They Do Not See

by Kimberley Beldam

"Look! There she is!", Scott whispered under his breath. He tried to look inconspicuous, looming over his text at a picnic table just outside of the dorms. His friend Jason, who's back had been to the door turned to look behind him.

"I see her." Jason said, turning back to Scott. He ran a hand through his short blonde hair. "So what have you heard man?" he questioned Scott.

"Um... I don't know. A lot, I guess." He glanced at the figure their interest was in before he continued, "I've been asking around and apparently she's in some kind of Animal Science program, something to do with research." He shrugged, "Other than that, I've heard a lot of strange things, that's why I wanted to check it out for myself. To find out if it's just university gossip or if it actually has some background. People say she's never in her room at night, at least, she doesn't answer her door after dark. She leaves every night from this door and just walks out into that field..." He beckoned at the large, seemingly unending open field to their right, "She stays out all night and someone saw her sneaking in just before sunrise, with her clothing all tattered and her hair wind-blown. They say it looked like she'd been running all night. And with a figure like that, I wouldn't be surprised!"

Both boys turned to look at the one they spoke of, their eyes lapping up her sleek outline. Her auburn hair blew in the wind, she raised her head to the oncoming barrage of the winds gentle stroking, almost as if she were tasting it, absorbing it, .. learning from it. She wore only a simple black dress, body hugging, with one high cut up her side revealing her muscular, slender legs. A single gold anklet hung just above her right calf, from it dangled a simple gold cross. No shoes were upon her feet. Around her neck, as she always wore, was a gold chain with a stunning garnet pendant. It's blood red glow was so alluring, it almost seemed alive. The boys seemed transfixed, until their subject turning and blasted them with her ice-gray eyes. Scott giggled nervously, "Nice bod, too weird for me though! I hope we don't end up in a search party for her is all, everyone knows those woods are littered with wolves." With that, Jason howled jokingly, both boys laughed and rose to leave.

*** *** ***

After raising her head to the wind, she sighed to herself, and felt someones eyes upon her. She turned. Two young boy sat starring at her, open books in front of them. She glared and they looked away. After a few words were whispered between the onlookers, she heard laughing and they left. After the boys left she glanced around. A few people were still hanging around the field, close to the light of the residence buildings. A couple lay in the grass laughing and touching each other. Two young girls sat beneath a lamp in the grass, engrossed in their studies. A solitary form lounged, writing against the wall. Although they may watch, none of these would bother her tonight. With that she turned her attentions back to the open grass in front of her. This field was so beautiful. To those who attended the campus, it appeared to be a large, open field hedged by thick forests. To anyone who went beyond, through the dense trees, another field and over a rolling, grassy hill, the object of her desires could be found. A small military base. All the land beyond the forest belonged to this establishment, probably used for training. For her it was much more profitable than that.

She opened her mouth to taste the wind, as it played over her fangs. With a deep breath in, she started forward. Her anklet making a slight clinking sound against her leg. She strode confidently out into the fields, into the oncoming darkness. When she reached beyond the uncovering veil of the lights from the school, she took up a lope. The finely mowed grasses skimming under her feet, her anklet picking up the pace, and her necklace lightly thumping against her chest.

The grass started to thicken as the forest came into sight. She breathed in deeply and ran full out. Her limbs stretching out before her, eating up the distance. She pitched forward and ran on all fours, awkwardly at first then more and more deliberately. As she approached the tree line, her dress slipped away into the night, as her heavily furred legs strode out before her. She cocked her muzzle upwards as she ran and let out a deep howl.

Her plush, silver tail sailed out behind her and she leapt into the warm, accustom dank of the forest.

Over the ground she flew, dodging trees, her thick paws padding an unending rhythm on the lightly dewed leaves that lay underneath. She ran on for miles like this, through the forest, the wind playing across her thick silvered fur, her mouth slightly open and her generous pink tongue jouncing between her sharp white teeth.

As she neared the edge of the forest a looming shape came into view. In a few deft moments she saw it, negotiated it, and overcame. She sped forward and leapt effortlessly over a huge fallen tree, landing softly on the other side and raced on.

* * *

Not until she could see the warm glow of lights, did she slow up. The small, two story houses of the military base lay before her. She slowed her gallop to a light lope, and hastened on to her goal. As she edged the houses, just out of reach of their amber lights, she glanced up into the lighted rooms, and filled her senses with her surroundings.

