Dyrin

Chapter 1: Midnight

xXGraceXx

I grimace in pain when sharp, most likely hazardous dog teeth tear through my calf. "Get off, stupid dogs!" I spit as I draw my sword. Dyrin has an extremely strict policy against wandering off into the night- or more importantly stealing from shops. Who would blame me? I needed food for my journey up to the King's palace.

I bury the sword's edge down into one of the hounds, and the dog erupts in shrieks of pain. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't go around killing dogs. But these dogs are different- these are human souls trapped in a dog's body. Obviously they have no control at this point. They have no hope of ever returning to their original bodies.. They are mindless monsters now, working for the King Joel.

Joel. The name itself even caused me to flinch. Our king is not a person that one with logic would ever want to encounter. He must find it fun or something to go around treating his citizens like trash, or even attaching souls to monsters and brainwashing them to work for him. Who does that? Nobody! ....except for Joel. It'd be my biggest achievement to find the blade of my sword inside that man's heart..

Ah, you are wondering who I am? Probably the most messed up person you'll ever meet. In fact, I wasn't even supposed to be born. Dyrin has many criminally stupid rules- one of them; you cannot have over 1 child. Even if the first child has died, the second should stay in hiding. If I were to be found by the King or his men, I'd be dead by now. That is as if they can actually stop me. Two or three of the men I could take down, but dozens would be a different story. Lucky for me, the "King's" men typically payroll Dyrin in pairs or so.

After the last bloodhound is killed, I draw my long, sliver sword back into it's case. My eyes dart around to confirm that I haven't gained the unwanted attention of a citizen, or worse, one of the king's guards. The moon shines proudly in the dark nighttime sky, allowing me to scan the many rows of broken down houses. It's difficult to actually conclude that I am enabled to continue through all of the darkness, but I sigh when I don't hear or see anyone. Many night insects click in the forest beside me, leaving me alone with nature at last. That is, until I feel something...... fuzzy?

I gasp in shock, and my eyes dart down to a cute little cat circling my feet. Now I feel stupid for getting scared over a cat. I quickly facepalm before reaching down to pet the feline. I run my hands through the long, silky black fur, and the cat purrs with contentment.

The black feline then bobs his head up at me, and peers straight at me with icy blue eyes.. That's strange.. I think. Last time I checked, cats don't make that kind of eye contact with humans. I tilt my head in confusion at the cat. "You're such a cutie," I laugh.

I then hear a crunch.. I spin to see a man behind me, sword readied in his hand. "You aren't supposed to be out here at night!" He barks. My eyes narrow, challenging him. I draw my sword from it's case, holding it up in front of me in a fighting stance. I look him in the eye with confidence. Just one of these guards should be necessarily easy to take on. Hopefully this guy has enough confidence to think that he shouldn't call for backup. His eyes are filled with determination as he begins to rush over to me, sword wielded. His eyes then fill with shock and agony. I gasp when the man mysteriously falls to the ground. "What the hell...?"

When the man falls in a heap to the ground, I then see a younger man standing behind him. His intelligent yet cold eyes glimmer in the moonlight past his silver hair. "Um.. who are you?"

He pauses, as if he expects me to recognize him. He flashes a lopsided smile, and says one word. "Meow."

I gasp, then frown in disgust. "A shapeshifter? You aren't supposed to even exist!"

The man, around the age of 20 or so, bows to me with amusement. "Yet I do." I sneer at him.

"Please don't tell me-"