The Guardian

Its roar was thunderous and threatening.
It stood there, towering in the middle of a clearing,
deep in a wooded forest.

A man sat cowering in its presence.
The beast offered him protection,
for the creatures of the night dared not approach it.
He was safe as long as he beckoned and nursed its every whim.
It wasn't long before its deafening roar began to subside.
He knew that his protection was lingering,
and that he must feed the beast if he wished to survive.

The voyage for food was dangerous and tiring.
He would have to leave the presence of his protector
and ingress upon the realm of the unknown beyond the tree line.
He did as he must.

He knew that any living food in the trees would not suffice.
He scanned the tattered earth of the forest floor.
It was there that he spotted a large chunk of dry and withered flesh
that must have fallen from a tree.
It would be perfect,
but not enough.

Continuing to scan the forest floor,
he found similar slabs of flesh littered across the ground.
When finally his arms full of food for the beast,
he could sense that his presence had been threatened.
He had lingered for too long,
and would pay dearly for his mistake if he did not return soon.

As he did, he could sense the creatures of the dark growing close.
Following unseen like menacing ghosts.

Their snarls echoed off the silent trees,
striding among them with apparent ease.

As he finally approached and entered the clearing,
he fed the beast and could hear them nearing.

For beyond the tree line and just out of sight,
lingered dangerously, the creatures of the night.

His generous donation must have pleased the beast.
For it let out a roar, as it devoured its feast.

The creatures of the night began to retire,
apparently afraid of the light from the fire.