Pale Substitute
The giant mollusk rose early from slumber, curiosity piqued by a strange sound. It was high-pitched and weak.
Limbs extending from its shell, it stretched, purple maw presenting rows upon rows of sharp little teeth before snapping shut like a bear trap. A pair of white tentacles periscoped out from its head as it observed its surroundings for the source of the noise. One looked to the side, focusing on something small and brown, nearly blending in with the forest floor if the beak didn’t stand out. The creature had seen these before, easily resting in the trees and immune to its calls to feed. There was something admirable about them, the way they moved, so agile and easily escaping the grasp of a curious extending hand. This one did not flee, however. It hopped slowly along the ground. As soon as the monster moved towards it, it flapped a single wing in an attempt to escape, but it failed to leave the ground. The creature scooped it up in a paw to observe this odd specimen.
"Vennn..." First came a cautious sniff. It didn't smell particularly tasty, and since the creature was still full from the last meal, something so small didn't really interest them as food at the moment. The feathered animal weakly pecked at its hand, leaving small indents, but not enough to keep its curiosity at bay. There was something that drew the creature in, past its vague admiration for others like it. It was by itself, and no other of its kind seemed to heed its call. The creature gave a gentle nuzzle with the tip of its nose, and brought it back to its resting place for further inspection.
It gently mussed the feathers and looked it over. This feathered organism was immensely protective of the one limb that didn't move much, and the monster opted not to disturb that part after a while. Not too long after this brief activity, sleep returned, and it protectively curled the wounded animal to its shell.
The influence of slumber eventually wore off, and the monster came to with that infamous gnawing that drove it every day. Looking around, it observed something orange drawing close. It was sneaking, possibly unaware it was being watched. The monster was not the one being stalked however. It was---
The creature looked around for their small beaked companion to find it had wandered away and was now being hunted by one of those orange canines. Fortunately, this didn't last too long, as the monster released it's alluring mist, drawing the orange canine away. It was quickly made into a snack, and the creature went to scoop up the wounded animal that had strayed away. The gnawing remained, and the creature eyed its feathery form before being distracted by a group of masked grey rodents. This smaller option was put aside as it dove for the much larger array of meat. This satisfied the ache in its stomach, and it settled back down with the wounded companion. It applied a small lick to them and began another session of observation. It gently prodded at the animal, which only responded weakly to its handling, compared to the previous day. The creature took enjoyment from this nonetheless and continued until it grew tired again. It performed the previous gesture around is feathered acquaintance and nodded off once again.
Starting awake from an odd but quickly forgotten dream, the gnawing sensation arose again. It wasn't as strong as it was before, but it was present and had to be obeyed. The mist was pushed into the air as was routine. However, the wait was unusually long, and the resulting impatience caused the primal urge to grow. The creature soon raised its head in the search of any kind of morsel, finally landing on the damaged nibblet beside it. With an action that occurred without thought, the animal was gone in a single gulp, the mass only the faintest relief for this mind-dominating compulsion.
"Venimmmm...."
Truly rising to its feet for the first in a long while, it began to stomp through the woods until finding a large feline that was crawling through the brush . It was immediately pounced upon. This dusty brown prey did not go easily, however. The size of it proved to be an interesting challenge, lighting up the monsters brain. The combination of instinct and excitement sought cause for a good scuffle before ending with a death-bite to the opponent's muscular throat. It was quickly consumed and the massive snail cleaned itself of the blood and fur that clung to its skin.
With the gnawing sensation quenched, lucidity returned. The cold weight returned as well, and the monster found itself looking for that wounded companion once again. Slowly, it dawned on the creature what had happened, and the cold weight in its chest seemed to grow with intensity. It sat among the foliage, confused and somehow hurting, though not physically. A low moan rattled up its throat and escaping through its nostrils. Another noise soon followed, clawing its way out of those purple jaws in a tree-shaking roar. This only relieved the sensation slightly, and the large mollusk withdrew into its shell in an effort to escape. Unfortunately, this was to no avail, and it mentally begged for the arrival of rest to make the world disappear.