Prologue (Edited 12/28/2021)

Unknown POV

Grasping for air with every step, I feel the stabbing pain of my lower abdomen, and the throbbing in my legs; begging me to stop sprinting through the thick foliage of this mucky forest. I begin to lose momentum. The brandy begins to slow as the whiskey takes the lead. She's bleeding, I notice as she passes. The thorns have slashed fine threads of red from the bottom of her heels to the top of her legs and put holes into the threads of her green hipster panties. 

Turning my head for a quick glance behind me, my stomach jumps into my throat; terrified of what I’ll see. "it's gone!" I mutter in a scratchy voice. All I can see is the tall rows of trees and the winding river to the left fading in the distance. Here's my chance! 

"Hold on...Stop!", I yell as I reach my hand out to grab the cold pale shoulder of my fire freckled doppelganger. We slow to a stop and take a seat near a boulder on the rocky ledge of the river. I take a deep inhale of the cold evening air. A slight sense of euphoria almost masks the panic radiating in my body as I listen for the soothing sounds of the roaring waters below us. 

Suddenly, in the distance, I hear the loud cracking of small trees and the snarls of the monster that follows. 

"Do you trust me!?", I shouted.    

"With my life!" she cries back; Tears pouring from her eyes. 

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We had only intended on taking a brief dip in the small lake, where the river flowed into, before returning home from our adventure. We veered off from our usual hunting trails, coming down Blue Ridge Mountain, and entered a small valley hidden in the forest. That's where we found the lake. It was so beautiful; we just couldn't resist. The sun was peering just over the mountains, lighting up the wild primulas and rhododendrons. There was a small shack with a broken water wheel and a deck at the edge of the pond. The moss growing on the roof suggested it was built ages ago. The deck was old but sturdy. We took off our gear, stripped down to our underwear, and jumped right in. Splashing and spitting and dunking each other in the water like old times made us feel young again and brought a smile across her face that I hadn't seen in years.

Both of us were startled when we saw the crimson eyes peering through the vegetation, at the edge of the forest, on the other side of the lake. 

"What is that?", she had gasped in horror; with her fingers curled to her mouth, and her other hand pointing to the beast before us. 

"A wolf?" I wondered.

Suddenly, the beast began to growl, with deep vibrations, which rattled the water around us. its body raised to a standing position, on two feet, like that of a human; and the grey hairs of its fur coat raised up from its skin. Without delay, I firmly grabbed her by the arm and yanked her out of the water.

"Run. Now!" I exclaimed, and we sprinted off, completely oblivious to our surroundings.

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"Do you trust me!?", I shouted.    

"With my life!" she cries back; tears pouring from her eyes. 

Without hesitation, I shoved my best friend into the river and darted back into the forest; not waiting for the sound of her startled screams or to see if she would emerge from the waters; hoping it would conceal her scent from the monster that preyed upon us. I continued my escape, running as fast as I could. My scheme had worked as well as I had intended, even though I had no way of verifying if it had already devoured her. I could only believe it would come for me.

The stabbing pain in my abdomen returned as I realized how short our rest was. I was losing momentum. I could hear the deep vibrations of its growl and snarling drawing closer. This thing was huge and fast. I'm a good runner but I wasn't trained to outrun such a predator who seemed stronger and faster than I am. The panic I felt increased as I began to realize I might die. Turning my head, once again, to glance behind me; I scream in utter terror to the top of my lungs as my eyes lock with the crimson eyes of the beast only thirty feet behind me.

"No, no; please no!” I shouted.

I turn my head back around just in time to notice the roots of a tree sticking out of the earth just below my next step and a shallow cliff just past it. Too late! The force of my step cracks the root clean; I lose my balance and trip forward headfirst down the cliff. Quickly, I tuck in my head and lean into a front flip, slamming my back into the cold wet earth, as my body drags a wide streak of mud behind me. There's another ledge below. The force of my body propels me right off the edge feet first and I try to catch my balance as I feel the tip of my toes dig into the thick layer of mud below me. My feet slipped from right underneath me. The air within my lungs escapes me as my belly slams into the mud. The prickly bark of the tree dug into my forehead causing me to briefly blackout from the blunt force trauma.

