Seven is such a strange number. It's odd, and it looks like a "T" that hasn't been written correctly. I get shivers whenever I think about it. That's why I have decided that the seventh chapter will always have some semblance of the eerie feeling I get just saying the word. Avoiding the number seven is something I try to do, but if I'm doing schoolwork, writing a story, or any number of other things, I have to bear with it and go with the flow. You can imagine what it's like when I need to fill up my car and the only gas station close enough is a 7-11. Not that I don't like 7-11s. In fact, they have some excellent Icee flavors. Anyways, here's a warning: Chapter seven is where the weird stuff starts. Amen
Fang
After Fang had parted ways with Max, he realized that he should check in on Matik. With a quick shimmer of change, he became the hawk, soaring up through the canopy. He found it strange that the forest was so dense out here. Didn't anyone ever venture out into the jungle for resources? Or to meet with the other clans? Why didn't they go just to satisfy their curiosity? Fang had always been the sort that couldn't stay still when adventure was calling. It had gotten him into trouble lots of times as a kid. Before the sun rose he would sneak out of the house and head for the snowy caves. When he came back, his mother would be crying her eyes out and checking him for cuts and bruises…
Fang switched his thoughts over to something else; anything else. He found distraction in thinking about Max. Remembering her warmth next to him, and the soft bronze colored hair that she kept pulled back in a tight ponytail tied with leather. She had a strong 'you can't beat me' kind of attitude, but Fang knew that it was just a façade to cover her vulnerabilities. They had the rest of their lives to learn about each other.
As he neared the cabin, he slowed his flight and glided in a circle around the perimeter of the yard. The front door was wide open, broken wood scattered around like it had been broken into. Fang changed and tensed at the strange feel in the air. With slow, careful steps he slipped from shadow to shadow until he was standing against the wall. After holding his breath to listen for life, he cautiously peeked around the corner.
AngelShe could sense that something was wrong. Angel didn't know how she knew, but she stood from her drawing in the sand and tested the wind.
It blew from the north, strongly. That was wrong, she knew from her studies at the school that the wind should only blow from the east at this time of year. Brushing her skirt off, she ran to the village center, looking around for anyone else who might be nervous as well. No one was though. As far as Angel could tell, the whole town thought it was a normal day. Maybe it was just her imagination, but she felt that she needed to at least tell Maximus. She would know what it was. Maximus knew everything as far as Angel was concerned.
Just when she was running out of breath, Angel spotted the Leader walking briskly away from the housing area of the town. "Maximus!" she cried breathlessly.
As if in slow motion, Max turned with a sweeping glance. As her eyes settled on Angel, surprise appeared on her face. "Angel? What are you running for?"
With a last burst of energy, Angel threw herself into her adopted sister's arms. "Something.. Something's wrong!"She gasped. " Check the wind!"
The young Leader didn't hesitate for a second. She lifted her head to the wind and turned until she could feel it blowing straight into her face. In a flash, Maximus whipped around to face Angel. "That's not possible!"
MaximusShe couldn't believe what she was feeling. The wind was blowing from the mountains up north. Such an occurrence didn't happen too often, and it usually only meant one thing. Max turned back to the little shifter. "Angel, thank you for alerting me of this, but now I need you to go back to your house and stay there until I come and get you. Do you understand?" She stared into the younger girl's eyes as she said this with a stern and unwavering look.
With a frightened expression on her face, Angel nodded and ran off, hopefully to obey Max's orders. When Maximus was sure that Angel had gone, she walked over to the nearest guard post. There were only two shifters on duty there, a Tasmanian Giant crab and a Dingo. The Dingo was a newbie, but he had already shown some skill in running a message. Max knew that was exactly what she needed, and she wasted no time in tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention.
"Excuse me, Dingo shifter, I need you." She said quickly.
The Dingo turned, his eyes widening as he recognized Maximus. "M mah, ma, Leader!" He stuttered. "Oh, yes of course! Anything! You just say the word Ma'am!" He saluted, standing at attention.
Max looked him up and down, judging whether or not he would be up to the job after all. "State your name, warrior." She commanded.
He stood without flinching and answered calmly and coolly. "My name is Barke. Tom Barke."
She noted his stutter was already gone. "Okay then Tom, stand down. I need you to run a message to all of the warriors you can find." Max said carefully, trying to figure out the best way to word her message. After a short pause she continued. "Tell them this: Test the wind."
Tom tilted his head with confusion. It was now obvious how new he was to the force. Before he could let out a word of his curiosity, Max interrupted him.
"Just hurry!" she snapped impatiently, "The whole village depends on you!"
