Steem Monsters Common Card Fantasy Story Contest!

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This is my entry for the Steem Monsters Common Card Fantasy Story Contest! // Week 15, hosted by @steemmonsters.

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Di Fangs of the Duskfall Howlers by @simgirl

She be di love of mi life mon. Dat’s what me be telling her. Mi sweet Julissa. Her fur be di whitest of white, her eyes be di brightest grey, and her smile… Oh me be telling you, her smile could be lighting up di darkest of jungle nights. An me be killing a thousand wolves ta keep her safe. In fact, me be killing a good number before dat night.

Julissa and me be living in di Duskfall Jungle with our pack di Duskfall Howlers. With youth on our side, and love in our hearts, we be filling our days roaming di jungle and howling at di moons. She be snuggling up against me during di cold of di mornings, and she be mi first thought when me be waking each day.

We be planning on having lots of pups. We be teaching dim how ta hunt, how ta fight, and how ta be part of di pack. Dat be our cozy jungle life and we be hoping our happiness be radiating through ta di next generation. Di otir wolves be knowin' Julissa be mine, and me be showing mi fangs ta any who be questioning dat detail.

Dat night dare be a disturbing smell in di Duskfall breeze. Me be sure it be di scent of humans. Me be coming across dose revolting creatures in di past. Day be violent and oppressive, be keeping der dogs on chains. Me be witnessing di demoralizing treatment of dare caged “pets” and me be knowing day be nothing but trouble mon.

Me not be di only Howler ta be noticing. Deep in di night our pack be awakened by di yelp of our watcher. Me be springing ta mi feet and be telling Julissa ta stay still.

She be looking at me with fear in her eyes. “Deon, Me fraid.”

Me be comforting her, “Mi Darling Julissa. Me wud neva let nuhting harm yuh.”

She be reaching out her trembling paw, and me be holding it for a brief time. Her gentleness be my favorite trait, but at dat moment me be needing her ta be brave.

“Me muss help protect di pack.” Me be telling her as gentle as me could.

“Me don’t wa fi be alone.” Julissa be saying.

Every ounce of mi Spineback being be wanting ta be staying by her side. But, she be di love of my life and me be agreeing she should seek shelter with di otir bitches.

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We be fighting off di human hunters as best we could mon. Me be watching as our pack mates be falling ta di ground one after di next. Di humans be using weapons that be piercing our flesh. Me barely be seeing clear from di blood me be wiping from me brow. We be killing a few of di hunters and soon di flames from dare torches be distancing from our pack. We be thinking ourselves safe for di moment.

Me be dragging meself back ta Duskfall and me leg be badly torn. Di pain be making me yelp and me only be wanting ta lay me head upon Julissa’s soft neck. When me returned, me be seeing di flames, and be smelling di smoke. Me heart be falling ta di jungle ground mon. Mi Julissa be nowhere ta be found.

Me be licking me wounds and be finding di remaining Duskfall Howlers who be in bad shape ta say di least. We be regaining our strength and for di next two nights we be tracking our beloved family member’s scent ta di camp of di human hunters. It not be far from ta den, but still be a difficult journey through di jungle. When me be catching sight of Julissa on di tick chain mi blood boiled over mon.

Her beautiful fur be matted and torn, and be soaking with di jungle soil. Di light in her eyes be gone. Me be knowing dat very second, me be failing her as a mate. Me be blaming meself for Julissa’s capture and me be knowing in mi heart, if me had only be telling her no dat night, she be hidding from di hunters and be safe by mi side now.

Me be sighing. “Dare be too many ta fight.” Me be telling mi brotir Throg.

“Dis be true Deon. Me be thinking it be time we be seeking counsel with ‘Di Great Fang’.” Throg be saying and then be slinking his spineback before he be turning to walk away.

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Kabocha be our great grandfatir and be di wisest of all di Duskfall Howlers. He be living in ta deepest of di jungle and we rarely be seeing him in our daily travels. Throg and me be calling him, “Di Great Fang”. As pickney, ta us he be fierce and when it came di discipline, he be di one we be dreading. Even as a grown Spineback me be fearing him all di same.

His fur be bleached white over di years and be thin and course. Kabocha be seeing many moons and he be remaining a lone wolf after di death of his mate, our great grandmotir, Luna. His tired eyes be asking us di question and we be answering by bowing our heads.

“Di humans?” Kabocha be asking.

Me be nodding me head, knowing everything he be going ta say. You should have smelled dem coming. You should be hiding your den better. You should be fighting harder, be faster, be smarter. But, he not be saying a word. Instead he simply be motioning us ta be entering his den.

We be laying on di cool leaves of di old den and be waiting as Kabocha be softening his spot with a slow circling. When he finally be reaching di ground, he be moaning and be growling. “Me knew dis time be coming.” He be saying.

