I jumped down from the windowsill, watching as the ground rose up to meet me. I landed at a weird angle, almost falling flat on my face, but I quickly picked myself up.I sniffed. My nose had caught a weird smell. The smell tugged at my senses, familiar but unknown.It was getting stronger, and I could sense it moving. Almost like it was walking towards me.I turned back to the window to see the butler looking down at me with a raised brow. “Did you find anything of interest sir?” he said, with his hands cupped around his mouth.I nodded with a grim expression, then turned back to the around me. I looked straight ahead to the forest, in the direction of the blood stains. And I frowned, feeling guilty, because I understood why she had gone there.My eyes were still facing the bushes, when I became curious. “What is your name my friend?” I asked, without turning back to the butler.And I could hear him clear his throat as he prepared the answer. “I am Richard sire…” he answered. Swiftl
The world went up in a white and clear blue splash, and I went down in a dark haze. As I plummeted into the water, I could only see a long strip of vines that rose from the bottom of the waterfall. The vines were tangled and interconnected and I had tried to reach for them, but they were just a fingertip too far away. And as I lost the chance, I landed in the river. The bright clear body of water held salmon and sea shells, moving across pebbles and against the current, over my head and through my legs. I could hear my heart beat beneath the ripples of motion that flowed past my ears as I floated like a raft on the water. My body was stiff and inert, but my fingers were twitching slightly. Even with my body submerged in the water, I could still hear the sound of the wild animals in the forest arpund. Their sounds came dangerously close but then drowned out in the distance ahead of me. I felt my entire body possess a strange and sudden warmth, almost boiling inside me, as a dist
The bright sun had risen high now, and from the shadows it cast across the floor I could tell it was already past noon.I took a leap over a wide gap in a path and landed on my knees and hands, groaning as I stood back up. I could still feel the pain all over my body, but I kept on walking, slowly.I could smell Myra moving farther and farther away from me but I chose to tread carefully now. The forest seemed to get bigger with each step I took, and deeper with each mile I managed to cross. I was already facing the wrong direction, and I figured it wouldn't be smart to run towards the direction I didn't want to go.My hands were aching, as the bones in my fingers felt like they had cracked to pieces. Anytime I tried to use my claws, it only made the pain worse, and it kept me from searching for areas with more dense vegetation.Yet I still moved like a man coming out here out of his own free will. A man who wanted to enjoy the great outdoors, and who came here just for the sake of cam
I heaved again and higher. Up and towards the cliff edge, seeing it as the only safe ground for me. Everything else had sunk below, caving into a bottomless pit.I reached for a grape branch that stuck out from the wall and grabbed it, before raising my left hand and into another conclave that rested inside. The space was enough and solid too, and my eyes met another just above it to the right.I pushed myself forward and placed my feet inside the one where my left hand currently was, then placed my right hand in the space I had seen next to it; moving my left hand to another grass steeple.I continued moving, finding holes, placing my hands and feet, then leaping and moving higher, getting closer and closer to the cliff edge. I counted the process as I moved. One for a hand, Two for another, Three for a leg, and four for a leap. I tried to keep my mind occupied as I tried not to think of falling, or the heavy wind blowing that dangerously facilitated it.I moved while breathing heav
My legs wobbled as the bridge shook under the weight of the wind. I could feel it whistling again, and now actually as though it was singing a tune. Like an old farmer waiting for the rain to come, as he watched dark clouds grow over the sky before his eyes.I could see the pointed rocks glisten in the sunshine, and they seemed to even sharpen themselves in preparation for my downfall. But I kept on moving slowly, counting my steps to take my mind away from how stupid it was to be on a rickety bridge in the middle of nowhere.I was alone. And I suddenly realised it.I would die out here and no one would find my remains. No soul. No one. Asides the vultures. I didn't even know if the jungle ahead had any vultures. But I knew if it did, they'd be worse than the ones I knew.I gulped again as I kept moving across the creaking mix mash of wood and green ropes; holding the leafy railing like ingredients in a pot of steamy soup. I was scared, truly scared for the first time in all my life.
Noah's POVSuddenly I jerked upright, getting to my feet faster than the spear had flown. My eyes darted this way and that, searching for the source of the spear.Suddenly the bushes right in front of me rustled, and a figure stepped out. I looked up and saw a man, covered only with a robe across his genital area. The rest of his body was flecked with tattoos like a spotted leopard. I even recognised some of the tattoos as the same engravings I'd seen on the stones earlier."Who are you?" The man asked, his voice as hard as the boulders I saw earlier.My tongue was tied, and my eyes were fixated on his features only. The man was muscular, sporting green eyes, a broad jaw and a wide nose; having ears like a bat and dirty, uneven teeth."Who are you, I ask?" The man repeated. "What are you doing in my home?""What home?" I scoffed, my eyes darting from the hanging vines to the broken bridge behind me. "This isn't a proper home. This is nothing but a jungle.""It is not a proper home to
Noah's POVI watched as the rogue's eyes widened in slight fear. He spluttered and choked against my grip, but I held on. I was not going to let go until he told me where Myra had gone."Tell me!" I growled. "Where the hell is my mate?!""No need to...b...be so aggressive, Alpha!" The rogue wolf stuttered. "I will tell you where she is.""No!" I growled, feeling my anger rise to the surface. "Tell me, or you lose your tongue!""I can't tell you anything if your hands are around my neck!" Izon snapped.I stared at him for long minutes, then released my grip on the rogue wolf's neck. Still I kept a watchful eye on him. He was a cunning rogue, from what I had seen so far, and I couldn't afford to let my guard down. Izon rubbed his throat, coughing as he regained his composure. "Thanks for not choking the life out of me," he grumbled, his voice still shaky.I crossed my arms, impatience simmering beneath the surface. "You got what you wanted. Now, speak."Izon straightened up, his gaze m
Noah's POVThe howl continued for several unending seconds, and it seemed to come from all around me. Soon, more howls joined the first, until they became a discordant sound that stung my eardrums like angry wasps.Quickly I ran through the dense forest, my heart thundering in my chest. I desperately had to find Myra before it was too late. Her scent guided me through the forest, growing stronger with each and every step I took.The branches and twigs clawed at my face and body, but I pressed on, trying to ignore the pain that followed. Leafy branches clouded my line of sight, and I beat them away with my arms. I kept running, leaping over fallen trees, side-stepping large rocks and boulders, as sweat gathered on my already grimy body.Izon's last words continued to echo in my mind, like a haunting refrain. Myra was chosen by the Moon Goddess, he'd said. It was a concept beyond the realm of my understanding. Was all of this just tye ramblings of a deranged man? How well could I trust