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12 years ago
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I started this quite a while back. Looong before I knew of this community. It ends randomly, but I thought I'd share it and see what you guys thought. The main character in this story has a name that looks hard to pronounce. It's Sidheon, but it's Irish Gaelic so you don't say it as Sid-he-on. It's pronounced Shee-on. Here it is!
Run faster, you fool! Sidheon thought as he bounded forward through the dismal forest, on all fours, always keeping the thickest of trees at his back for cover. The sky was a murky grey, sunless, giving the weak light that permeated the woods a haunting ambiance. All around it was eerily silent, a painfully obvious omen. Even the wind, on which Sidheon depended for carrying valuable bits of information, seemed reluctant to whisper the secrets of the morning. Snow was falling gently, dressing the dutiful pines in an innocent white finery and re-carpeting the woodland floor. The tracks of a speedy hare were fading away, leaving no sign that the creature ever existed at all. Far ahead, the crest of a barren hill loomed above the tree line. Sanctuary.
A serpentine hiss broke the quiet, followed by a soft thud. Sidheon stood up and scanned the area directly behind him. His vulpine eyes allowed him to see through the curtain of snowfall, and into the darkness. Surprisingly there were no unnatural shadows that he could see, no silhouettes that would discern who was chasing him or where the arrow had come from. This fact deepened his sense of terror, bringing it to a level he hadn’t experienced in many years. The Hunter was constantly right behind him, yet seemingly a step ahead.
Sidheon turned back towards the hill and froze again. Blood?! There wasn’t any form of breeze to carry the scent to him, so it had to be close. Instantly, he ducked behind a massive ash tree to catch his breath. He stood and examined himself to see if he was the source of the smell. Is it possible that my fear is so potent that it overwhelmed the sense of pain? He dreaded. Did I even feel the arrow strike me?
Sidheon was awash in a fleeting relief when he found no recent wounds. He then searched the ground for the blood. His eyes stopped on a small pool of it a few yards ahead, slowly melting the snow beneath it. The brightness of it against the clean white, somehow calmed Sidheon. He edged over to the blood so he could have a better look. It was beautiful in a way that he couldn’t identify. But beauty never lasts long at a time like this; a point that was proven when a large body fell from the tree above and nearly landed on top of him.
Sidheon snarled louder than he intended as he jolted backwards, on all fours again. He was baring his teeth and letting out a low, warning growl until he realized that the body was coated in a light, golden fur. Hunters don’t have fur, or at least not that type he needed to worry about now. He crept close and looked down at the sad creature. It was a male Chymera, of that he was sure. A leopard. His breathing was shallow and ragged. He noticed a sudden urge to reach out and check for a pulse.
Instead Sidheon turned from the pitiful thing and inspected the gloom once more. There was still no obvious sign of his pursuer. He shook his head and thought, I can’t risk it. I need to be strong right now. Wyllow is depending on the druid and the druid is depending on me. They come first. He was fighting hard against his human side. The side that felt sadness for the leopard, the side that wanted to save his life. The side that felt something he was too afraid to address right now. He knew the Hunter would finish the job once he came across his new prey. He was the leopard’s only hope of survival now. But the next arrow could find a home in my skull if I stayed here any longer, thought Sidheon. And surely if I tried to help, it would only slow me down, and we would both die.
Then he just had to whimper.
“Damnit” Sidheon cursed under his breath as he skidded to a halt. He dashed back to where he left him. In that short amount of time, he had rolled over to face the direction he had gone and Sidheon could see the arrow sticking out of his abdomen. He was unconscious again, no doubt from the strain. There was a lot more blood on the ground than before, but it wasn’t enough to kill him, yet.
After a quick examination, Sidheon was certain that the wound wasn’t directly life threatening and that the arrow hadn’t punctured any major organs. He knew that the hard part hadn’t even begun yet. He had to wake him up, get him alert, so he could warn him. Sidheon found a stick about the thickness of his thumb and set it aside. Then with his claws, he tore off a few strips of cloth from his cloak for some makeshift bandages.
Sidheon nudged his patient but there was no response. “Hey you,” he whispered. “Wake up!” He snapped as lifted one of Chymera’s eyelids. The first thing he noticed was the astonishing colour of the irises; a deep emerald green that he had never seen in a Chymera before. He had a slower than normal pupillary response to the light, but that was expected. “Please wake up, I don’t have much time and neither do you.” He shook him a little harder this time. His eyes jolted open and a clawed hand shot for Sidheon’s throat.
