The creature was hunched at the foot of a tree, hungrily chewing on something thankfully obscured from view, although it made an unpleasant squelching sound when bitten into. Its attention was entirely on the food, oblivious to the danger approaching it from behind.

Moving as slowly as possible, careful not to disturb the branches around her, Crys raised her bow and arrow. She’d been tracking this monster for the better part of two days, ever since it had claimed its third human victim. It had been feasting on the village’s livestock for several weeks, showing a particular predilection for one specific kind of farm animal. When it had started preying on the villagers themselves, she had decided to take action. Now, at last, she had found it, as it had stopped to rest and eat in the depths of the forest. Hidden between the trees, she observed it from the opposite side of the clearing, a distance of at least twelve feet.

Truly, it was the most bizarre beast she had come across, and she had seen a fair few unusual creatures in her career as a hunter. It was humanoid, bipedal, skeletal with rough dark grey hide. But sprouting from its torso, from almost every square inch of its front and back, were long, thick tentacles, which waved in the air seemingly of their own accord. Most remarkable of all, the writhing protrusions glowed with iridescent light. If not for the fact that they were part of a pitiless predator, they would have been quite beautiful. In fact, Crys conceded, they were beautiful anyway.

Regardless, the creature had to be slain before it could take any more lives. She took aim at the base of its skull, which was completely exposed as it ate in its hunched position. She could easily hit it from this distance, as long as none of those undulating tendrils got in the way. They really were quite distracting. She closed one eye, partly to aim better with the other, and partly to try and block out the shimmering light. She stared directly down the line of the arrow, that spot at the base of its skull at the centre of her field of vision.

She was lined up. The creature’s weak spot was in her sights. All she had to do was loose the arrow, and the threat to her village was at an end. All she had to do was fire.

She stood, statuesque, bow and arrow raised, ready to shoot down her prey. Any second now, she would end it. Any second now, she would kill the creature that had fed upon her neighbours - her friends. Any second now, she would put an arrow through its skull, and its body would crumple to the forest floor, and those pretty, sparkling tentacles waving in her peripheral vision would finally lie still, just as soon as she fi-

The bow hit the ground with a soft thud, the arrow tangled in its drawstring. Crys’ arms hung limply at her sides. She remained stock still, mouth gaping open, her eyes still fixed on that point on the creature’s skull, the rest of her field of vision full of light, swirling and spiralling as the tendrils curled and uncurled, wriggled and writhed, drawing her in, refusing to let her look away...

She hadn’t even noticed that she’d dropped the bow. The remaining flicker of her consciousness was still convinced she was about to slay the monster. Soon, it faded away, swallowed by the light inside her mind.

Slowly, she started to show signs of life again, moving her head dazedly from side to side, looking at her surroundings uncomprehendingly. Then she let out a loud snort, and dropped onto her hands and knees.

The huntress lowered her face to the forest floor, brushing it over the surface as she began to sniff loudly. She snuffled her way across the clearing, acquiring a layer of dirt over the lower half of her face. As she began to tunnel head-first into the nearby undergrowth, she suddenly felt something wrap around her ankles, tightly binding them together. She let out a surprised yelp as more restraints snaked around her legs and began to slowly drag her backwards, arms flailing without any coordination.

Crys felt tentacles slither around her torso, flipping her onto her back, as she was pulled into the predator’s arms. Lying flat, her whole body wrapped up, her wrists tied together across her chest, the frightened little pig writhed and fought for a few moments, grunting and snorting frantically. But then the light from its appendages mesmerised her once again, and she lay still.

The beast leaned over her, unhurriedly studying its latest catch. The pig nestled herself deeper into its embrace, watching its squirming tentacles through hooded, vacant eyes. She didn’t notice its merciless stare, its flicking jet-black tongue, or its long, razor-sharp, bloodstained fangs. She didn’t hear its ravenous snarls. She was too entranced by the light, the wonderful light that reached into her mind and washed it out completely, and made her feel so lovely and peaceful.

While it had been resting in this clearing, the creature had eaten a small amount to keep itself going, not anticipating any more food for a little while. But now it had inadvertently ensnared a new meal, and it was all wrapped up and pacified, ready for it to enjoy.

As the piggie wriggled happily in her bonds and let out a contented oink, the monster lowered its head towards her and opened its mouth wide.