My vision mostly returns but I am dazed and confused. I jump up to my feet and quickly break a low-hanging branch off the tree that broke my fall. There is mud in my eyes; I can barely see.

"Well, this is it", I thought to myself, in utter hopelessness.

My stubborn instincts won't let me give up. "Come On!!!" I scream to the top of my lungs, in utter terror of what comes next as I point the tip of the broken edge of my new spear towards the unknown. I turn in circles not knowing which direction the beast will come from. "Come on!!!” I scream again. 

I don't see it, still turning in circles trying to scan my new surroundings; my senses heightened. The sound of its footsteps along with its growls and snarls were gone. I must have drifted from the river; I could no longer hear the roaring waters. All I could smell was the thick, humid, musky, cold air, with a hint of pine and rotting oak tree. Thankfully the mud covering my half-naked body numbed most of the scratches and bruises I acquired in my escape. The pain in my abdomen decreased.

The throbbing in my head was intense and I noticed a slow drip of liquid falling down my right cheek. I wiped it away with my hand and looked down to notice the crimson, red blood from the wound on my forehead. Once again, my stomach jumped into my throat as I remembered the color of the beast's eyes. Suddenly, I heard the rustling of leaves and the crackle of a twig from the top of the ledge up above and looked up to see those very eyes peering down at me. Stricken with fear, my body froze. The Monster greeted me; its mouth slowly opened, exposing its long sharp teeth; revealing to me a wicked, homicidal grin on its face. Instantly, it pounced off its hind legs and leaped down just a few feet in front of me; gracefully placing its front paws first to break its fall and pulling its hind legs behind it. The beast began to growl, slowly turning its head toward me as it increased the pitch of its growl. As it turned, I could tell it was going to strike! 

Rapidly, it threw its right paw directly toward my face. I quickly ducked my head and began scrambling my legs and feet into the mud to get away; as the beast struck the tree behind me, gashing an imprint of its claws into the bark. I steadied my balance and took off running as fast as I could. I glanced back to notice the beast peering motionless, in the distance. It didn't last long.

Desperately trying to evade the beast that hunted me through the woods, I kept tripping over more dead branches on the ground. The gap between the hunter and myself was insufficient. It was close enough for the snarling and sounds of its claws digging into the earth to be heard. I started to hear the trickling sounds of the river; reminding me that though I was alone, at least my partner in crime wasn't the one being chased.

I caught a glimpse of a rope bridge ahead, sparking an ounce of hope. I must be heading straight for the river, I thought to myself.

The bridge was short, only about 20 or 30 feet. The water was only a few feet below it but not moving fast. The rickety, man-made creation appeared old but sturdy. I could jump in and swim down the river or continue down the bridge and maybe get ahead of the beast. Not having enough time to weigh the options, I decided to cross the river. I darted along the bouncing boards held by rope as fast as I could. My naked feet were inflamed, swollen, and bleeding. I cringed with each step as they connected with the wood, skimming across the top and grabbing splinters on the way. As I reached the end, I peeked back to see the beast peering at me halfway down the bridge, slowing to a stop with that stupid evil grin on its face. Without hesitation, I continued my flee. 

Whatever was stalking me was playing mind games with me. It could have easily taken me by now. Each time it was in reaching distance to me, it gave me the advantage.

"Why is it taking its time capturing me?", I wondered.

Was it trying to deplete my energy? Or play with its food like an African Lion? Each time I traveled a certain length, it would resume its hunt for me again. I wouldn’t let my curiosity slow me down.

