Bones
by Kallista Fritts
Texas Tech University
Kallista Fritts is an undergraduate student at Texas Tech set to graduate in Spring 2025 with a Technical Communication degree, an English degree with a concentration in creative writing, and a minor in photography. She has always loved reading and hopes to spread that love with her stories or stories she one day gets to edit.
“What brings you here?” The creature’s gravelly voice pierces my ears as it rises from its nest, head slightly tilted down, tailing slowly whipping side to side. Even from a distance, it towers over me.
“Curiosity I suppose. I’ve heard the legends about your kind since I was a child. I just needed to see if they were true.” I let my eyes sweep over the beast, taking in what I’ve always desired to see.
“Legends? Legends are nothing but lies and exaggerated stories. Now go, return home. The forest is a dangerous place, there are plenty of creatures waiting to gobble you up.” The creature turns away, preparing to curl up in its nest again.
“You’re right about the legends. They aren’t true.” I raise my voice slightly, wanting to catch the creature's attention again, trying to ignore the note of desperation weaving its way in.
The creature freezes, its back still to me, “And what exactly have these legends said about me? How would you know what makes them false?”
“I’ve heard that you live up high in the mountains, always deep inside of caves that are nearly impossible to find. The legends say your kind are great, ugly things and violent to no end.” I stared at the creature as it heaved a breath. I fiddled with my fingers, not quite sure what to say. “While the legends about the caves are true, everything else is false. Especially the latter half. If that were true, I wouldn’t be standing here right now. With you.”
Finally, after a few moments passed, the creature said, “Ah, I see those rumors are still running rampant. Of course, humans would say such things after they’ve almost wiped us all out. Now, go, you wouldn’t want to be out too late. Your family must be worried about you.” Again, the creature got ready to return to its nest.
“I don’t have a family.” The creature halted; one paw handing in the air above the ground. It dropped its head, as if in defeat, and slowly turned around, taking a few steps closer to me. I turned to look out of the cave, watching the tree branches sway in the breeze. “Well, I guess that’s not exactly true. I do have a family. Just not one I’m in contact with anymore. They’ve always told me I was childish for believing in legends and folktales, that I was being ridiculous when I said I dreamed of finding the great creatures and truth behind them. So, ever since I could fend for myself, I left. And I’ve found great things, but none as great as you.”
My body tensed slightly when I looked over my shoulder, still expecting the creature to be near the nest, only to find that if I took 20 steps, I would be right next to it. “Legends about your kind were always my favorite. Your intelligence always fascinated me. They say you are the geniuses among the beasts, understanding logic and strategy. They say you are the watchers over the other creatures. There are so many stories about how useful you would be if it weren’t for the violent streak.” I look up at the creature, taking in as much of it as possible. Its fur blows back from its face due to the breeze, emphasizing its long snout, which had a white scar across the bridge, and long, pointed ears. There were black tufts coming out from the tips.
“I’m glad to hear at least one human doesn’t have ill thought of me or my kind…” The creature sat in silence for a moment, eyes scanning the trees, “We used to be the keepers of the forests you know. From the mountaintops we could watch over the beasts that live here ensuring harmony was kept. That no species overran another. That everything stayed balanced. Then, humans came along, and we were willing to compromise. We understood they needed meat, vegetation, and materials. We all understood, the herbivores and carnivores have been able to keep balance for centuries. But the humans, they could not be reasoned with. My kind, we tried to talk to them, tried to explain the rules of the forest. But they never listened. They hunted us, drove us out of the mountain dwellings, attacking us from all sides so it was difficult to escape. That’s why we stay hidden now, deep within forest caves. We were already so few then, even more so now. It’s dangerous to leave any trace, even if it is just a baby’s tooth. They will take any excuse to find us.”
Silence fell over us again, the creature still scanning the forest. It’s black nose twitching every so often at a new scent getting carried to the entrance by the wind. Occasionally, a twitch so strong that it would pull the creature’s lip back, revealing the sharp tips of its canines. I let my eyes fall down the creature’s body.
“The bones around your neck, where did you get them?” I ask, wanting to break the silence. I tear my eyes away from the creature’s necklace, old yellow bones strung together on a rough twine. A mix of sepia and bistre fur lays over the necklace in some places, looking as if it could tangle around the string at any moment. I finally look into the creature's eyes; I see my reflection in the fiery orange color. My hair is a mess, twigs and leaves trapped in some spots, mats in others. There’s a cut on my forehead, dried blood runs down to my eyebrow, I’m assuming there are other scrapes and bruises to adorn this one. My lips are chapped, cracked with the skin flaking off, I run my tongue along them absentmindedly.
“The bones…I was wondering how long it would take you to mention them.” The creature reaches a paw up and touches the necklace gently, a claw tapping the bone before it wraps its toes around it and pulls it softly. The creature heaves a deep sigh and its eyes get glassy, a gentle smile graces its face. “These are from my greatest love.”
“Your greatest love. Where are they now? Will they join us?” I look away from the creature, relaxing more as time passes. I looked around the den that we’re in. I’m close to the entrance, vines hang over it partially blocking the view of the forest outside. There’s a pile of leaves and small branches forming a nest towards the back of the cave. Bits of bone and antlers are strewn about.
The creature gives a low, solemn chuckle. “No, no he won’t be joining us. He’s no longer among the living.”
“Oh…what was he like? Was he like you?” I scan the creature’s body, lingering on the curved horns coming out of its head and its massive jaws that could swallow me whole. The creature’s massive size takes up a large portion of the den, and despite its intimidating stature a comforting warmth emanates from it. I move closer as a chill blows into the den, trying to let the warmth envelop me without getting too close.
