Footprints in the snow.

The lone figure trudged onward through the snow. Flakes fell past his face, and the man shivered and pulled his coat tighter about him in order to fight the chill. It was dusk, and as he trudged home, returning from his trip, the man occasionally glanced around him, apprehensively watching the dark treeline on either side of the mountain path.

The snow-covered fields around the path slowly widened and the trees slowly thinned, until a massive clearing became visible up ahead. From the lines of smoke rising above the small town, the man found relief. They had stayed safe while he had been gone. He picked up his pace, trudging forward toward the village. With his attention focused on the town and the thought of relaxing inside of his cozy house, however, the man failed to pay attention to his surroundings. If he had stayed alert, he might have noticed the footprints in the snow as he neared the village. There was something wrong with the footprints.

Unlike the normal boot imprint that was common around the village, these footprints were almost triangle shaped, with several long claw marks protruding out from them. And the snow where the creature had walked was stained red. The man, however, was oblivious to this, and trudged onward. He was almost home. Suddenly, however, he felt a prickling on the back of his neck. He stopped, and shifted, uneasy.

He turned, and scanned the forest behind him. And it was then that he saw it. A pair of gigantic round eyes, white as the moon against the dark outline of the forest. In an instant the man began to run. He dashed toward his home. He had to make it. He would be safe there. But the creature, which had began to charge at him with surprising speed, was gaining. As the man ran, he felt hopelessness overwhelm him. He could hear the footsteps of the giant creature pounding behind him now. He cried out for help, but none came. He desperately tried to put on a burst of speed.

The man screamed. He felt white hot teeth sinking into his back. And as he fell backward, the people from within the safety of their homes listened, unable to help.

In the morning, when the sun had risen, the villagers gathered a party and searched, to see what had happened to the man. But all they found were footprints in the snow. Nothing else remained.

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