The Tigers of angel wood
Chapter 1: Wings
The wind had howled savagely in angel gully that morning. The icy rain had cut through Inca's cardigan like a knife. She had never thought it was possible to be so cold. She was standing in the centre of the gully and water was starting to flow around her feet. The gully was becoming a stream. Inca knew that it would soon be a creek, then a gushing river. That's how it always happens, every year. That's why nobody has ever been into Angel wood during the winter. Inca had wanted to be the first. She had thought it would be easy, saying goodbye to her life for three months. It wasn't. She had stood there for hours that morning, not having the courage to go further, and as the water started to reach her ankles, Inca had known she didn't have long to make up her mind. If she stepped to her right, all she would have to do is head back up the steep hill towards her home. She could be warm and safe and surrounded by familiar, smiling faces all winter. But if she stepped to her left, she would be the first person to ever walk through Angel wood during the winter. She would be recognised for her bravery and her name would go down in history. But as the rain stuck her short silvery white hair to her head and the wind froze her where she stood, Inca couldn't make that decision. She hadn't known why, but she was so terrified in that moment, she couldn't think. Deep down, she had known she should move out of the rising water. Deep down, she had known that she was putting her life at risk for pride, but Inca could do nothing.
Inca sat on her cushions, looking out of her bay window. In the distance, she could see the dark line of trees that marked the beginning of Angel wood. She was thinking of that day five years ago. The day she had attempted to be the first person to ever spend a winter in Angel wood. At the time, she had been thirteen and she had considered herself very brave. But when the time had come to test herself, she was so terrified she couldn't move. She remembered standing in the creek as the icy water reached her knees. Although it would have been easy, she couldn't step out of the water. She remembered seeing the boy come towards her through the rain. She remembered him calling out to her, telling her to get out of the water. When she didn't move, the boy had waded into the water next to her and took hold of her fore arm. She had looked up at his face then. He was squinting against the rain and wind and he was telling her to come with him. That was the moment she had snapped into reality and realised for the first time what she was actually doing. Inca remembered holding onto his arm as he helped her out of the water. She remembered how the boy had led her to a small cottage and how he had made her hot Cocoa and wrapped her in a blanket in front of the fire. She had been sipping her Cocoa when she turned to see the boy preparing to leave. "What is your name, Boy? And why are you leaving me here?" Inca had said in an innocent voice. The boy had turned around to look at her and said "My name is Falcon. And I'm sorry to be leaving you, but the river doesn't wait." And with that, the boy had walked out of the cottage into the pouring rain.