14 (Chapter 14) Day 112 - New predators found

I realise, up until this point, that I have not mentioned any wildlife. While mother nature slowly begins to reclaim what was once hers, spreading lush greenery over the scars and marks that humanity has left on her surface, there has been a strange lack of fauna. On the ground at least, the sky is often filled with flights of birds in search of food or a new home, always on the move, always quiet other than the beating of their wings. They seem to avoid the abandoned places of old humanity, perhaps their instincts warn them away.

Today, however, is different; today I have seen something new...and terrible to behold.

Wandering through a small village, looking for signs of human life or evidence of the numerous other devastations that seemed to plague humanity up until recently, I came across a family of what I assume to be some relative or descendant of the wild deer. The stag certainly seemed to look like exactly that, the overall body shape, four legs, large antlers, gently grazing. Except it was much, much bigger than I remember; every aspect of it seemed to have enlarged and developed at a staggering rate, certainly not a natural pace as they had been previously. The antlers were twice the size as I remember, and looked decidedly more deadly, with sharp tips and many of them. His muscles were bulging and thick under his dark hide, quivering in anticipation of sudden movement or action. He grazed slowly and methodically, but his ears would twitch at the slightest noise, his eyes never resting in one place for too long.

What I presume to be his family was much the same. The doe had slightly longer legs than I remember, muscles also well developed and a tiny set of antlers donning her head, certainly nothing when compared to the stag, but something to defend herself with all the same. Their fawns, all six of them, looked as though they would develop the same way into their early adolescence. Walking confidently over uneven terrain, the grass has begun to envelop the pavement and roadways as it was, constantly sniffing the air and scanning their surroundings, sticking together as a group, as a family.

Using my natural stealth, I found a good place to observe their movements and take rest. I found a house with a nice view of the entire street and set up there for several days, watching the family come to graze at roughly the same time every day, always together, always alert. On the fifth day, I found out why they were always so alert. Whatever had forced such a sudden evolution of the deer had also spread to other local wildlife. Either that or demons really do exist and were, in fact, prowling the earth. I suppose it was once akin to a wild wolf, though it was now roughly the size of a pony. It began to stalk the deer family, slow and quiet in its art. It was through sheer happenstance that I glanced in its direction, otherwise, I would not have noticed the beast either.

It had thick, bristling black fur that covered its hide, ears pulled back and attentive, mouth hanging slightly open in preparation for the inevitable attack. I caught a glimpse of giant paws a few times, claws at least a foot in length carving a path through the tall grasses that surrounded the town. The teeth, from what I could see, were of the same calibre, long and thick and looking like they could bite through a steel sheet without much effort. The eyes were narrowed and intense as they focussed on nothing but the family of deer.

From what little I know of wolves, it was fairly unusual for them to travel or hunt alone, but I could not see its fellows in sight. Perhaps this unnatural development had changed their social dynamic entirely, and now they operated as individuals; or perhaps it was just the hierarchy had changed, and this creature was the hunter, or an alpha, set to provide food for the pack. Either way, as impressive as the stag was, it would not last long against an attack from more than one of these creatures.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, as you may choose to see it, my foot chose that moment to find a creaky floorboard and press down ever-so-slightly upon it. I froze instantly, only my eyes peering over the window ledge as they had been for the past few days. The stag raised its mighty head, staring in my direction and the wolf had done the same, startled slightly by the sudden intrusion. The deer family also caught sight of their would-be hunter and fled back toward the relative safety of their forest, with the stag hanging back just slightly to ensure the wolf was not following.

After a brief, half-hearted chase the massive wolf turned and came back into the town, seeking the source of the noise that had scared away its lunch. Fortunately, the offending foot and attached person had taken the moment of the chase to make their own getaway. I caught sight of several other massive hounds as I fled my former camp, each blocking off a certain avenue of retreat. Having spoiled their carefully-laid plans I moved on from that town and planned to keep a wary eye out for more signs of trouble.