Moonlit Beast

Ezra's breath hitched as he peered through the dense blades of grass, his lavender eyes locking onto the massive, shadowy figure looming just a few feet away. The faint moonlight glinted off the creature's hulking form, highlighting the smooth curve of its enormous, obsidian-black hooves as they pressed into the earth with bone-rattling weight.

Hooves. Not claws, not talons—hooves.

His mind raced to piece together what he was seeing. This thing wasn't like the bird creature they'd faced earlier. It was larger, heavier, and carried an aura so suffocating that Ezra felt like his chest might cave in under the pressure.

The creature exhaled, a deep, guttural sound that rumbled through the air like distant thunder. Ezra could feel the warmth of its breath, damp and heavy, washing over them even from several feet away. It carried the rancid stench of decay, as if the creature had been feasting on something long dead—or perhaps it was something dying from within.

The beast seemed distracted, its attention drawn away by something in the distance. With slow, deliberate steps, it moved forward, parting the tall grass with each thunderous stride.

For a brief, horrifying moment, Ezra and Shirley's hiding spot was nearly exposed, but the creature's focus remained elsewhere, giving them a terrifyingly clear view of its monstrous form.

It was colossal, towering over the landscape like a walking nightmare stitched together from mismatched horrors.

Its lower body ended in massive, obsidian-black hooves, each step carving deep impressions into the earth. The legs were covered in ragged, dark feathers that clung to sinewy muscle, tapering upward into an abdomen rippling with raw strength.

The creature's torso was broad and grotesquely muscular, the skin stretched tight over bulging veins that glowed faintly with a molten orange light, like lava pulsing beneath cracked stone. Its upper body transitioned into long, ape-like arms, each ending in clawed hands large enough to crush a man whole. The claws gleamed faintly in the pale moonlight, curved and sharp like sickles.

Trailing behind it was an enormous crocodilian tail, covered in jagged scales and tipped with what looked like a cracked bone spike. The tail dragged across the ground with a scraping hiss, carving shallow grooves into the frost-hardened earth.

But it was the head that froze Ezra in place, his breath caught in his throat. The beast's face was unmistakably bovine—a massive bull's skull-like visage, but its flesh was drawn taut and cracked, as if it had been stretched over bone far too large. Its mouth was twisted into an unnatural grimace, exposing uneven, jagged teeth that dripped with black saliva.

Its eyes were sunken and glowing a sickly amber, swirling with something ancient and malevolent. Above its head, two crooked horns jutted upward, twisted and splintered like weathered branches. At the sides of its skull, enormous bat-like ears twitched and swiveled, keenly attuned to even the faintest sound.

The creature paused, sniffing the air again with flared nostrils, its chest rising and falling with slow, deliberate breaths that rattled through its cavernous lungs. Every movement it made was accompanied by faint creaks and groans, as though its body itself was protesting under its own unnatural weight.

Ezra's chest tightened as he realized just how absurdly massive this thing was. It wasn't just a predator—it was a force of nature, something primal and ancient that didn't belong in their world.

Beside him, Shirley slowly turned his head to meet Ezra's wide-eyed gaze. His expression was a mix of confusion and sheer disbelief, eyebrows raised and lips slightly parted, as if he were silently asking, "What in the actual fuck is that ugly thing?"

For a split second, the two locked eyes—neither of them dared to speak, but the silent exchange spoke volumes. Shirley's usual stoic demeanor was cracked just enough to reveal his unease, and Ezra, despite the terror bubbling in his chest, had to fight the inappropriate urge to laugh at how utterly disturbed the older man looked.

The creature exhaled another deep, guttural breath, snapping them both back into focus. 

The creature lumbered forward, each step sending vibrations through the earth as if the ground itself recoiled beneath its weight. Its massive hooves crushed the grass flat, leaving deep imprints in the soil. Ezra and Shirley remained frozen in place, their breaths shallow, their bodies tense.

The monster's grotesque, clawed hands reached down, digging into the soft earth where Shirley had buried the carcass of the bird-like creature hours ago. Its thick, ape-like fingers tore through the dirt with unsettling ease, scattering clumps of soil and debris in every direction.

Ezra's eyes widened as he realized what it was doing. 'It's looking for the bodies.'

The creature let out a low, guttural rumble as it unearthed the small grave. It paused, its massive bull-like head lowering until its bat-like ears twitched and its sharp nostrils flared. The scent of decay and fresh blood must have still lingered in the air, guiding its grotesque excavation.

Shirley's grip on his weapon tightened, his knuckles white, though he didn't move an inch. His steel-gray eyes locked on the creature, every muscle in his body wound tight like a spring.

Ezra's stomach churned as the beast pulled the broken remains of the bird creature from the soil, holding the mangled body up to its face. For a long, agonizing moment, it simply stared at the limp carcass in its clawed hand. 

The creature's massive head lowered again, its glowing yellow eyes fixed on the mangled remains of the bird carcass. Its wide, crocodile-like jaws creaked open, revealing rows of jagged, uneven teeth coated in a slick, black ichor. A thick, pitch-black tongue slithered out, glistening wetly in the faint moonlight.