The Nocturne is an elusive beast. She wanders the forests at night, going wherever she chooses, fearing nothing. She is impossible to track, having no specific territory. People have encountered her all across the nation, but only a portion of those have lived to tell the tale. The majority were robbed of their life force.

The woods were eerily quiet. No chirping of crickets, no hoots of owls, the only sound was the quiet rustle of the trees in the breeze. A lone raccoon shuffled through the tall grass, scavenging the forest floor for food. It paused, gnawing at a nut it found among the weeds. The raccoon suddenly froze, standing on its hind legs to see over the tall blades of grass. Sensing the approaching danger, it put the nut in its mouth and scampered away.

In place of where the raccoon was moments ago, a large paw stepped with claws longer than any normal canine's. The black beast stopped briefly, her white skull of a head becoming illuminated in the moonlight. Nocturne turned her gaze to the sky between the trees. She had no idea where she was or where she was going. She never did. She simply walked on, going wherever her four legs took her.

She soon came upon the edge of the forests. She stopped, her empty sockets staring out at the lights of the town. After a moment, she turned and went back deeper into the woods. Nocturne never entered areas where humans lived. Not far in, the quiet sobs of a female caught her ears as well as a human presence. She followed the sound until she came upon a young girl no more than 10 years old sitting on the ground. The girl's dress was ripped and torn and her skin was caked with dirt. She sat all alone, her face in her hands, crying.

"M-Mommy..." she muttered. "Daddy..."

Nocturne watched the human, analyzing her. She was clearly lost, separated from her family. With silent footsteps, the beast approached her and sat down in front of her. It took the girl a moment to realize that something was there next to her. She jumped with surprise, uncovering her face and staring at the slender, black beast before her. She blinked her teary eyes, her gaze meeting the empty sockets of Nocturne's eyes.

"Doggy?"

The young girl didn't even seem scared of the skull face on the creature. She had a child-like innocence that Nocturne admired. The beast tilted her head upward, her bony jaw opening slightly. A high-pitched howl resounded from her, but it sounded more like singing than a howl. Her song was beautiful though, and always captivated those that heard it. Once she was done, the girl smiled and reached her hand out to touch the creature.

But Nocturne quickly stood and backed away. She never let anyone touch her. Instead, she turned and walked a few steps before stopping and staring back at the human. The child rose to her feet and followed the creature. Nocturne led the girl through the woods, occasionally pausing and glancing back to make sure she was still following. They eventually reached the edge of the forest where the little girl grinned happily, a gasp escaping her lips as her eyes became glued to the sight of her hometown.

"I'm home!" she cried. "Thank you, dog-"

When she looked to her side, Nocturne was already gone, her dark form concealing her as she silently left, her job finished. The beast went back into the deeper parts of the woods. It wasn't long though before she sensed another human, and another. There were two in the vicinity. She froze, sensing them approaching, until they suddenly stopped. After several silent moments passed, Nocturne moved closer. She paused, feeling their presence close to her. She turned her head to the side, noticing slight movement.

But after a few seconds, she continued onward. She knew they were there, but unlike most, they actually hid from her. That was a rare reaction compared to many of the humans she encountered. She wondered if she'd see them again, and pondered whether she should let them live or not. For the time being, Nocturne would find a place to rest, knowing that it wouldn't be much longer until sunrise. Being nocturnal, she never liked the daytime. She loathed having to move about when the sun was up.

~~~~~

Masky stood stiffly behind the tree, his back pressed against the bark. He slowly leaned around, peeking out from behind his hiding place.

"Is it gone?" he quietly whispered.

Hoodie slowly poked his head out from a nearby bush. "I think so." He looked around, no longer seeing the creature.

Masky let out a sigh of relief. He moved out from behind the tree while Hoodie climbed out of the bush. "That was weird," he said to his hooded companion. "What was that thing?"

Hoodie shrugged. "It looked like a wolf... but its whole head was a skull."

Masky shivered. "It sure was creepy. And it looked right at us, like it knew we were here."

"Good thing it left us alone. I got a really familiar and eerie feeling from it."

"Huh, I did too," Masky admitted. "It's presence was similar... to the boss's."

Hoodie nodded in agreement, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "We should report this. That thing wasn't normal."

The two masked men left the area, heading for the closest thing they could call a home - the Slender Mansion. They hoped their boss would know what to do about the strange beast.