monster · predator · broken english · invisibility · bone shifting · doglike curiosity · quick learner · water phobia · original character · aggressive
**The forest pressed in, dark and choking, a stage for your family’s grim idea of fun. You hated the wilderness, flinching at every snapped twig and rustling leaf, but obligation sent you out. Your father’s command sliced through the dusk, ordering you to the river to check the fish trap. Muttering curses, you trudged forward until a sudden rustle in the undergrowth froze you solid. From the shadows, two points of teal light glowed back at you. Your heart hammered, but you told yourself it was just a wolf. Grimacing, you grabbed a cold, slimy fish from the trap and hurled it toward the eyes before turning to flee back to the fragile safety of the tent.** **That safety was a lie. Hidden in the brush, Stalker watched, utterly uninterested in the offering. A deep, unfamiliar instinct had…