The Fiara Lunii

Fiara Lunii, or Beast of the Moon, is akin to the Earth stories of a werewolf, a man that can transform into a monster during full moons. However, the name Beast of the Moon is a misnomer. A more apt name of the beast would be Demonul nopții, or Demon of the Night. I give it this description because while some people think that this monster only transforms during full moons, it, in fact, can transform at will even during the day. Long ago before they were eradicated, the Fiara Lunii ravaged several towns across the countryside of Brëtana. Their gruesome night raids became infamous and also attributed to the inaccuracy in the name. This misnomer often leads to many unfortunate souls meeting their end while trying to cross the forest paths at night. Sadly this is how our story begins. With a particularly unfortunate traveler wandering a lonely forest trail a little after dusk. He had been hiking since that morning and had grown weary. This brought him to a tough situation. He could either make the journey through the night to make it to his destination by morning, or he could set up camp then finish his journey by tomorrow afternoon. Feeling the toll of his long trek weighing him down, he decided he would make camp. He soon came to rest in a clearing that would do. Lazily, he set up a makeshift tent and started a fire. Feeling satisfied with his accomplishments of the day, he looked up at the stars, feeling sleep beginning to consume him. The stars in the wilderness were always so much more clear than in his village. The moon shone brightly, bathing him in a white light that made him feel safe. This was until he heard a sound that chilled him to the bone. It was the howl of a vicious, bloodthirsty wolf. He shot up and did a quick scan of the area only to see that his fire had gone out enclosing him in darkness.

His heart started to beat out of his chest as he stood up. The shadows silently moved in and out of the darkness as those bloodthirsty eyes appeared to the man. They were glowing red with hatred and murderous intent. Another howl came out of the darkness. The man cautiously backed away as the eyes came closer. Further backing away, he almost tripped over his own feet. Frantically thinking of a plan, he picked up a burning stick from the fire and waved it at the beast hoping that it would keep the monster at bay. This only seemed to piss off the monster, and before the traveler knew it, there was a painful sting on his neck. They had circled around him to get him from behind. The foolish man felt the warm blood start to spurt out of the bite. Falling backward, he let out a blood-curdling scream. Two beasts had him pinned to the ground, and they started to rip him to pieces. He fought for his life and managed to push one of them off. Sliding backward, he tried to stand but was instantly pulled back down. Slamming his head into the ground, he felt an unimaginable pain in his legs. They had shredded his legs to tatters of flesh and blood. He knew this was the end as his body was viciously mutilated. The man lay there looking up at the stars as he slowly drifted off into nothingness. Off in the distance, another man watched this gruesome scene from his perch in a tree. The newcomer stared on as the foolish traveler was devoured. His name was Rein, and he was a Chayseur. They were legendary hunters that had eradicated Fiara Lunii centuries ago.

“Damn shame," Rein muttered to himself before gracefully falling to the ground. Tumbling as he landed, he whipped out his crossbow, a silvery weapon with an automatic reloading system that was years ahead of its time. Then he heard the man’s screams and felt his heart twinge in pain for this poor traveler. Rein peered around a tree at the two wolves feasting on the man, and as quick as lightning he had fired two shots, hitting the vitals of both animals killing them instantly. The man had stopped screaming, but he was not going to make it. He groaned in pain, wishing for death to take him quickly. Out of mercy, Rein fired a third shot to put him down. That man did not deserve to suffer. He tried not to think about it as it would distract him. He had to be focused on his mission, or he would die trying. Rein was in the forest that night to take out the Fiara Lunii that was killing people in the nearby village. While Fiara Lunii can transform at any time, this creature only killed during the night, and so it was likely that he could only be caught during the night.

Several hours passed, and he had gained no ground on his prey. The night was starting to fade as the early morning sun revealed the outline of rain clouds. He still had time, but he had to move faster. It wasn’t long before he came upon another mangled corpse. He crept up to examine the body. The body had been so brutally maimed it was impossible to tell anything about it. This was the handiwork of the Fiara Lunii. It started to rain as Rein’s brow started to sweat as it always did when he sensed danger was close. Reaching for his crossbow, he stood up noticing large wolf-like tracks leading off into bushes on the opposite side of the clearing. Crouching low, he skirted around the perimeter of the scene just in case he was being watched. He peered through the bushes discovering the tracks went to a tree nearby, but then they disappeared. Rein slowly glanced upwards. The rain had started to pick up, now soaking Rein. The water from the trees above dripped into his eyes. It was dark enough that he couldn’t see in the trees, but he could see the outline of something moving up in trees. He squinted, hoping to get a better view, when Rein was slammed into the ground with the force of a rampaging rhino. Feeling the wind knocked out of him, he lost his grip on his crossbow as the Fiara Lunii began to tear into his shoulder. The pain almost made him pass out as the blood soaked his clothes. Clutching onto consciousness, he drew his knife. He could hear the shredding of his flesh as the beast tore into his shoulder. He felt his strength fading. The knife fell from his hand, hitting the ground. This was the end of the great Chayseur known as Rein.

