They waited, dire beasts didn't need to be tracked after all. They prowled. They would find them.

The trio climbed trees not too far from one another and knocked their bows.

Even John, as poor a shot as he was, he could draw the beasts attention all the same.

After awhile, the cold was beginning the bite. And John hoped a dire beast would show soon.

Sure enough, his prayers were answered and a black shape was seen marching into the path.

Even though there was still daylight left, it's figure was still jet-black in the light of the orange setting sun.

It was lithe, and tall. Like a tree, thorny tendrils sprouted from the torso in random lengths and directions. It walked on all fours.

And It made a ghostly gasping sound, like it struggled to breath.

Fear bubbled up in Johns chest, but it quickly turned to excitement. He could do this. He could change everything for the tribe, and it begins today.

It approached their bait, a bit of meat hung from a stick. It walked around it for a time, seemingly confused as to why it was there. It looked around.

It quickly saw Carmen- the one nearest the bait. But as it did, he let loose his arrow, and so did the others.

It roared as the arrows bit into it's bark like skin- it swept the bait away and charged at us.

We leaped from the trees and ran to the traps.

-It was fast- even faster than they expected. But it still wasn't enough to catch them.

They weren't far from the traps- they had no reason to be.

John leaped over the line of traps and looked back.

Carmen and Laura were right on his heels and leaped over next to him.

"Come on! No time to gawk!" Laura grabbed his arm and pulled as she ran sending him staggering after her.

They ran further- just to be safe- just so they could make it to the village if they had to.

Until they heard a 'SNAP' and a groan of pain, the creature fell to it's side grabbing at it's foot.

Then it rolled into another trap causing it to roar again, it furiously thrashed around trying to free itself.

"Now!"

They all shot arrow after arrow at it.

Many missed, but enough landed. Eventually, it went still.

"WHoo!" Carmen cheered.

"Thank god no other beasts showed." Laura said as she gathered her breath.

"That's why I setup so close to the valley, they shouldn't wonder so far on this side of the traps."

Carmen slapped John on the back "All according to plan! That's why you're the leader!"

John blushed. "Yeah... Well, you know."

Laura scowled at him. "You need to learn to take a compliment."

"We all did good. But... Thanks. Let's uh... dress it. Shall we?"

"Yeah, this is gonna' to be interesting..."

The three walked over and gazed at the charred looking corpse.

The skin was hard and flaky, but it looked like something that could've been a moose at some point.

Rigid tendrils of black limbs stuck out from it, alongside the arrows. Some were wrapped around the shafts as if they could pull them free.

John swallowed hard, and began slicing into the body. It was warm, and red. Like deer. But instead of fuzzy hide it had black thick scales clung to the flesh.

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They went back to the village, packs laden with wet meat.

Proud and victorious.

As they approached the rows of tents and wood shacks, people emerged and surrounded them.

Children played around, knowing the adults would be in a better mood now that food was assured.

A man in his grey years approached, he was a cook essentially and handled the towns food supplies. "The hunt went well?" he asked.

"It... Did." John said.

"Moose?"

"...Yeah."

"Very good. We'll put it in tonights stew. Ya' boys did good."

"Ahem." Laura coughed.

He waved her away "Oh, you know what I mean."

The smell of the meat floated up from the cooks tent, and the sun had finally set on a day that seemed to last forever.

The trio was the talk of the town- they were just one of a dozen hunting groups- but now they were held in high esteem. Other hunters would hound them for advice.

For times like these, some coal from the mines was spared to create a bonfire that kept the cold of night at bay.

At least for a few hours.

They walked around and made conversation. Drinking potato vodka, eating stew. It was a luxurious feeling.

"So tell us, how did you do it? We've been trying to nail a moose for days now. No deer in sight." one of the other hunters asked as they ate.

"I have a new trap, handles the big stuff."

"Is that what you wanted all that metal for?"

"Yep. look-" John demonstrated the traps for them. Crushing sticks into them.

"That's hella cool! You should stick around and make some for all of us rather than hunting! We'll be eating like this normally!" the other hunters cheered.

At this point the other villagers had left them alone and now the hunters wanted to talk shop with them.

