The wind tosses the leaves around, swirling them and making them resemble tornala does- or whatever Mother had called them once before in a story she had told. It tosses my fur around every which way. I cover my eyes with my paws as they sear with pain from the wind's slicing power. I let the breeze toss my tail around in a flurry, uncaring. I just want to evade this horrible monster that continues to pursue me and drag me in. But deep down, somewhere, I can feel that there is no way for me to escape. Not until I become 'the wolf I am meant to be', whatever that means. My head now spiraling with thoughts, I get up uneasily and begin to walk. Where? I don't care. Anywhere but here. I stumble, my posture ungainly, my paws tripping over one another. My green eyes flicker around, peering at the vivid shrubs that had once seemed so beautiful but now look forsaken, lost, ugly, and above all, utterly terrifying. Just looking over at the hideous undergrowth sends shivers rippling down my spine and into my tail, causing my hackles to bristle uncontrollably. And what could be worse? They're blocking the way home. Funny, because I don't remember them being there before. Eyes squinted in deep thought, I turn around and walk stiff-legged in the other direction, suppressing my violent urge to run as far as fast as I can away from those bushes… and this place. Away from those bushes that watch me so closely, that makes me feel alone and isolated from any love. Almost urgently, I pick up into a trot, desperately trying to escape that nerve-wracking feeling of someone's eyes digging holes into you.

My paws slip on the damp leaves, my body weak from the loss of nutrients. I should have eaten something after I woke up this morning, but I was- and am- mad at Mother. I don't want to be near her… or father, although they are my parents, and protectors…. I shake my head, confused beyond the thought of thinking through it. Right now I have one goal, and that is to escape this wretched place. I begin to walk faster, my legs a blur of dusted gold.

I then take a quick look behind me and stop dead in my tracks. I could just hear the tail end of leaves rustling. Trying to think nothing of it, and praying that it was just a leaf unsettled by my walk, I press forwards, heading up a steep hill. And it will get me far, far away. And that is what I want. It is what I need, for it may keep the creature at bay. Just maybe… but the sheer thought of it is enough to keep me going. If there is the slightest chance of escaping the force's clutches, than I'm in.

Suddenly I realize something- I can remember. I remember the time in the clearing! The monster, the words, and the choke hold it had on me…. I tear myself away from the thought and attempt to focus on the beauty around me. But everywhere I look, I see darkness. Evil. Hatred. Death. A rotting tree lies on the floor, bugs tearing into its bark mercilessly. The needle leaf and deciduous trees cover the sun, casting dark shadows that stretch across the forest floor. The grass wilts as it desperately tries to fight for its life- and for the light it needs. Small bones from a robin litter the ground, most likely from a cat. A cougar, maybe. The metallic, acrid smell of blood lingers in the air. Whether or not it is real or it is imaginary, I cannot tell for sure. But one thing I do know is: I desperately want to go home. Although, if I do that, I'll have to cross through those scraggly bushes which is not an option.

Crack.

Startled, I wheel around, looking at the path of freshly shoveled leaves. I glance at a fallen tree branch. Maybe that was the cause of the noise. Lowering my ears, I turn away. But I don't walk forwards. My legs are frozen with fear. My heart beats faster as I think about the remnants of the bird. What if the mountain lion has come back kill me and then eat me whole? I am just a wee little thing… only eight pounds. In fact, I shouldn't be allowed out of the den's premises, but, obviously, it doesn't matter how much farther I stray anymore.

