Part One: Shade
White hot.
A mad and terrible lust had swelled up inside her round body for so long, a desperation fueled by only one thing: Hunger.
No meat. No meat. It had been so long. Why?!
This one word rang in her head repeatedly, drowning out the screams as her jaws opened, widened to nearly twice her size, and clamped down on the living flesh. Delicious meat, blood mixing with saliva, it made her mouth water all the more. First an arm, then a leg, then the head to silence the cries.
Her body felt so weak and tense, but all the more empowered. She needed more, more, there was never enough. Not when it was meat.
Buildings passed by, people, faces. They were hard to see, their expressions, but they didn’t matter, only the wrenching hunger within her did and it had to be satiated. Tearing through the stone streets, she flung herself at the next person she could, jaws flying wide and clamping onto their back, holding her still as the body collided with the ground before a large chunk was ripped and devoured.
Right down to the bone.
A long and slobbery tongue slid out like a tentacle from her gaping maw, wrapping itself tightly around the neck of the next human as her teeth came crashing down. So good. So delicious. So starving! It seemed like no matter how many humans she wholly or partially devoured, her hunger never left or ebbed, and she was beginning to run out of streets. People had fled, run from her, determined not to be her next meal. Like frightened cattle, they were all meant for this purpose and she would surely have them in time.
Kael’s round form rolled and swayed, leaving a trail of red and drool behind her. She felt so heavy. So twisted. So hungry! Even when there was nothing to be found near her, her jaws clamped at the air, snapping at the wind, bugs, anything. Letting out a wild screech, she turned and snapped in the direction of the town as meaty humans inside their homes slammed their windows closed, hiding from her even more effectively.
Her round, beady eyes twitched, shrunken pupils shaking erratically and looking every which way.
There had to be more meat.
There had to be.
Ghastly and helpless barks sounded from the creature, yips of distress but what a fearsome sound they made in the cold night. The demon scuttled along the ground, keeping to the shadows, hoping beyond hope that there was at least one more meal waiting for her, one more thing to eat.
She needed it.
Needed it!
In her way soon arrived a black gate, a barrier between her and more meals. Frustration brewing, her jaws snapped around the metal, attempting to rip and tear at it. The act caused a few dents here and there, but she was unable to break it.
Too weak… She was too weak…
A fear was suddenly becoming present, as her past meals digested. She was returning to a slightly right mind, but once the hunger took hold completely, it would be lost. If she did not eat, devour that delicious flesh, the result was all too apparent now.
She was going to die.
Unacceptable! No! No! NO!
In a ravenous rage, Kael squealed and howled, biting and gnawing at the fence, tongue slapping against the metal as she tried to pry herself through it and continue her search. The barrier felt more like a cage than a fence as she was halfway through, her roars becoming increasingly less distinct and turning into one long and slobbering cry of anger. After what seemed like ages, the bars were bent just enough and her face collided with the grass. Undeterred, Kael took only a second before she was slithering through this new area, a dark and woodsy place full of structures that were carved of stone and not so terribly bigger than her like they were in the town.
Were there animals here? They would do as well as humans, but she would have to eat so many more. Perhaps a nest of various types were hidden beneath the ground and she could burrow inside to eat the mommas and the daddies and their kin. What a feast she could have!
But in this area full of stone crosses and blocks, there was only silence beside her low, throaty growl. Was there nothing? Truly nothing?!
Despair was setting in. This couldn’t be! It wasn’t fair! If she were to die, it would at least be on a full stomach!
Kael’s form froze, her jaws half open and long tongue set free in what was going to become a banshee’s wail, but she paused and was silent. Her beady eyes steadied, sweeping the area. Something… something was here with her. It had pumping blood, flesh and bone…
It was edible.
Pressing herself to the ground, her dark form grew ever darker as she mixed with the shadows and snaked along the ground. Her gaze was divided between the horizons as tree branches passed overhead.
One such branch had a rather large and colorful lump lying along its length. It was curled up with reds seeping from its back. From the tip of the branch, pulled close to its current position, was a bag of sorts. Kael watched with interest, sniffing the air greedily; the reds on this creature were, unfortunately, not blood, but seemed to be clothing. Hanging in the air all around her was a scent Kael had been only slightly familiar with, that of fire water.