"Man, moose tastes a bit strange compared to deer."

"It could taste like dirt and I'd still eat it. If it means never going hungry."

Well technically, you could still starve by eating too much of the same thing. But John understood his point.

John didn't want to tell them it was a dire beast. The topic of dire beasts is a bit taboo in the village. He didn't understand why- in most ways, they were just another animal.

John did what he had to. They were desperate and a regular food source like this will tide them over so they could instead focus on venturing further from the valley as a people.

Camren was joking with some hunters, Laura was showing some children how to run with a bow and quiver.

Some of the other hunters with fidgeting with his traps, trying to reverse engineer them. It's just a device described in a book, one of many in the elders library.

Most people probably didn't have the time to read though- but that would change. Now.

Perhaps his traps would work well on moose too. It's just the nature of moose that makes them more difficult to catch.

Moose flee, dire beasts chase. And that's perfect for Johns traps.

John looked down at his bowl, the floating chunks of meat and potatoes.

And he slurped from the bowls broth. It wasn't as good as deer- but it was delicious.

"Oh my god! Liam, what are you doing? AAhHh!"

A older woman's scream ran through the small village.

John looked up towards the source of the noise and everyone had gathered outside a families tent.

He stepped behind the crowd and looked- the tent flap opened and a young man stepped out.

Blood smattered his face, he had a black tendril sprouting from his nostril. His head snapped to the side, and his body bent into an awkward shape.

His eyes looked straight ahead lifelessly and he roared, it wasn't a human noise.

"Dear god, it's the curse." an elder said.

John looked down at his bowl in horror- he saw a tendril growing from one of the chunks of brown meat. Reaching out- feeling.

It clattered to the ground, spilling. A chunk of meat crawled across the floor, dragging itself by an inky black tendril.

The infected young man lurched forward and swiped at one of the people.

A hunter brought him down with a hatchet and they surrounded him beating him to death.

But it was too late, people were changing all over.

One after another. They got a far away look in their eyes and black tendrils would begin sprouting from them.

Until they went feral and attacked.

Those who haven't changed yet fought.

But eventually the trio found themselves in the back of one of the larger wooden shacks as the infected pounded at the doors.

"You fools, you've damned us all!" an elder walked up to John, snatching him up by his collar.

"That was dire beast meat! Wasn't it? It must've been! There's a reason we do not hunt them!"

Another elder approached putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Elder Bren, it is too late, in any case. We should've been less secretive about these things. It is partly our fault. Release him."

The spry older man dropped John to his knees.

He spit on him and walked away, helping the others hold the door closed.

John looked up to the other elder remorsefully who looked back at him pitifully.

"I've doomed us all." John said.

"Yes."

John felt his gut churn, it felt as if something was beginning to claw it's way out from within him.

It was happening to him now! He clutched his stomach.

"Elder please! Is there someway to stop the curse?"

"Yes.", the elder grabbed Johns hand and placed a root in it.

Then closed his fingers over it.

Then he took a piece of the root himself and ate it.

After a moment he began to convulse and foam at the mouth.

He was dead before thirty seconds.

He looked around at the chaos in the room. Some sat huddled crying holding each other.

The pain didn't stop, it built and built within John. He opened his hand and looked at the small root.

"John- I'm scared!" Laura collapsed near him, clutching her chest.

"I'm so sorry Laura- I didn't know!" he looked her pleadingly in her eyes.

He saw Carmen step away from the door and start clutching his body as well.

He knew how she felt about him. He would've been whatever she wanted him to be for her, if she'd forgive him. If it would let her know- Camren, the village- if it would let them all know he did it for them. He didn't mean it.

He would do anything.

Feel anything.

But it was too late.

The door to the shack exploded open and the infected stormed the room.

His vision was fading as his body convulsed and he twitched and crawled over to Laura.

He placed the root into her mouth.

"I-it's easier... Than this.. I-I'm sorry... I'll see you on the other side... My friend."

Tears filled her eyes and she chewed the root.

They shook in each others arms as the pain racked them, the sounds of fighting and the death throes of others fading in the background.

And a voice filled his head.

"Foolish human."