Day 1
The woods were alive with the sounds of 1,752 animals. Some were about to head to bed, others were just waking up. From the skittering of the shrews, to the singing of the sparrows, to even the yelps of the foxes, life was certainly abounding. However, everyone grew quiet and still as a newcomer made an appearance.
Occasionally, newcomers would arrive. Prey animals running from predators and predators seeking food would come to these woods. However, none of the animals had ever seen such a large predator before. He was huge, bury, covered from head to toe in thick wooly hair.
His claws were sharp like badger claws and his mouth was filled with razor sharp daggers. As he walked, his massive belly swayed side to side. He was a bear, but bears don’t usually get THIS big in the summer. He was about 1,166 pounds, give or take. Usually, a bear would be about 900 pounds near winter time. He stopped and sniffed at the ground before returning his gaze to the towering tree tops.
“Hello? Anyone here…?” the bear asked, looking a bit disappointed that nobody was around.
“Ummmm, hello? What brings you here…?” a pregnant shrew known as Shrew F12 asked.
“Oh! Finally someone to speak to!” the bear exclaimed, lowering his face to see the little shrew. “I’m seeking food. Where I just came from is in a famine and there’s no food left for me there.”
“Oh no! That’s awful! You’re more than welcome to stay here! Just a quick note, predators here are only to eat as much prey as they need to in order to survive. I’m sure you understand this. We don’t want to run out of people, but we also understand predators need to eat to live. Soooo, welcome!” Shrew F12 said, smiling.
“Such a warm welcome… Thanks,” the bear replied, returning the smile.
“No problem! If you need any help settling in, I’m sure any of us here will be willing to help!” Shrew F12 squeaks.
“A new friend, huh? Welcome, welcome, welcome! If Shrew F12 likes you, you must be a good person!” a sparrow known as Sparrow F23 chirps from her nest.
“Something like that, chicken nugget,” the bear said, licking his lips.
“Hah hah… Yeah, I guess I do kind of look like a chicken nugget…” Sparrow F23 chirped, feeling slightly nervous.
“Enjoy your life while you can…” the bear whispered in warning before ambling off deeper into the woods.
The bear then transformed into a man. He was dressed in nothing but a scrappy pair of shorts that looked like they once were pants. His huge hairy gut hung over his pants like a landslide. He reached up and climbed into a tree.
“Ah, an unattended egg!” the Werebear declared.
The Werebear put the egg in his mouth. He chewed it up, shell and all. The egg belonged to Tufted Titmouse F15. She returned to the nest just as the Werebear was leaving.
“MY EGG! HE ATE MY EGG!” Tufted Titmouse F15 wailed.
To the human ear, it would just sound like any other bird song. Those who cannot distinguish the meaning behind bird songs would think she’s singing happily. No…this was a song of despair. The Werebear shrugged his shoulders and transformed back into a bear.
The egg was next to nothing to the bear. It was like a drop in the ocean. Well, the bear had been traveling for quite some time and was tired. He plopped down between the trees and fell asleep promptly.
While the bear slept, some of the other animals came to investigate who he was. One of the red fox vixens so boldly approached him and stood atop his sleeping body. She squeaked and yapped excitedly, finding it funny to mess with such a large predator as he slept. The vixen groomed her self while seated on the bear.
The vixen licked her long dark brown arms and rubbed them along her face like a cat would. She even dug in her ears with her long finger-like paw toes. The bear did not awaken until later after the vixen already left. All that remained was a little bit of fur which the bear sniffed curiously.
“Someone was here? While I slept? Hmmm,” the bear muttered and rolled back onto his feet.
“Good afternoon, sir!” Sparrow F20 announced with a tweet from her nest.
“Hello! Sorry, I’m sure you’ve heard by now. I’m the new guy around here,” the bear noted, smiling up at the tiny bird. “Nice to see this place is so full of life…”
“And it’ll stay that way as long as you follow the rules of the woods!” Sparrow F20 added.
“Sure thing… Only eat what I need, right?” the bear asked, grinning.
“Yep, yep! You got it! Good luck!” Sparrow F20 chirped.
