Chapter 1

The entirety of the world's future lies in her tiny palms.

Haste, to act or go with speed. 

Saru had been trusted with one of the most important tasks known to all his kind and he was not going to fail. At first when he was summoned he thought for sure that one of the maids had caught him once again taking a leisurely peak into the sultry female bathhouse and that he was being called upon for a public tongue lashing. But as he walked into the main hall, silence and tension physically permeated the air. The faces of his superiors glared down upon him from above their noses, judgment flashing behind a few piercing stares. But as he arrived at the pedestal where his lord sat, an uncommon crinkle of worry splayed across his forehead, he realized his earlier thoughts of being in trouble were unfounded. His perversity would be forgotten on this day.

His mission was simple enough; deliver a package of utmost importance to its destination within the span of three days and accomplish it with a quickness that even he was not quite sure he could attain. But if his superiors found confidence in him then he would keep his insecurities to himself and accept the assignment. A few of his Lord’s advisors tutted and grumbled as the mission was bequeathed to him, but he didn’t pay it much mind. It was well known around the castle that their opinions were more often than not ignored. Bowed on one knee and head respectively inclined, he had no clue as to what he was to deliver until it was gently laid squirming onto the marble floor, not five inches away from his brutally sharp claws. It quickly dawned on him why the members of the council were so apprehensive and disagreeable. Saru’s icy blue orbs widened in disbelief and awe, his sensitive nose telling him who and what the precious bundle was even though it had been hundreds of years since the startlingly familiar scent had graced the walls of the old stone palace. 

Understanding dawned on him and his head shot up, locking eyes with the one person he had sworn to serve so long ago and seeing the importance of his job in the eyes of his lord. No words were exchanged as he once again laid gentle eyes on the parcel wrapped in the softest yellow cashmere; misplaced strands of sparkling gold sticking out of the fabric. He lightly reached out and curled his hands around the bundle, the roughness of his calloused hands clashing with the soft texture of the blanket. He stood swiftly, turning with newfound vigor away from his superiors and out the grand entrance, picking up speed as he moved along until he was just a breeze of wind.

He ran like the hounds of hell were snapping at his heels, never stopping for food, water, or direction because the situation was so dire that failure would only bring chaos in a world already wealthy with it. His bare feet hardly touched the grass. He sprinted along, dodging through trees, over ditches, and through secret passageways of the most dangerous jungles. Through rain, and unbearable heat he continued moving, stopping at night for a quick drink of water and a moment to stretch his legs before carrying on. Arriving roughly thirty-six hundred miles south of where Nevada would be, Saru decided to stop by an old friend’s house since he was ahead of schedule and felt that if he continued on for much longer, he would fall asleep and damage the fragile bundle cradled against his chest. The distance that would have taken him two days to travel across only took a day and a half. He was proud.

He leapt from the tree that towered a home belonging to an old friend; landing softly on the balls of his feet and surprising the one person he’d never, in all his years, frightened. He hadn’t stopped by as often as he used to, but his dear friend was used to his visits so he wasn’t put off by the sudden appearance. His confidant, a retired spy, was a shadow Divinian. Normally, due to his heritage, he wouldn’t have been able to see him. His kind weren't fond of living within the visual spectrum of most sentient beings, but ever since his retirement from his 'lifestyle', his friend had been trying to live ‘normally’ as he liked to call it. His long pale hair was tied in a low ponytail and his bushy eyebrows were raised in greeting. Saru was glad that after all the years that had passed, he could always count on being warmly received with shelter and a warm meal for the night by his proud friend. 

After being shown to an empty room with a small but usable cot that had seen better days and a soft bed of hay adjacent to it, Saru immediately set about taking care of his precious cargo’s needs. He thanked the heavenly gods above because they must have known the importance of this mission. He ran into no trouble from any lowlifes or the little tot he’d held. He set the bundle upon the soft hay, the pads of his fingertips lingering upon the small digits poking from behind the warm fabric. He pulled them back when he started to drift off amongst waves of old memories and stood up, giving one last glance before heading to the back of the small house where he knew his friend awaited. There was no time for recollections of any kind.

The evening air was dry and warm, the nocturnal animals singing their songs into the starry sky, unabashed by the clumsiness of their tunes. As he walked fully onto the porch, the boards squealed under the unfamiliar weight, quieting the harmonious creatures of the night, for but a moment, before they started up again like nothing interrupted them. He leaned casually against the worn wooden doorframe, letting a sigh fall from his softly parted lips.
“What brings you here this time old friend?” his confidant inquired, his voice wispy and soft like many of his kind.