His grip was iron at first. Sidheon struggled and gasped for air, but his strength waned fast and he was able to shove his arm away. He got instinctively got to his feet and for a split second he considered leaving him again. If he’s going to try to kill me, why bother save his life at the risk of my own and those at the Sanctuary? But that was his fear talking. He knew the leopard was probably delirious from the loss of blood and just as frightened as he was. In fact, Sidheon saw it in his eyes before they closed again. Those eyes.
Sidheon knelt down beside him and gently laid the back of his hand against his forehead. There was an unnatural heat gushing through the thin layer of fur. His time was indeed running out. Sidheon decided he was going to have to start this while he was out so he opened his mouth and put the stick between his teeth. They were sharper than he expected which meant he preferred to eat like the animal he was Linked with. Something they now had in common. Without realizing, Sidheon licked his fangs, and tried to remember the last time he ate anything at all.
Sidheon took one of his daggers and cut the Chymera’s bloodstained shirt away, exposing his muscular chest. The fur here was very pale, like that on his palms. He leaned him forward so he could see the exit wound. The leopard groaned in pain and Sidheon anticipated another attack, but he didn’t startle like before so he relaxed and went back to his work. The head of the arrow was just barely through the skin of his back. That left most of the shaft on the other side, which was good. He gripped the arrow with both hands and prepared to snap it in half. The Chymera gasped in pain.
Sidheon looked over and saw that the leopard was awake again, and seemingly clear headed. “I need to get this out of you, and then I will pack the wound and bind it,” Sidheon whispered. “Nod if you know what I’m saying.” He nodded weakly. “This is going to be more painful than getting shot. I need you to be quiet if you can. Bite down on the stick.” Before he could respond with another feeble nod, he snapped the arrow.
Even with the stick in his mouth, the loudness of his scream made Sidheon flinch. He tossed the fletched end away and leaned him forward again. Not shockingly, he was already out but he kept going. He pinched the arrow head and pulled it out of his torn flesh. It slid out cleanly, for which Sidheon was grateful. Using the strips of cloth, he packed the holes as good as he could and then wrapped a few more around his body a few times to keep all in place. Now it was time to get him up. Surely his shriek was heard miles away and would act as a beacon for the Hunter.
Run faster, you fool! Sidheon thought as he bounded forward through the dismal forest, on all fours, always keeping the thickest of trees at his back for cover. The sky was a murky grey, sunless, giving the weak light that permeated the woods a haunting ambiance. All around it was eerily silent, a painfully obvious omen. Even the wind, on which Sidheon depended for carrying valuable bits of information, seemed reluctant to whisper the secrets of the morning. Snow was falling gently, dressing the dutiful pines in an innocent white finery and re-carpeting the woodland floor. The tracks of a speedy hare were fading away, leaving no sign that the creature ever existed at all. Far ahead, the crest of a barren hill loomed above the tree line. Sanctuary.
A serpentine hiss broke the quiet, followed by a soft thud. Sidheon stood up and scanned the area directly behind him. His vulpine eyes allowed him to see through the curtain of snowfall, and into the darkness. Surprisingly there were no unnatural shadows that he could see, no silhouettes that would discern who was chasing him or where the arrow had come from. This fact deepened his sense of terror, bringing it to a level he hadn’t experienced in many years. The Hunter was constantly right behind him, yet seemingly a step ahead.
Sidheon turned back towards the hill and froze again. Blood?! There wasn’t any form of breeze to carry the scent to him, so it had to be close. Instantly, he ducked behind a massive ash tree to catch his breath. He stood and examined himself to see if he was the source of the smell. Is it possible that my fear is so potent that it overwhelmed the sense of pain? He dreaded. Did I even feel the arrow strike me?
Sidheon was awash in a fleeting relief when he found no recent wounds. He then searched the ground for the blood. His eyes stopped on a small pool of it a few yards ahead, slowly melting the snow beneath it. The brightness of it against the clean white, somehow calmed Sidheon. He edged over to the blood so he could have a better look. It was beautiful in a way that he couldn’t identify. But beauty never lasts long at a time like this; a point that was proven when a large body fell from the tree above and nearly landed on top of him.
