Ice Wolf and Ink Panther

Chapter 1 - Ice Wolf and Ink Panther

Ivy

I run screaming through the night. Every fibre in me begs to escape from the terror behind me. I gasp and trip as I run over branches and roots. The forest looms around me, Its dark and menacing sounds erupt around me.I don't know how I got here or how I'm meant to get out of this forest but my mind is too panicked to even formulate a plan. All it can do is scream at me to run.

I splash through a small stream and give a yelp as the cold makes my legs cramp up. I manage to make it out of the water and scramble up the embankment that seems to jump out at me from the dark. I grab onto handfuls of longs wispy grass and take off running as behind me I hear the panting of something.

Hearing how close it is gives me a new shot of adrenalin and I put on a fresh burst of speed. I stumble my way up a hill and than trip on the way down. I scramble up and untangling my legs from the long grass, continue my blind run. I hear another growl that is followed by a snarl on my left and turn away from the sound.

Out of the inky night a cliff face looms and I skid to a stop, trying to find a way out but I've hit a dead end. I look around but the beast is too close to escape, I've trapped myself. I back up until I hit the cliff face behind me, my skin scraping against the rock.

Until now I've been running away from a monster. An unknown monster but one that sets my heart beating in a frenzy as fear pushes me on. Out of the inky blackness of the night steps a large snarling animal. I can feel a scream coming and shut my mouth as a huge white wolf with piercing green eyes like emeralds snarls at me. And here I am, my entire life worth nothing except to be food for some forest animal.

I cower away begging for it to walk away, because who wouldn't walk away from a free meal? The wolf takes a step forward and is suddenly pounced upon by a black shape that is almost part of the night. I give a small shriek as a black panther wrestles with the wolf. Opposites they snarl at each other while both trying to fight for the upper hand. The only things they have in common are the emerald eyes. They lunge at each other's throats, snapping and screaming at each other. Neither seems to be able to get a death grip and it comes apparent that they are equally matched.

Either fatigue or the knowledge they're evenly matched has them both taking a few steps back and regarding each other with wary eyes. I watch in confusion, as they both seem to stare at each other before bowing slightly to each other.

I'm not sure why I'm happy that they resorted whatever dispute they were having but relief courses through my veins. Without warning they both turn and advance upon me. I shrink back; on second thoughts maybe it would have been better if they had kept on fighting.

They lunge at me and I cover my head with my arms. I scream as they fly at me, but never feel their claws and teeth. I look up to see both animals transparent, like ghosts. One white and one black they begin to flow into me. At first I try to fight them off, but it's hard trying to push away mist.

I feel them flow in through my mouth and they seem to coil inside me. I shiver as a cooling sensation flows through me. I can feel them. They settle in me deep down in the recesses of my mind, a part of me. Most people say ghosts are cold and I expect a chill to creep over me. Hugging my arms to my knees my eyes widen as inside a glow seems to warm me up, my blood surging through my body.

I turn around and stare at the cliff face. It shimmers and suddenly becomes reflective. Something in my mind tells me to look at my reflection and I look curiously into the mirror. My reflection looks the same, chocolate brown hair, heart shaped face long lashes all those other little ting that remind me of what I look like. 

I give a cry. 

My normally brown eyes start to shimmer and the colour leeches out of them. I scream when my eyes appear pure white, like some milky pool with nothing but eyelashes to clue people into the fact I've got eyes. Even as I watch a new colour begins to develop in the iris.

I feel my jaw drop as my eyes change colour. In place of my normal brown eyes is a set of emerald eyes. I blink and inspect them closely. It's amazing how a change of eye colour can change my whole face. My new green eyes make me look as if I've got a secret, like I'm some mystery that can't be solved.

I give a smile I actually like the colour. The mirror vanishes and the cliff face begins to crack, making it look like a spider web. I feel a rumble beneath my feet and look down to see the ground open up. Falling I try to scream but it seems my voice is raw from all my earlier shouts and half gasping I claw at the air around me.

I jolt awake in bed, my pulse way too high and my head aching. I've never had a bad dream. I shake my head; scratch that, I've never had a dream. The first dream I remember having and it's a nightmare, typical. It puts me off the idea of dreaming, that's for sure.

I glance at my clock and blink in surprise. The dream seemed to last for hours but only a few minutes have passed since I've gone to bed. Eleven thirty my clock reads. I couldn't have been asleep for more than twenty minutes! Shaking off the dream I roll over and drop back into sleep, determined to have no more nightmares.

Hello to anyone who reads this. Hopefully you will enjoy this story. I love feedback so any comments are welcome.

Have a nice day!