With that, the young warrior turned, shifted, and ran, leaving a puff of dust in his wake. Max watched, making sure he was gone before she turned and sighed. The other Warrior, a seasoned veteran of more than three territory wars, came out of the watch tower just in time to see his apprentice leave. He glanced at Maximus questioningly, and she explained the situation to him. When she was done, his expression was grave.
"We need weapons and armor to prepare our warriors. May I unlock the armory?" He asked.
She tossed a set of keys, and he just barely managed to catch them. "Do it."
He nodded and left immediately, while Max set off to the Village hall. She needed to alert the villagers to seek cover and safety. They needed to be out of harm's way when all hell was going to break loose. Briefly, she thought of Fang, and Matik. For some reason or other, she was getting an ominous feeling about them. Max shook her head. They would be fine, because Fang wouldn't let anything happen to Matik or himself would he? A flash of her nightmare came to her and she shuddered. Enough! Maximus needed to get down to business. The Village was counting on her. Besides, she could send a troop of warriors over first thing to check on them. With a halfhearted nod, she continued on her way, calculating all the preparations into the short amount of time they had.
FangIt was quiet, too quiet. Fang wasn't fooled though; he knew that whoever had caused the damage outside was still here. Taking a slow and carefully measured breath, he stepped inside the darkened cabin.
"SHIIING"
Fang's sensitive ears caught the almost incoherent sound of a blade being drawn. In a flash, he threw himself away from the sound. Landing on his right side, he barrel rolled, narrowly missing a sleek blade as it cut into the wooded floor. He kicked out, tripping the unknown attacker, and in the same movement grabbed the assailant's weapon out of his grasp. Continuing the fluid motion, he then rolled once more, ending up on top of a male warrior, probably in his early thirties.
"Who are you?" Fang growled fiercely, applying light pressure to the attacker's Adam's apple with his elbow as a warning. "What did you do with the elderly shifter who was here?"
"That's none of your concern, boy! Get off of me, or I'll gut you alive!" The Mountain warrior sneered. Then Fang caught sight of the mangled, bloody body behind the kitchen table.
With a snicker, Fang removed his elbow and pulled the shifter's face close to his. "You should know, I'm not the best person for you to be insulting. You made an error when you killed Matik; A fatal one." Sadistic anger boiled up from deep within him, changing his very essence. This being was no longer Fang Mark; a new, stronger aura surrounded him. The shifter blinked, and his eyes transformed into a blazing red that seemed to twist and turn around his pupils.
Two hours later:
Fang opened his eyes and yawned. Confusion set in straightaway. What the heck had happened? Why was he here in a, He looked around, in the forest against a mossy, wet log. He remembered blacking out after seeing…
"Oh my god!" He gasped. Nausea rolled roughly up his throat, and he turned over to throw up on the ground.
When he was completely emptied of his stomach's contents, Fang sat up, shivering. He surveyed his surroundings, and realized that he had to have been out for about seven or eight hours. The sun had gone down and he could hear a wild owl hooting. As he became more fully aware of his surroundings, he realized that he was completely covered in a wet and sticky substance.
Switching his eyesight to raptor vision, Fang surveyed his surroundings. The first things he saw were bodies. They were everywhere, some torn apart, some dangling from trees, and others twisted at odd angles in the undergrowth.
"What the hell?" he said, taking in the scene before him. Using his senses, he searched for danger. His nose flared at the familiar smell of blood. Not just any blood though. It was Mountain shifter blood. Slowly Fang picked up his hands and brought them close to his face.
With a shiver, he realized that the sticky stuff he was covered in was blood. Shock overcame him and he clenched his fists in his hair. His breath hitched as a memory surfaced.
There were screams and shouts all around him as he sat in an ornately decorated room. His mother filled his vision, as she bent to quickly sweep him up and hide him in a laundry basket. With the clothes covering him, Fang couldn't see anything. All he could do was listen as people shouted out orders and sent up the alarm signaling the Leader's assassination. Then there was a lot of jolting as someone, probably his mother, picked him up and ran with him.
All at once the memory stopped and Fang drew in a ragged breath. He had no idea where that memory had come from. It didn't make sense that he was nearby when the previous Leader had been assassinated. He was only about one year old when it had happened so there was no way that he could have played a big part in it.
What did it mean?
So that's it for now. I have a good idea of where I want to go with this story. Recently I've looked back at the beginning of my story, and I am embarrassed at what I see. My story writing skills were so bad throughout much of the story that I can only wonder how people were able to get through it without rolling their eyes in disgust. Perhaps they did. I wouldn't know. But thank you to all of my followers who have stuck with me throughout my learning stages. I'm hoping that with practice, I can move forward in my life and get as good as my idols: Garth Stein, James Patterson, Charles Dickens, and Steven Moffat. J
-1LuvDragonQueen
