(Inspired by LittleBirdBlue's amazing drawing and Bloemday's caption)

The Wink was a world-weary, wizened old soul who preferred his own company to that of anyone else by a good long way. He also happened to be a mythical monster, the very last of his clan, the very wisest beast to walk the WilderWoods and a lifelong human-hater.

His reasons to resent were simple – any time in his long life he had dared to love a thing, it had been taken from him by a human. So, logically, he stopped loving things, and started hating humans. His hatred took the form of an avid avoidance of the upright creatures, which was lucky for them. Had he been a more active antagonist he could have levelled twenty towns and trampled too their townsfolk.

He was a mighty, two-horned beast with a great, flowing mane and wild, fiery eyes, but, despite his fierce appearance, was a pacifist at heart. Way back the Wink was well-known for his gentle way, and impeccable manners. Now he rarely had the chance to use them, nor chose to. A lonely life he led...lonely and long.

Lonely until the day the campers came. One final patch he had, one last little clump of wood to roam in – and in his self-made reservation he had somewhat contentedly dwelled, undisturbed for close to twenty sets of seasons. Now, the noise came, the noise and the mess, the mess and the smells and the bother.

The first week he hid himself in a hole he had hollowed to hide in. He left at night to eat and stretch and do his beastly business. But then, one day his hole was found. Come upon by a half-sized human. One of the ungrown ones. A little, brown-haired boy.

Wink skulked and spied as the boy peered into his temporary home – his hiding spot unhid! In crept the boy to the creature’s cave. In he went and in and in and stuck he got!

The Wink shook his great maned head and tutted. Humans always brought trouble. Always, always. Hand in hand they were. Well this one would just have to unstuck himself. The Wink owed these trespassers nothing. Nothing but a lonely life and a heavy head.

But as the hours slipped past and the boy’s cries quietened to a rare whine and the weary Wink shivered in the caveless chill of night –he began to wonder if he shouldn’t just dislodge the little annoyance. Not for the intruder’s sorry sake but for the sake of a warm sleep.

And so, for the very first time in a very long time, the Wink approached another living, thinking thing. Being that the boy was facing in, he failed to see the frightening sight of this extincting beast reaching to free him. Happily he let himself be heaved out of his predicament. Only when the boy was safe and sat on the forest floor did he see the mighty monster that had saved him.

“Rarrr” roared the Wink and the ground shook.

“Aargh” screamed the boy and his knees knocked.

Away he ran fast as knocking knees could run until...he stopped. He stopped and stood and softly said “Thank you, monster, for saving me”

And the Wink span round, amazed to see the foolish fellow stood within claws reach.

“I could crush you in a clap, I could break you in a blink!” roared the beast.

The boy stayed stood and looked straight in the Wink’s wild eyes and said;

“But you didn’t, you dislodged me – I was stuck and you unsticked me”

Saying this, the human smiled, and took a run up to the Wink and wrapped his little arms around a hairy leg and hugged and hugged and thanked again.

The beast, bewildered watched this limpet on his leg. He gently shook the foot to loose the boy but he wouldn’t easy be unhugged. The human-hating Wink had made an accidental friend.

“Oh woe, he thought – and now I’ll have to warm, it feed it and return it to its kin.”

A grumpy growl and the Wink shuffled to his warm warren, boy still stuckfast to his saviour’s furry foot.

“How is it all you humans ever do is cause me trouble?” grunted the great beast, as he scooped the soon –to-be-sleeping boy into his arms.

“We’re sorry” muttered the boy, sleepily and as his droopy eyes fell shut he added. “We didn’t mean to”.