All Chapters of Lurking In The Dark - Book 1: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Glossary of parent groups and subspecies • Canis-Proles descendant of dogs             • Feles-Proles cat offspring (also includes big cats)             • Vulpes-Proles fox descendant             • Dama-Proles reindeer             • Capella-Proles descending goats             • Meles-Proles descendant of marten             • Ursus-Proles bear descendant (raccoons)             • Simia-Proles monkey descendants (chimpanzees / capuchin monkeys)             • Sciurus-Proles squirrel offspring (also includes rats and mice)             • L

Core group: Sciurus-ProlesSubspecies: MinorDescent: Due to its size and life expectancy, the minor is assumed to be derived from rats.Size: head-torso length from 19 to 29 centimeters (with tail 24 to 35 centimeters), withers from 12 to 16 centimeters. Weight: 0.17 to 0.52 kilogramsColor and appearance: The minor goes through the color scale from brown tones to yellow to red. Its hind legs are strong and relatively long. In the front paws there are glands through which it can release poison that its prey absorbs through the skin, and paralyzes. If a person is attacked, they should consult a doctor as quickly as possible, as the nervous system can fail and partial paralysis can occur very quickly.Character: Cunning and nocturnal.Characteristics: Due to its size, minor nests have already been discovered in the most inaccessible places. It has also happened that they have penetrated living spaces through ventilation shafts an

Lured by the screaming of the children, Mommy ran out of the house and found another of these animals. She tried to slam the door quickly when the non-dog jumped at her, but by then he had already torn her to the ground and bit her shoulder. She screamed and screamed in panic. I could hear it all over the garden. Mommy was scared he hurt her!Suddenly the air was filled with screaming, crying and wailing. In between, the strange animals growling again and again. I heard Moritz calling for his mom and the screeching of Chiara. One of these non-dogs had bitten into her leg and was dragging her, growling, into the nearest bushes, while another Uncle Roderick, with his cell phone to his ear, chased around the house until I could no longer see him.Wynn clutched my arm, crying, while the plush behind us still tried to bite its way through the fence. In the meantime, three others made it into the garden, jumped over the fence near the terrace and immediately rushed, drooling

"Now finally hit him on the face!" Roared Mr. Keiper at his apprentice. Even from up here I could see that the bald man had a bright red head again. "Use your head, do what you've learned!"When I heard a giggle four rows below, I fixed my gaze. There, in the first row of the stands, sat Pia and Marle, the only other girls in our year of training.The Beluosus Academy accepted around seventy-five students each year, of which no more than ten were girls. The hunt for monsters was a man's domain after all - at least that's what the guys liked to imagine. I had a completely different opinion, which was not only due to the fact that I belonged to the female gender myself.Pia chuckled at Bay's awkwardness. Maybe I should remind her how she looked with the Wrath last week. You could really have believed that she hadn't learned anything here in the last two years.From the kennel I heard the angry growl of the crane when Bay finally hit him on the short muzzle.

Mr. Keiper looked after him skeptically for a moment before turning his attention back to us. "What I actually wanted to convey to you with the whole thing is, are ..."“Always vigilant,” we all said in unison. That was the motto of every Venator - and of course a budding one, like us. Always alert, always ready.Mr. Keiper nodded satisfied. "Does anyone have any questions?" Unanimous shake of the head. “And everyone knows where to go tomorrow? Well then, pack up your things and make sure you come home. I'll see you on Friday. Unharmed, if I may ask. "That was the sign we had all been waiting for. Conversations started when everyone picked up their stuff from the stands and rushed home before Mr Keiper could think of anything else he thought he had to tell us. Yes, it happened regularly."It's going to be amazing," Evangeline enthused me on the way to the stairs. “We can finally play with the big boys. Only one more night."