Saru smiled showing off a full set of perfect white porcelain gleaming under the moonlight and poked a fang out over his bottom lip. His friend was no fool.

“Do not feign like you know not what or whom I carry. I know that your sense of smell is not as feeble as you make it out to be.”

His old friend gave a hoarse laugh and stood from the chair he was resting in, shifting the seat only slightly with his movement. Saru wasn’t sure why the seasoned shade left his exciting low profile life for the solidarity of the rainforest or why he bothered living in the creaky old shack. It was an unusual lifestyle for his kind, but then again, his friend had never been the usual type.

The old shadow glided towards the door, stopped next to him and laid a hand on his shoulder and shook his head.
“Maintain focus my friend. The other spectrum sees more than it should. I fear that this journey is not the end, as your superiors would like to believe. Heed the trees. ”
Then he disappeared. Saru’s face drew into one of concerned bewilderment, wishing that he had fully processed what he said before his shifty friend dissipated so he could ask what he meant. Cursing the sudden foreboding feeling that bloomed itself in his stomach like a parasite almost made him double over, but he kept it together. He looked across the deck out into the unkempt and overgrown frondescence. Fireflies lazily drifted to and fro and Saru became suddenly aware of the humming and moaning of distant birds and insects. The noise was almost deafening and his vision blurred as his heart clamored against his ribcage. He slid down into a crouched stance, firmly pressing his hands to his softly pointed ears as the buzzing twilight enveloped him, the air growing thick and suffocating. He sat panting for what felt an eternity, straining to gain composure. Gradually the earth steadied, the dissonance subsided and his heart resumed its normal beat pattern. 

His hands fell onto the wooden floors with a loud thump and splinters rooted themselves into the soft skin of his palms, unbeknownst to him. His shoulders frowned and Saru lifted a hand to rub over the expanse of his head, the smooth planes sliding easily under his palms, until he reached the back, where a thick black braid protruded, spiraling down to just above his backside. He gave the interknit strands two strong jerks, hoping to unscramble his obtrusive thoughts. Saru stood up and gave a short bark of laughter, his minor anxiety attack brusquely shoved into the back of his mind. He could take on any peril this journey wanted to throw at him but taking the innocence of a child into the possible danger that his shadow friend prophesied? It left him reeling and unsure. Slightly exhausted due more to his internal struggles than actual exercise, he set off back into the shack, determined to will sleep to come and give him the rest he so desperately needed.

The evening progressed without mishap until suddenly Saru jerked awake, his whole body flooding with apprehension. His body, wound tight with the prospect of a bloody kill, went into overdrive and menacingly poised itself over the small babe. His dark alabaster skin glowed as the moonlight shined upon it, his eyes that were once foggy from sleep now alert and prepared for whatever was thrown his way. His breathing became ragged as he surveyed the entirety of the room, relaxing and frowning when he realized it was the only the shadow brusquely showing up in his borrowed quarters. He removed himself from over the bundle with a grimace, standing to his full height and slightly towering over the old shadow. A growl rumbled from within the broad expanse of his chest conveying the anger he felt at being awakened so abruptly. 

“The sun will wake soon. I am not objecting to your presence, but I advise upon a hasty withdrawal. My brethren are becoming ill at ease.”

A flurry of activity commenced in the small dusty room and in the next moment, Saru and his package were gone. Tiny dust motes spiraled in a flurry of activity at the quick departure and the warm indentation in the hay was the only sign that they had ever been. 

Saru flew across the terrain as if he had wings, the foliage of Belize, and Mexico looking like the internal contents of one who has just eaten a bean burrito with cheese. He was not aware of how much time had passed while he slept, but he was determined to make up for it. He lunged, dipped, jumped, and sprinted as hard as his legs would allow him to, the end of his long black braid occasionally lashing at his arms. But he ignored the annoying whips and continued, only going faster. 

With long full strides of his strong legs, Saru glided across the remaining miles of terrain. He flew along the currents as he raced to his final destination. After stealthily making his way across the dead lands of the desert he paused in a dense forest separated by a slow moving river, the massive roar of the nearby waterfall doing nothing to slow his accelerated heartbeat.

He kneeled by the small river and carefully removed the sling from around his body that kept the child secured to him during the journey. The baby, who magically slept the entire time, screwed her face up in mock wakefulness before settling back down, a sleepy sigh escaping her tiny parted lips. Saru smiled loosening the sides of the blanket. Small beads of sweat had begun to manifest on the tiny forehead of his charge; he certainly could not have her passing out from the heat. 

