TW: Violence, violent death, general mind games.


The rabbit had filled her stomach for the moment. A pleasant weight settled in San's belly as she made her rounds through the forest. Familiar scents wafted through her nose. San smelled the prey surrounding her – the squirrels and birds perched in the trees, the mice beneath the leaves, the deer off in the distance – all scents were as clear as day. She wondered at something – the lack of humans in her forest as of late was a bit disconcerting. Where had they gone? Over the past few years their numbers had steadily declined but this year it was different. After the cutters had taken a third of her forest the people had stopped coming entirely. It had been months since the cutters were there.

Before she knew what she was doing her paws were carrying her towards the edge of the forest. Her woods had been cut here, trimmed back in a way. Why?Her feet pounded faster on the pavement, taking her closer toward her home. Her paws pounded faster on the loamy forest floor, taking her farther from her home. Brightly coloured shreds of material were tethered to the thick trunks of her trees. Markers, but what for? And how did she know that?

The smell of sap reached her nose before the sight reached San's eyes.

Cut trunks were scattered haphazardly across the field where the forest once grew. There were stumps poking out of the ground like the stubs of severed limbs. The stumps petered out the farther they were from the tree line. A yellow-orange machine sat dead in the center of it all. Rust had eaten away at the space surrounding the chair. There were bird droppings on its teeth and treads, and there was a strange scent lingering about it. San approached cautiously, sniffing warily. Hang on...I know that scent.

Blood. Human blood. But...different. Not normal blood. Something else. Sort of like...wolf blood? No...why would there be wolf and human blood here like this? Hang on...that's not rust...and that's a lot of blood.

It became apparent to San that someone...or multiple someones...had died here. There was just too much blood for anything else. Who died? Is this why there aren't any humans here any more? But why? I don't understand.

San's hackles raised and she shot off, back into the forest. Her feet pounded on the floor, running away away away, always away...

No! Stop! Why are you doing this?

"I need-"

Go away!

"San-"

Leave me alone!

"I need you to ki-"

I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!

"Kill him."

Yes, sir.

San's teeth flashed, the dull nubs sinking into his throat. A gurgled cry was cut off as red flowed freely from the open wound. A moment later crimson trickled from his lips and began to coat San's cheek. She thrashed her head, tearing at his throat. Her hands came up to shove his shoulders back and her jaws closed ever tighter on his throat. San struggled with herself. Why am I doing this?The man went limp and San relinquished her grip. He fell to the floor like the sack of meat that he was. She dropped to her knees, gripping her stomach. San began to vomit profusely, shaking with a cold sweat.

"Good job."

I will do anything.

"I know."

Thank you.


AN: Something very important that you should remember while reading this is that I mean every single word that I say.