Whispers in the Dark

Handbook of Survival: Survival Guide:
Rule #2: Trust No One.

When I woke up, I was not in the same place I had fallen asleep in. Nor was I free to roam around as I pleased . . . I was tied, rather chained to the rock wall of the cave. My first thoughts were what was in the cave with me and why had I not smelled them. My second thoughts were about how I was going to get out of this mess. I tried wriggling my feet and wrists to see if the metal that cuffed me to the chains would loosen, but to no avail. Growling furiously, I called out. "If you are going to kill me, you should have by now." Of course, I never actually expected a reply.

"If I had wanted to kill you, I would have done so by now." As the voice mocked me, I realized it was the voice of someone old, frail, and definitely not the voice someone you would expect to live in the mountains. Nor fight the creatures that live there; he must survive or protect himself by using traps.

"I don't if you must know. It is quite easy to blend in." I stared at him confused, trying to figure out why he seemed familiar when i was certain i had never seen nor met him before in my life. So why was this man familiar? The man did not comment, I wasn't sure if it was out of fear or he just didn't want to answer, maybe he didn't hear. "I heard. And I'm afraid of nothing. Time you should stop fearing." The man, I really have to stop calling him that, hobbled over to put a pot down on the blazing fire. I looked into the pot and found it full of things I knew could not be edible. "Do I want to know what that is . . . ?"

"It is a pot full of herbs. It will heal that nasty wound you go there." He pointed at my leg and and I looked down to examine myself, and sure enough, he was right, it could only occurred when the black thing knocked me straight of the cliff. Must have hit my leg on a rock. "No rock could do that damage. Have a run in with The Control did you?" I looked up at him sharply. "How do you know about The Control?" He waved his hand at me over his shoulder. "I know things, I hear things. Word gets around. And from the looks of it, they were tracking you. Do they know where you are at now?"

I shook my head. "I don't believe so. I got knocked off a cliff by some kind of animal. The water washed away all traces of any remaining scents." He looked thoughtful for a moment then stirred the herbs and then set the spoon aside. "Maybe, or did it occur to you that the thing that saved you is more threatening than they are?"

I took this new information in. What could be more threatening than The Control? There were rumors back in the Morpher Labs that there was a rogue that never got caught after stealing many of the Control's weapons and some rather important mechanics information and test results from experiments, but they say that nothing was stolen, so I don't understand how this could be. He was said to be a monster and ugly; full of hate. It was also rumored that he lived down in the caves. I was in the caves, could the black shape be him? Somehow I doubted that. The old man in front of me chuckled and watched me in amusement as his eyes twinkled.

A sudden thought occurred to me. "Was the rogue that got away a few years ago, was he a Morpher?" He smiled slightly, and got out a bowl and began to dish the herbs into the bowl. "Who is to say? No one has met him. He keeps to his self." He picked up a knife and started to chop up some carrots. I watched the flames dance for several minutes before asking my next question. "So he is indeed a he? And he is still alive?" The man shook his head and slid the carrots into the pot and stirred it again.

"Yes. Yes, and as for your next question, yes he is in the mountains." I was awestruck. I knew he could read minds he had been reading mine for a while, but he was able to predict my next thought, I may as well just stop talking. "But you won't." I sighed in frustration. He was right. "Of course I am, I've been around, I know things--" I interrupted. "You hear things, I know." he laughed again. "Smart one you are. you catch on quick." He quickly diced the thin green grass looking plant and put that into the pot as well before putting the lid on it; presumably to let it simmer.

I wiggled some more, the aroma drifting up from that pot and to my nose was starting to make my mouth water, it didn't help any when I could smell the corn beef. Ignoring my rumbling stomach, I instead asked yet another question. "Are you planning on letting me go?" He nodded slowly. "As soon as I can believe that you won't try to run when I set you loose."

I batted my eyelids innocently. "Me? Run away? Never." He smiled at me, and hummed a low tune. I saw the eyes first. The bright yellow eyes. Then the eyes walked somewhat into sight, it still hid in the shadows, but I could tell now that it was black, the same size, and color of black that saved me. The black thing blurred, as if it was just a projection, then began to twist into something else.

The thing became a swirling vortex of shadows and clouds, lightning and thunder as loud as the music in a humans car blared as high as it could go, before it began to take shape. I blinked and the old man shouted at the creature, and it stopped and the vortex, the black thing, was gone. Panting heavily from curious excitement, I heard a howl. The old hermit's eyes had a look of fear to them, and he fed me two spoonfuls of the stew and to my contained surprise, he let me go.

"Go! Go now, do whatever it takes, leave! It wants you! The howler, it wants you; leave now if you value your life!" The chains fell to the ground in a rattling clatter, and I was free, rubbing my wrists, I slowly morphed back into the monstrous white wolf that looked exactly like the breed of The Control werewolves, and shot off into the darkness. I don't know why that old man had locked me up, and I don't know why he let me go, but one thing was certain: I was free, I was wanted dead, and worst of all: it was right behind me.