He dipped his large hands into the water, a shiver running down his spine at the welcomed temperature change. He greedily gulped up as much as he dared, even swiping a clawed fingertip softly over the child’s forehead to cool her off. Suddenly the surrounding forest grew quiet. He froze as a bush to the left shook.

Saru growled, the sound thundering enough to elicit a small whine from the child, who appeared to still be sleeping. Even so, she could sense the danger just as well. Without taking his eyes away from the shrubbery he crouched low to the ground and searched his surroundings, sniffing the air for any foreign scents. His instincts clamored within him and never having been one to ignore them, he scooped up his charge and set her down into the cradle of tree roots. After making sure she was thoroughly concealed Saru slowly made his way back up and stepped in front of the tree to take the full attention of whatever awaited him. In a far off corner of his mind he vehemently cursed himself for making the mistake of stopping. They could have arrived at their destination in time.

The surrounding forest grew strangely eerie and laconic. The hair on the back of Saru’s neck stood to attention and his chest rumbled, this growl much louder than the leading, rustled the fallen leaves littering the forest floor. A sound, much like the resonance of a bee’s wing filled the air, increasing in its fervor and animosity. Saru’s heart began to beat harder, the full thumps of it rocking his insides. Sweat started to form at his temple. They threatened to fall down his face and along the bare region of his upper torso. He leaned his weight on his back leg, the cotton of his pants stretching to accommodate the action.

The sun relentlessly beat down on him through the trees foliage. His chest expanded with his deep intakes of breath. His sense of smell wasn’t as developed as others but even so, he should have been able to detect the danger before it had gotten so close. Running, which had been his first fleeting thought, would have only caused trouble, and endangered the lives of the humans he could smell down the mountain. 

No warning was issued before they struck.

Saru sprang into action right as the first grotesque monster shot out from the underbrush. Its green scaly skin shone bright under the rays of sunlight and its talons and teeth were a shoddy brown color, the upper lip stapled past where its nose would be, giving Saru a permanent view of the gross bones. The creature shot toward him like a torpedo, but with one fell swoop of his claws, the abomination was easily disposed of, giving no challenge to the alpha of the forest.

Saru looked down at his claws, the blood of his enemy quickly staining the underside of them a dull and reddish brown. He relished in the spill of a living beings life, having gone without the experience for longer than he would have liked. One of his ears twitched and Saru scrutinized his surroundings once again, upset that he failed to realize when the whole clearing filled up with the same vermin he disposed of but moments ago. They came in an army of shades and build, most of them long and slithering with sharp teeth that gnashed at an invisible meal and talons long enough to cut their neighbors. Puss flowed from some of their mouths and many of their bulbous eyes fixated on his person, their leering gaze promising agony, and lots of it. The collective smell they gave off was enough to make an onion weep, and for a moment Saru’s eyes stung with the overwhelming stench, but he pulled through, imagining a giant field of blood hungry flowers instead. They all stood patiently, moving together as one giant being, waiting for him to make the first move.

A sickening smile of malice and hunger stretched across Saru’s face as the bloodlust started to build up in his veins. His eyes flashed blood red as his muscles tensed in preparation for a fight he was going to thoroughly enjoy. His knuckles cracked in elation and he loosened his shoulders up, making sure to be as fluid as possible for the upcoming brawl. Thoroughly relaxed, Saru glanced back at the child once more reassuring himself that she was fine and safe, then stepped forward and placed a bloodied claw into the contours of his mouth, curving his tongue around the digit and under the nail. He slid it out of his mouth with an agitating slowness that seemed to rile the gathered crowd up a notch.
“I did not savor the taste of your friend, but maybe your combined blood will sate my beast. Come get it you atrocious unlaundered inbred b******s.”

Everyone sprung into action. Saru swiped and clawed at every creature that neared him, firing shards of ice at beings further back. His tail swatted the smaller monsters while his teeth and claws took care of the rest. There was so much movement that at one point Saru just clawed at any and everything that flashed past him, grunting in satisfaction when pained screams permeated the air. The fight raged on, but it seemed that every time Saru eliminated one bother, five more took its place and as the creatures continuously poured in Saru’s mind started racing, wondering why this attack was so sudden and barbarous. 

Who could have possibly known that he was out here?

Author's Note

If you find any kind of grammatical errors, feel free to alert me. I can only catch so many issues on my own.

