True Predator

It was silent. Too silent.

I paused. But only for a moment. And continued to drink.

The water was frigid – it hit my stomach like a rock. It was shocking, this liquid cold. But I enjoyed every moment of it. My tongue curled, scooping up the water, and brought it to my waiting maw. I swallowed. It was pure bliss. A welcome relief to the drought that plagued the land.

I paused again. I looked up. Something didn't feel right; I could feel it in my core.

I should escape. This was dangerous.

But I ignored it. What was so dangerous about drinking?

So I continued. I continued to satisfy my greed.

A crack sounded in the distance. But it didn't sound like a twig.

My ears swivelled towards the sound. It was behind me.

Another crack, this time it was closer. It was to the side of me.

I should have escaped when I had -

A flash of something red. And orange. In the corner of my eye.

Terror. Fear. Run.

My legs tensed and I bolted. I didn't know where to go; as long as I was free.

Terror gripped my heart. I felt constricted. It was getting hard to breathe.

It surrounded me now. I could not run.

The red and orange serpents circled me. Taunted me to try it.

I couldn't. They would hurt me.

But I had to try. I had to survive. It was the Law.

So I jumped over them.

I would like to say I made it across. That I made it back to my pack. That I saw my pups again.

But I never had the chance.

The red and orange serpents claimed me. Surrounded me. Burned me.

I thought I was the top predator of the forest. I was wrong.

AN: The 'orange' serpents are fire. I try to write as it is from the perspective of a wolf - for example, a wolf wouldn't stop to analyze a situation or describe something...especially something that it doesn't understand. They are all instinct - and that is how I like to write them.