A/N: I would like to first say that if there are any typos in this chapter- blame the bumpy roads! I wrote this while we were traveling (mostly on the highway), so... yeah, just a heads up :)
The sensation of warmth wraps around me. I slowly get up, my fawn-colored fur disordered. I lift my paw which I use to brush my mangled fur. My tongue curls at the end as I yawn. It will be a beautiful day today. I can sense it. I can feel the warmth strengthen. The sun must be very intense. That must be why it is so warm. Wanting to ease my mind, I look up. The brilliantly shining sun, the fluffy clouds and- plumes of inky clouds? I raise an eyebrow questioningly as I turn my head, following the obsidian colored trail. Lowering my gaze, I meet the unwavering stare of red and yellow stripes that lick at the air in swift, sudden motions. I can't tell what it is, and I want to go closer, but every instinct screams at me to run. Obeying, I back away. But I won't run. Fighting against the urge to turn tail and dart away, I decide to get a closer look and see what this mysterious creature is and what it could possibly be doing here. I gingerly walk forward, my tail pointed and ears erect, displaying dominance. But the creature dismisses my actions and continues to advance. I gag slightly as a horrid stench invades my nostrils. Embarrassed at my open actions, I duck my head. I can't help but thinking about what a smelly creature it is. But I still haven't figured out all of my questions. I know how it smells, but I need more! I need answers. Still overcome by curiosity which in turn leads to fearlessness, I stand my ground.
It bounds forward, the tips sprinkling ghastly-smelling two-dimensional flakes into my face. Revolted, I trip backwards, my paws slipping on the loose sediment as I try to regain balance in time to back away. But it moves faster. It laps at my paw and sears my fur. I let out a yelp of pain. The heat burns my eyes, causing small tears to form. I try to blink them away so I can see clearly, but it's impossible to stop the small droplets of water from forming, blurring my vision. I wheel around, ready to run. But the creature has grown. It surrounds me in every direction.
Panicked, I turn in circle after circle, my heart pounding painfully against my chest as I try to find an escape route. I reel through my mind, trying to think of a way to get out of this nightmare. But I can't find an explanation, or an answer. There is no way out.
"I'm sorry, please don't be mad at me! I'm sorry if I did anything wrong! I didn't mean to," I plead to the flaming monster before me. Friend. Not monster. Friend, friend, friend. Yet no matter how much I hope and pray inwardly that it does not hate me, I know it's after me. The space between me and the creature is closing rapidly. Black, billowing clouds come from it and seep towards my face. Startled, I jump. My hind paws land in something that feels unreal. Unnatural. Unnerving. Something that makes pain sear up my hind legs and into my spine, rebounding around my body until I receive the idea that deep down inside, I had been trying to tell myself: it is dangerous. It is a killer. You must jump. You must run. Now.
I immediately begin to tense my muscles. Adrenaline courses through my veins. My eyes widen as I take in the creature's massive size. There. To the left is a small area where the creature is smaller. That's my best chance. I bound forwards, my hind legs curled, power radiating, my legs bulging as I take a leap. The strongest and farthest leap I could possibly muster. If I don't make this, than there is no way that I would've lived anyway. This is my best option. But it's hot. And fear is tightening its grasp around my chest. I feel like something is constricting my lungs.
A golden stripe flies out in front of me, licking greedily at the air. My forepaws near it, closer and closer. And I can't stop it. Pain flares along my paw, growing up my leg as I dive further into the yellow creature. I thought we could be friends, but I was mistaken. I attempt to suppress a yowl of pain, but it's impossible. My throat plunges into a world of searing hurt and despair as my howl comes out forcefully, seemingly ripping my throat to pieces. My long and pain-filled howl is soon drowned as I collapse on the ground. The red and yellow vines wrap their way around me, choking me, killing me. I fail to inhale the fresh air as the inky black clouds suffocate me. My tearing eyes glance up towards the sky, but I can only see grey and black. The tendrils of blinding colors engulf my forelegs and my hind. The pain is too immense to feel anymore. I know it's the end. Why cry? My lungs constrict, my eyes roll backwards, the whites showing. Blackness creeps into my last sight of the horrid monster. I exhale. And then it's over. My friend has killed me. My ears ring, my vision fades. But the pain has ceased, and I will soon be in a better place.
I breathe in rapidly, my heart stopping for a split second. I'm alive. I paw my face, stroking my fur, stunned by the fact that I'm not dead.
"Mom," I call. I can feel small drops of liquid pool in my eyes. Shock. I can't believe that it was a dream. It was so real, I felt alive. "Mom!" I scream, scared. Paw steps break my silent sobs. I leap up and race towards Mother. She embraces me, her heart calm, soothing. She arches her neck, shielding me from the outside world. I dig my snout into her chest, trying to hide from the nightmare. But it's hard to hide from something that is inside your mind. I squeeze my eyes shut, creating tears that spill down my face in thin rivers. Mother sits, her muzzle pressing me towards her. I squirm even closer towards her, my mind racing, my heart pounding furiously in my chest.
