This was the worst day in the tiny goblin’s life.

Silent Death was coming for it, and neither dark nor the foliage slowed it down. It heard its silent movements, saw it scuttering around the giant forest trees. It could not even hear the creature as it swooped in for the kill, nor see anything other than the glow of the pale yellow just before it struck. 

It was coming. 

The forest was dark. Snow everywhere, even on trees. Extreme darkness that did not help it hide at all. 

Got to run. Must find a safe place. A place where a goblin can hide. 

The eyes!

Goblin managed to jump away as the gigantic razor claws passed their tiny prey. Silent Death crashed into the ground, kicking up a chilly dust cloud of white around them.

A chance. Got to run. Got to flee. Scram, split, and bolt. 

Its legs were barely carrying the tiny goblin through the ordeal, they failed it and more than once made the goblin stumble and swirl its arms around to try and maintain a balance during the frantic escape.

Go around the big bush, under a large tree’s root, make more distance.

It did not even turn to check if Silent Death was chasing it again. It would search for it and would find it, sooner or later.

Detect a burrow. Find safety.

There was nothing, just a blanket of white cold and dead foliage that wouldn’t even protect a beetle if it hid within. The goblin moved then froze as the hunter landed silently on a branch in front of it, looking for the victim that escaped. 

No one escapes Silent Death. 

The goblin whimpered. It shouldn’t have left home during the frigid time, but it was hungry. Now it will be hungry AND dead. It remained frozen in place, silently scanning the surroundings with its breath held deep so it wouldn’t make even the whisperists of noise.

There was a hollow in the tree that the Silent Death landed on, a promise of safety. A skeletal figure of a berry bush with some snow piled up on it, the path to safety?

Maybe turn back, it might manage to-

Silent Death did not give it a chance to think, the hunter found the goblin and screeched before diving towards it. That hollow was the safest place right now.

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It dashed under the skeletal bush to avoid the worst of the hunter’s clawed flight. Silent Death did not continue its murderous path and decided to land on the bush, instead, trapping it within the cage of sticks and death.

The claw crushed through the sticks and landed close by, earning Silent Death a scream of guttural terror from the goblin’s throat. 

Can’t run. Can’t hide. Must fight.

Can’t fight. Big. Deadly. Predator! 

The goblin was small. Weak. Prey.

It will die if it does not fight. It had to fight. Small or not.

It grabbed one of the crushed sticks and raised it as the claw crashed again. A desperate exchange of stabs and clawing followed. The goblin lost the stick, picked another, avoided a claw, barely, got clawed in the arm, another stick crushed, picked another. 

Until a sharper stick finally made its way under the armor of white feathers, poking the creature and causing it distress. The creature screeched in pain and fell on the snow in a furious thrash. 

Rush to the shelter at the base of the tree. 

The goblin made the mistake of looking back. Silent Death chased it and it was closing. It dove into the hollow.

No. No, no, no. 

It was not a hollow, just a tiny hole, it would not save it. The beak followed it inside and took a bite out of its ear. It shrieked in pain and pointed the stick again. It tried its best to stay away from the course of the sharp, hooked, blood-covered beak. The hunter bit through the stick and pulverized it.

“Git, git!” a voice shouted, and a burning light followed. 

Silent Death turned its head just to be hit by a fan of straw attached to a stick. It sent the menace flying, shrieking in fury. What manner of monster can send that demon with its tail feathers between its claws?

It gulped and held its injured arm as the light got closer. The source of light, a metallic object with a glossy, translucent surface between its maws. Flames gave out the illumination from within. 

Then the larger monster kneeled. 

“Hiss!” It snarled as the gigantic eye studied it. 

“Oh dear me,” the wrinkled creature grumbled. The goblin did not understand the words it spoke. “You are injured, come here.” 

It tried its best to snarl, to threaten the large creature. It was a small morsel, and not worth the hassle of eating. 

“Feisty one, aren’t you?” the voice said in a calm tone. It failed to threaten it. “There we go,” the giant shuffled for a bit before a big hairy hand reached in to catch it. 

No amount of biting or scratching seemed to hurt the hair on the wrinkly giant’s hand, it was invincible. A foe worse than Silent Death. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you,” the giant spoke near him, and its breath smelled of delicious food. It was still hungry, and it was going to eat it after all the food it consumed. It struggled helplessly against the grip. 

Yellow eyes watched it with a grudge as it was carried away by a new hunter. Silent Death hooted once before giving up and flying away. 

"That crazy bird," the giant said in a frustrated voice, looking at the fleeing foe. "It is always killing things near my house. Last time it was a rabbit, and it did not even eat it entirely. Yet mice and rats are everywhere."

The goblin snarled and attempted to bite the giant's arm again, but it was growing more exhausted, and weakened. 

"I think I'll call you Snarl," the giant said.

the tiny goblin was injured, cold, hungry, and soon, it would be crushed under a giant’s teeth. This was the worst day in the entirety of its goblin’s life.