Eyes still widened and ears pointed backwards, alert, I take a few cautious steps forward. The cackling of the leaves sends my heart jumping. I can feel a something's eyes boring into my lowered tail. I wait for the cat to come at me. A minute passes, and then another. Three minutes. I paw the ground, not daring to look back. Four minutes. Restless, I decide to move on. Maybe it is just a rabbit. There are rabbits in Canada, right? I groan and lower my head until it is level, my ears pressed against it. I tuck my tail between my legs, the white tip quivering with fright. I begin to bound up the hill in great leaps, my hind legs pushing off of the ground, my forepaws landing with loud thunks on the leaves. I crisscross through the imaginary trail as large rocks and boulders and loose pebbles blockade my way and fall underneath of my grey padded paws. My pink-tinged nose twitters rapidly as the scent of blood abates and another strengthens, taking over my sensitive nose. It smells of some strange mixture… something unexplainable. The smell is pungent and chokes me as I breathe it in. I climb up the last part of the hill and am greeted by the sight of a black stretch of rock. Swirls of deep, dark colors sit in very shallow pools on top of the black slab that stretches out of sight, curving around the edge of the stocky mountain. I squeeze under the large, silvery metal-legged snake and onto the strange onyx surface. It reeks of chemicals and burned rubber. Disgusted, I lift my paws up highly as I prance along it. I stop in the center, looking down curiously at two solid yellow lines that follow through the middle of the black rock.

A loud grumble sounds from a short distance away. It hurts my ears. I flatten to the ground, my paws splayed as I try to keep low. Within a second, a large metal cube comes barreling around the corner, its feet spinning in dizzying circles. The smell of plants and a putrid, reeking stench fills my nostrils. I hack as my head becomes fuzzy. Then I see a pale hand with five stubby fingers emerge from the box. It holds an object, but I can't tell what. But I can tell that it is the source of that horrible, plant-like smell. The human throws a yellow and white cylindrical object towards the slithering silver snake. It tumbles down the hill, releasing small puffs of grey clouds as it falls. I stay still until the cube passes. In less than ten seconds, it's gone; vanished around the bend. I stand up, sure that it is safe now. I pad across the vibrating rock, wary of oncoming metal beasts.

I slip under the metal rail and slide down part of the slope, the dirt and pebbles crumbling beneath my paws. I stick my claws deep into the surface of the Earth, hoping to keep my balance. I unsteadily head down, head-first. Finally, stable land. I settle down on a flat ledge, a yawn making my muzzle open wide. My eyes droop as I stare out at the canopy of leaves that shroud the bottom of the forest in darkness. But not here. Here it is wide open and beautiful. Here I am safe and can see oncoming dangers. Here I-

"Hello," something says. I leap up onto all four legs, my eyes wide in shock.

"Who's there?" I demand. "Show your face," I try to sound tough, but my heart is thumping painfully hard in my chest, and I'm sure the something can hear it. I swivel around, looking every which way. Then I stop as I turn behind me and meet bright blue eyes. My mouth open in a yelp, I stumble backwards and begin to slide down the ledge, the pebbles tearing at my fur, threatening to penetrate through. But suddenly I stop, my hind paws suspended in the air. I can feel a clamped jaw on the scruff of my neck, holding me tightly. I am lifted into the air and then set down on the ledge. I look back into the glistening eyes of a deep, stormy-grey wolf.

"Hello," the same voice says. So this wolf is the someone. I look over him closely.

"Who are you?" I ask unsurely.

"Kuiper," he answers politely. "And you are…?" I hesitate, not wanting to answer. I had never met a stranger before.

"I'm…" I pause, thinking about whether or not I should actually tell him. "I'm Raven." There is a long stretch of silence. He sits, his black nose quivering. I tilt my head slightly as I take a seat opposite of him. "Why are you here?" I question him, a certain tone of coldness creeping in. Why? I don't know. I can't tell. I just don't trust him for some reason.

"I got kicked out of my pack. I wasn't meant to be there. I didn't belong, they said," he stops in thought before adding, "I'm from the Druid pack. They said that I had the strength of a Slough. It was alright, but not acceptable." His ears droop. Why is he telling me this? I squint my eyes tightly, searching him for answers. Well, there was only one way to get those answers, I suppose.

"But why are you here?" Then I realize something. "You were following me!" He tilts his head away, his eyes just barely looking at me. A wave of pity washes through me. "I'm sorry."

