Chapter one
The rain pattered onto the forest floor, dripping from the dog’s whiskers as he walked, his head down and his tail between his legs. He shivered as the rain lashed down at him, plastering his thick black and white coat to his sides. There was a faint sound, that of a man calling in the distance behind him. He walked faster, fear in his deep brown eyes. Never before had he felt so guilty. He longed to curl up at his master’s feet, but there was no way that was happening now.. Not after what he had done. He hadn’t meant to kill it, well at least, not at the start. It had be fun chasing the sheep. Until it happened. He had felt a tingling sensation, a craving. For blood. That inbuilt instinct…. Imprinted into every dog’s mind.. I am a wolf. He shivered with dread as he remembered the feeling of his fangs sinking into innocent flesh… I am a wolf. I am made to kill- He shook his head to clear it of such thoughts. He was not a wolf, and he was no longer a farm dog. He was a… He didn’t know what he was. He padded on through the darkness, the pine needles whispering beneath his paws. The trees above him creaked and groaned, and the rain continued to beat down on him. He froze as a deep rumbling reached his sensitive ears. There was a short pause, and then a crack of blinding light lit up the sky. He turned to his right and sprinted into the trees, howling in terror. He ran and ran, trying to get as far from that terrible noise as possible. As he was less than a year old, he had never seen lightning before, so it was a bit of a shock. He was no longer conscious of where he was going. His strides got longer and longer, and without knowing he cleared a small stream, not hearing its gurgle under his frantic yelps. As he ran blindly through the pines he began to stumble, catching his paws between rocks and tree roots. His eyes widened as he ran head on into a large oak tree. His paws crumbling beneath him, he collapsed on his side at the foot of the tree. His head throbbed as he was carried down, down, down into a sea of darkness…….
Dawn found him curled up at the foot of an oak tree, the same one he had collided with the night before. He lifted his head, blinking sleepily. He squinted against the bright sunlight as he stretched his aching bones. His head throbbed a little, but he was alive. For now. Who knew what dangers this forest held? He would have to play it safe if he was to survive.
He yawned, feeling his belly growl with hunger.
He lifted his head to scent the air. A rabbit had passed by not long ago, the trail curved deeper into the trees. His thoughts took him back to his life on the farm, when he had caught a rabbit in the orchard. He had presented it to the farmer, who was eating lunch at the time, to be rewarded with a small morsel of meat.
He shook himself back into reality. He began to follow the trail, his nose to the ground as he traipsed through the undergrowth. Then he saw it.
He lifted his head and held back a surprised yelp. Food! He was now at the edge of a small clearing, and at the far side the sun reflected off the bright brown eyes of a rabbit, chewing happily. Being a young dog, he was not very wise and had little patience. With an excited bark he ran at the rabbit, which being given an early warning, dashed into the undergrowth with its tail bobbing. He skidded to a halt, kicking up pine needles. There would be other prey.
With a huff he walked on into the trees, ears pricked for danger and prey. He stepped delicately around a patch of wild flowers, admiring their beauty. The sun made its way through the trees, casting dapples of light down to the forest floor as he walked.
amazing! well done! such descriptive writing!
ReplyDelete