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“Today is such a special day... Don't you think?”
“Yes, it's the day you asked me to be with you. How could it not be?”
Their voices were cheerful and full of love, showing just how much they meant to each other on a day that was ordinary for everyone else but not for them.
“Why did you lie?”
“I had to. I didn’t want to hurt you.”
Despite everything, they were still very close, deeply in love with each other, and so inseparable that nothing seemed to stand in their way; a love as strong as steel and a devotion as vast as a mountain. They’d been dating for years and couldn’t help but show it, celebrating with grand, private parties just for the two of them.
Not everything was perfect; they both had their flaws and knew each other very well; they tried to work on the things they were lacking and sought a middle ground. Sometimes things didn’t work out that way, and many times they were left unresolved or arguments were left unfinished, but that didn’t matter to them since their love was as deep as a ocean trench
“I spent the whole morning making this; you have no idea how much this means…” In his hands was a bowl with a dish he knew his other half would love.
That morning was so peaceful; the atmosphere seemed to disturb no one—as if no one were there, but in reality, there was a wolf cooking… The sound of a knife, boiling pots, background music at a very low volume that only the "Chef" could hear. Love was evident in every action he took—the way he cut the meat, how he followed each recipe to the letter, and the humming of the songs coming from his cell phone’s speakers. He looked so calm and focused. So focused that there was chaos in that kitchen—chaos that he himself described as: “My perfect, organic system of organization where nothing gets lost and everything is where I won’t forget it,” which is a total contradiction; the wolf’s jet-black fur was stained with various flour marks and wet with the abundant juices from the meats and/or vegetables he was constantly cutting… Along with a pile of ingredients scattered all over the kitchen counter and stains from the ingredients he was using (Mostly flour).
But he was happy this way; it was his way of working, and it was too special a day to be picky about the proper organizational standards—the ones his special someone always imposed on him.
“Do you remember how we met?”
“How could I forget? You were so shy back then and could only manage a few words… You wouldn’t even look me in the eye, you looked like scared little pup.”
Shared laughter, glances filled with a feeling that was mutual and indescribable. Two inseparable souls whose paths crossed on a rare day in December. From then on, they couldn’t bear to be apart… Knowing every little detail about each other’s inner selves; what they liked, what motivated them, what made them laugh, what parts of themselves ignited that spark of curiosity in the other.
It was inevitable that their friendship would turn into love, and that love would turn into an uncontrollable passion that led them into trouble more than once. They were unable to control themselves… Everything seemed so perfect; every memory was a warmth in the wolf’s heart as he cooked, giving him a clearer reason for why he did all that and how he wanted to express what he felt.
“Did you ever truly love me?”
“There was a time, but I can’t go on with this anymore.”
“Bu-but, I love you, you’re my everything…”
Desperation… That feeling that makes you want to rip your chest open because your heart is racing, the anguish gnawing at your mind, begging for everything to stop at once and for the world to stop spinning. Why did this feeling arise? There were so many reasons, and for each person, it’s completely different.
Loud noises came from the kitchen itself… The morning sun had already passed, and now only traces remained of what was once a sunset. That same figure, broad and imposing, was forcefully raising a thick, wide knife—designed specifically for cutting through flesh and bone. Tense muscles, a firm grip, and heavy breathing.
“I still remember the first day I started to like you.”
“Really? I thought you’d forgotten about that. I don’t even remember how I started feeling that way.”
The oil in the pan sizzled softly, waiting to cook any kind of meat, and was met by large pieces of meat freshly coated in spices and seasonings to give it a unique, exquisite flavor that he had learned to perfect over the years; he was a carnivore and had to learn how to cook meat, and that was what he loved learning most.
“How could I forget? It was that summer when the two of us had gone out to the countryside… You were wearing a beautiful olive-green dress—it was fitted to the waist and completely loose from there down. It really highlighted your figure; you wore very little makeup, and your hair was completely loose, with a straw hat to shield you from the sun of the afternoon and your horns sticking out from the top, but your eyes… They had a sparkle in them; they had something that drew me in like a mermaid’s spell.
He had a certain fixation on the meat of calves, chickens, pigs… Animals raised on farms, but he also experimented a little; he liked to try different kinds of animals that weren’t common but were, within his species, considered standard fare, such as rabbits, hares, sheep, wild boars, and bison—but there was one that was special to him…
“You were the most beautiful deer I’d ever seen in my life… I couldn’t take my eyes off you; even when you spoke to me, it was like listening to a melody so beautiful you don’t know where it’s coming from.”
“God, you’re so corny.”
That laughter came back to him in his memories, and he thought he could hear it right there beside him… He was so focused that he hadn’t realized there was no one beside him—it was just his mind playing tricks on him. This time there was no music, just the sound of dusk, the faint hum of the refrigerator, and the sounds he made while cooking; he didn’t have much left to finish.
“I hope you’re really hungry! I know I took too long making this… But I wanted it to be worth it.”
He knew she didn’t eat as much meat as he did, so he had to make different kinds of salads just for her; after all, she was a deer and was mainly herbivorous, the complete opposite of what he was, and that’s why he had to pay more special attention to her meals than to his own. He took extra time to prepare different dishes to her liking, and since it was a special day… he had to make her favorite meal.
“I made this with so much love; I couldn’t control myself with this, and well… I think I went a little overboard. However, it’s my way of showing you just how much I love you.”
The sound of dishes being set on the wooden dining table, as he took the time to arrange everything for her and clean parts of the kitchen so he wouldn’t have to do it later. Although there was only one thing left to clean, he would take the time to do it later… Right now, he just wants to enjoy the time with his other half.
Before sitting down, he picked up a small horn and raised it to the height of his head.
“I love you… I want you to know that I did this for us.”
A smile spread from ear to ear across his snout, and he couldn’t help but kiss what he was holding before placing it at the other end of the table… Right where she usually sat. In the total silence of the house, he finally sat down to eat and savor the delicate dishes he had prepared with so much love, but the silence was broken by the sound of the wolf eating… It sounded slimy, heavy, wet, and sometimes crunchy.
He loved meat; it was more than obvious. He was a wolf, but there was a certain animal within him that he adored with every fiber of his being, one that always had the desire to eat.
His hands were completely stained with blood, as were his muzzle and the apron he was wearing… He devoured the meat with such delicacy, accompanied by the salads he had prepared, letting out sighs of satisfaction and the occasional laugh. Everything was so delicious to him that he couldn’t help but shed tears; his moans of satisfaction turned into whimpers and sobs.
“You know, I’ll never forgive you for what you did… Even so, I can’t help but hate you and love you at the same time with all my being. You’re my everything; you mean so much to me that I don’t know what to do if you leave me.” A sigh escaped his bloodstained snout, trying to keep his voice from breaking further. “But you won’t leave my side… Not as long as you live inside me. I love you, and I hope you understand, we’ll be together forever.”
He spoke to himself, his gaze fixed on the other end of the table… where his special someone, his better half, his soulmate, lay; with an expression of peace crafted by the wolf himself and a smile that her severed head, resting on the table, struggled to maintain. Her entire torso was split open down the middle from her collarbone to just below her belly, exposing the ribs of her thorax and muscles, even revealing her mammary glands, with her abdomen completely devoid of vital organs.
He continued eating with such restraint and such sadness that he could no longer help but use his whole hands to eat the venison resting atop the vegetables on the plate. Finally fulfilling his dream and uniting with his soulmate.