The Hunt

My legs were tired of running. I had to stop. My lungs felt like they were covered in ice. I could not help the pain that was growing in my stomach. I reached out for the tree and leaned my body weight forward, but I missed the target and my face landed into a patch of leaves.

I knew I should have kept running; I should have kept moving, but instead, I just laid in the pile of leaves. I am uncertain what my mind was thinking at the moment. I think, at least what I think, my mind was telling me that I should just lay in the pile of leaves and wait for Them to come. Perhaps, my mind wanted us to be caught at the other end of that double barrel shot gun. Maybe it was a form of poetic justice or something.

I heard the howl of the hound dogs and felt my limbs gain strength again. I pushed myself back onto my feet and I darted further into the forest. Even though I have spent many years walking this forest, I had no sense of direction. I was like a wild animal, being hunted for my hide. As I kept running, I felt as though the trees were turning against me. These trees, my old childhood friends, gave me protection at one time, but now they were clawing at my naked human flesh with their crooked branches.

The horses hooves were louder and I knew they were getting closer. The faster I ran, the closer they came. Part of my mind wanted to forget about all the wide eyed nightmares of what They would do to me. It did not want to think of Them sending their dogs on me only to drag me back to their work house to cut off my head and stuff it. Yet, the other part of my mind wanted to hold onto that nightmare as fuel for my body to push onward into the night. These portions of my mind fought over themselves trying to dominate over another, but would seize the battle all together once the sound of the hooves got closer.

I stumbled over a rock and fell into a cold pond. They were sure to find me now; the splash of my body against the water cause and echo through the woods. Damn the woods for giving away my position. I could not allow my damnation to stop me. I swung my arms and legs to swim through the small mass of water to reach the other side of the bank. As I reached the other side of the muddy soil, I heard the sniffing of the dogs. They were hot on my trail!

My ears twitched to the horn that sounded throughout the dark, wooden abyss like the horn of an archangel from the book of Revelation. Death was approaching, chasing me with guns, dogs and horns. That very same sound forced my bare feet to run into a clearing lit up by the pale full moon that hung over head. I stumbled for only a moment, but gained my footing to continue my journey.

As I neared the middle of the clearing, I heard the shot and felt the awful pain in my left leg. I fell hard onto the grassy ground. I groaned as I held my leg and felt the warm blood leak through my fingers. Without food in my stomach and fright already in my throat, shock quickly set in and my body went cold. My vision went static and a loud ringing was all I heard.

I did not hear the hooves nearing my location ...

I did not hear the growling of the hound dogs ...

I did not hear the sound of heavy leather boots landing next to my head ...

All I could do was stare up at my hunters with wild eyes.

He stared down at me, his nocturnal eyes glistened at me. His long nose twitched and his red furry tale fluttered at my presence. The red hunting jacket blended well with his red fur and the white riding pants were stained with mud. His slim black paws held the long double barreled shot gun at my torso. Then ... He fired another shot.

My throat gurgled with blood and spit. My mouth tasted like battery acid. My eyes rolled as I tried to keep my sanity. I felt a thick rope was tied around my ankles. Before I was hoisted up onto the horse, I went blank. My mind went black.

Now?

Now, I rest on the mantle ... A stuffed head of a human among many in a Fox's trophy room.