A large raven known as Raven M3 came flying down. The sparrow chirped nervously from her nest. The raven eyed her egg for a bit before turning his gaze to the large bear. The mighty raven, one of the predators of the sky! They are known to eat the eggs and chicks out of smaller birds’ nests.
“Hey new guy,” Raven M3 cawed, casually preening his feathers.
“Hello! So many new people to meet!” the bear exclaimed, grinning. “Your a raven! Is it true that you guys have alliances with wolves?”
“Yeah, it’s true. We tattle on prey animals to the wolves and they share a portion of their catch. Makes life easier for both of us,” Raven M3 noted.
“Impressive!” the bear exclaimed.
The Werebear walked a bit again. He found and devoured Grackle M39. A little more substantial than the egg he ate previously. Time for another nap…
This time, as the bear slept, a grackle perched on his head. Whether it knew or not that another grackle just got eaten was unknown. The grackle preened his feathers and then begun mocking the Bear’s sleeping noises. Grackles, after all, are known to mimic sounds they hear.
The Werebear again woke up much later. At the moment, he was seeking water. There is a river running through the woods. The bear, however, didn’t know this yet.
“Excuse me,” the Werebear said, lowering his head to be closer to Cottontail F27. “Do you know where I can find some water around here? I am thirsty and have not drank anything in awhile.”
“I’m not telling you! You’re just a disgusting bear!” Cottontail F27 yelled.
“Fine. I can find water myself,” the Werebear grumbles and slowly stalked away.
“This way! This way!” Raven M3 cawed loudly.
“Finally. Someone with sense. Hmm, perhaps I’ll eat you last. We’ll see,” the Werebear murmured and followed the raven.
“Eat me last, huh? I can live with that. So is that the plan?” Raven M3 asked.
“Clever bird. Yes. I’ve come here to eat everyone,” the Werebear said. “I’m quite experienced with such.”
“What is your name?” Raven M3 asked.
“They call me The Destructor. It’s all I know how to do. Destroy. Devour. Demolish,” the Werebear said.
“Well, The Destructor… Good luck with that! There’s over 1,000 of us!” Raven M3 said.
“I like a challenge,” The Destructor noted.
Raven M3 led The Destructor to the river. The Werebear dipped his head and drank from the stream. The raven watched for a bit in quiet judgement. The bear drank a considerable amount of the water and then decided to dunk himself entirely in the stream.
“The cool water feels nice in this hot weather,” The Destructor noted. “My fur is a bit too dense for summer.”
“You do look like you’re ready for hibernation,” Raven M3 agreed.
“Hah hah, I definitely will be once I finish this forest off,” The Destructor said with a laugh. “Why help me anyhow? I have nothing to offer you. Unlike the wolves, I don’t share.”
“I’m too smart to not aid you,” Raven M3 noted.
“Clever,” The Destructor replied and emerged from the river soaking wet.
The Destructor padded away from the river. He did not know where he would go. One may be king of destruction, but if one has no house, one must just rest wherever. On his way to nowhere in particular, The Destructor found a baby shrew and devoured her in a single gulp.
“Just a small start. Don’t want to come off too strong, after all…” The Destructor noted.
The Destructor watched as the other predators feasted. Each one only taking at max a full prey for themselves. Meanwhile, The Destructor had eaten 3 people already. To be fair, it was only an egg, a bird, and a baby shrew.
Raven M3 ate Robin F4’s egg. Thrush F17 and her egg were shared between Black Bear F11 and Red Vixen 13 (the fox who groomed herself on top of The Destructor). Wolf M21 ate Tufted Titmouse F15. Owl M1 ate another female baby shrew.
Wolf M22 ate Sparrow F22’s egg. Wolf F21 ate Gray Squirrel F2 who was pregnant at the time. Red Vixen 3 shared Tom 2 with a few other foxes. Black Bear F22 shared Duck M1 with a few other bears.
Owl F14 ate Rat M13. Grey Tod 2 ate Grackle M5. Dog F5 shared Rat M6 with a few other dogs. Then there was Cat F8 who ate Mouse F23.
