The Wanders 2: The Mansnatch

Chapter 1

Sunrise was brisk this time of year. Winter was still a ways off, but close enough to bring a chill to the waking air. Wild birds fluttered their wings, rodents stretched in their burrows, and something like a sigh swept through a vast woodland. Rays of orange and gold filtered through the branches to warm a quiet forest floor. Deep within this wilderness, just over a patch of grass, munched the snout of a large pig.

This particular pig stood about waist height to the average elf, with a light grey tone and a soft satisfied grunting about its breakfast. It would have appeared to be a perfectly normal wild hog were it not for the brand on its haunch or the large, thick wings that protruded from its shoulders. Those wings were as naturally grey as the rest of this flying pig, and were folded over its sides while it yanked out another clump of grass.

The pig stopped chewing. Something in this silent morning drew its attention, and its floppy ears shifted. Its beady eyes looked around as it focused on its surroundings. For long, heavy seconds, the pig was as lifeless as the trees beside which it stood. All was still.

Something pounced from behind a bush! The pig leapt high as its wings swung outward in a powerful takeoff, but not before two hands caught its hind legs. It squealed from the sudden weight and dove forward, knocking its assailant off his feet. The pig's hooves hit the dirt with a hard thud and it tore squealing through the woods.

Just beside the grass patch, a young elf boy hopped up from where he had fallen. He had a healthy yellow complexion and his jet black hair was messy over two bright eyes and a wide smile. He was already a bit scraped up, but his loose getup was fairly robust. Two pointed ears perked up to the sound of that pig squealing its head off not too far from him. In a breath he bounded after it, swinging past trees and leaping over logs.

Flying pigs may have been agile, but they weren't terribly maneuverable in woods these dense. The elf skidded just past a massive tree trunk before rounding a hillside toward the pig's panicked running. In a little over a minute of pursuit, he spotted the creature sprinting for its life. That pig launched over a sapling, but couldn't judge distance well in this dim light. One wing hit a branch that sent it into a hard landing that it barely recovered from. It loudly huffed in annoyance just before that elf boy skidded to a halt right before it.

The two kept perfectly still, as if to not tempt the other. Ever so slowly, that elf slid a step toward the pig.

It charged at him! The boy leapt away from the pig careening past, then started the chase again.

"Dante!"

The boy stopped cold and snapped toward the sound of an incomer. Just between two oaks came an elf girl a little older than him holding two large iron shackles. "You dropped your weight."

"I know," Dante looked toward the hog vanishing into the wilderness.

"If you dropped it, why are you still chasing the pig?"

Dante started running again with a wide wave, "Because I don't want to lose it! Come on!"

The girl tossed one shackle to Dante as they sprinted through the woods after their prey. By now the sun was up and warming these woodlands, and a few animals scrambled from the frantically running pursuers. They couldn't hear that pig screaming anymore, and so had to rely on its tracks.

Somewhere down the forest, past gulleys and groves, the two children stopped just shy of a rocky stream. The girl stopped Dante before he could run out in the open, and he breathily glanced at her. Yellowish skin, pointed ears, and light brown hair that fell in a ponytail down her back - she was about as average as he was. The only striking detail was the focus in her expression. It was alert, especially for this early in the morning, as she scanned the wilds ahead.