Corr's Past Chapter 1

Corr slowly walked away from his four-story palatial home into the forest. His father was in another one of his drunken rages, and Corr was usually the one who paid the price for it. The forest was his sanctuary.
Corr sighed happily as he pulled out a silver necklace with a small silver full moon on it. He had found it one night while wandering in the forest, like he was doing tonight. He had shown it to his parents, but they had ordered him to get rid of it, and when he had protested, his father had punched him in the face and told him to never question him.
Corr sighed again and fingered his most prized possession. If his parents ever caught him with this…well, he didn’t want to think about that.
“Hey Corr!” a young, feminine voice called out behind him.
He smiled and turned around. “Hey Ailya.”
A young girl walked out from the bushes. She was a small girl, though slightly bigger than most eleven-year old girls her age. She had large, beautiful green eyes and long black hair with white streaks in it. But her small size belies her aggressiveness and strength. Corr had met Ailya two years ago as he was running from his father after he had failed a test to get into the Knight Academy. Personally, he just thought he was mad because he couldn’t get rid of him.
Ailya had hid him from his father, and they had been friends ever since.
“Why are you out here this late?” she asked.
“Father again,” Corr answered gruffly.
“Drunk?”
“Aye.”
She sighed angrily and turned towards his home. “That man,” she exclaimed angrily,” Does not deserve to call himself your father.”
Corr sighed and leaned against a tree. “Sometimes I believe you’re right.”
“I mean!” Ailya exclaimed hotly, “What kind of father treats his son this way!?”
“It’s like he’s not my father,” Corr whispered sadly.
Ailya sighed and turned to Corr, but before she could utter a word, a mournful howl echoed across the forest. Ailya blanched. “I’m sorry Corr,” she said hastily, “But I have to go.” And with that she took off full speed into the forest.
Corr watched her go for a few moments, sighed, and turned and started walking towards his home. He might as well go home now; his parents just might be asleep, allowing him to get to his room without being punished…again.
As he neared his home, a peculiar smell caught Corr’s attention. He stopped and sniffed the air, smoke. “Maybe it’s just the servants cooking for themselves,” he thought.
But as he reached the area in the forest where the trees were low enough to see the night sky, he knew something was very wrong. A brilliant orange glow stained the night sky.
Corr broke into a run through the brush towards his home. As he neared his estate, Corr tripped on an outstretched tree root; it probably saved his life. Twenty feet away, four large dark figures stood around his burning home. Blinking away the tears that flooded his eyes, Corr focused on his options. He desperately wanted to go and see if anyone was still alive, but he knew that it would get him killed.
Suddenly, a ferocious sigh sounded five foot to the left of him. Corr’s heart almost stopped from the fear that gripped him in its chilling embrace. He, very slowly, turned his head to the left. He involuntarily gasped. Before him stood a creature of nightmare.

It had coal black, shaggy fur. Its head was like a wolf’s, with burning red eyes and huge, sharp yellow fangs protruding from its mouth. It also had long claws, stained from past kills.
At Corr’s gasp, the wolf-thing’s head swerved towards him. A horrible smell washed over Corr, nearly causing him to gag. Al low growl erupted from its throat. Corr, his face white with fear, rolled away and scrambled to his feet. A huge claw slashed the ground where he had been a split second before.
Corr fumbled on his dagger, trying to draw it. He finally succeeded and held it out in front of him. The wolf-thing’s lips pulled back into…a macabre smile, and then it jumped. Corr threw his arm in front of his face and cried out as the jaws clamped down on it. He swung his dagger wildly, and succeeded in striking the beast in the eye, loosening its hold on his arm. Corr finally managed to pry his arm free of the creature’s mouth, but he had lost so much blood, that all he could do was drop to his knees, close his eyes, and wait for the end.
Suddenly, a large black mass shot out of the woods and slammed into the wolf. Corr’s eyes snapped open at the sound of the creature’s cries of pain, and watched, amazed as the two creatures wrestled around and fought.
Finally, Corr’s rescuer got its jaws around the wolf’s neck and bit down hard. Covered in blood, Corr’s savior turned towards him. It looked like the other creature, except it was slimmer and slighter of build. Its eyes were also an unusual green color and its fur was black, but with white stripes.
“Just like Ailya’s!” Corr thought.
Corr’s vision started to gray out and he fell back to the ground, but before he completely passed out, he heard Ailya’s voice.
“Corr!”