Page 30 of Primal Hunger
What makes her different?
My foot lands hard and I stop, growling under my breath. The sound rolls through my chest as my head drops. My next inhalation brings her scent with it. I’m not sure what else I can do, but I wish there was something—anything—to make this all make sense.
There is danger in the confusion.
Danger to me and my entire existence.
My home comes into view, the bulbous and crude shape emerging from the darkness, along with the soft trickling of stream water nearby. It isn’t much, but it’s more than many Grim abodes I’ve seen through the years.
Most don’t care enough to add a covering over their door. Some don’t even bother with walls.
We’re creatures of this world and a part of nature itself.
I’ve always been different from the rest of them, constantly thirsty for knowledge, things better left unknown. I wantmorethan what any other Grim has had before, and not just in terms of my living quarters.
There, I want something to protect me and my things—the items I’ve collected on my trips through the portal—from the elements. I want to be a sliver more sophisticated than the other feral Grims who sleep outside amongst the trees and have nothing but the fur on their backs to call their own.
It might not compare to the small buildings I’ve observed from the tree line of the human forest, but it’s something, and it counts.
I carry my human inside, nearly knocking her head against the edge of the door, and gently lay her in the nest. I don’t know why, but I do so gently, carefully. I don’t want to disturb her. She seems so at peace after nearly fainting in the forest. It would be a shame to wake her.
And then I’m back to wondering why I feel the need to take care of her at all. Why doesthishuman call to me in a way that none other ever has? What could possibly be so special about her?
Eat her. Get it over with.
That way there won’t be time to second guess or wonder what might happen. It’ll be over and done with, and that’ll be that.
I move closer, trying to force myself to succumb to the bloodlust, but I can’t. No matter how vehemently I force myself to consider it, I hesitate.
Something invisible, a weight pressed against my chest, keeps me hovering above her. It roots me in place, staring down at her strange, delicate features, not letting me advance.
A little human…who would have thought I’d pause over one of them?
My stomach growls, the dull pain catching my attention, and I know I need to eat something soon. Grims aren’t meant to go so long without feeding. We might be able to survive on next to nothing for months at a time, but hunting during the solstices is normally enough to hold us over.
This time, my prey is still breathing, and my stomach is empty.
Even though I know how impossible it is, I have to find something to eat besides the human. Something to hold me over until I cave and devour her. Tree roots? Mushrooms? I’ll takeanything at this point, even though none of them are easy to find, but that’s not the only thing fueling my determination.
She needs to eat too.
I’m not an expert on the human diet, considering I don’t keep any alive long enough to worry about feeding them, but surely she can consume the same things I can without them killing her.
There’s only one way to find out.
I reach for more rope that’s tucked beneath a corner of the nest, and carefully tie her wrists and ankles again. This time I double check the knots to ensure there is no chance of her slipping through them.
I should be back before she wakes up, but I’m not risking her taking off again. If she does, she won’t make it very far. She’s too weak.
Hopefully, I can find something to replenish her energy and mine. If not, I’m not sure what I’m going to do. I can only go so long without feeding, and if she’s the only food source around, I won’t be able to withstand it very long. Not as long as I want to keep her around at least.
Once she’s firmly secured and I check the knots by pulling as hard as I can, I leave her there, heading toward the door. I’ll hunt close enough to the house that I can sense if there’s danger nearby and I’ll be quick.
And when she wakes up, I can try to understand what makes this human so special.
I’m just not sure I want to know the answer.
Chapter
