The night was bright, without a single cloud in the sky for the full moon to hide behind. What a stupid myth, the full moon. The moon had no power over the strong, it only influenced the tides and lit up the night. And still with the light of the moon upon the Earth, the predator would only be seen if he wanted to be.

  And it was cold. Deceptively cold for a mid spring night. With no clouds to blanket the sky, the heat of the Earth flew up to meet the vast coldness of the firmament. And yet the predator loved it. He could smell the cold, and wind as it bit at his nose. The cold brought with it a sharper contrast to the other smells as they drifted through the stinging breeze. with it a greater distinction from other smells. He knew exactly where the sheep were, the deer, even the other predators. It was his favorite kind of night. He could follow the smells as clearly as a well traveled road.

  He came upon the village. It was new. He had not been this far north in ages. Built in the shadow of the castle it was safe and calm. Should an invading army be spotted they could easily flee to the castle for protection. The night had aged and the village was mostly quiet, only a few people were about as they finished their duties.

  He watched for a moment and then made his way around the village, following the smell of sheep to the fields of which the flock had been taken. It didn't take him long. He could travel far faster than the creatures on two legs.

  Cute. The shepherd had fallen asleep watching the flock. It would be such an easy dinner. It wouldn't even wake as his teeth crushed its throat and snapped its neck. But the predator didn't want an easy dinner. He enjoyed fun dinners, something that would get his heart pumping. Tonight was going to be a stag. Big, fast, and strong enough to try to fight when cornered.

  But he could still have some fun. He snuck close and realized that it wasn’t a simple shepherd, it was a hunter from the castle, fast asleep. The human was young… must have been new to the order. He took a claw and punctured his own leg, drawing some blood. Dipping his claw in the blood he traced a line across the hunter's neck. He would have loved to stay and see her horror when she woke, but he needed to remain hidden. He’d have to content himself with hearing the stories.

  I wonder if she will still be in the order of knights after tonight. He turned his attention from the sleeping hunter back to the prey he was really after. ‘The stag is past the sheep and just into those woods,’ he thought to himself.

  He followed the scent quickly until he was swimming in it. The stag was near and he didn’t want to be heard. Slowing, he walked on padded paws. Stepping around a large tree he saw it. The stag was massive with antlers that would make a hunting lodge jealous. And its coat was pure white. The predator knew that there was something special in the scent. This stag was different, the locals probably worshiped it. Blessed by the creators or some other superstitious crap like that. More like cursed. The pure white coat made it stick out in the forest like a sun in the dark. And like most purity in this world, it drew predators to it like flies to shit.

  The werewolf lunged out from the tree, four quick steps and he was upon the albino stag. He jumped as, the stag, startled, kicked out and caught him in the shoulder. The predator growled gleefully, the fun had begun. Bounding, rushing into the woods, the stag attempted to disappear. But the predator would not fall behind. He followed closely, taking the occasional nip at the stag’s legs. Eventually the damage was sufficient that when the stag’s left rear leg hit the ground to continue to run, it broke. The stag stumbled forward and fell to the ground. The predator wasted no time in pouncing on top of it. He placed a strong and heavy paw against the creature’s throat and bit down on another leg until the bone snapped.

  That’s for catching me in the chest, cheeky bastard.

  The stag’s pain was too much and it lay still awaiting its fate. The predator bit hard into the neck, puncturing large arteries. Then stepped back to watch as the creature bled to death. White, purity. What a mockery. Nothing was pure in this world. The stag made him angry. He made a note to drag the carcass back to the village when he was done feeding.

  Let the villagers see what happened to their precious stag.

  The feast was good. The meat was delicious. The bruise on his shoulder throbbed nicely. He had earned this dinner. The moon lit up the forest. The stars flashed above the canopy. Such a beautiful night.

  —-------------------------------------

  “You fell asleep, Katarzyna!” Her father’s roar echoes through the chamber. "ASLEEP?! KATARZYNA!”

  Katarzyna Najberg stood in the wide, cold throne room of the castle. There were no kings in Gdansk, but the Knight Hunters were in charge and the Lord Commander Jon Najberg sat on what would be the throne.

  You fell asleep?! Her father had roared at her. Kasia's face was hot with shame. She could still feel the phantom line on her throat like a hot brand. She had spent the morning scrubbing her neck raw, still seeing the mark long after she had scrubbed it away.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Worse than the mark, the beast had killed The great hart- a symbol of hope and the Gods’ favor. It had dragged the mutilated carcass to the center of town. The screams of despair had been what had woken her.

  She was supposed to protect the people of Gdansk, and she had fallen asleep. She could not feel worse if she tried; though her father, to his credit, was certainly trying.

  "How can I atone, father? Name it, and I shall do it."

  “Your luck is that none of the sheep were lost. Others have defended you saying that you did not fail your task. But you were killed. I know not why the beast toyed with you, but you will wear your shame!”

  The Lord Commander pulled out a red rope.