"For what? You weren't the one who threw me out of my pack. Out of my homeland- where I belong." I can tell he wants to cry. But it doesn't seem like he'll let himself. "And I'm here because… because I want a friend. I've been out here living on my own and fighting to survive for a week. It's hard, Raven." For some reason, I shudder as he says my name. But I do not feel anything- I don't feel love at first sight- about him. No, I have never felt any sort of love for another wolf besides relatives even though I have only seen Grandpa, Mom, Dad, Everest, and Orbit... ever. But still, I don't like- or love- this wolf. No way. But there is just something about him. Snap out of it!

"Maybe I could take you back to my place," I say calmly and securely, like the thoughts in my head had never occurred. I do NOT feel anything for this… pup. Almost annoyed with myself, I turn around and start heading down the hill. I can hear the scrabbling of claws on rocks. He has decided to follow. Smiling, I lead the way down the slope. I slip on one of the rocks and I can feel my face grow hot with embarrassment. Ducking my head ever so slightly, I continue downwards until I reach the forested bottom. The leaves have dried a little more since I was down here thirty minutes ago- or was it an hour? I can't remember.

"This forest is so beautiful, wouldn't you say?" he asks.

"Yeah," I lie, my eyes transfixed on my shoveled-out path ahead of me. I turn my head to look back at him. And that is when I realize that he is towering above me by at least an inch or two. Suddenly uncomfortable, I keep my nose low to the ground, pretending to be interested in the scents scattered amongst the leaves and needles.

"Do you smell that?" I jump as he barks to me. Then I catch a whiff of something. Something dusty. Something choking. I wrinkle my snout at the ghastly smell.

"It's probably nothing. This forest gives me the creeps, anyways…."

"I thought you said you liked it?" he interrogates curiously.

"Well, I never said that. Leave it to rest," I say hurriedly, my forehead becoming achy right out of the blue. I scrunch my brows together, closing my eyes tightly, trying to shove the 'it' out. The creature has come back. We are very close… and it is drawing me in.

"Raven? Are you okay?" He says something after, but his voice becomes wavy and imperceptible. I grunt and then collapse onto the ground, my muzzle distorted in pain. "Raven!" is the last word I hear him shout. And then, once again, I black out.


...Thirty minutes later...


"Where am I?" I shout to no one in particular.

"Where do you think?" a hissing voice asks. No. It can't be! I can't be here! I snap my eyes open, my heart still. Am I dead? No, I'm not dead. I'm just scared. Petrified.

"Raven! Raven? What's that noise? Why does it sound like that?" I hear a slightly familiar voice say. It belongs to Kuiper.

"So many questions, youngster. You should leave if you know what's best for you," it screeches. The noise hurts my ears beyond belief.

"No," I gasp," Kuiper, don't listen. Please, stay." I beg him for no real reason. I just want someone to save me from this monster. Maybe Kuiper can if the others can't. After all, he can hear the voice, too, and my family never could.

"I'm sorry," my eyes widen as I see him move like he's about to leave, "but we're doing it my way. And that means we're both leaving-" Kuiper's words are cut short by the scream of the force, or creature, I can't be sure.

"NOO!" But Kuiper ignores it and takes hold of the scruff of my neck. I hang there; limp, unable to help him help me. He begins to drag me out of the clearing and towards those bushes. But now they are back to normal. They are welcoming and charming once more. He drops me off in the middle of the brush so we are shrouded by the entangled branches. I can hear the distant voice screech and yell angrily. But I don't care. I'm away from 'it'. And who helped me? Not Mom or Dad. Kuiper did. A wolf that I barely know. A small smile flickers wearily across my lips as my vision flickers, blackness creeping up the edges, destroying my sight.

But now I know I'm safe. For now, at least. And that's all that matters to me.


Ta-da! Here is the second chapter of Cursed! I hope you have enjoyed this story so far. If so, please review! Feel free to shoot me a PM or post a Review to let me know whether you like it or not and how I could make it better… or if you have any ideas!

Next chapter will be out soon. Because this chapter and the one before it were long, they didn't have cliffhangers… so not many of these chapters won't, either. But I might have to throw some in once in a while to keep you interested!

Thank you for reading!