SHOLEM

CHAPTER ONE

SHOLEM
OUTSKIRTS OF MATAYA
PRATAYA'S SHIK
PRESENT

The night was chilly. She remained still, refusing to shiver. Any movement would be heard by the patrolling men she stalked. Even her breathing was slow and regulated, so as not to mist in the unnaturally cold air, though her heart wanted to hammer its way out of her chest. Her body wanted to fidget, every instinct telling her to move, to do something, preferably to run away, but she waited. Listening. Watching. Biding her time.

The chattering noise echoed through the trees, and she knew she had struck the proverbial silver purse. Only a few men were patrolling on this night and they walked far away from the high wall. Excitement threatened to force her breathing into irregular gasps, but she remained controlled. The wind carried their shrill voices, along with the strange, animalistic bark and mews of their familiars resonating through the interwoven branches overhead, and she knew they were coming closer. She dared to turn her head, ever so slowly, to peer around the tree trunk that was her camouflage. Two pairs of glowing eyes, the only parts of the familiar visible in the limited light, were bouncing in her direction. She would have only seconds to take action or she would be caught, or worse killed.

They drew closer, the men and their familiars busy jesting amongst each other, unaware of the danger near them, and she allowed her muscles to tense, prepared for the swift movements of her blade, her throwing knives that would render their heads from their shoulders. It would only take a few seconds and they would be dead.

Or so she thought.

Without warning, a light flared just east of her position, causing spots to dance before her eyes and completely ruining her night vision. A string of choice invectives came to her mind, but she suppressed the urge to curse and considered the possibility that she had gone unnoticed by the night patrols surrounding the Prataya, despite the unexpected flare, talking could notify the men near her that she was there.       

Stupid girl, Sheil. Stupid, stupid. Rash behavior. No patience. Rushed into a dangerous situation without a plan. She muttered under her breath.    

Still to the east, a loud male voice was snarling the choice words she had been contemplating mere seconds ago, and an accompanying crashing noise suggested he too was suffering from the same handicap to his night vision she now struggled to overcome. Even if she was stupid, it was a small comfort that she was not the only one, someone on their side is affected too from the sudden light, that's a relief.

The two familiar were screeching now, probably calling their owner's attention to her presence, their chattering filling the woods with an ungodly cackle, the men didn't seem to realize she was there yet, she thought and smirked. It was when one pair of lamplight eyes materialized next to her that she realized her hope of going unnoticed was in vain, she had been caught.

She didn’t think.

Her arm moved of its own accord, slicing through bone and flesh as the paw reached for her, trying to latch on in the darkness. The barking of the cannie turned into a surprised howl and then a gurgle as her blade met its throat.

Her hiding place was obviously ruined, she bolted into the open, running towards the sound of her sister's voice and her familiar. The crashing to her east continued, then cut off abruptly with a startled yell and a triumphant bark.      

By the time she reached them, she was certain her sister was through. But that wasn't the case when she entered the clearing. Her night vision returning, all she could see was a man kneeling in the middle of the woods, the short, twiggy familiar latched around his neck with strong, wiry arms, its legs encircling his torso. That was usually how Jaral kills. Her sister, Yalowel was nowhere to be found but She knows she's somewhere around. Jaral, a feline with three eyes and claws at the end of his paws, is hardly much of a challenge to humans, but once he got his arms around you, most of the time, you didn’t survive. Unfortunately, she couldn’t intervene she has to look for the rest of her bond sisters.