They only come out when the woods are on fire, all lean sinewy muscles covered in a thin sheen of blood and deer skulls crammed so tightly over their heads you can see bruised flesh and bulging meat where they outgrow their proverbial shells.
Whether they're drawn to the flames or born from them is beyond our caring and at this point - where they drag the wounded away to is a far more pressing concern. Anyone, anything the woodfire touches is considered dead and left behind for them.
We've never seen them bring anyone back, never seen a change in their numbers or seen them go for the unburnt. In all honesty they appear to be practically tame if you're a bit of a distance from the fires, if you're in no danger of being burnt then you're in no danger from them.
We use them to track the destined routes of forest fires. They have the uncanny ability to predict a fire's path and be walking just in front of where it will go. Of course this began the rumours that they control the fire and they cause them as they can only eat burnt meat.
It could be true for all we know but having been unfortunate enough to be able to look into their eyes and see red, weeping eyes stare right back at me I don't think they mean to harm. I reckon they have as much of a say in this as we do.
I reckon there's something out there that's worse than them and all the burnt are keeping it fed and quiet.
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