  “You will wear this until the beast has been slain. I'd command you to kill it yourself, but clearly you would not return. Wojciek! Place this on the initiate. Ignacy! Go alert the riders-- Any hunter who can return must.”

  Wojciek stood and smiled as he accepted the rope from the Lord Commander. He quickly approached Kasia and tied it around her throat, pulling it just tight enough to be uncomfortable, but did ensure to avoid any slip knots. "Can't have you suffocate or slide it off, corpse.” he growled into her ear as he polished it off.

  Kasia stood ramrod straight, refusing to give any expression when her father’s second in command cinched the cord too tightly. Wojciek was enjoying her humiliation, and acknowledging it would only further his pleasure. She normally would have retorted, but she deserved the barb; and the shame. How could she have fallen asleep when people were counting on her?! She wanted to cry, but refused to give her father more reason to be ashamed of her.

  Instead, she knelt before her father. “As you command, Lord Commander. Is there anything else I can do?

  “No. What is done is past. Luckily, you will live with it. We must begin to make plans and investigate. A threat this close to the castle is indeed concerning. Return to the barracks, this isn’t your concern. And get ready for today’s training; I imagine that Lieutenant General Ren has a lovely day planned for you.”

  Kasia could feel the eyes of every hunter in the room on her as she departed. Most were too respectful to stare at her openly. But everyone looked. While women weren’t prohibited from joining the ranks, there were not many of them. Most chose to take care of things at home while the hunters took care of the world abroad.

  After Kasia left the serious discussion began.

  “How did a beast get this far North without us being notified of it? And we need to discover what kind we are facing.” The Lord Commander’s deep voice rumbled through the hall.

  “Whatever it is, it will suffer for slaying the Great Hart. That was to be my hunt” Wojciech wrang his hands over the hilt of his blade restlessly, his eyes darting around the hall searchingly- as if expecting the monster to be conjured from the shadows if he just looked hard enough.

  “You were too easy on the girl.” Guard Captain Erik growled. “Her punishment should have been more severe.”

  “Like you never fell asleep on sheep duty when you were younger.” His younger brother Ivar grunted.

  Rasz, one of the oldest hunters, spokehunters spoke next, “The great hart is sacred, Wojciek. You would never have been allowed to hunt it.”

  “I will hunt whatever I like and that stag would have been a unique trophy. I could adorn my helm with those antlers. In fact, I think that I will. Despite not being my kill, at least now you don’t have to resent me for it.” Wojciek taunted Rasz.

  “We should increase the patrols in the villages to make them feel safe. Offer escorts to the traders to keep the supply lines open– the younger ones like Katarzyna, can do that.” said Chelb. He was a younger hunter, only eight years past his initiation, but he had proven himself formidable and level headed- a rare combination that earned him a place in the Lord Commander’s council.

  The oldest hunter at the castle, Dobron, shook his head, “We should lay a trap for the beast.” he chuckled, “Perhaps have your daughter dance naked in the moonlight. Apparently the beast enjoys playing with her.”

  “You’re disgusting, Dobron!” Tomira, the only woman on the council, snapped, “But the trap is a good idea.”

  “We could buy sheep and leave them unguarded farther away to try and keep the wolf away from the villages.” added Hugo. He was a few years older than Chelb, and a good humored sort.

  The Lord Commander coughed, calling everyone to attention. “Enough.! My daughter is not bait, any more than yours would be, Dobron. Temper your ambitions and your attitude. You are not, and will not be the Lord Commander. Speak of my daughter again and I will hunt you on the next full moon. We will, of course, increase patrols. Hopefully many of our numbers are free enough to return home.”

  Lieutenant General Nathan spoke at the commander’s left, “I will investigate the corpse. May I take some men as well?”

  “Of course, Nathan. No one knows the beasts better than you.”

  Lt. General Nathan had an entire morgue in the basements of the castle. He would take the corpses of monsters there and dissect them for study, while his niece, Katarzyna sketched what he found.

  “The Lord Commander was wise to go easy on her. She is my trainee after all.” Lieutenant General Ren chuckled softly. Everything the man did was quiet, even down to the weapons he favored and the ranged style he used– very different to both of his brothers who liked to fight monsters up close and personal with swords. “Today will not be fun. Well, it won’t be for her.”

  “As I figured. I remember you training me, brother. You’ve never gone easy.” The Lord Commander laughed, thinking back on his days as an apprentice knight under the tutelage of his oldest brother.

  “Erik, Ivar!” the Lord Commander barked, “Begin scouting the woods, the ones nearest the fields. Then report to Lt. General Nathan. You will report to him until the beast is destroyed. Tomira, organize the rest of the hunters into patrols. We must ensure that no threat enters the castle. And, where possible, keep them where the villagers can see them.”

  —----------------------------------------------------

  Elsewhere, at the inn of the village, a visitor arrived at the local tavern…

  “Hello, my name is Isaak. I've traveled a long way. I require lodgings.”