There was a night when the girl couldn’t sleep, so she listened to the whispers of the forest. Her eyes watched within the darkness. She could feel something watching her and knew it was the beast who’d chased her until her lungs felt like they were bleeding.

The beast’s eyes glowed deep withing the forest. The girl stared back. They watched each other for quite some time. Neither moving. 

The girl knew the beast had been following her for some time. She didn’t know why. Because it was always close enough that it could attack, but never did.

why

She thought as it watched her from the shadows. The beast’s eyelids drooped and then closed. She watched for a moment before realizing it was sleeping.

In the night she stared back at this being, not knowing that it could change forms. Not knowing its intensions. But in gazing on the dark fur, she too, became heavier so that while wide awake only moments ago, she was on the verge of falling into a very deep sleep. Whistling birds were the last sounds she remembered.