My feet; my abdomen; my forehead; if the pain continued to increase, it would catch me. I needed to locate a safe haven as soon as possible…

I came across an oak tree with a branch that was low enough for me to climb. Without thinking, I hopped onto the limb, landing on my belly. The burn from the bark scraped my skin causing me to wince; I bit my tongue to prevent myself from yelling. Uneven tree husks tugged on the top of my underwear as I rushed to pull myself up any branch strong enough to support my weight. I continued climbing almost to the top of the tree, where any branch higher would surely break. Content with the last branch, I sat down and curled my legs into the fetal position; hiding behind the trunk of the tree as I attempted to lower my chances of getting noticed. It was becoming difficult to breathe; I was panting heavily from my exhaustion. Working to control my breathing, I gazed down at the ground, searching for the beast.

I could hear it walking up, panting and growling, from down below. It was coming from a different direction than where I approached the tree.

"Was it trying to flank me?", I wondered.

It didn't seem to know where I was. I permitted a triumphant grin to cross my face and I exhaled a quiet chuckle. I shook my head, feeling very pleased with myself for finding this tree and evading the beast. That was until the monster's body came into view. My slight moment of happiness, faded. Before now I had been too scared to get a good look at this creature; now walking upright on two giant paws with sharp claws. Long, ragged-gray fur cloaked most of its body in mats.

It had to be larger than my pickup truck back at home.

Sniffing the air with its massive head, I noticed a small notch taken out of its ear as if it had once been tagged by a hunter. It began wagging its long bushy tail like a playful dog while circling the tree, trying to figure out where my scent trail led. Thankfully, not bothering to glance up at me. 

At this point, I remembered the pine masking scent spray which was left with my gear by the lake. It would have come in handy at this very moment. It worked well with deer and coyotes. My nerves were starting to calm down as notions of this being a dumb animal crossed my mind. Predators that were easily deceived didn't survive long during hunting season.

I almost gasped as the monster jerked its head toward the mossy ground, from the path I had jumped onto the tree. "Shit", I thought. It's onto me. Its long sharp claw-like hands extended and dragged through the moss, scooping up a handful of dirt from underneath. It brought the dirt up to its muzzle, closed its eyes, and took a long deep sniff. Instantly, its eyes opened, and it let out a ferocious snarl. The beast turned its head and set its sights on the rooted area of the tree as it proceeded to trace a path to the first limb I had climbed upon. I could feel my face turn pale blue, as the terror spread throughout my body. 

"Shit!", I thought to myself; "it's following my blood trail".

The beast started working away, scanning up each branch of the tree. One by one until locking its crimson eyes with mine; greeting me, once again. It displayed those massive, razor-sharp, fangs; with that same wicked, homicidal grin as it had done earlier. The beast's arms moved to its side, exposing long fat breasts dangling from its chest. It seems our monster is a "She". 

She took her time for a moment, just staring at me; still wagging her annoying tail. My blood began to boil. I glanced up at the sky noticing the sun was going down. It was just peering over the horizon. This stupid animal, whatever the hell it was, had been chasing me for hours. My whole body was throbbing with pain. It would take weeks for me to heal from all these cuts and bruises. I was furious! I threw my hand toward her and flicked her off!

"Look at you! You, dumb bitch!" I mocked. "What's the matter!? Don't know how to climb!?".

She didn't like that. Her nose crinkled, and she let out a snarl. Her tail came to a halt as she extended her claws out, slamming her paws onto the trunk, locking them into the bark. Her glare never left, attempting to intimidate me; the intimidation worked, fear was growing in my chest again. A sharp vibration shot up the tree as she sprang up to the second branch, with ease; the one I had struggled to reach. She let out another deep growl as she lowered her body and took one more massive leap, landing gracefully onto the branch just below me. Her balance was like nothing I had ever seen. Far superior to any type of cat.

Once again, I was paralyzed with fear. She raised her arm up toward my branch as I scolded myself for being such an idiot. "Why did you mock her?" I thought; "Why do you always have to be such a smartass!?"

She pointed her index claw and pierced it into the back of my left heel, quickly slashing open a fresh wound to the tip of my pinky toe. The blood started gushing out from my already inflamed foot. Still paralyzed with fear, I was unable to scream. A sick feeling rushed up to my chest. It felt like I was choking on my heart.