She loped past sheds and childrens swing sets, in the daylight accustom daily things, but here in the shadows of the night their ghostly images came to life. She passed one such house and saw the silhouettes of two young boys in the window. They sat giggling until their mother appeared and shut off the light. She continued on.

She was just trotting past one house when the door swung open. She stopped and backed behind a nearby shed, so she could observe the opportunity. Peering from behind a whiskered face she watched the proceedings.

A young girl, perhaps 15, appeared carrying a heavy bag of garbage. The girl walked forward, her bare feet lightly disturbing the nightly dew. The girls path was headed straight towards the unseen danger. From behind the shed, She watched, a small bead of drool suspended off her lolling tongue. She shrank into the grasses as the girl approached. The youngster lifted the lid off a garbage can just inches from the predators face, so that it brushed the delicate whiskers of her muzzle, the girls' young heart beating strongly as all her imagined fears played upon her in the darkness. The hunter settled deeper into the grass and prepared to lunge. Suddenly a blinding light held her back. Both the girl and her stalker turned in surprise.

"Sarah! What have I told you about going outside without turning the light on." Her mother said sternly.

The girl dropped the bag into the can, and turned and ran back towards the house. The shape of the mother holding open the door as the girl ran inside was all the hunter would feast upon from this family tonight. She waited until the light was rested off, then She pressed on. A few more houses down, an interesting sound caught her attention. Her ear lighted towards it before the rest of her body turned to follow. A large metal object loomed in her sight. She slowly inched forward and breathed in. Horses. She could smell horses. A quiet stirring sound came from within the huge metal box, the sound of straw rustling. Before her sat an ample horse trailer, she assumed parked there for the night.

The wolf shrunk around the trailer, breathing it in. She then raised up on her hind legs, her front claws gingerly scrapping the metal as she poked her nose into a nearby window for a better sniff. The horse inside alerted as her muzzle came into view, and turned to look at her. Perched like this She could see all that was inside. A large chestnut horse stood into moonlight, looking at her curiously. It's large black eyes peered forth from beneath a thick forelock, a single white blaze traced it's way down the horses face.

As they starred at one another, the next move unplayed, a light came on, shinning through the window opposite the one the wolf peered into. The horse turned it's attention momentarily to the light, as did the wolf, and then back to her assailant. A woman appeared from the light, carrying a bucket. The wolf dropped down into the moist grass and slunk under the trailer. She watched from this view as the womans feet came around to the back of the trailer. There was some grinding of metal as the back dropped down and the woman stepped in. The wolf looked upwards to the floorboards above her and licked her lips.

After the woman saw to her business with the large beast, she shut the back of the trailer, leaving the top two flaps open, and went inside.

After she was sure her fellow had departed the wolf warily trotted around to the back of the trailer. She could see the animals ample hind quarters swing into view. The horse strained to see where the wolf had gone. She gathered herself and lunged into the trailer, landing softly in the deep bed of straw inside. The horse snorted and sided away from her, unfortunately for the horse, it's head was tied. Now merely a victim to the predators hunger was the only destination she would see for a while.

The wolfs gleaming eyes starred up at the horse as the moved into position. She lunged and sank her fangs deep into the animals throat. The horse gasped and struggled to flee, but was held tight to its enclosure by both the wolf's strong grasp and the rope that held its vigil. As the horse raised itself and tried to neigh for help, the hunter felt its wasted breath leak out around her fangs from the punctures she had made. As the horse faltered to the ground she began her gruesome feast.

** ** **

The morning light had just begun to shine as the hunter loped back to campus. The gentle glow skirted over the damp grass as her agile limbs brushed over them, in a springy gallop towards home, as a gently nipping breeze ruffled the heavy fur on her neck. The lights shimmering off her fur and the field in front of her would have been a magnificent sight, had a soul been there to see it. She pulled up short and stood looking out from a small raise in the field, at the sleepy morning campus before her. On the ground to her right was the black dress she had worn on her departure. It lay crumpled and moistened in the grasses.

She turned to see the oncoming light, as it broke from above the tops of the trees, and blasted into her eyes. The view from across her long muzzle shifted, and she watched the sun now from across a shorter, pink bridge. She shook her hair and leaned down to pick up her dress, her heavily furred limbs now slender, and glistening in the light.

After shifting into her clothing she ran a hand through her tangled hair, her necklace glowing brightly in the morning beams, as she started towards her human day.

Because even when the answer is before them, even when we walk into the light of day - fangs bared, even when they are shown, they do not see.