Shift

Chapter 1

Hello Everyone,

This is the first time I've ever posted anything that I've written. This story is tentative as I want to receive your constructive opinions on the first chapter as I continue writing. I've proofed the first chapter, but I may still go back and change a few things. Thank you!

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All I had wanted to do was get away for the night. My senior year of high school was starting in a week, and the inside of my house where I had been locked away became stifling. My mother would have a conniption if she knew that I was out of the house in the middle of the night. I couldn't resist the forest though. It had called to me. Still, it wasn't my best idea to take a walk in the middle of the night in an area that I wasn't familiar with. Especially since it started downpouring. I was soaked to the bone.

Why hadn't I checked the weather before I left? Why hadn't I decided to wear a heavier jacket? Every little sound had me looking over my shoulder. Was it leaves rustling in the wind or was it a man come to rape me just like my mother always said would happen?

My plain white off-brand shoes made a squelching sound as I lifted my foot. They were soaked through and covered in mud. I stopped walking and turned around. When I left the house, I had decided to walk north. If I walked south, maybe I would be able to find the house. I closed my eyes and felt for north. I've always had a keen sense of direction. Most likely from spending so much time in the woods. Opening my eyes, I turned a little and started heading back. I made it about five yards before I heard a noise behind me. A noise that sounded suspiciously like a growl.

My heart thundered under my breast as I stood frozen. I was from Illinois. I never really had to worry about wildlife. I wasn't sure how to properly react. Should I just stand here and not move? Should I make a run for it? Drop to the ground and curl in a ball?

A branch snapped behind me and my body decided for me. My eyes had locked on a sturdy looking tree, I sprinted for it. My bruised knees complained at the movement. I jumped at a low-hanging branch, catching it with my hands. I started pulling myself up using my feet to kick off the tree.

Something sharp clamped down on my ankle and I cried out. I looked down into a pair of bright yellow eyes. Sharp white teeth glistened in the moonlight, gripping my ankle just hard enough to keep me from moving. I kicked my other foot out, hitting the animal in the snout. There was a yelp and I was released.

I scrambled up onto the branch. The animal had backed up in a patch of moonlight that had broken through the trees. A whimper escaped my throat as I caught sight of the beast. It was a large gray wolf with black legs and fluffy black ears. In any other circumstances, the wolf would have been beautiful. However, my self-preservation told me that I should be fearful.

The wolf took off at a dead run heading straight for the tree I was in. My muscles all tensed as I struggled to maintain my balance on the slick branch. The wolf launched itself up the tree, almost using it like a springboard it kicked off with its hind legs twisting as it aimed itself straight for me. My hands fisted around handfuls of wet fur as we toppled off the branch. I crashed to the ground with a very heavy wolf on my chest. There was an audible crunch and all the air rushed from my lungs just as my skull bounced off the ground.

My ears were ringing, and black spots threatened to consume my vision as I struggled for air. I struggled to focus on the wolf that straddled me. Something cold and wet pressed against my throat just as a hot burst of air warmed my skin. The wolf's eyes narrowed on my face before it dragged it's nose down to the junction where my neck met my shoulder. With viper-like speed, the wolf's teeth pierced my skin. A broken scream left me as I succumbed to the darkness.