Fear: Fantasy

Fear was tangible in the cave, a rich denseness so delicious on his tongue that he almost moaned aloud. The darkness was thin compared to what the fear-taste brought. He wanted to roll around and wallow in it. It had been so long. Instead, he opened up the matches and brought out the lantern left by the last ones. Then he shielded his eyes and lit the lantern, covering his eyes to protect them from the pain that flared anyway, and waited until he could see again despite the light. Then he followed the fear-tang, and he found himself where they hid. A family, this time. Man, woman, small child of indeterminate gender. The fear tang came most strongly from the man, though he pushed himself forward to stand between danger and his family fast enough. The child didn't even understand what was happening, which made it easier not to snap and grab it. Children were delicious, and they were remembered from the days--

Inspiration: LJ challenge about what people feared most.
Story Potential: Low.
Notes: Nothing special here.