“Day be holding our females in a camp thick in di jungle. We be fearing day may move tare camp fartir. If you be giving any advice as ta how we be getting dem back ta us, please Kabocha be telling us now.” me be pleading.

Di hope of ever seeing Julissa’s smile again be falling furtir from mi reach. Every moment me was witout her mi heart be shattering mon. If me not be getting her back, me be dying of heart break.

“It be time you pups be knowing di trut about di Duskfall Howlers.” Kabocha be saying and den be giving us a serious stare. “During di light of di full moons, when day all be aligning in one great strand, di powers within us be coming out ta play.”

“But you always be telling us never to be howling at di aligned moons.” Throg and me be saying in unison.

“Be for good reason mon. Your parents, rest dare paws, didn’t be wanting you boys ta be knowing of this sacred ability. Day be wanting ta shelter you from di affects of di moons. Di Spineback packs in di area be deciding it be better ta keep di peace. Dis power be coming with a great hunger for flesh… human flesh.”

“Our ancestors ate humans?” Me be asking, be feeling now like I be a pickney.

“Di Duskfall Howlers be hunting di humans as packs. During di full moons we be gatiring togetir and be raiding di human camps. We be killing every human and be waiting for dem ta send more. And din we be killing dem too. We be ripping dare flesh from dare bones and be savoring di gruesome taste.”

Throg and me be staring speechless with widen eyes, as Kabocha be speaking of di horrors as if he be telling us a bedtime story. What he be telling us changed everything, and me be desperately needed ta be using dis power.

“Di human hunters be coming ta capture di Howlers because of this ability. But it not be fair dat day be knowing more dan you. It’s time ta be taking back our power and be going back ta di old ways.” Kabocha be smiling.

His smile be scaring us even more.

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Wit dis new knowledge me be running wit Throg as fast as we be able ta di den of di Duskfall Howlers. Day be listening intently ta what we be telling them, and what dis be meaning for di pack. We all be agreeing dat when di moons be aligning, we be fighting and bringing home our family. Me be going ta get Julissa and only time be standing in me way now.

Throg and me be showing the other Howlers where di humans be camping. Di night of di aligned moons we be creeping quietly and be waiting for di sun ta leave its perch. We all be feeling the same exciting anxiety as we be ready for di change.

Me be standing dare from di perch of di tallest tree watching and be waiting for mi time ta pounce. Julissa be laying there, but she not be moving. Me be seeing only the rise and fall of her breath. Dat be di only sign dat she be still alive. By dis time her fur be as black as mine. But it be only a matter of hours before she be bathing again in ta shallow Duskfall waters.

As a pack we be watching one moon after another be aligning. With each alignment di moonlight be lighting up more and more of di sky. Me had seen di moons align before, but dis time me be knowing di power these moons be possessing, and me be longing for the hunger. If me could kill dose hunters as me was, you know me be doing just dat.

As di final moon be crossing di night sky, Throg be giving us di sign ta howl. Me be bending down, composing meself and den be throwing back mi head. Me be howling with all di life me Spineback body had and di howls of di others be fueling me even more.

Suddenly me be feeling di power Kabocha be speaking of in his sacred den. Me be feeling di new blood coursing through me veins. Di blood be flowing to new parts, parts me never had before. Me paws be growing long and be flattened against di ground. Long, sharp nails be emerging from dem. Me be starting ta rise on my hind legs which be stretching and tearing with new layers of muscle.

Me spine back be straightening as me be growing and be growing to di sky. Me be looking at mi front paws dat be growing long and strong with claws ta match the back. Me be feeling mi chest expanding as di new life be filling me with what me didn’t be knowing. Mi face be starting ta disfigure, and mi teeth be stretching mi jaw ta fit. Di pain me be feeling be excruciating, but what me be feeling more was di hunger me be knowing would be coming at last.

Me be looking over mi new form and den immediately be looking for Julissa. She be dare among di human hunters, but now she too be taking her new form. She be breaking free from dose chains and me be smiling knowing she be seeking her own revenge. Di power be lingering inside us all di time mon.

Dat night we be taking back what be ours and be killing every human hunter in the camp. We be leaving di torches fall and be walking away as di flames be devouring dare once safe habitat. Dat night Julissa be safe by me side and me be feeling a whole lot safer wit di Duskfall Howlers and dare new powers.

We be knowing di humans be coming back, but we be vowing as a pack dat dare be no raiding of the human villages. Instead we be saving dat power ta be using only when we be needing it. We don’t be fearing the humans now, and it be turning out, we never be having any reason to be fearing dem in di first place.

Dose human chains can’t be holding di Duskfall Howlers mon.

The End

Thanks for Reading!

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