Night was falling on Roac. The weary villagers sleepily returned to their tiny homes after a long, hard day's work. One by one, each of the dim lights that poured from each little window flickered out, leaving Zillah in complete darkness. Not that she wasn't used to this. The night was the part of her day that she enjoyed the most. She could lie down and dream her worries away. She curled up and looked up into the starry sky.
She drifted off to sleep soon. Softly snoring, she rolled over as she dreamed. A bright picture was going through her mind. A shadow....... a huge creature stepped forward in a flash of light. The big cat pawed the ground and kneeled down for Zillah to mount it. She clambered up onto it's back and rode off into the blinding light...... and disappeared.
Cess paced back and forth in his tiny wooden hut. He was nervously wringing his hands, waiting for the right moment, for the moment when it would happen. He did not know exactly what the fates had warned him of, but he had complete faith in the links and waited for some kind of signal.
Although the people of Roac took his story a bit too far, Cess was indeed a bit touched in the head, but it was not from any type of evil, but from being alone for so many years. He did not have the look of a troubled man; he stood at about seven feet tall and wore long, flowing robes that covered his hands and feet from view. Steely gray eyes rimmed with tiny round glasses, and wild, blue-gray hair. He had the smile of a jolly young man, and the face of a twenty year-old, even though he was about a thousand years old. Again, this was not from bartering with the Devil for immortality as the world has thought, but he was a master alchemist and had concocted a potion that would stop his aging and make him immortal so he could learn all the secrets of the world of magic and the links. Cess was a bit of a nut, but he was a genius as well.
Cess looked over the rims of the glasses and outside the small window. Oh my goodness! he thought to himself as he examined the sky, the sunset is bloody...... someone is going to face death in the woods tonight..... It was then that it hit him. That was the link that he needed. Throwing his red scarf on and grabbing his walking stick, he hurried out the door.
A soft rumble awakened Zillah. It was still dark; the full moon was now at the midpoint of it's rotation in the air. Zillah blinked in the darkness and sleepily laid her head back down.
Grrrrrr........
It was louder. Her head shot straight back up. She squinted and saw a tiny gleam of red. Evil red eyes. Looking straight at her. Zillah did not even dare to hesitate. Jumping up quickly, she backed away slowly. The creature stepped into a patch of pale moonlight. Standing in front of her, baring it's long, ugly teeth and it's large, red eyes bulging in a wild rage, was an enraged wolf.
Zillah yelped and her pace gradually sped up. Soon, she was running with all the strength she could muster. Huffing madly, the wolf sped not far behind, snapping it's slobbery jaws at Zillah's feet. She couldn't run much longer...... she didn't have enough energy....
Quickly, she turned and faced the beast. "FLARE ARROW!" she gasped. A bright burst of flame was cast from her outstretched hand and headed straight towards the wolf. She didn't look back to see if she had hit it. Not caring where she was going, she closed her eyes and ran........
Soon, she opened her eyes again and slowed down. Looking behind, she could no longer see the wolf. Gasping for air, she fell to her knees. The full moon's light peeked through the trees...... trees..... trees? There were no trees in Roac..... except for......
"Oh my god," she whispered to herself. "I'm in the Forest.....".
As soon as she realized that she was in the most forbidden place in Greenia, another low growl came from overhead. She looked up and jumped back up onto her feet. The same wolf, it's mangled fur now singed, and it's temper had risen with the fire. It let out a wild roar and leaped out of the tree onto Zillah. She was knocked backwards by the wolf's weight and cracked her head against the tree. The great beast dug it's claws into Zillah's chest, raised it's long, ugly head, ready to bite his victim..........
Zillah closed her eyes, awaiting the pain......
Another low growl came from Zillah's side. The weight of the wolf lifted from her body, and she re-opened her eyes.
Another wolf?
It was not another wolf. It was an even bigger beast; menacing grey eyes, a wild mane, long teeth, clawed paws. It was a lion. It had stepped out of the darkness and had challenged the wolf. As the lion slashed the evil wolf with it's sharp claws, Zillah wanted to run. But her feet were stuck to the ground as if she had stepped in a very strong adhesive. She watched in horror as the lion defeated the wolf in a bloody battle to the death. The lion gave one last swipe, and the wolf fell dead. Then, acting as if nothing had happened, the large cat sat and began to lick it's blood-covered paws. Zillah again attempted to move, but couldn't move a muscle.
After cleaning itself, the cat looked up with it's large gray eyes at Zillah.
Oh..... now it's going to kill me for dessert.....
Zillah began to sweat furiously. As the lion moved forward, she raised her hand, ready to attack. As if it knew what she was about to do, the lion stopped in it's tracks. Slowly, her hand went back to her side. She gulped at the large lump in her throat, trying to make it go away; she stepped forward. A tiny glint of gold attracted her attention to the lion's neck. A tiny chain was rung 'round it's wide neck. Hanging on the chain was a small stone, which resembled an orange eye. Curious, she took another step. The lion softly growled, and took a huge step back. The wind began to blow it's tangled mane, and the moonlight gave it's fur a soft glow. Or was it the moonlight? Or the wind?
Zillah took a step back as the lion began to glow even more furiously. It began to shrink, it was becoming another creature. The crunching sound of shrinking bones made her wince. She gasped when the transformation was complete. The new creature still had the qualities of the lion; silvery-blur hair that resembled the mane, pointed fangs, and the stone-colored eyes. He touched the golden chain that hung around his neck and looked up at Zillah through his spectacles.
"It's..... he's..... it's the evil psycho...... Cess......."
Chapter 2 | Fanfiction