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The barn door is open
Like the house, the back portion of the barn had been boarded up leaving only one way in and out, but the barn door swings unevenly as if it had been knocked off one hinge It s back and forth in theacross the land about fifty feet frootten out She hurries her steps through the thick snow and enters the barn Soitated, constantly buuard across her enclosure The three goats also appearup as et out Aramei approaches the cow and reaches her hands over the top rail, patting it on the hind "It’s okay, girl It’s okay" The cowher
As Aramei looks away from the cow, she catches movement in the back of the barn fro further into the bluish-black darkness, puffs of breath coil up from behind Vela’s old stable and disappear into the air Aras to her chest, but she calms down once she realizes that it’s probably one of the sheep And she approaches it, taking s in the back of herher to stay away
She pushes open the stable door and her entire body locks up in fear when she sees the giant beast lying bloodied on the barn floor surrounded by hay and the remains of one sheep
She stu her forearate Her heart ha puffs of hot air swirling aently parted lips Her ars from the cut, but she’s too afraid and mesmerized to look away fro back at her with dark predatory eyes
"Father…," she tries to shout out, but it comes out raspy and weak and dry "Filipa…"
The beast, three tirowls as it tries to adjust its position This is when Ara from its chest that should’ve been obvious before if she weren’t so mesmerized by its massive head The beast moans in pain; blood has soaked up so much within its black fur that it looks drenched and heavy and sticky Six-inch razor-sharp claws jut out froers
If Filipa were here, Araht out of the barn with Filipa’s screa the air for miles Filipa was the sensible one, but Aramei, she had always been the curious one
The beast’s left eye catches Aramei and for a split second the lid blinks over it It raises its head carefully, revealing the other eye, which is also bleeding profusely as a great gash has been cut across the corner and along the bone toward the bottorunts suddenly and Ara sound
Its head falls back to one side as though it can’t bear to hold it up any longer
Ara down her fear andsers are clutched around the opening of Filipa’s long-coat and her soft, pale face peeks out froently across the bridge of her nose when a little breeze makes its way inside the shelter of the barn
She stops about eight feet from the beast and crouches low to the hay-covered floor And all the seconds that it takes her to go into a full crouch, Aramei’s curious, childlike eyes scan over everyfeature fros to the enormity of its snout where a set of razor-sharp teeth are visible
"You’re one of the through the roof "You’re one of the Black Beasts that live in thedark eyes move over her as it tries to adjust its head to better see her Araht away that it’s aware she had spoken to it Its colossal chest les for breaths
Aramei moves closer
Her perilous actions are part curiosity, part vulnerability, but most of all determination Maybe now, once and for all, she will know that what her es slowly from the sleeve of her coat as she reaches out to touch the beast’s foot She pauses inches froht cause her to stop, but sees none And then she rests her fingers gently within the beast’s black fur Her whole body shakes uncontrollably beneath the coat; the blood puh her veins so fast and so hard that she can feel it in the tips of her fingers and hear it walloping in her ears
The beast’s black eyes roll over to search her; hot, visible breath e noises that no longer seenores it A wounded creature of any kind can makes noises like that and she can tell the difference between those of warning and those of pain