Some nights a body just can't get to sleep. In those instances, it's best to go out where the cattle are snoozing under that great big mess of distant suns. My brothers and sisters live up there, but down here, I'm holding down the fort on my lonesome. You know, tending the prairie as a good body should.
That night I stepped out into my pasture embraced by what counts as silence to city folk - you got the singing bugs, you got the swishing grass, you got the breath of gentle grazing beasts. We had a clear sky and a quarter moon. Benjamin's white coat betrayed his position out in the middle, so I walked to him and leaned on his body for a spell, watching the sky.
Something crawled out from under Benjamin's belly and squawked in surprise. I seized it by the neck before it could flee - dark, furry, about the size and shape of a scrawny toy poodle. I shone my flashlight into its face, seeing myself in its huge amber eyes.
"We don't get a lot of chupacabra this far north," I intoned. "you'll suffer the consequences if you've bitten any of my beasts."
It interjected as it felt my grasp tighten. "Please madam!" its voice was raspy and it smiled wide. Its tiny, sharp, stained teeth caught a glint of the moon; its uncanny paw pads pressed insistently into my wrist. "I am a few things."
It proceeded to cover my hand in slime, the sort of mucus which covers a fish. It slipped from my grasp easily and I lost track of it for the merest moment before I saw a small male turkey not five feet away, gazing intently. He spoke while slowly strutting a circle around me and Benjamin. My white steer had awoken somewhat, but drowsily stayed in place as if interested in our new friend.
"I've heard of you. I get around, I hear them talk about you. What's your name again?"
"Ripper. Anita Ripper."
"RIPPER! That's the one. I'm a really big fan actually. I can't believe I found you. Your deeds, made true in the mouths of the Vanir, my friend! Afarit! What in the twelve hells are you doing in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of cows?" He thought this so funny that a loud gobble escaped his beak.
"I could twist your skinny neck until your bird brain pops off." At this he stopped in his tracks and bugled turkey calls at me until he appeared winded. Benjamin stared at me for a moment before lumbering off to find a quieter spot.
"You....you must forgive me. That...you're hilarious. Impenetrable, they call you. Please tell me why you stopped looking for him."
I stared into the turkey's beady eyes, forcing our silence to stretch. I chose to humor him. He was not here to bite my beasts.
"It's your lucky day, you know. I don't get many visitors. I stopped looking because there's nothing to find."
"That can't be true. Ripper's quest is eternal!"
"So is this meadow and my cattle. If he chooses to come visit me here, I'll be glad to welcome him, but I refuse to chase him any longer."
The turkey stepped closer to me with great care, and stretched into a stately wyrm. Smoke billowed from between her teeth and the breeze lifted her sea-green mane. She began to guffaw hot stinking breath into my face. The foul wind carried spittle into my hair.
"I'M THE FIRST TO HEAR OF THIS! WAIT UNTIL THEY KNOW, THEY'LL THRASH WITH GRIEF!"
"Oh, poor extraplanar entities forced to endure an end to their trashy paperback. Tell them to get over it, won't you?" She stopped laughing and looked sad. She cast her gaze downward and traced a claw absently in the dirt.
"I can turn into a dragon because I've seen one before. Just one. I saw the shortest glimpse of him about to climb through a shining portal," My breath caught and I hoped she didn't notice. "Maybe that was him? Nobody can confirm. It wasn't far from here though. He wasn't in a flying craft or anything. Now, I know a lot of people, but I know only a handful who haven't a need to breathe in the void between worlds. One of 'em's me and the other nine are the Agents." Again, a long and worn silence. I gazed into her eyes, straining to remember every last detail and nuance of color. I saw him there. I turned away as I couldn't stand to feel my heart swell.
"Gods damn you, every last chupacabra."
"Wow! You're welcome for the intel, exalted one!" I heard a swishing in the air and felt something perch on my shoulder. "Don't give up on true love," it whispered into my ear, giggling. "Don't give up on the Smoking Mirror. Hey I have to go now, best of luck Ripper - "
"Hold your horses." I grabbed it by the neck again. It had returned to its dark, fuzzy, dirty rat-dog appearance. "You never told me your name." I hissed.
It smiled wide again, barely able to laugh as its tongue sputtered behind its teeth.
"I'm Chunky."
Again it wriggled from my grasp with a spontaneous release of slippery mucus. I looked for it in the sky - there it was, an undulating black-tentacled thing making a quick retreat to the dome of stars. The insect concert returned, the grass swayed, my beasts snored. Back to the peaceful reign of night. No love, no wanting, no gaping hole in the chest.
Some love, some wanting, some twitching around the edges of my centuries-old wound.
"Well don't that just beat all...." I sighed into the wind.