Sidheon snarled louder than he intended as he jolted backwards, on all fours again. He was baring his teeth and letting out a low, warning growl until he realized that the body was coated in a light, golden fur. Hunters don’t have fur, or at least not that type he needed to worry about now. He crept close and looked down at the sad creature. It was a male Chymera, of that he was sure. A leopard. His breathing was shallow and ragged. He noticed a sudden urge to reach out and check for a pulse.
Instead Sidheon turned from the pitiful thing and inspected the gloom once more. There was still no obvious sign of his pursuer. He shook his head and thought, I can’t risk it. I need to be strong right now. Wyllow is depending on the druid and the druid is depending on me. They come first. He was fighting hard against his human side. The side that felt sadness for the leopard, the side that wanted to save his life. The side that felt something he was too afraid to address right now. He knew the Hunter would finish the job once he came across his new prey. He was the leopard’s only hope of survival now. But the next arrow could find a home in my skull if I stayed here any longer, thought Sidheon. And surely if I tried to help, it would only slow me down, and we would both die.
Then he just had to whimper.
“Damnit” Sidheon cursed under his breath as he skidded to a halt. He dashed back to where he left him. In that short amount of time, he had rolled over to face the direction he had gone and Sidheon could see the arrow sticking out of his abdomen. He was unconscious again, no doubt from the strain. There was a lot more blood on the ground than before, but it wasn’t enough to kill him, yet.
After a quick examination, Sidheon was certain that the wound wasn’t directly life threatening and that the arrow hadn’t punctured any major organs. He knew that the hard part hadn’t even begun yet. He had to wake him up, get him alert, so he could warn him. Sidheon found a stick about the thickness of his thumb and set it aside. Then with his claws, he tore off a few strips of cloth from his cloak for some makeshift bandages.
Sidheon nudged his patient but there was no response. “Hey you,” he whispered. “Wake up!” He snapped as lifted one of Chymera’s eyelids. The first thing he noticed was the astonishing colour of the irises; a deep emerald green that he had never seen in a Chymera before. He had a slower than normal pupillary response to the light, but that was expected. “Please wake up, I don’t have much time and neither do you.” He shook him a little harder this time. His eyes jolted open and a clawed hand shot for Sidheon’s throat.
His grip was iron at first. Sidheon struggled and gasped for air, but his strength waned fast and he was able to shove his arm away. He got instinctively got to his feet and for a split second he considered leaving him again. If he’s going to try to kill me, why bother save his life at the risk of my own and those at the Sanctuary? But that was his fear talking. He knew the leopard was probably delirious from the loss of blood and just as frightened as he was. In fact, Sidheon saw it in his eyes before they closed again. Those eyes.
Sidheon knelt down beside him and gently laid the back of his hand against his forehead. There was an unnatural heat gushing through the thin layer of fur. His time was indeed running out. Sidheon decided he was going to have to start this while he was out so he opened his mouth and put the stick between his teeth. They were sharper than he expected which meant he preferred to eat like the animal he was Linked with. Something they now had in common. Without realizing, Sidheon licked his fangs, and tried to remember the last time he ate anything at all.
Sidheon took one of his daggers and cut the Chymera’s bloodstained shirt away, exposing his muscular chest. The fur here was very pale, like that on his palms. He leaned him forward so he could see the exit wound. The leopard groaned in pain and Sidheon anticipated another attack, but he didn’t startle like before so he relaxed and went back to his work. The head of the arrow was just barely through the skin of his back. That left most of the shaft on the other side, which was good. He gripped the arrow with both hands and prepared to snap it in half. The Chymera gasped in pain.
Sidheon looked over and saw that the leopard was awake again, and seemingly clear headed. “I need to get this out of you, and then I will pack the wound and bind it,” Sidheon whispered. “Nod if you know what I’m saying.” He nodded weakly. “This is going to be more painful than getting shot. I need you to be quiet if you can. Bite down on the stick.” Before he could respond with another feeble nod, he snapped the arrow.
Even with the stick in his mouth, the loudness of his scream made Sidheon flinch. He tossed the fletched end away and leaned him forward again. Not shockingly, he was already out but he kept going. He pinched the arrow head and pulled it out of his torn flesh. It slid out cleanly, for which Sidheon was grateful. Using the strips of cloth, he packed the holes as good as he could and then wrapped a few more around his body a few times to keep all in place. Now it was time to get him up. Surely his shriek was heard miles away and would act as a beacon for the Hunter.