She grinned as she saw the blood dripping down the edge of the branch. Stretching her mouth wide open, she moved closer to invite the drips to strike her tongue. She licked her lips a few times, letting out small grunts as she was clearly enjoying my flavor. My eyes began to water, and a tear rolled down my cheek as I came to the realization that I was going to be eaten alive.

Suddenly, she wrapped the human-like fingers of her paw around my ankle and yanked me from the branch, hurling me toward the ground. My back struck a branch below me as I fell. I quickly slide off and slam directly on my side breaking through several limbs below that. The sound of my ribs snapping was louder than the sound of crackling wood during a bonfire. I slammed into the earth below, desperately gasping for air after the wind had been knocked from me. As I try to inhale the lack of oxygen available to me. searing pain burned my ribs and lungs the more I attempted to breathe.

Without hesitation, she landed effortlessly alongside me. Still licking the fur around her lips to clean my blood from her muzzle. Her eyes darkened, and she looked into my eyes with desire. She removed her gaze from mine and turned her attention to scanning my body. I watched in horror as she dropped down to her knees next to me, placing her claws on my chest. The monster slowly moved one leg over me, to the other side of my body, and positioned herself in a dominant stance above me.

Leaning her muzzle in close to the side of my face, she exhibited her teeth and began to exhale a slow steady growl. The shock of her wretched breath wafting up my nose, almost caused me to gag. She pulls away, lifting her right arm, once again extending her index claw, and places it onto my chest. This time, she doesn't scratch me. She gently slides her claw from the middle of my chest, down my stomach, past my belly button, and then grasps ahold of my boxers. Scooting off me and to my side, she roughly lifts the top elastic part of my underwear with her thumbed claw and peeked at my junk. My boxers stretch to a point where the helm snaps from her claw back to my skin, and she lets out a quiet, high-pitched, whimper. Her moan was sensual, confusing me. When did wolves, even giant ones like this, feel sexual pleasure? Goosebumps pierced my skin at the atrocity.

My brain is no longer able to comprehend what is happening. Perhaps, I had a concussion. I try to knee her in the ribs, but she grabs my leg and yanks it back down. This infuriates her. The color of her irises changes from black to crimson instantly. She quickly moves her jaws to my side and chomps down her razor-sharp teeth into my belly with a ferocious roar vibrating from her throat. The unbearable, intense pain courses through my body, and my panic soars as my darkest thoughts manifest into reality. I am certain now. I am going to die. That was my final thought as my consciousness faded into nothing.

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Suddenly, I awaken to the instinctual reaction of slapping myself in the face. Apparently, a mosquito was hungry. The sky was black, but a sliver of light from the half-baked moon illuminated the surrounding forest. I rolled over onto my stomach and positioned myself to run a marathon, the instant they fired a pistol. I held still, listening to my surroundings. Except for crickets and an unpleasant insect buzzing near my ear, the night was peaceful. This left me feeling unnerved, so I stood up straight. 

I swatted at the insect flying around my face. My recollections of how I got myself in this situation surged back to me. I examined my body for fractured bones and the bite, but nothing was there. There was no trace of the gash on my foot or the inflammation, not even dried blood! No scratches or bruises. Was it all a nightmare?

I retraced my steps back to the pond, confident in my imagination playing with me. It's possible I inhaled some mushroom spores and had a severe hallucination. Given that I seldom recall my dreams in the first place, much less pass out, it's the only plausible explanation for what happened.

When I got to the pond, I discovered there was only my set of clothes and gear laying on the deck and nothing else. I rejoiced. My other half was most likely safe and sound at home by now.

As I tugged my clothes back on, I retrieved my phone from my pocket and checked the time. It's 12:32 a.m. The thought of going to school tomorrow makes me groan. I type in the password to unlock the phone and noticed I had numerous missed calls and texts. 

“Are you okay!? What the hell was that? Text me ASAP!”

“Hello? Where are you?”

“Please don’t be dead!”

“You’re scaring me! Please respond!”

Well crap, maybe it wasn’t fake.

“I’m okay, let’s talk more after I get home.” I typed in and hit send.