"What's wrong," she finally asks, her eyes looking into mine caringly. "Are you alright?" I think for a moment. If I told her, it would sound stupid. So I won't. I'll keep her in the dark. There is nothing Mother can do for me anyways.
"Nothing's wrong. I just heard something. Sorry I fell asleep in the woods... I won't let it happen again," I lie. But just like Mother, I'm a good liar. She won't figure it out. I lick Mother's face, hoping she won't ask any other questions.
"You better not. You had Phoenix- you had your dad and I worried sick. Come on, let's head back. Orbit and Everest are waiting for their little sister." I exhale slowly, glad that she decided to cooperate and just go with the flow. She begins to head away. I follow, weaving between her legs, ducking my head ever so slightly. I'm growing to fast. I want to stay as a little pup forever, but that is impossible, no matter what Dad may say. 'Everything is possible' is a lie. It's not possible to stay as a cute puppy. Trust me, I know. I get torn from my thoughts as I feel the impact of a forceful push. I tumble from underneath Mother. I look up, teeth bared, eyes shining brilliantly. I meet the eyes of a white wolf. Everest. Of course.
"Stop messing around," I demand. But he just laughs, his canines reflecting the sun's light, his tongue lolling out of his mouth.
"I'm your brother, you can't tell me what to do. Oh, and may I also add that I'm two minutes older than you!" His blue eyes glow as he prances around, lifting his knees high, his snout pointed. He smirks as he turns his head towards me. Suddenly he's falling... falling... thunk. His face meets the ground. Snarling, he spins around, his pupils narrowed on the king of troublemaking. My beloved younger brother, Orbit. "Watch it, mutt," Everest growls. Orbit tilts his head away, his eyes peering up at his elder brother.
"Sorry," the golden pup says. I walk forwards and take a seat next to Orbit. He smiles. "Can't take us both on, though," Orbit says with renewed courage, the tip of his tail wagging slightly. Everest paces with annoyance, releasing a guttural growl. Let him be mad. Let him leave. He can be a real pest. Sometimes I wish it were just Orbit and I.
"Hey, you know how we have a hunting trip? Except we usually just sit and learn about it while Mom or Dad actually hunt?" Everest woofs. I acknowledge his question with a nod of my head. "We could sham being sick so we can stay out of it!" I raise an eyebrow. Why does he have to act so smart? He's already proved to us numerous times that he was born first and therefore smarter. Whether or not that is accurate, Orbit and I aren't sure, but with Everest's large vocabulary and, at times, quick-thinking, he does seem to have the brains.
"What does that mean?" Orbit asks incredulously.
"What does what mean?" Everest squints his eyes. His pink-padded paw rubs against his muzzle as he scratches an irritating itch on his cheek.
"Sham," Orbit says, rolling his eyes.
"Oh... simple, erm..." Everest lets his words trail. So much for simple. If it were so, then he would have said it! I shake my head. "Oh yeah, it means to fake or pretend something... I think..." I sigh and turn around, my tail level and ears flat as I walk away. I want to go to the hunting trip, no matter what that rat says. I trot delicately towards Mother and Dad who are resting in the den. I poke my head in and am greeted by two smiling wolves. My parents. The two wolves in this world that will always love me no matter what.
"When are we going hunting?" I ask them as I enter and perch on a small incline in the front right corner of the den. I lick my thin scraggly tail as Mother answers.
"Soon we'll go... I've been meaning to ask you something. Has Everest said the m-u-t-t word lately? I've heard it slip form his mouth, and I was just wondering," Mother explains. I don't answer. I've never been a snitch and don't plan to start now. "Of course. You won't tell." She sighs. I smile slightly, wanting to say sorry, but it wouldn't be truthful. Then again, Everest is a bug, so maybe I could just get him in trouble once... No. I can't let my reputation become ruined. Even Orbit may not hang out with me any longer if I tattle on Everest. "Well, I'll have to figure it out without your help. Run along now, Raven. We'll follow up on the hunting lessons eventually- hopefully today. I'll call you and round up your brothers." I get up and leap down the small mound. I nuzzle Dad and Mother before I head out of the den. But I don't go far. I stop outside of the entrance, turn left, and wedge myself inside of a small cubby, listening intently on their conversation.
"Phoenix, I'm concerned," I hear Mother say.
"Why?" Dad asks. I can hear a shuffling of feet and then a sigh. "About what?"
