PREFACE
I'd never been truly afraid in my life. Never so terrified that my heart stopped, that my blood froze in my veins, that I became a rigid, motionless statue so incapable of movement that I couldn't even scream. Because up until now, there had never been anything remotely scary to trouble my peaceful existence. Sure, there had been stuff that made me so mad I could have killed someone, but fear was something alien to me.
Now though, I was completely and utterly paralyzed with terror. My mind was screaming that I should run, but my body was stubbornly refusing. Any second now, the great beast not ten feet away would realise that I was here, and then that would be the end of my pathetically short, pointless life.
A snarl ripped from the monster's jaws, the sound so ferocious that I jumped almost a foot. That was when my body seemed to wake up, and I clamped my hands to my mouth only a second too late to muffle the piercing scream that rang out as clear as a bell in the silent forest.
They both whipped around, the huge animal and the boy beside him, their frantic gazes searching the trees - and coming to rest of me. I screamed again, then without hesitating turned and ran, not caring where I was headed as long as I could escape the madness I was leaving behind, my instincts for self-preservation taking over. There was a shout from the boy and in one great leap, the monster was in front of me, its muzzle pulled back to reveal a line of dagger-like fangs dripping with saliva.