The thumping grew closer as she cowered in fear.

She looked to her right and retched at the sight.

The grizzly bodies of her parent lay splayed before her in the cold ice and snow. The striking difference between the pure white snow, and dark crimson blood, commanding her attention for a moment.

Her mother lay torn in half, the bottom half still knelt in front of her, while the upper half was looking toward her father. Her face was a mix of betrayal and pain. While her father was crushed upon the ground, his face probably comprised of violent terror, surprise, and agony.

Another thunderous step forward accompanied by a low echoing growling. A muffled sob tore from her throat.

"Run you idiot!" She howled in her head, as the beast crouched down, getting ready to pounce.

It lunged forward, and with a cry she found her strength.

She leaped forward from her crouched position and hit the ground running.

She heard the thing screech in frustration behind her, and her panicked howl matched it's wail.

But in one bound it was on her again, the ground shook on it's impact and she stumbled, whimpering as the beast raked the air where her head had just been. She pushed up quickly as the creature brought it's paw down.

At this point she couldn't make much sound, all she could do was pull in ragged breath after ragged breath, and try her hardest to stay alive.

The creature roared as it missed it's target once more.

Rapidly she came upon a small cliff, about as tall as her five feet. Taking a leap of faith she landed heavily at the bottom and staggered back, mushing herself into the small overhang below.

She heard the thing spring forward. She muffled another terrified sob. She could hear it snuffling around. She watched it get so dangerously close, she was sure it would find her. She hardly dared breathe dreading that perhaps it would notice her somehow.

But then it drew away swiftly, letting out a yowl of pain.

She crawled forward enough that she could poke her head out and see whether or not her suspicion was correct. Only to watch it whip around with it's tail was on fire.

The thing at a not so close distance now, looked like a snow leopard, but it was at least ten times the size of a normal snow leopard. It's claws were like huge farming sickles, curved and sharp in the same way.

It's body was much more compact than that of the sinuous snow leopard's. Almost like that of a kitten, which was a terrifying thought, since surely that could mean it got bigger. It's face seemed much more like that of a kitten as well.

It's eyes were crimson like that of her parent's blood it had spilled. Completely bloodshot as though it was out of it's mind. It had a murderous aura about it, like that of a beast which only killed for sport, which actually described what it had done perfectly.

There was a tuft of fur at the end of it's tail which had been set ablaze, and that fire refused to be put out.

It yowled and whined, batting the fire, seemingly unable to extinguish it. Then it raced away, still shrieking.

She looked around the clearing, whirling around, trying to lay eyes on the one who attacked the monster.

But no one was there.

After another look, confirming her suspicions that no one was in that clearing, she walked back to her dead parents.

The least she could do for the ones who stuck by her till death, was give them a proper burial.

Looking upon the site once again, she swallowed the bile that rose in her throat and went to work.

She dug their graves as best she could, what with the cold snow, and lack of proper equipment.

She went to retrieve her mother's body first. She picked both halves up, and carried them over to her grave. She laid both halves down, then tried to arrange her into a more . . . peaceful . . . position, but didn't quite succeed with that goal.

She knelt down, "Momma . . . "

"Momma . . . " she started quietly, "Momma, Momma!" she dissolved into tears, unable to express just what she wanted to say.

She knelt there crying, as all the fear and loss caught up with her.

When she felt more stable, she got up again;

"Time for daddy," she mumbled, hiccupping a little bit.

When she laid him down to rest beside her mother, she inspected the two of them.

She'd always thought of her mother as beautiful; her long, thick, milk-chocolate brown hair which always framed her round open face.

Her dark, knowing eyes, which could pick you apart at a glance.

Her smaller form which added to the sweet, open, aura she always gave off.

The soft way she would speak, the encouraging words she'd utter after feeling tension of those around her.

The way she would command the attention of anyone she met, anywhere she went. The way she could always boldly strike up a conversation anywhere with anyone.

She felt her eyes prick, and she fought the tears as hard as she could. But one escaped and she brushed it away quickly.

She turned to the pale shell of the man her father had once been.

She thought of her dad with all the reverence in the world.

He'd always been funny, witty, and brave.

She understood why he'd wanted to run, even though it had made her mother angry. She knew the beast would have simply followed them wherever they went, just like it had for months. And things would surely turn out the same, or perhaps she would've been killed along with her parents as well.

He'd had unruly dirty blonde hair, which was always slicked back with like ah entire jar of hair gel; high and defined cheek bones; a perpetual stubble; a long, rather angular face which had gotten him called "Horse face," a couple times.

He'd had bright, forever amused, blue eyes which would always get him into trouble, because mom thought he was laughing at something all the time.

His quick, crooked smile which would brighten any room he walked into.

And now . . .

She turned away, eyes blurring once more, and the tears came again.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry; Mommy, daddy, I'm so sorry!" she blubbered.

She calmed down before she could fall apart any further; Then got up, and buried them under the ice and snow.

She knelt back down at the foot of their unmarked graves and clasped her hands in front of her.

"Dear lord, please, please, let my mommy and daddy be in a better place." she murmured quietly,

"Mommy, Daddy, I promise I'll be okay;" her breath hitched, "I wish you didn't go, I really wish you didn't go and leave me here without you; but I'll be okay, and I'll see you again when it's my turn."

Then she turned and trudged into the snowy forest, leaving behind the only people she'd ever loved.

* * *