“He was a lovely creature, one of your kind. A human. He was strong-willed but gentle, despite the danger of being around me he insisted on staying with me for as long as he could. I typically don’t let humans linger around my den for long…You remind me of him, just a little. Both of you approached me with little hesitation, acting as if you weren’t afraid of me when I could simply pluck you off the ground and swallow you as if you were a grain of rice. You both displayed an undeniable curiosity in me with no aggression, no intention of harming me or revealing me. I was glad to keep him for as long as the earth let me have him. He was my only company other than the animals of the forest.” The creature smiled down at me, the tips of its canines poking out from under its top lip.
“How long did you have him for?”
“A large portion of his life, but that is only a small percentage of my own.”
“How long does your kind typically live?”
“We can live for thousands of years, though there aren’t many of us. I haven’t seen another like me for hundreds of years.” After a moment of silence the creature continued, “I advised my love to move on, to leave me and start a family. To have a life that did not consist of only me. He refused; he told me he wasn’t like other humans. He didn’t care about having a family or romance, he felt a connection to me unlike connections he’s made before. He said it wasn’t romance or attraction, it was a deep bond like we were meant to meet, and he didn’t want to leave in case he lost me forever.” It smiled; `canines almost fully exposed. I looked up at the creature, how lucky it must be to have a bond this inexplicable.
“That sounds wonderful.”
“It was.”
“How did you meet him?”
“During one of the many battles between my kind and humans. He was a soldier meant to bring back the heads of my species, he found me when I was returning to my den. He could have attacked me at any moment, but he said he could not bring himself to do it when he saw my true demeanor, how I acted without knowing humans were around. He followed me to my den, stopped at the entrance and ensured he got my attention, before I was able to get to him, he threw all his weapons as far as he could. He talked to me, making it clear he did not intend to harm me, or others like me. Every day he kept returning to speak with me, until he eventually asked me if he could stay. And who was I to say no to a creature that proved to be just as lovely, just as gentle, and just as understanding as the many others I have seen during my time.”
We sat in silence together for some time. The creature kept its gaze on the den’s entrance, observing what it could see beyond the vines hanging down. I stood below the creature, glancing between its eyes and the entrance. Eventually, I turned my back to it, gazing out of the entrance too, watching as the brownish-green vines swayed in the wind. The leaves fluttered, some getting ripped off when a particularly strong gust came by.
“Night is going to fall upon us soon. The forest can get quite dangerous. Perhaps you should start heading home.” I jumped at the words, not because of the creature’s slightly unsettling throaty voice, nor from its slightly pungent breath hitting the back of my body. I jumped from the sudden break in silence, only expecting the occasional howl of the wind or rustle of trees.
“If it’s alright with you, I think I’d like to stay.” I looked over my shoulder at the creature, who was walking on all fours in circles in its nest.
“If that’s what you choose, I cannot stop you.”
With neither confirmation or denial from the creature, I slowly approach the nest. I step lightly into it with one foot, testing both my footing and the creature’s reaction. It simply looks at me, its fiery eyes piercing me despite being mostly covered by heavy lids. I fall to my knees, crawling under the creature's head by its necklace of bones. I wiggled into its fur, the necklace now eye level with me. The bones are slightly degraded, stained yellow and brown, tarnished with dust. They clack together slightly as the creature adjusts to accommodate me. I sigh, settling in and closing my eyes.
“Those are his bones, aren’t they?” I ask this quietly, not wanting to disturb the comfortable atmosphere we created.
“Yes, they are.” The creature shifts slightly, wrapping its tail around our bodies so that it rests across its nose, pulling me in snuggly.
“What happened to him?”
“I ate him. He was in a lot of pain at the end of his life. He begged me to, and I could not deny him the release of pain. I thought preserving his bones would be nice, so that I could always have a piece of him with me.”
“If I stay here with you, can you do the same for me if that’s what my existence comes to be?”
“If that’s what you wish.”
Interview with the Author
1. What inspired you to write this piece? What was your thought process throughout?
This piece was inspired by a random post I saw on Instagram. The post was about a sphinx who fell in love with a human but couldn’t bear to tell them they got a riddle wrong, so they would spend hours trying to find a way to make the human’s answer the correct one. Then I couldn’t help but wonder what happened after the human passed away. I took the original draft to my writing group, who encouraged me to expand on it, and it resulted in this. A story about a creature, although not quite a sphinx, and the complexities of love, relationships, and the past.
2. What do you hope readers will take away from your piece? What effects do you want the piece to have on the person, community, or society?
I mainly wanted to express that understanding and companionship can be found in unlikely places; all the parties have to do is be willing to listen and willing to try. I hope readers can take those ideas away from the piece.
3. What is your favorite piece of fiction (short story, novel, flash fiction, etc.) that you’ve ever read? Why?
I have several favorite pieces of fiction; however, three that are constantly yanking at my soul are The Outsiders, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls. All three of these made me want to instantly flip them back over and restart. They all helped me see the complexities of life, relationships, and how a fleeting moment for one person can have a huge impact on another.
4. If you plan on continuing to write, what are some goals/plans you may have for your future?
One of my main future goals for my writing is to be able to publish a graphic novel, whether that be in print or having a story become a WEBTOON Original. I truly love the graphic novel community and the variety of stories that get to be told, as well as giving both writers and illustrators a chance to break into the industry!