I didn't know when I'd fallen asleep, but I was roused by a snarling, only inches from my face. My eyes flew open and I found myself face to face with a mountain lion. Oh fuck.

Its teeth were bared, its breath hot and rancid. Before I could even think, I grabbed the rock next to me and swung at it; the blow landed squarely on its nose, causing it to yowl in pain and leap back into the darkness.

My heart pounded as I rolled away, gasping for breath. I could still hear it rustling through the underbrush and ripping the air with terrifying yowls and growls. I pushed myself to my feet and knelt to a crouch, drawing a knife from a sheath at my side, holding it out in front of me, searching the tree line.

And then I saw it – three more pairs of glowing eyes staring at me. Fuck. A mother teaching her cubs to hunt. I was not just fucked, I was now squarely in the realm of a twinkie being unwrapped by a fat man.

They moved as one, silent and deadly; the mountain lion leading the way towards me. I whipped out my pistol and spun in a circle, firing randomly into the darkness to scare them off.

It worked; they scattered, but I knew it wouldn't be long before they tried again.

Rain began to fall, pattering against the leaves above me in a soft whisper. Fucking fuuuuuck.

The night was almost pitch black now, except for their glowing eyes following me slowly, giving me a sense of direction but none of safety. For all I knew, they were herding me.

I could hear their panting getting louder, like the beat of a drum in my ears. They were gaining on me - I had to hide fast or-

Something else roared, shaking the very leaves from the trees. The lions paused and hissed. A saw a flash blast past me, black as night, but covered in shimmering blue lights. A thick tail caught my feet and I was thrown to the ground, hard. Winded, I spun over and scrambled away, watching it as it dove into the bushes and heard one of the big cats scream as whatever creature had come to my defense tossed the three hundred pound animal into a nearby clearing with ease. It scrabbled at the stone and dirt as it hit the ground, snarling and swatting the air in front of it, ears laid flat.

The two cubs were sent through the air immediately after their mother, their paws hitting the ground with unbridled force as they joined her side. One of them stumbled from the momentum and tipped forward, landing on its face. The neck snapped, and its small body rolled limply to a stop just inches away from its mother's paws. The mother cougar sniffed at the lifeless cub before looking back at the new adversary stepping into the moonlight, screaming her rage and anguish at it.

My breath caught in my chest, all other thoughts pushed aside by the sheer awe and terror of what stood before us.

It was the largest Turned creature I had ever laid eyes on, and it was... breathtaking. Standing tall above the smaller trees at the edge of the clearing, its taut, dark blue skin was adorned with whorls of shimmering blue and white.

In the moonlight, small glimmers of light danced across its massive body as it moved closer. Its feet, with three large toes, were twice as big around as my entire body. Its arms were unnaturally long, reaching down near its knees - or rather, its second set of knees.

Its legs resembled those of the cougars before us, but on a much larger scale. With lithe muscles rippling beneath its skin, it seemed to effortlessly blend into the shadows it moved through. The air behind it seemed to dance, as thin, dark tendrils flowed and twisted.

I looked up at its face in amazement and saw that while it still retained some human-like features. It was not disfigured like most Reavers, most of which held onto, at best, a skeletal appearance. Instead, it looked more or less human, minus a protruding nose, and had six strikingly vibrant violet eyes and a mouth that was indistinguishable from the rest of its smooth, mask-like face. Great horns swept back from its head in a majestic crown which from my angle, seemed to frame and hold the moon up in the sky above.

But any sense of wonder was quickly replaced by primal fear as it let out a deafening roar that seemed to shake the very ground beneath us. Its gaping maw revealed rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth that could easily swallow a man whole. My every sense was overwhelmed by this magnificent and terrifying creature before me. I clapped my hands over my ears as the drums threatened to burst, turning on to my side and gasping in pain.

The remaining cub, overeager, decided to test its luck and leapt at the Midnight Turned. It snarled, claws outstretched, and raked the skin of the great beast, drawing rivulets of iridescent blood.

The Turned reacted by cautiously inspecting the wound on its side with one of its seven-fingered hands before snarling back at the cub.

Undeterred, the young big cat circled before launching another attack, but this time the Turned struck back with incredible force. Its curled fist connected with such strength that I could hear the sound of bone crunching as the cub spun away into the darkness. Hot blood splattered onto my face as the cub's skull caved under the impact.

The mother cougar's screams pierced the air once more, a desperate plea for her brood. She lunged at the Turned with all the ferocity and agility that age and experience had granted her. The Turned swung back, its features contorting in frustration as it narrowly missed its target. The cougar's sharp claws raked against its chest, the metallic tang of blood mixing with the pungent scent of ozone.

Undeterred, the Turned followed the cat with its eyes as she paced back and forth, a calculated predator assessing her prey. With a sudden burst of speed, the cougar darted forward once again, drawing fresh blood from the Turned's thigh. But this time, the abomination did not flinch or react in any way. Encouraged by her small victory, the cougar prepared to launch herself at the Turned once more.

But before she could make contact, she froze in midair, suspended by an unseen force. A glint caught my eye and I saw something protruding from her side - a long, tapered weapon with multiple blades extending from it. I followed a swirling pattern down to where it disappeared into shadowy depths below. It was the Turned's tail, wickedly hooked and twisted, and it had it burst through the cougar's ribcage in one, single thrust.

The Turned brought it closer to its face, examining its handiwork with twisted satisfaction. The mother cat struggled weakly, her attempts to swat at her attacker feeble and futile. And then suddenly, she fell limp, surrendering to death.

With no further use for its victim, the Turned snorted disdainfully before whipping its tail and flinging the lifeless cougar into the surrounding trees with a sickening thud.

It turned its piercing gaze towards me, and I shrank beneath its intensity. There was something in those eyes, something ancient and powerful... And strangely familiar. Trembling, I mustered the courage to meet its stare. It took a single step towards me, then paused, glancing warily into the surrounding trees. Sensing a presence, it started to turn away, but I called out to it.

"Why?" My voice trembled as I questioned this enigmatic creature.

It froze in place, then slowly turned back to face me. With each measured step, it closed the distance between us until it stood mere inches away. I scooted back, craning my neck to look up at its towering form.

Suddenly, it knelt down on one knee and extended its hand towards me, palm up and fingers splayed gently. Its intense gaze never left mine as I found myself reaching out to meet its touch.

Everything else faded away - the creature's menacing presence, my own fear and doubts, even the anger that had been gnawing at my core. All that remained was this mysterious being and its mesmerizing gaze.