"About Raven. She's been straying away at night even when she's in the den. She sleepwalks, Phoenix! Is that not something to worry about? What wolf sleepwalks for crying out loud!? And she always sleepwalks to that small clearing when she isn't already sleeping there like last night! I should've known to look there, but I was scared I had lost her and I was panicked and- I'm getting off topic... But, still, the whole ordeal with the sleepwalking is just unordinary!"
"Bandit," Dad says calmly, "I don't think there is anything to worry about. She's fine. It's odd, yes, but that doesn't mean anything is wrong except the-"
"The tales and rumors," Mother finishes. My heart quickens. What do they mean? "But we can't be sure. What if I was that wolf? And that it gets worse every generation?"
"Nothing has happened yet, Bandit-" his voice lowers and becomes inaudible. Annoyed and wanting to hear more, I slip out of the cubby and edge towards the entrance of the den, being careful not to let them see my shadow in the rising sun.
"What if something does happen?" Mother whispers lightly, but scared. And I can't understand why. "Maybe we should've listened and-" Once more her voice becomes inaudible. But this time it has been silenced, not lowered. My eyes widen and I slowly back up. But, like all puppies, I am clumsy. My hind paw slips on a rock and it goes tumbling down the slope into the mouth of the den. My breath catches as my face grows hot in embarrassment. My tail lowers as I run as quietly as I can up the hill that the den is carved in. I sprint as fast as my unsteady legs can carry me as I wobble from the thought of the punishment I could get on eavesdropping. But to my relief, they aren't right behind me. I slow to a leisurely walk in the forest, pondering on what they said. Suddenly I change directions, like I'm being called to a specific place. I don't disobey but instead continue to think about the peculiar words shared between Mother and Dad, allowing the magnetic-like feeling drag me towards the clearing.
What had they meant with all of the talk with tales and stuff getting worse? I shut my eyes tightly as I try to think of a conclusion to put my curious mind to rest, but I don't succeed and continue to think and think on and on until the force stops and I realize I'm standing still in the center of a small clearing. I look around at the familiar settings. The trees with vines creeping up their large trunks, the short, sparse stubs of grass peeking between the gold and browned leaves from the many falls before and the one small shrub with honeysuckle that releases a sweet perfume. I smile, contented. I am back where I seem to belong. I can't understand the unexplanatory forces behind the connection of me and this place, but it is there. I can feel it deep inside. I feel at peace and at home here every time I arrive. There's just something about this place that... My vision blurs. It flickers between white and dark like a strobe light. I dig my claws into the ground as my head throbs in pain, the world outside becoming streaks as I shake my head. I collapse to the ground with a thunk. Once more the clearing will show me something horrid. But I don't want to obey this command. I must fight. Struggling, I place my paws beneath myself. I slowly get up and tuck my tail pitifully between my legs as I whimper, and my ears flatten from fear, not anger although that burns brightly in my soul, too.
"You can have power, power, power," a voice echoes. "You can stop these things if you do what you were meant to-" I shake it away with a violent slap against the tree. My chest thumps painfully as I stand with splayed legs, my stomach heaving up and down, up and down. I hate that voice. It comes back ever so often. And it sends chills right through my spine. I shiver as I turn around and walk around in circles, wanting to escape this place. But it won't let me leave. And I only remember things about this place when I enter. Once I leave I forget it all, and I must retell this to someone before it is lost from my memory.
That's right. This is the place I had that dream in. This is the place that I had that nightmare in. The nightmare of the red and yellow vines that licked at the air, devouring the land beneath it.
"You can, you can," the voice rings again. I can feel my legs give and once more I fall to the ground. But I mustn't give in. The nightmares hurt. They sear my heart and my soul. I feel worthless and scared and powerless. "But you can have POWER," the voice screeches. I gasp as my ears take in the loud scream. I press them closer to my face, not wanting to hear that scary voice again. Unnaturally, my spine moves and my head is jerked up. I let out a loud howl of pain that makes my ears ring. But I don't hear an echo from the nearby mountains. It's like it couldn't be heard by anyone except me. I suddenly get lifted onto my hind paws, and my throat is constricted. Tears rain from my eyes like water from a river.
"Let... me... go," I say, trying to convince the mysterious force.
"You can have power. Use it! Be the wolf you are meant to be. Or those rumors may be true," it shrieks.
"I don't understand!"
"And you never will," it says in a ghostly, high-pitched voice as I am released. I tumble to the ground. My vision blurs.
And then I black out.
A/N: So this is the first chapter of Cursed. I hope you enjoyed! Reviews are GREATLY appreciated!
Also, I will hopefully post a chapter once a month, but due to homework, that may/may not be possible. I'm also not limiting myself to short chapters, as you can see, but I am also not making myself write long chapters. I DO NOT have any plans on what might happen in next chapters or the entire story for that matter, so it will be quite exciting to see where this story goes. Again, I hope you have enjoyed this first chapter!
Please, no flames.
Thank you very much! -V.M.