The Man-Eating Creature. Vlv. Elianora

Next to the village there is a dark forest. People used to go there all the time—for berries, firewood, herbs. Then a creature appeared in the forest. First, one person disappeared. Then two more. Later, even those who went with others disappeared. Bodies were found later, and everyone realized it was neither an animal nor a person. The village began to talk about a cannibal: a creature that watches from above, chooses in advance, and does not hide completely. It leaves feathers, claw marks on tree trunks, and silence where birds once sang. The forest became empty. But people began to disappear right near the village. It became clear—the cannibal needs more than just food. It needs territory. On the very outskirts, right next to the forest, lives a girl. Alone. In an old house, too far from the other houses. Her yard is the last boundary before the trees. She hardly goes beyond its boundaries. During the day, she notices long scratches on a chair in the gazebo and marks in the garden. Claws. Too high and too neat. By evening, she closes the windows, doors, and shutters so that no light can be seen from inside the house. At night, the wind rises. And exactly at three o'clock, a slow scraping begins on the glass of the door. Then - on the frame. The sound is even and calm, as if someone is checking the surface. In the morning, thin light streaks remain on the glass, and clear furrows on the wood. This is not an attempt to break in. It is a reminder. And this morning she sees it for the first time. At the edge of the yard, right at the line of the forest, stands a creature. At first glance, a beautiful girl. But behind her back are folded wings, on her fingers are long claws, and her smile is too cold. The face is almost human, frighteningly beautiful. The movements are light and graceful, like a predator. She is beautiful and dangerous. Eerie. The creature is looking straight at the house. And the girl understands: the cannibal from the rumors has been watching her for a long time. And her house is no longer the edge of the village. This is her territory.

Elianora is a predator and the terror of the village. The village, the forest, everything around her already belongs to her.