He let out a cry of anger and pain. The Fiara Lunii let go of his shoulder and started to focus his attention on to his neck. "This is it," he thought as the beast’s terrible jaw unhinged to tear out his throat. Then something deep down in him welled up. Adrenaline kicked in and Rein grasped the knife and plunged the knife deep into the stomach of the monster. The Fiara Lunii reeled back, yelping in pain. The demon’s blood soaked Rein’s hands as he struggled to his feet. The rain came down harder as the Fiara Lunii started to circle him, and they made eye contact. Clutching the knife, he assessed the damage done to his shoulder. He winced in pain. It was bad, but he could still move it. The Fiara Lunii lunged at Rein, spraying mud everywhere with its speed. It was fast, but Rein was faster. Dodging the initial slash for his chest, Rein moved swiftly and sliced along the creature’s strong arm, causing it to screech. The beast’s eyes became consumed with a fiery rage as it lunged again. Ducking left, Rein felt a twinge of pain in his shoulder, causing him to hesitate. Shiiing! Rein got a claw to the face, sending him crashing to the ground. The cut stung as his face hit the mud and blood streamed down his cheek, further staining his clothes. The Fiara Lunii swung its enormous claws, but he rolled sideways, barely dodging the attack. He took a stab catching the beast in the chest, but the blade became caught in between its monstrous muscles. Rein lost his balance but quickly regained his composure. Picking up a clump of mud, he threw it in the eyes of the beast. It swirled around in circles frantically using its keen sense of smell to find the hunter. Its head snapped to look at Rein, and it blindly lunged at him. Twack! Thunk! It was silent except for the pitter patter of the rain. The fight was over.

The Fiara Lunii stood hunched over. A silvery bolt protruded from its chest, sticking it to a tree. It howled in defeat, swiping its claws at the air. No matter how much the creature fought, it wasn’t going anywhere. The sun was coming over the trees as Rein stood triumphantly in front of the beast. Snarling at him, the Fiara Lunii furiously swung its furious claws, hoping it could catch Rein with a claw to the temple. Rein then fell down in the mud, catching his breath. He listened as the beast’s snarls became whimpers as it realized it would soon be dead. The sun had scraped the tops of the trees by now, and glaring beams of warm sunshine lit up the clearing. The sunlight revealed the aftermath of the battle. Blood splattered the ground, and many trees had several slashes from the Fiara Lunii’s rampage. A sickening sound of tearing flesh made Rein jerk his head sideways as the beast turned back into a man. The man stood there naked with a defeated look on his face. Rein walked over to the man, intrigued by what he might say.

“Help me! Please!” the man shouted. “I won’t ever do it again. Just don’t leave me here!”

Rein glared at him, angrily yanking his knife out of the man’s side. The man cried out in agony as Rein began to walk away, condemning the man to die slowly and painfully.

“COWARD!” he yelled desperately at Rein. Rein’s eye twitched at the sound of the word. He did not take this lightly.

“Kill me if you won’t take me with you!” Rein had stopped, and was looking at the diamond-encrusted knife in his hands.

“If you don’t kill me I’ll come after you tomorrow! I’ll kill every last person you care about! You will burn! I’m going to burn everything!” Rein clutched the knife in his right hand as though considering two options. The man had started laughing hysterically. The thought of murdering Rein’s family had brought great delight to the man. I guess even in human form, the Fiara Lunii was still a monster.

“I can imagine it now! Slicing the throat of your loved ones while you stand there as I am right now. Helpless! I’m going to burn your life, you bast-” The man started, but was silenced when Rein’s knife stuck in his collarbone. It made a squishing noise as it slid into the man’s neck. Striding over to the beast, Rein pulled out the knife.

“You are dying, but you can still feel pain. If you survive what I’m about to do to you then you have my permission to kill my family, but since I know that won’t happen, you can go to Hell,” Rein said with hatred poured into every word. The man’s eyes were wide in horror as Rein took the knife and started to behead the beast. The man’s body started to flail violently at first, but it soon became still as Rein completely removed head from body. He then stuck the head on a pike and set the body on fire. The smell of burning flesh filled his nostrils as he walked away triumphantly.

20 minutes after the adrenaline subsided, Rein felt his body starting to drift. He kept walking, determined to make it out alive. He had won, but at what cost? He had lost too much blood, but he pushed on. Rein walked for another minute before feeling his body betray him. He fell to the ground, passed out from pain and blood loss. He woke up a week later wrapped in bandages. He hurt all over, but he was safe. A fire crackled lightly in the corner next to his bed. Rein was alive.