.
It was not often that she would mingle amongst them. Instead she preferred to watch them from afar, tucked within the safety of the trees. She had no desire to relive that night.
It was the beginning of summer, while not overly hot it was enough to warrant time lounging in her stream.
She stripped down, tossing her clothes to the side, and made her way to the clean cool water.
There was nothing that could beat the peace she felt out here. Surrounded by wilderness. Thankfully she had never seen a human out so far. As much as she enjoyed watching them, it was upsetting to think of them encroaching into her territory. She had been in this area for only a few months, but didn't see herself moving on for some time. Something about it seemed so… safe. What that the right word? It smelled so good here. She couldn't pinpoint what caused the difference, after all shouldn't all forests smell the same?
Interrupting her musings, she dunked her head under the water. Running her claws through her chocolate curls, making sure to dislodge anything that may have become tangled in it in her explorations.
Letting herself surface, she took her time cleaning the rest of her body. She never did like being dirty. Something about it…. Irritated her. When she was satisfied with her cleanliness, she exited her stream. Shaking the excess water from her body she quickly picked out a nice sunny spot to dry. Stretching out lazily she basked in the sun for hours, sometimes napping sometimes just contemplating her exsistance.