Diana stared at her ceiling. It was the same dream every night. For some reason she still remembers it as clear as crystal. Diana furrowed her eyebrows, why though? How come she gets these dreams? Either way, she's still seeing it even as she stares at her ceiling.
A woman runs with a bow slung over her shoulder and a quiver filled with arrows resting on her hips. Beside her is a hunting dog that almost looks like a wolf. The forest has long since grown silent save for the sounds of her breaths and the thumping of her boots as she ran. Trees blur together as the moon rose high, illuminating the ground below. She spots a curve and goes for it. Jumping into a few shrubs she runs as fast as she could go.
She keeps running and running with no signs of stopping, not when she's chased. She doesn't turn back. No. She can't turn back. Or else she might get caught. She doesn't know why she's chased or who is chasing her but she keeps running. She has to if she's going to survive. Her hunting dog soon gets downed. She doesn't stop. Not giving a second glance as she continues running for her life. She knows it's still chasing her.
The night air is fresh with the scent of wood but the coppery scent of blood taints it. She's alone now. All she has is a bow and a quiver full of arrows. Her eyes dart around, if she's going to die, she might as well die fighting. There! A large boulder she could use to her advantage. Being what she is, she could jump over it with ease. It should buy her time to shoot it down. The night is her empire after all.
She heads towards it. She counts to herself as she timed her jump. One, a twig snaps under her feet, fallen leaves rustle as she goes. Two, a growl from behind as it accelerates. She licked her lips, almost there⦠Now!
She jumped.
It crashed and she landed on top of the boulder, she decides to turn around and notches an arrow. Pulling it back, she shot it and it gave a deafening roar. Blood soaking its fur and she takes a few moments to rest. It was a mistake. As soon as she sat down to catch her breath, a shadow befalls her. The last she sees is black.
Diana could taste the freshness of the air. The moonlit images burnt in her memories. She glanced at her alarm clock. 7 AM. She should start preparing for school now. Getting out of bed, she stretched and glanced outside, looks like it's going to be a sunny day. That's good because she could practice her archery then.
She got dressed, grabbed her bag and opened the door only to be greeted with the sight of her twin brother, Damien.
"Good morning Diana!" He greeted with a bright smile. He had to be an early riser.
"Morning, now please don't block my way," Diana has long since gotten used to his antics early in the morning. He's always up before her. Greeting her the moment he knows she's out. Kind of like a puppy, Diana thought.
"Sorry," Damien quickly moved out of the way, a sheepish smile on his face as he gave a little laugh.
"It's alright," Diana smiled at him and together they went down the stairs.
Their mother greeted them with a kind smile. The table already has two bowls of cereal side by side. Diana greeted her mother while Damien cheerfully thanked her for her work. She finished as fast as she could. She'd rather not be late considering what happens near class time. She chewed absentmindedly as she dwelt in her thoughts. School was a bit of a hassle considering the people in her class.
There was Juno, the girlfriend of the 'School King' Julian, who happens to also be a player. Why Juno sticks with him, Diana doesn't know. Then there's the star athlete Alexander, who so happens to be an arrogant self-centered man. Then there's Minerva, who happens to be a rival of Alexander. This leads to a noisy classroom since they're always fighting.
"Diana," Damien said, getting her attention, "I think you should finish your cereal, we need to get going,"
A quick glance at the clock tells her its 7:30 and she finishes it in one gulp.
"Whoa there Diana, we're not that late," Damien comments teasingly, he knows she doesn't like being late.
"Come on, let's go," Diana tugged on his jacket hurriedly. Turning to her mother she said, "See you mom, we're off to school! Love you," Damien flashes a grin at her and waves, "Bye mom!"
"Bye! Have a nice day at school," Their mother called out as the exited the room.
Together they pass by different houses and a few stores. The walks always give Diana a sense of tranquility as she looks up at the sky. It's unsettling, how sunny it is considering how long it's been raining but she'll take it.
"Watch out!" Damien yelled as he extended an arm. Making her pause in her tracks, she glanced at her twin in confusion but all he does is point in front of them. Looking forward she gaped at the sight before her.
Snarling before them is a lion with the tail of a snake and a goat head sticking out of it. If Diana wasn't scared then she would have been disgusted. What in the world is that thing?
"You have your bow Diana?" Damien asks her.
"Look at me in the eye and say that again." Diana hissed at her brother.
"I'm taking that as a no," Damien replied and lowered his arm. The twins couldn't look away from the snarling creature before them. Fear crawling up their spine.
"You have any ideas?" She prodded, "Because I have none,"
"Err, I can sing it to sleep. Animals like music right?" Damien motioned to his guitar, unsure if it would be of any help.
"I don't think it's in the mood for a song," As if to prove a point, the creature took a step forward. The lion head snarled while the goat head gave a pitiful 'baa' and is that foam forming in its mouth? Diana shuddered. She did not want to know if that thing has rabies.
Intimidated Diana took a step back. "How about we run as fast as we can?" She suggested. There's always the hope of outrunning it.
"Considering it has the body of a lion, I won't take the chance," Damien replied.
"You know what? Screw it, I'm running," Diana announced and immediately took off. The creature gave chase and Damien had no choice but to follow her.
As she runs, images flow through her mind. She felt like this was her dream and for a moment, all she saw were trees and moonlight. A dog's by her side, the wind in her hair. Faintly she can hear the voice of her brother.
Shoot it.
Is she hearing voices now?
Shoot it.
Diana furrowed her eyebrows, what? But she doesn't have her bow or any arrows.
Shoot it.
How?! How can she shoot that-that thing when she has nothing on her? Knowledge suddenly fills her head, giving her a head ache as she absorbed the information. She has no idea where this is coming from or if it can even work but she's willing to try anything.
Turning around, Diana said out loud, "I, Artemis, call upon thee in the name of the moon!"
She held out a hand and a silver bow formed before her eyes. Wow. It worked. This is crazy, Diana thought to herself. She's being chases by a lion-goat mash up and listening to a voice in her head! How can that not be crazy?
"Diana?" She heard Damien gasp as he stopped in his tracks. The creature's attention is on her now and ready to pounce. She pulls back the string and an arrow forms. It appears to be made of crystal but Diana's not in the mood to question how things are now.
It jumps at her and she releases the string. The arrow flew by her and for a moment she couldn't believe it. The arrow sunk into the monster's chest and it fell to the ground. She slumps her shoulders and takes a deep breath.
"Wow," Surprisingly, it wasn't her that said that but her brother.
"That's enough action for today," Diana muttered and releases her hold of the bow. The bow shimmers for a bit before disappearing.
"That was awesome, Diana!" Damien grinned at her, finally getting over his shock. Catching up to her he asked, "So, how'd you do you do it?"
"I'll explain later. For now, let's head to school," Diana answered him. Luckily enough, they reach school without further incident.
Hello there! I hope you enjoyed this. It's my first fanfiction here, so I hope it's done well. As for the creature, can you guess what it is? The description should be a good enough hint. See ya and have an amazing day!
