This is a story that initially was intended but due to a series of unfortunate events (excuse the pun) I lost interest in writing it and never finished it. I’ve since started writing again and am nearly finished. This is a preview of the first draft. Any feedback would be appreciated, when complete, this novel will be for sale on amazon. Enjoy and thanks for reading!
Chapter 1 Part 1
A frantic and exhausted human burst through a cluster of bushes and into a clearing, a place he did not want to be. He took a moment to determine the best direction to run in, only a moment and no longer as he knew that he wouldn’t be the clearing’s only occupant if he lingered for too long. Just as he disappeared back into the foliage of the woods, a white blur emerged from where he had come. It stood still for but a fraction of an instant before giving chase to its prey.
A sneaker clad foot crashed through a murky puddle of water that lay on the forest floor. The owner of the shoe ran as if his life depended on it, and it very well may have. He was ahead, but he knew that if he slowed down or made even the smallest misstep, that would change. And even then, the creature that he was competing with had four legs to his two. That in itself would have been enough to double its speed, but the sheer size of the creature served to further its advantage in speed not to mention strength.
“What is it? Where did it come from?” The human wondered as he slid down a leaf covered embankment. Branches of fallen trees and small shrubs grabbed at his cloth hoodie and clawed it his face. Once he reached the bottom of the slope he rose to resume his mad dash through the woods. However, he froze as a silhouette blotted out the moonlight that shined down through the canopy of leaves from overhead. The figure landed forcefully on the ground several feet away from him causing dust and leaves to shoot up and flutter back to the ground after its initial impact. This was the first time that the human had gotten a clear look at the creature. The first thing the human noticed were the eyes. They were a deep amethyst color, they emitted a sense of purity and tranquility. They may have even calmed the frantic youth if it weren’t for the bared fangs that resided in its maw. Looking at it, it looked almost like a wolf. The key word in that sentence being almost. Its fur coat was reminiscent of a white tiger with black stripes blanketed over a solid white. It was absolutely massive, standing at close to six feet in height at its shoulders. Its body, though large, was fairly trim and sleek for its size. Its bulk evenly distributed with its fur coat hiding the powerful muscles that lie beneath it. A long black and white tail stood pointedly on end behind it. It was long like that of a tiger’s but oddly plush like a wolf’s. Of course, the last details that stood out to the frightened young man were the pointed ears that lay flattened back against its skull and the extended claws on its paws.
After taking in the terrifying though majestic sight of the creature the youth thought about what might be written of him when his remains were found, “I can see it now…” He thought, “Ray Kivaul’s death at the hands of newly discovered species….” Ray’s thoughts of his obituary came to an abrupt end as he noticed that his predator was slowly advancing on him. It kept its snarl on its face and its body low to the ground as it approached. Fully aware that he was in no condition to run and likely standing on what would soon be his final resting place he picked up a large branch that had tumbled down the embankment during his short slide earlier and wielded it like a bat as he prepared to make his final stand.
“If I have to die here, I’m not going down without a fight,” He said as he glared bitterly at his opponent. The creature snarled at him, seemingly in response to his declaration. After what seemed like an eternity went by, Ray had finally lost his patience with the creature, “If you’re gonna kill me then do it already!”
As if taking that as its que the predator leapt at its prey, claws poised to strike and fangs bared. Ray swung the branch as hard as he could when he was sure that his target was in the air and couldn’t avoid the blow, in the same instant he shifted his weight and took a stride to the right, like a baseball player hitting a grand slam. He felt the makeshift club stiffen in his hands before it suddenly became weightless while an earsplitting crack echoed throughout the forest in the still night air. Ray stumbled to the ground having been thrown off balance from the shift in weight when the branch broke against the side of the attacker’s snout. After tumbling to the ground Ray wasted no time in getting back to his feet to see the results of the exchange. He’d hoped to see the creature sprawled out on the ground, he expected to find the creature growling at him from distance as it prepared to attack again, what he actually found was said creature baring down on him. It was completely unfazed by the attack and now it was right on top of him. It lowered its head and slammed the flat of its skull against his abdomen. Ray’s body was lifted off the ground and tossed through the air before he landed on his back. Coughing and sputtering from the, impact Ray attempted to roll onto his knees to get back on his feet. His predator though, placed a large paw on his chest. He was now effectively pinned to the ground, and despite the adrenaline that still flowed through his veins, he did not have the strength to stay in the fight.
“I already told you didn’t I?” Ray wheezed as he remained on the ground held firmly in place, “If you’re going to kill me, then get on with it!” He never was one for theatrics, and this had by far been the most theatrical and dramatic night in his life. As if taking his words to heart the creature reared its head back, “This is it… no way out this time…” Ray though as the creature’s head came down and its jaws clamped down on his right arm. Ray’s pupils shrank and his legs kicked uncontrollably as he felt the predators’ fangs pierce through his bicep and sink into his bone. For all his pain and suffering in that moment, whatever was left of Ray’s rational mind picked up on something odd, “It’s not tearing me apart like an animal should, it’s just holding me like this… but why?” Of course, that thought only lasted for but a mere instant of time as it was drowned out by the sheer amount of pain that was overwhelming the youth. Eventually, after what felt to be an eternity of pain and suffering, Ray’s vision began to blur. Everything faded to a hazy collage of colors before eventually fading into darkness.
The sound of bird songs combined with the sting of cold water droplets landing on Ray’s unconscious body caused him to stir and groggily wake from his sleep. He rolled onto his side as he waited for his thoughts to become coherent again, blinking away the sleep from his eyes as he waited. As his vision cleared, memories of the previous night began to rapidly resurface. Images of running through the forest from an unknown predator. Flashbacks of being pinned to the ground by said predator and of course the last event he could recall was that of several large fangs piercing into his arm. The glazed, uncomprehending look on his face suddenly changed to one of realization. He lurched up into a sitting position and scanned his surroundings. It was clear that he was in a cave. It wasn’t very large, just a hollow and circular chamber of stone that had been carved by time. The only light that illuminated his surrounding came in the form of sunlight. The mouth of the cave was large and unobstructed, allowing the natural light to flow in and bathe the cave in a warm and natural glow.
“It didn’t kill me?” Ray wondered, “I remember it biting me, but I’m not in any pain…” he thought as he glanced down at his right arm. There were holes in the sleeve of his jacket where he had been bit. Carefully reaching over with his left arm, he found to his bewilderment that all traces and evidence of the injury had completely vanished from his arm. It was as if it’d never happened. Ray shook his head, “It couldn’t have healed already… Or did that creature have something to do with this too?” Ray muttered to nobody in particular. While he continued to ponder and theorize on what was happening, the surroundings became considerably darker. Looking up, Ray found that the wolf hybrid from the previous night was standing in the entrance to the cave. He didn’t bother to move, he knew he couldn’t escape without fighting the wolf and it seemed to know that as well. He kept a blank expression on his face, not knowing what to expect. “It seems much calmer than it was last night…” Ray thought as he continued to observe the cave’s second occupant, “I take it you brought me here after I passed out last night… I’d thank you for finding me shelter if I could be sure that you weren’t going to kill me…” Ray muttered.
“I have no intention of killing you.”
At that moment, the human’s blood ran cold. He stared at the creature in disbelief, had he been standing, he would have fell over. “D-did… did you just… speak?”
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