Hiding beneath the cool, hard-surfaced cave. Wallowing in my self-pity, how could I lose such an easy fight. The one thing I prioritize and it’s gone, food is my survival, my upper hand in every strong-willed battle.

I wear my clothes like body armor, my protective layer. No one could ever see the scars I bare beneath. Weakness, the loss of all power, clung to my chest like a rock sinking to the bottom of a stream. I eat only the defenseless, the fruit that's been forbidden by the king.

As the moon creeps through the night it reaches its final peak. The song of death at the top of a mountain, the crisp howl in the night that screams hunger lunges from my soul. Innocent lives scatter throughout my ground hoping they're not the ones chosen for the feast. I despise the court jester for he makes my bones brittle. The court jester makes a mockery of my strength, a different breed of hunter he is. We’re all part of the same forest yet we each make our kill at different times as the sun is making its rounds. I revel in the game, the hunting game that scrambles thoughts and leaves only one winner. I love the outcast, the one who won’t be noticed when they’re gone. 

It’s time, here I am at the top of the tallest mountain where the moon perfectly captures my silhouette. I reach into the depths of my soul and dig out the roar of the night. It's game time. Racing down the mountain I hear my stomach groan from hunger it brings out the beast in me. I see all the defenseless scouring through the brush trying to find the safest place to hide until the sun rises. 

Hidden under a low bushy branch I find the perfect meal. The feeding I’ve been waiting for all day, a deer. Noticing how shocked it is by the fear in its eyes I back away letting loose a deep growl as the game begins.

I revel in the taunt, the glimpse of hope given by my purposeful weariness. Slinging myself closer and closer to my prey. It backs away slowly hoping not to strike a nerve in me. It wants a pardon, yet the king of the forest can’t show mercy and expect the respect given. Even though I wish the game wasn’t this complicated my emotions fill my headspace. I don’t want to be the murderer who demands respect, I want to be respected just for my place in the food chain at the top of the pyramid. 

My emotions dismantle my priority one bone at a time. I’m no longer hungry yet this deer is still standing in front of me, I didn’t kill it. The collection of bones that lay beneath me, cold and brittle. I hate what I’ve become. I wasn’t the king by dominance I was chosen to be the King by the survival of the fittest.