Running From Shadows

A circle of beings gathered deep inside a forest where the trees spread into a large meadow with eerie light dimly illuminating the gathering. Eight black cloaks stood with their hoods bowed toward the podium that held a single purple cloak flattened to the ground. The purple cloak grew from the ground into the shape of a human like the other cloaks; white teeth seemed too bright in the darkness of the hood that covered the face. A scream in the distance brought the hooded teeth a shocked grin. “Our brother has fallen; however, we are to receive a sister in his place.”

A beast that was in the shape of a lean bear appeared in the middle of the circle standing on all fours; the animal’s muscles deflated until he was no bigger than a large Great Dane as he turned to face the purple cloak. The beast sat obediently while awaiting further instructions. “Hyphron, go forth and bring to us your new keeper.” All of the black cloaks turned away from the beast and the light as the purple cloak raised its arm and held his index finger so that it was pointing slightly to the right of the circle. “Go!” The beast stood before walking into the darkness of the forest in the direction that the purple cloak instructed.



The night was awkward. The new moon made the Earth darker. It didn’t stop the low rumbling growls from racing with the howling wind for my attention. The wind was freezing cold while the Earth was scalding hot.

I couldn’t remember what happened to me before, the future was even harder to predict, so I was left running. I knew how to protect myself; someone must have taught me well. I was afraid, but I managed to overcome the fear quickly. Something big made its way in front of me. The hair stood up on the back of my neck as I prepared myself to stand my ground.

I could feel the cold steel of the blade attached to my leg through my jeans. The thing in front of me was too dark to see visibly; the whites of its eyes and the bared teeth were the only things I could use to track its movements. It growled that deep rumbling noise and the Earth began to shake beneath my feet. “What are you,” I whispered just before the animal attacked.

I jumped out of its way the first time. Claws attached to the arm swiped at my face as I managed to dodge it. The third time it leaped into the air it was just inches above my head. I braced myself to the ground as I quickly snatched the knife from its holster and jammed it into the creature’s underside. The momentum it used to propel itself through the air allowed me to swiftly shove the animal to the ground. I removed my knife quickly before stabbing the creature as many times and in as many places as I could.

At first the animal squealed in pain. The squeals slowly turned into screams. Those screams sounded more and more like a human. I watched as the dark skin of the animal slowly turned pale. The form deflated as what seemed like fur shed. A human man lay before me with eight stab wounds on his lower abdomen and two wounds over his heart. His skin wasn’t dark like the fur, it was golden brown. He would have been tall judging from the length of his legs, and powerful with the size of his biceps and triceps. His hair was short, black, and coarse; his nails were neatly trimmed.

“I killed a man.”

I ran as soon as I realized what I’d done. A saying floated into my ears, ‘where there is one, there are dozens.’ If more of these things attacked me I doubted that I could survive. A chill ran down my spine as a piercing howl broke through the increasing sounds of the wind. I don’t know how I knew, but I knew that howl was for me. Whatever it was that howled was coming for me, and it was coming fast.