Just to let y'all know, I plan to write a chapter every week.
Chappy 2: I Wouldn't Hurt You
Rei watched in awe as a young man with midnight blue hair and slate bangs chased off the wolves, smacking their heads with the flat of a silver sword. He wore clothes of black with red trim. His arms and legs glittered with silver armor. On his pale cheeks were painted two dark blue triangles each. Blood red eyes were visible under his wild bangs. The demi-neko's heart leaped when he saw a large black wolf spring from behind the man at his back.
"Behind you!" He yelled. The other turned swiftly, sinking the sword into the wolf's soft flesh . As it fell to the grassy earth, the others fled in terror. Rei watched the places where he had last seen them leave, afraid they might come back.
"You can come down now." He jumped as the man spoke, almost sarcastically, as he wiped the blood from his blade with a handkerchief
"Uh, right." Rei said sheepishly to himself, climbing out of the tree. He felt the eyes of the slate banged man on him. Turning around, he got a better look at him. He was very handsome, and tall, with pale skin. He also looked about seventeen winters. That was rather surprising since Rei thought such skilled swordsmen would be older than that. Then again, he had never gone anywhere public in seven years. He watched the other study him for a bit, then he saw eyebrows narrowing.
"You're….You're a Neko-jin." He remarked, bewilderment in his voice. As the last word was said, Rei bolted into the forest.
He was found out, and now he would be hunted down and killed, just like the rest of them! He didn't want to die yet! He liked life, just not his life. He could hear the man running after him. 'He's going to catch me and kill me! Just like that wolf!' He imagined the blade sinking into beneath the black fur of it's belly, blood following. 'Filthy vermin' he had called the creatures. Rei clenched his eyes together, scared of what might happen if he stopped running.
Suddenly, he found himself plummet as the earth trenched downward. He stumbled, unable to keep his footing, and tumbled down the dirt drop. Finally he stopped in the ditch and laid there, stationary, giving of a moan of pain. The trench had been rocky. He rubbed his bruised side, to exhausted to get up and continue running. Nor did he hear the man sliding down the trough to him. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Rei began to squirm despite how sore he was.
"Hey, calm down, I'm not going to hurt you." He didn't believe him. He wasn't about to give in to a stranger who knew what he was. Especially one with a sword.
Rei tried to sit up, but he was on his (non-bruised) side so that didn't help. He laid back down, his bruised side aching like there was no tomorrow. He felt himself being rolled onto his back and turned so his back rested on the diagonal dirt wall. He opened his eyes to see the man had knelt down to face him. He seemed…concerned.
"Leave me alone." The Neko-jin managed to say, black slits in gold glared at black rounds in red.
The man rose a brow, his attitude altering to smugness. "You're hurt and you have no clue where you are. Believe me, it's not hard to tell you're lost. If you did know where you were, you wouldn't have run towards this trench. If I let you be, then those wolves will come back and tear you to shreds like a rag doll. Canines are excellent at smelling out cats." He snidely commented. "But if you prefer to die, then by all means, go ahead." He stood up but didn't move, waiting for Rei to say something.
He frowned, suddenly feeling a little guilty. "But…I'm a-"
"Neko-jin? Yes, I know. You don't have to be a genius to figure that out. You're eyes practically scream 'I'm a kitty'." He said, folding his arms over his chest.
The man's attitude didn't enflame Rei with rage like it should have. Instead, he found it rather….welcoming, in spite of the fact he was being scolded. "But, won't you k-kill me? I mean…Every other Neko-jin was killed…."
There was a pause, no quick, livid words or lectures. He looked into those red eyes. Finally he spoke. "I told you, I wouldn't hurt you. I'm not going to be the one to wipe a species from the face of the earth."
At last Rei believed him. He was able to stand up, with a little help from his savior. He smiled up at the man, who was still holding his arm as if the hurt boy would collapse any moment. "Thank you. And I'm sorry for accusing you."
He smiled back. "I guess it's to be expected, you being the last of your kin and all." He paused. "You should go home and wash up. You're covered in dirt." He pointed out.
Rei jumped. "Oh right!" he began to panic. "Do you know how to get to the lake?"
"Of course I do, I'm-"
"Good cause I need to get there and FAST!"
The man smirked, put his fingers to his mouth and gave a long whistle. Almost immediately, a large black stallion came charging through the woods, rich crimson reins and a saddle equipped. Rei jumped back. He had never seen such a large horse. The old mare that Ms. Tate owned, Bitsy, was a lot smaller than this beast. What astounded him even more was that the man was now picking him up, with ease I might add, and setting him on the back of the horse. He then got up in front of him and took up the reins. "to the lake, Blazer, and let's make it snappy." The creature bolted into a run with such speed Rei would have fallen off if his didn't hold onto the man's waist. What worried him, even MORE than the stallion, was if the Tates finished with the tailor early and beat him home.
A/N: Wow, that took longer than expected. Course I only had half of it written down and I had type the rest off the top of my head. Y'see, I write out the chapters on paper and then I copy them down to the computer. It's a lot easier, cause I have a lot of free time at school.
Speaking of which, I might not get next weeks chapter up as soon cause it's exam-central and I have to study. Anyway, REVIEW! REVIEWING IS GOOD!