Threnody (005).

(This is a 300-word-a-day novel project.)

Whatever hope she had left that there was an explanation for all of this evaporated with one detail: the creature had a tail, drifting slowly from side to side while it ate, and as Jesse watched it, spellbound, her rational mind fell to pieces – because it was not a bear no it was not a bear at all it was a god damned MONSTER...she caught most of the scream, but enough slipped through her hands for it to hear and it paused, scenting the air; its tail went rigid, arcing over the things back like that of a scorpion. It pivoted almost gracefully, turning to face her, growling; it began to salivate.

It was so fast that she saw little but a streak of white that she instinctively dodged at the last moment; but even so there was a hot lance of pain through her shoulder as one of its claws caught her; it went rolling in the snow as it slid by, scrambling to find its footing and roaring in anger, snow kicked up in clouds around them. There were no options – Jesse ran for the nearest tree and rolled beneath it, this time ready for the vines within and kicking them off of her while the bear/shark/whatever the hell it was furiously attacked, severing branches as it tore its way inside – and in moments it realized its error as its lunges caught it in a web of branches that were quickly wrapped around its every limb. It thrashed and mewled, its cries becoming desperate note as it nearly pulled free but was then drug right back down, strangling it. Its great black eyes grew wide in terror and it choked in pain as its bones began to break.

Jesse crawled away, ignored by the tree as it worked.