The starless night was bright only because of the moon, mostly full, but waning, but that was good enough. This was a new life, fresh, young, but far from innocent. There were many things in the mind of this creature, and the most prominent one was hunger, both for physical sustenance and revenge. There did not seem to be a reason for it, but images kept flashing through the mind of this bird like creature. It saw many images, but mostly images of men, dark men, light men, but all bad.

And Fire! Oh, how the very thought made us squirm with anger! The last image, always the last, was being in fire! Surrounded by fire! Covered in fire! There was nothing to like, nothing to care about, just hunger, just anger, just pain!

Her eyes were searching the ground, ever watchful for any movement at all, though it wasn't necessary for her, not entirely. Simply being there she felt she was growing stronger, just opening her mouth, she could taste power in the air, and knew she was being fed, but it wasn't enough. Little did she know that it would never be enough, never satisfy her, never end the hunger in her body or her mind. It was her fate, as was the fate of all hollow, to suffer the never ending pain, the ever present need for sustenance.

Her attention was drawn to something, tiny, small movements, but steady. Something moving across the sand. She began to follow, lowering her altitude, but keeping behind whatever it was. If this creature could grin, it would be doing so now, for it was feeling thrilled, but even more so, it felt... hungry.

It couldn't wait, and dive bombed the scurrying thing, and slammed into it, talons first, impaling it and driving it into the sand. It turned out to be a tiny lizard like hollow, with barely a mouth for eating sand. It was below even what she was, a Demi Hollow, but to her, it was what she wanted. She pecked at it, hard, gashing it in the back of the head. It screamed, and she let it go, flapping to get back a step or two, and watched as it suffered, crying out, while she licked the blood from her beak. The thing was no longer able to run like it was, having been injured greatly by her landing on it, but it was crawling away slowly, trying to survive.

She laughed in a horrible half bird like screech, and followed it, pecking at it again and again, bleeding it out, licking from its wounds freely, snapping at any attempt it made of striking at her. This resulted in it losing a digit on its limb, which only made it scream more, and fed her in the process, which she found delightful, though she wasn't amused by this for much longer. This creature, this... thing, was becoming boring, predictable, and her hunger couldn't wait any longer.

Stepping on its back again, digging her talons into it, she pressed down with all her weight, not  a great amount, but enough to make it squeal, before she ripped its head from its body, and proceeded to consume both. It was satisfying, but the hunger remained, both for food and for revenge. The suffering she had put the tiny thing through was good, it pleased her, but it made her crave more, so much more. She couldn't simply sit here and eat these tiny morsels forever. She needed to find a real meal...

She took off into the night sky again, and began to hunt again, hunger and hate driving her onward, seeking her to find a challenge, something to make her relish her despicable existence, to take pleasure on the suffering, and show others the torment she felt, ten fold...


Word Count : 652

The recent kill was quickly forgotten, almost like it never even happened. Hunger, aching hunger, consumed the mind of this near mindless creature, and from the high place above the endless desert, it searched for something, anything, it could sink its claws and beak into. Anything it could taste, and sate this endless hunger that would consume anyone living or dead. It was the only thing that kept the memories at bay, even if only briefly, and it was truly brief.

The small bird like hollow let out a loud, high pitched scream, long and forlorn, calling for a response, for anyone, or thing, to show itself, to give itself to it, so that this bird may feast. Silence was all that greeted it, but it continued to call out, loud, angry, and long. The hollow only felt angrier, the world too empty to even sustain one simple bird. What an insult! A cruel joke, this world is! It provides so much space, and so much sand, and yet one a creature to feast on for miles upon miles...

Suddenly, there it was. A sudden movement in the sand, far below, and a great distance away. The bird like hollow rushed in the direction of it, flying as best as it could, as fast as it could! Any and all morsels were enough to sate its hunger, and it did not wish to give up even a bite. Arriving in the general area of where she saw the disturbance, she flew above looking everywhere for the source of it. The sands seemed to be still, nothing moving, or out of the ordinary, though really, what was ordinary? Certainly nothing in this endless expanse could possibly be considered ordinary. She certainly wasn't, even she knew that fairly well, mindless or not.

Another movement in the corner of her eye, and she turned quickly, looking for whatever it was, but nothing was there. She continued to fly above the area, continuously searching, and calling out in her long, shrill voice, both angry and forlorn all at once. She did not know what was going on, or what to do, but she was desperate. In her desperation, she flew closer, searching and trying to get a better view of the area, maybe spot something to tip her off as to what was hiding here, or if there was anything at all, which she knew for sure there was. She was new, but not blind.

Another movement! She turned quickly, and was met with another hollow, one like her, not strong, not big, but hungry. This hollow lept at her, and took her out of the air, but she was not to lose this fight. It was snake like in appearance, and only had its head and body to fight with. It had her coiled, and she frantically clawed at it with her talons, pecking and biting with her beak until it released her. Upon release, she fly immediately a distance away, and saw it dig itself back into the sand. And then, she knew that she had been baited, brought back to this spot so it could hunt her, but she would not give into it and its tricks, but nor would she give up. She would turn the tide, flip the tables, whatever it was that was said, she did not care, she did not speak, there was no reason to.

She landed upon the sand, and swiveled her head around, watching every direction as best as she could, watching for any changes, any movements, anything at all. It was some time before anything did move again, but her patience paid off, and she saw the slight movement to indicate where it was, and where it was coming from. She waited, despite the hunger, for leaping straight in now would only get her killed, and she would not, could not, have that happen now. She waited till it literally lept from the sand, she she dashed under it, and used her sharp beak to split its under belly wide open, in one quick, clean motion.

Its innards splayed on the ground, and it writhed in pain, even more so when she began to eat it. It had hurt her fairly badly, and this was simply payback. It ate everything inside, before picking at its body, placing one foot on its head to hold it still. The hollow screamed, and it was music to her, and she feasted, and it was grander to her than the finest kings feast. She eventually consumed the rest of the hollow, satisfying her hunger for another moment, and filling her with evil glee. She would hunt again, for despite the wealth this meal brought, she still felt empty, and she longed for more. It would be soon that she would change, though she did not know it. All that she knew was that she needed to keep hunting.

And so, wounded as she was, though not very anymore, she took flight, and began to search again. Another meal, another morsel, another few moments of keeping the pain and the memories at bay...


Word Count : 863