Running Shadows

Her First night of freedom, her first night of suffering

Before she could remember anything she remembered running away. She quickly darted through the woods, dodging and evading every log and tree that was appearing in her path. She moved her body as if she was the wind herself and that everything caused her to bend around it like a fish following a current. She felt as her legs were cut by passing thorns and the cold breezed crashed against her skin freezing her to the bone. Soon voices were heard in the shadows of the dense forest. “Where did she go?” The voices chimed as the crisp air and thick woods caused the words to echo throughout. She couldn’t tell where the male voice was coming from, but it was emerging from somewhere and to be safe she had to find out where.

                It wasn’t until she ran across the river she noticed how much blood covered her. There was blood everywhere from her legs to her back to her head even. She gave a gruff growl in annoyance at the stickiness of blood on her. Before running on her way she jumped back into the river, cleansing her body of all the blood that covered it. “Dogs can’t get me this way.” She whispered to herself as she continued on her way, knowing the government officials chasing her would have dogs to smell her out by now. She had been running for about an hour now it seemed, though her judgment on time had faltered from what it was.

                She continued to run through the woods until she reached a cliff and looked down. The woods were much darker now, making the human eye unable to see much farther than the bottom of the cliff she stood out on. The cliff seemed to create an opening among the forest for there were no trees in the near vasinity. There was, however, a large amount of stones, vines, thorns, and dirt. She could hear a small river not too far away from the cliff but she figured she had no chance of reaching it. Still she looked out over the edge and judged the jump before turning back to where she had run before.

 The dogs’ growls and barks could be heard edging closer as the male voices seemed to gather around her inch by inch. Soon a dozen men and about a half dozen dogs were around her. She began to panic slightly at the number of men and animals that now surrounded her. She never would have expected this many to show their face just to catch her.  “There is no place to run.” One of the men chimed in before she could comment to them, or even start a movement. The man who talked was tall and strong, looking much like a pro wrestler yet nimble enough to be a professional free runner. There was also an appearance as if he was as smart as a scientist but in the darkness of the night it could barely be seen. Much like the government is seen he had on a suit, now torn from thorns, glasses making it even harder to see his eyes, and short brown hair.

                She stepped back inch by inch till she could feel herself falling off the edge of the cliff without actually falling. One foot rested fully on the edge of the cliff while the other had her heel dangling off the edge. The wind eventually blew again, much more chilling than before and she shivered slightly as it touched her frozen skin. The cold was never her favorite, especially when even the wind seemed to be spreading death through its wings.  She gave a look back to the edge of the cliff and with a daring glance turned to the people. “Don’t tell me you are thinking about jumping. It would be foolish.” The man said again while the dogs gave a bark, some a growl, in aggression. She could hear some of the people laugh, ‘you will end up dead.’ She looked at those who spoke and even without seeing them fully she could tell they closed their lips.

                She just laughed back at them, “better dead than with all of you again.” She finally commented as she jumped off the cliff backwards. As she did she could hear people yelling and dogs barking at her. She just laughed as she fell and twisted in the air, soon rolling as she hit the ground as if to weaken the damage she would get. She stood up shook some of the dirt and leaves off her then limped off giving a glance up at the humans above. The shock and panic in here seemed to have disappeared from her face and only anger, sorrow, and pain were left. “After all you made me a monster,” she said as she slowly drifted down to make herself on four legs.

Soon, bones could be heard snapping through the echoing woods, growls of agonizing pain could practically be seen they were so loud. The dogs soon faded behind the humans as they smelt no longer a human but a monster in the wake. The girl that was left where she had jumped was no more by the time the cracking settled down and the dogs silenced their barks.  In its wake was a four legged monster any human would call it but to those who knew of the mythology of the world would call it a leukrokottas. Its face could be mistaken for that of a large stag, its neck grasping the perfect replication of a lion, and the legs of a cloven. Along the stag face were not teeth but bony ridges and when she opened her mouth to let lose a small roar it was giant, much larger than any human would expect. As she finished the small roar she glared at all up above who by now were frozen in fear, and in her eyes only pure rage and pain could be seen though the rage stood out much more than her pain.  

Eventually it spoke and as it did it sounded as normally human as possible but yet still retaining its bestiary form. “Next time you see me, I will be biting you dead.” She spoke in a haunting tone as she ran away, perfectly uninjured from the fall she had just faced.

Author's Note

Thanks for reading a reviewing, for my comment of this chapter please look to the beginning