In the clearing, a creature stood hidden in the shadows of an elm tree. His ragged hair consumed a pale face while a strong scent of blood and grim coated his body. Clutching the tree closely, the man watched a small beaten road that ran from Lincolnshire to London with the utmost enthusiasm.
Hunger was a great enemy to any animal. When hunger took hold it was a pain similar to that of the tortures inquisitors could instill in heretics. The thirst for sustenance, the need to slake ones lusts. The Beast needed to feed and quench himself without bother.
The wind was cool; fall was not yet in full swing but enough cool air was making its way into the underbrush of the England forests. Birds chirped softly in the canopy as little animals scurried from hole to tree, their ears awake for anything amiss.
Along the road, a young woman walked slowly. In one hand she carried a bright yellow basket filled with various treats of delicious merry making. Warm cakes covered in strawberry frosting, grapes and sweet fruits, even a small bottle of wine with the words Avignon 1745 scribbled along the side. In her right hand she gripped her cloak. It was a fine long traveling cloak, a deep crimson color and smooth to the touch.
"Mmm," whispered the beast, his lips softly smacking with excitement. He looked the woman over thoroughly, auburn hair nestled on top of her head, a slight curve of her body in the right places, it was a sight that the beast could only have dreamed of.
Slowing down, the woman reached up with one hand and pulled her red cloak up over her head, completely covering her hair. She looked around, a slight spook in her mind as the bird chirping began to die away. Looking down the road she continued on.
Smiling gleefully, the beast's heart moved faster, his excitement at seeing the young woman was overwhelming. The only thing keeping him in line was the burning hunger deep in his belly. Wrapping a set of fur rags around his face, the man walked forward onto the street. "'ello... mind offering somethin' to a poor ole lad like meself."
The woman stopped dead in her tracks as the man step out in front of her. "No sir, I haven't anything to spare," she said timidly, her eyes darting from the man to the forest.
Bowing his head, the man was not about to give up. "Nothin' at all... not a morsel?" he added a little grief to the last words. The weakness of many humans, and this girl was no exception, were their emotions. He could play them equally well by taking what he wanted with using their charity against them. "I ain't had nothin' to eat for days."
"Sorry sir, this food... its... its for my grandmother, she has been ill for a month now. My father told me to take this stuff to her, make her feel better." There was a tremble in her voice, the tell-tale signs of an obvious fib.
"Aw... poor grandmother, I am sorry my dear..." said the man in a pitiful tone. He could care less about the grandmother or wherever the little woman was going, he cared only for two things. One what laid within that basket and two, what possibly lay between the woman's legs.
The woman shivered as the man spoke. She could feel his eyes moving across her body, up her chest and down her legs. "May I pass?" She said through a quivering voice.
"Ah, be it may my dear..." stepping aside, the man let the woman past, her scent floating by his face. He breathed the aroma in deeply, the smell went straight to his brain. He wanted the woman, not just her tasty parcels, but her womanly wilds.
The woman moved past the man, her pace quickening to get to some sort of safety. Her free hand moved up to cover her upper body from the elements with her cloak. She was now clad completely in red, slowly making her way into the dark forest.
"Ah little lass... you will make a fine meal..." rasped the man into the air, his hot breath clinging in the air. He gripped his ragged furs closer and walked back into the forest, in a path for the woman and her bounties.
