The grass grew tallest along the western part of the property, a preamble to the forested section that grows beside the manor, blurring the lines between the two. It was only natural that some of the forest’s inhabitants, or regular visitors, would become the manor’s as well from time to time.
The barking grows louder as three dogs break through the treeline, alerting each other of their position, and closing in on their prey: two rabbits running frantically towards the weeds of the manor to shelter themselves from the threat. They barely make it in time, but the dogs continue to pursue them, diving into the tall grass after them. The idea of being led to a den full of more food emboldens them and soon their persistence is rewarded as the rabbits begin to enter a hole in the earth. One of the dogs lunges, grabbing hold of the other before it can follow, snapping its neck between its jaws. They others begin to dig, careful to encase the entrance with their companion making sure to catch any strays that dart out.
They would be eating well tonight, and best of all, away from the foxes of the forest and other packs that roam around the city late at night
Two of them begin to tear into a rabbit each, silent and satisfied with their share. One, however, pauses and lifts its head to sniff the air. Its pointed ears twitching as it picks up the sound of grass crunching beneath heavy footsteps. Something faintly metallic mixes in with the tang of the rabbits’ blood, bitter and wrong. It smells a little like death covered up by a range of other scents, almost as if to hide it. But it also smelled human.
Cautiously, it gets up from its place within the tall grass and quietly makes its way closer to where it hears the footsteps, careful not to get too close to the source. Just enough to peek through the weeds and catch sight of whatever it was. Maybe it was the lone one they had seen once or twice before. There was something vaguely familiar mixed in with the rest of the scents, but the footsteps were too heavy and lacked a third sound. The dog keeps low to the ground, head lowered, and ready to either run or attack.
Through the stalks of green it sees the outline of a large figure, human, its sure. But something felt wrong, though it was unsure of what.