Reviews

[Tsukin Archangel]

Hello there~! I figured I'd return the favor of reviewing sense you reviewed the first chapter of my book. I'm enjoying the concept but I feel like some back story into the world and creatures is required at least currently I'm confused as to what these... people are. I don't really have a clear view of what Saru looks like, who he is, exactly. A furry? A devil? What is he? And the fact that this is still on Earth also gives me pause to wonder what exactly is going on. The monsters were fine cause they were well described as monsters, but I was caught a little off gaurd when you'd mentioned Saru having claws and a tail cause I had to constantly edit my image of him.

Now in terms of the storyline and writing itself I think it's very intriguing, I'd very much like to know more about this world. What that bundle is. Is it a normal human girl? Or is she like the rest of them? I'm assuming they're different considering the whole "he hadn't smelled that scent in ages" thing but yeah! I give this a 92/100. It's very important that your reader can properly visualize the characters and currently I can't really figure out what to imagine lol. Humanoid? Beasts on two legs? CLARIFY!
ANYWAY GOOD JOB!

[JacqueNthewritersblock]

Hi!!!
Thank you so much for reviewing my chapter, I really appreciate it, especially since I admire your work, what I've seen so far anyway.

When I wrote this chapter (admittedly a couple of years ago. It's gone through some serious tweekage) I wanted to ensnare the reader with as little description and insight as I possibly could. I purposefully only give you ,the reader, what I believe you need to know, until you get further along into the book. Each chapter is set up so that by the end of it, you're even more confused but left wondering "Well, what the hell is gonna happen next? What's going with this? and that?!" I didn't want to give away every detail because I don't want anyone to have a set visualization on what my characters look like. As you continue to read and grow with my characters, so too will your vision of them.

I hope I personally clarified enough for you so that you don't lose hope and continue reading!

[Tsukin Archangel]

YOOOOO lol and no problem! I did like it over all so I'm totes gonna try and read some more but today I needa read the 2nd chapters of some of my other friends //lowkey have a schedule for this stuff so I'm not like overwhelming myself lol
Ah! Okay! That makes sense. And considering you purposely have written it that way well then I can't really say there's anything wrong with it. Just know that some people will probably get annoyed with that set up. It's very unique. :3

[Kianna]

Dear JacqueNthewritersblock,

Hello, how are you doing today? Since you have been incredibly helpful to me, I thought I would return the favor. I love that I get to review a novel as I find there is more to review on while a poem can be quite subjective.

Anyways, some critiques:

"Haste, to act or go with speed." Here you would need to replace the comma with a colon since you are defining something.

This sentence runs on, "But as he arrived at the pedestal where his lord sat, an uncommon crinkle of worry splayed across his forehead, he realized his earlier thoughts of being in trouble were unfounded."

Although I see where you were going with this sentence, I think it is awkward, "Cursing the sudden foreboding feeling that bloomed itself in his stomach like a parasite almost made him double over, but he kept it together."

The word "frowned" in this sentence doesn't fit, "His shoulders frowned and Saru lifted a hand to rub over the expanse of his head, the smooth planes sliding easily under his palms, until he reached the back, where a thick black braid protruded, spiraling down to just above his backside."

In the beginning, this is just my opinion, but I had a little trouble keeping up with who was who with so many pronouns. I understand you probably did that so as to prevent from using the character's name so much, but around here, I got confused around the third paragraph. Also, try not to start your sentences with the word "but."

Also, I have noticed this character sure does have some intense reactions to things like his heart "clamoring" in his chest. Oh yeah, that word isn't the best one to use in that sentence. Perhaps his reactions are so intense because he has high senses.

I see you love the long sentences lol. It's really nice, though. They flow together and create this sort of rush as if you were literally painting a picture. However, be careful not to let them overlap too much. I see there a big, colorful vocabulary of words here. I really do like the diction of this. My favorite part was this, "They threatened to fall down his face and along the bare region of his upper torso. He leaned his weight on his back leg, the cotton of his pants stretching to accommodate the action." It was very and freshly descriptive. Also I don't think the pronoun "they" fits that sentence either.

I thought the beginning was nice. I would have added more dialogue, but that's my style. I just love witty banter. I did find the character comical as well. As for the plot, well, I can't say for now.

I say good job.

Sincerely JazzSoulKeke,

God bless

[JacqueNthewritersblock]

Thank you for reviewing, I appreciate it very very much!

I've gone through the whole of your critiques, and though I'm not taking all of them into consideration, mostly because I've written this in a particular way and changing it wouldn't properly go along with my story, there are a few that I didn't catch myself so I do thank you for that.

As the story continues, and my descriptions expand and you're introduced into more of the world I've created, I think you'll see that I've tried to do everything a certain way on purpose.

Thanks again for taking the time to review my chapter!(: