#almost put the summary as 'a key finds its hole' but then thought hmmmm probs shouldn't phrase it like that

[braindeacl]

The Skeleton Key | Solo ft. James

SETTING: White Crest National Park TIMING: Current, early morning. SUMMARY: A key returns home. WARNINGS: N/A

It was so close. She could already taste the flesh that would soon get stuck in her teeth. The animal, the prey, was just out of reach. But a fatal mistake sealed its fate. She advanced, eager hands grasping. Her body tensed, ready for the finishing strike.

Her foot caught against a rock—body smacked against the soil. When she lifted her head, the marten was out of sight. Gone.

The key jingled mockingly in her pocket as she returned her footing. Probably that bastard’s fault. Trouble always afflicted her at the most inconvenient times—or when it was convenient for it. But it couldn’t stay trapped in that box forever. That would be cruel. And a mystery still clung to the air, a question with no answer. Another day—another blind dash around town—another attempt with empty hands. But her stomach didn’t need to be empty too. A snack would brighten her day. A snack that just disappeared into the wilderness.

“I think it went… that way? No, that way. Yes. Yes? That way.” James gave an honest try.

“Say it again and you might convince me.” Eilidh gave a smirk.

“… That way?”

Eilidh snorted. Something hissed. They both turned to the sudden sound.

Eyes watched them from the bushes. Eyes this land had not seen for a time. Paw pressed into the Earth, revealing a face. Lips curled back, revealing fangs. Another hiss shot passed those exposed canines. Growl rumbled in its chest. “A puma?” Not a particularly unusual sight. If they were in another place. But here, in Maine, it was more peculiar than coming across a hellhound, or a gnome, or a sprite. A relic of a bygone era.

As its name was spoken, it became lost back into that bush. As if its presence was never known, as if it was never there. But now Eilidh was in pursuit. Shoe prints replaced paw prints—pressed into the ground as the two pressed on. She did not know where it would lead her, and she did not know why she followed. Curiosity was the easy culprit, it was usually so, but it was almost too easy. Something else compelled her, pushed her curiosity to the brink. Pushed a wanting, which she mistook for hunger. Her stomach growled. That key jingled. And the two continued onward.

Distance spread them apart. Caused by a difference in speed, in biology. But Eilidh was no stranger to elusive prey, no stranger to these woods. She soon found it again. The chase continued. Once more it escaped her and once more she found her way back. And the chase continued. Continued. Continued. One track mind made her blind to anything else. She did not notice easier targets. She did not notice James’ questions, concerns. All she could see was the departing tail of the lion. All she could hear was the subtle crunch of paws. All she could feel was the gnawing of hunger. Everything else melted away.

Lights filtered through the leaves. It was too low to be the sun, which still clung to the horizon, not ready for the morning to come. No, this light was below that, overtook the area with its own glow. Closer and concentrated. Another gateway. And the creature was running straight towards it. As if it were heading there all along. No! No! No! No! No! Her teeth yearned. The key ached. She could not let it get away. She needed it.

A pinecone fell upon her head. She did not feel it. A wind brought dirt into her eyes. She blinked it away. A rabbit scurried out if its burrow and tore her leg. She let the flesh fall. The pursuit continued. Legs pushed her forward, hands prepared for the attack. Fingers gripped tightly, desperately, on the tail. The creature finally turned to face her. Its claws bashed against her flank. Intestines peaked from her shirt. Her teeth sunk into its neck. Blood dripped onto the forest floor. They returned blow after blow, and the area began filled in their carnage. Scent of blood filled the air, until the scent of death overtook it all. The puma expelled its last breath, the last movement it would ever take. Gone.

She grew still, as still as the fallen creature below her. Staring. Blinking. She hadn’t meant to do that. Had she meant to do that? Blinking quickened, releasing tears. They fell onto the dead, the blood, the gore covered grass. Why did she do that? Her eyes slammed shut, familiar words whispered pass her lips. It had passed on. Nothing more could be done. Except not let the flesh go to waste.

She tore off an ear first. After a few chews it was consumed, furs and all. Fingers scooped out an eye, plopped it into her mouth. With a crunch, the contents popped onto her tongue, sent a warmth down her throat. Her teeth scrapped against bone as she tore deeper, removed more. Most tumbled into her mouth—few slid down her chin and rejoined the Earth with its brethren. Blood stained her shirt and the dirt and the fur that had moments ago flowed in the breeze with life. And she kept biting. And she kept chewing. And she kept feeding.

Minutes came and went before she was satisfied enough to take a break. She let her head roll back with a sigh, enjoying the tingle of energy coursing her skin. The moment passed and she looked upon the corpse with fresh eyes. And they immediately locked onto a curiosity. Bits of bones poked out of dead muscle, revealed from her efforts, and it was on one of these bones she found a misplaced cavity. A predator was no stranger to the skeletal system, and she was a mighty fine predator. She could spot when something was amiss. Could be a remnant of an old wound, a previous brush with death it had managed to escape from, unlike today. Could be a deformity, an illness, a simple act of nature. But something told her it was more than that. That wanting.

The key jingled. Removed from its place in her pocket, she stared at it. Somehow, she knew what to do. It was so obvious now. She slipped the key into that crack upon the bone. Click! Perfect fit. She turned it. Click!

Everything stopped—as if a great vacuum sucked all the sounds away. Silence so sudden, so strong, her ears buzzed in the absence. The corpse turned gray, then soft to the touch, then just crumbled away. Rendered into simple dust. She coughed, and that dust erupted from her mouth, spewed on the floor. Blood stains darkened and crackled before loosing hold and sprinkling down. No flesh or bone or blood remained. Only dust. A wind blew by and carried that dust away. Until there was nothing left but her memories.

With a single bird chirp, the symphony of the forest came back. As if nothing ever happened. As if the forest had simply forgotten. She looked up. That gateway was gone. Same as the dust and the corpse and the key. All was gone. Except for her and what she saw.

James opened his mouth to say something. A quick intake of air was as far as he got before his lips shut again. He just gawked at her, hoping for answers, for enlightenment. But answers she could not give. 

Eilidh finally spoke. “That was exciting.” She began to wonder about the fates of the other gateways. Did they too just blink out of existence? Or had they simply moved? But other pressing matters were at hand. Realizing flesh no longer filled it, her stomach gave a loud growl. “Help me find something to eat.”

“I... Okay.”

#the skeleton key #wickedswriting #solo #plus. james #almost put the summary as 'a key finds its hole' but then thought hmmmm probs shouldn't phrase it like that #hhhhng this could've been better but! [slaps this into your lap and runs]