I am a hunter. Not just a hunter. I am THE hunter. I am paid, quite well I may add, to hunt. If someone needs to get rid of something, I am the person they call.

It’s a job. I have no emotions about killing another living thing. Many times I am saving many lives by killing a wild beast. A grizzly stalking hikers. A polar bear coming to close to town. A wolf or coyote attacking livestock. A rabid raccoon, a venomous snake, you get the idea.

I have been asked to hunt another human but I cannot go there.

November 3rd. The day that would change my life. I received a call from a farmer saying some wild creature was destroying his livestock. He explained that the creature had a growl he had never heard before. There were nights where he thought he heard more than one. The hairs on his neck would stand up just recalling what they sounded like. Their appetites were endless.

I did all the necessary prep work. I tracked over the land looking for signs of where the creature could be living. I set traps. I found nothing. Not one single sign of where it could be. But the murder of the livestock continued.

I have never failed in my hunts and I was not going to fail this time.

November 6th. It was a full moon and it was the first time I caught a glimpse of the creature. It was not a site I would soon forget. In all my years of hunting, I had never seen anything like it. I can’t even really explain it. Sort of like Bigfoot but… I don’t know. Half gorilla, half bear, half man. Yes, I know three halves don’t make a whole, but like I said, I can’t describe it, it was faster than a cheetah, stronger than an ox, claws like Wolverine.

For the first time in my life, I was scared of something I was hunting. My mouth was dry, my palms sweating, my knees shook. I fired my rifle and for the first time in my life, I missed. It looked my direction and faster than I could blink, it was gone.

Why I continued to hunt this creature I can not say. Maybe it was my pride. Maybe it was ignorance. I start a job I finish it. That was it.

November 10th. Four days had passed and there was no sign of it. Maybe the shot I fired scared it off. I doubted that was the case.

I was right.

I was well hidden in the bushes. I smelled it before I saw it. Then it surfaced about thirty feet from me. I pulled the slide back to chamber the bullet, I put my finger on the trigger, and …The farmer was right, there was more than one. I didn’t even hear the one that snuck up on me. I went flying through the air.

I landed hard on my back. I scrambled trying to get to my feet, to get my bearings. I couldn’t find my gun. It knocked me to the ground again. I was on my stomach and I knew right then and there I was going to die.

I rolled over and it was standing over me. I saw the hatred in its eyes. It saw the fright in mine. It let out a scream that caused my blood to curdle. Then the other creature was there. It was a bit smaller than the one attacking me so I assumed it was the female. It was then I saw the third creature. Much smaller than the other two. I could only think it had to be their child. I could only think these creatures were going to be the last thing I saw in this life.

The female grunted something to the male and the males posture changed. A softness came to his eyes. I looked into the females eyes and saw not hate, but compassion. I saw love in her eyes. Then I looked into the males eyes and saw not only strength but I saw love also.

Then the three of them left.

Why they let me live I had no idea. Maybe they thought I would not taste good. Maybe they could see something in my heart that I did not know was there. Maybe it was for me to be able to tell this story.

All I know was in that moment I saw animals in a different light. I saw that the male was only protecting his family. I saw that they were no different than you and me. I saw that they had emotions, feelings, and intelligence just like you and me.

Maybe even more than we do.

In that moment those creatures changed my entire life. Not only did I see all creatures in a new light, I also saw all humans in a new light. There were no more differences between races or genders. No differences in wealthy or poor. No differences in the strong or weak. I realized all humans were the same. All equal. We are all one. We are all in the same family.

I can never thank those creatures enough for how they changed my life.

Maybe them letting me live to tell my story will change your life. Maybe you will look past the outside and search for what’s inside someone.

Different by Micah Tyler –  

Let Love Win by Carrollton-  

The Sound Of A Life Changing by Matthew West-  

Love Is The Golden Rule by Michael English –