Pain. Hot and wet pain, a thunderous clap of nerve endings that strike up and down my leg like a summer storm so vicious. I can feel him tugging on my limb and I hop back with his movements, pulling my leg back each time he tries to take it with him. I twist around to look down at him, watching as the red creeps down in between my toes before slow, fat drops begin to hit the earth below. It is then, it seems, that the sun is swallowed up completely, with only the rising light of the moon to guide us both. It seems to throw him off almost, as if he had expected that sliver of crimson light to remain forever. I cannot help but laugh. It rises like steam, a low hiss of humor in the darkness before I pull my leg back with a sudden, jerking movement. I feel his teeth graze along the hock leaving a trail of heat.

The moment my leg is free, I twist in a flurry; the pain is nothing then as my paw hits the earth, the explosion of pain doing nothing but surging me forward. I come down upon him like a wave, grabbing at his scruff before I begin to shake. He will undoubtedly struggle and there is much of me to be taken in return, but for now, I will be content just tasting the blood on the back of my tongue. I do not move away but rather, I test my fortune. I stand close, my chest pressed against his as I dig into him.

This is just the beginning, after all, and the earth cries out for a sacrifice. If I am to drink deep of this place then I must first pay my own dues.