text: You stare at the bowl of rabbit stew in front of you, lapping your lips as mother continues setting the dinner down on the table. 
  
  
  "Alright, let's pray," father says, as you all make the sign of the cross.
  
  
  You bow your head as you all grab each others hands and hold them tightly to pray to the Lord.
  
  
  "Bless us, O Lord, and these, Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty," you all say in unison. "Through Christ, our Lord. Amen."
  
  
  You release your hold on Meredith and mother's hands, making the sign of the cross. Then, you eagerly dig into your food. You devour it, licking the last trace that the bowl in front of you ever even held food within two minutes. You slap the bowl down on the plate with a sigh of the joy that can only come from alleviating hunger. You wait for your family to finish eating, tapping the edge of the table out of boredom. After a few minutes, the rest of them finish eating, and you make the sign of the cross once more, before you join hands once more.
  
  
  "We give Thee thanks, Almighty God, for all Thy benefits, and for the poor souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, may they rest in peace. Amen," you all say, before making the sign of the cross a final time. 
  
  
  "Jacob, go check on the goats," mother says. "Meredith, help me cleaning the bowls."
  
  
  You nod, standing and pushing in your chair, hurrying to the doorway and grabbing your coat as you pull it on. You walk outside, quickly heading towards the goat shed, where Nick and Puck lie on their bed of hay. They're well fed and watered, and seem contented.  You turn to walk back inside, before seeing movement up in the trees. 
  
  
  Then, you hear the noise. A horrible, long, incredibly loud, screeching howl that penetrates your very core. You feel an urge to run and flee from the noise.
  > You run to get your gun
  You sprint to the house to grab your rifle. Father though, is faster, as he appears with his rifle in his hands.
  
  
  "What was that?" he barks out, his knuckles white from how tightly he's clutching the rifle.
  
  
  You point up towards the trees, bathed in the pale moonlight. 
  
  
  "It came from there!" you say.
  
  
  Father pauses, staring up nervously. He leans into the doorway, grabbing the crucifix that hangs there to watch over you as you eat. He hands you the crucifix, as you take it.
  
  
  "I want that on you whenever you enter the woods, understood?" he asks, as you nod. "I'll have the crucifix for the house replaced in the morning. Just try and get some sleep, OK?" 
  
  
  You nod, as you begin to trudge off to bed. Despite being exhausted, you know you won't sleep much.