Corruption MxM

Chapter 1

Bubbles spiraled upwards as I sank deeper, kicking and screaming underwater. The weights were relentlessly dragging me down in colder water and deeper into the abyss. For a moment I panicked, until I realized I could still shift.

Forcing myself to concentrate, I felt my body change and grow smaller before I was my inner animal. It was small enough so my paws easily slipped form the metal cuffs and I thanked the gods that the wolves hadn't used any cuffs that would've made shifting impossible.

As soon as I was freed of the chains, I shifted back and swam for the surface. My lungs pinched together painfully while my ears popped, lethargy slowly creeping up on me. Just when I gave up, my head pierced through the surface and I gasped in relief.

Still, I was quite a bit away from the island and in the sea, there were many hidden dangers. Remembering the dried blood on the back of my head, I forced my body to cooperate and pushed myself through the cold water.

My arms shook as I slowly got closer to the beach whilst hearing the laughter and snarls from the wolves behind me. Every moment now, I expected to be shot in the back or get run over by their ship.

Luckily I was close enough to the beach, tears of relief falling from my face as I dragged myself onto shore, dropping down just past the waves.

"Curse... the gods..." I panted, rolling over the gritty sand and hissing under my breath as I felt the salty water sting in the wound on my head. Darkness was setting over the island, bugs chirping and the jungle sounds eerily loud in my ears.

Even so, my inner cat felt at piece for once, as it originally belonged in the jungle. Being a Margay cat, I was blessed with night vision and grinned as I slowly but surely allowed myself to shift once more and got to my shaky paws.

One part of me wanted to sit down and groom first because my fur was soaking but the bigger and wiser part decided to find save shelter first. Luckily Margays are excellent climbers so with a small huff, I clambered up the nearest tree.

My claws dug into the bark, propelling me further up the tree and higher into safety. Letting my instincts guide me, my paws effortlessly balanced over the smallest branches, avoiding those that were too fragile to support me as my eyes pierced through the darkness.

"Come on, I need a den. Some sort of hide out... If I'm forced to live on this island, I need to make a safe spot to live in, be it feline or human form."

Sniffing at the tree, I detected several hints of rodents, maybe even a primate or two that had passed these branches. Sniffing at the air, my eyes spotted a few fruits hiding between the canopy and I made a mental note to visit this area again.

"But what I need right now is to find a den and a source of fresh water nearby." I told myself, keeping an eye out for any old owl burrows or maybe a hollowed tree. Even a tree with some wide branches would be fine, as I would be able to build some form of tree house in it.

A thought made me freeze mid-step, turning slightly to look in the distance. It was no use to go back to try and find either Elijah or Vane, as they both had a head start. No doubt they had already set foot on the island from another entry point and looking for each other could end up in running in circles in this thick shrubbery.

"I'll look for them tomorrow... Hopefully they're alright."

Turning tails, I dashed deeper into the forest, keeping my ears perked for any unnatural noises or any scents that had no place on the island. All I found though were the typical rodent scents and the noise of crickets and howler monkeys echoing through the night.

It made my heart thump violently in my chest as my dash turned to a crawl, ears twisting and turning at every sound. My cat might be comfortable with these surroundings but I surely wasn't. I'd rather have the dinky and too small house over this wide expanse of jungle and trees.