Alcohol.
It stirred, reaching one hand into the bag and removing something triangular and white, pulling it to itself and taking a bite.
This creature was human and it was eating pig! Meat! More meat!
She could no longer contain herself, and Kael eagerly lapped and snapped at the human, her form leaping into the air as it separated from the shadows, only to collide roughly back to the ground. When this did not work after a few tries, she attempted to scale the tree with the assistance of her teeth, chomping into the bark. As soon as her tongue hit it, however, she recoiled and fell once more.
Atop the tree, the human shrieked and nearly fell, hanging from just her arms. She was so close! Kael’s eyes were welling up, the mix of hunger and desperation, and her meal was nearly hers. No, she was climbing back up! Cruel! Fate was too cruel!
”Oh god, what is that?!” she cried, her voice breaking as she stood on the branch and pressed herself against the wide tree.
Fine! Fine! If the human would not be eaten, then she would get the pig slices instead!
Kael diverted her attention from the girl to the hanging bag, leaping into the air and attempting to knock it over with her tongue but the height was too great. This continued for several minutes, but her energy was running out. The demon collapsed, panting harshly, bright white clouds of breath seeping from her jaws like smoke.
In those moments, it seemed something clicked with the human, and she very slowly pulled herself into a sit once more, straddling the branch that separated the demon from possibly her last meal. The girl sniffled, wiping something from her face, and then grabbed the half of the ham sandwich she had taken but a single bite out of. Kael’s eyes were locked on her, but she did not stir.
”…A-…are you hungry…?”
Seething breathes were taken. The only word that came to mind slowly slipped clumsily past her lips, ”…Mmm…eea…t…” Kael hissed uneasily.
The shadowed figure of the girl seemed taken aback, clearly not expecting a verbal answer. More mutters of confusion sprang forth as she pondered aloud what Kael could be, several times using the Light’s name in vain. Finally, just as Kael’s senses were beginning to dull and she was losing track of how much time was passing, the girl spoke to her directly once more.
”I-… I can give you my sandwich. Is that what you want?”
Black eyes lit up the night and Kael found the strength to whip herself around, snapping at the air. The human seemed to need no other confirmation and tossed the bitten half of the sandwich down. Kael’s tongue ripped through the bread, grabbing the succulent pink meat. It wasn’t raw, but it didn’t matter. Not even the white tangy substance coating it mattered. When the slices were swallowed, they hit her stomach like a rock and Kael cooed hungrily.
”..Mm…oorree….” she growled, gnashing her teeth at the girl above.
Without question, she made her way over to her bag and reached in, grabbing the other half. Kael opened her mouth wide, ready to receive it, but the human paused. Kael’s tongue swung outward as she grunted, demanding it be given.
”Wait…” the human held the precious meat close to her, sparking more frustrated grunts and barks from Kael, ”I want to make a deal.”
The voice that was so uneasy and wavering before was now solid, dominant. As demanding as her own.
”Meeaatt… nooww…” Kael hissed, but the girl continued to speak.
”If you don’t hurt or eat me… And you… keep me company…” her tone faltered back to what it was before, but she quickly righted herself, ”I’ll give you all the meat you could ever want.”
Something was taking hold. If she waited much longer, not only would the shadows swallow her whole, but… ”MMEEEAAAAT!”
”Whenever you want it, however you want it, as much as you want.”
Kael’s jaws quivered, her teeth clicking together sickeningly as she stared up at this girl. If she could reach her, she would have eaten her already! But then… where would she be? Hungry again, that’s where. If she didn’t have a constant supply, then she would starve.
And to starve was death.
”…Con…tract…” she muttered quickly, receiving a confused noise from the girl. It seemed she didn’t know what she was getting into, but there was no time to explain, Kael couldn’t wait any longer, one had to be formed. ”No hurt… No eat… Stay with… for meat… Yyeeeessssss”
This time, the girl peeled off the bread herself, letting it fall to the ground while tossing the ham Kael’s way; a silent agreement to the terms of the contract.
Yes… this was good… It would work this time. So much easier this time…
