Untitled
It's a story about five tribes of shape-shifters who live alongside humankind but in secret. Leopard tribe took Owl tribe down from power and so their inventions faded to myth. But then Leopard and Raven tribes teamed up and are now attempting to enslave humankind. Can Hawk and Wolf tribes find the long forgotten Owl tribe remnants in time to save the humans before Leopard tribe takes over?
Yes there is a more in detail background inside, this is just the brief of that section.
Running, I glanced sideways to check my team was with me. Crap, Zanna's pursuer is almost on her. I mentally rolled my eyes before changing my course, veering sideways to reluctantly help my teammate. Oof! I thought as I plowed straight into the spotted follower. Without breaking stride, I managed to use the leopard as a way to correct my course, bringing me next to the grey, furry shape that was Zanna. "I'm not always going to be around to save you, you know. Our goal is to escape, not to be stuck between their teeth." I growled a final note to my warning before shooting ahead, back to lead my pack, hopefully away from our enemies.
Background...
For as far back as humankind goes, there have been the shadow-walkers, the shape-shifters. These unknown creatures were stronger and faster than humans. There were five tribes: Hawk, Wolf, Leopard, Raven and Owl. The tribes named after the creatures whose form they inhabit, they are different from their wild counterparts.
Originally they were hunted for their meat as well as their pelts or feathers (seeing as they were larger and more intelligent than their normal counterpart. But at one point (now lost in history) the Owl tribe elders, oldest of the old, had created a machine that infused strands of human DNA into them to allow them to change shape into human form at will. This huge step allowed these creatures to immerse themselves into humankind, living along with them, and helping them. They were seen as the gifted, or the community heroes, valued for their strength and intelligence. The elders from each tribe saw this and thus called for a huge conference. This conference was held with the owl tribe, and a conclusion was drawn: they were to cease any open communications with humans. And so the shape-shifters faded to obscurity, known to humans as the socially outcast, and were thus ignored.
All was going well for the tribes, silently helping the humans while still not straying to close to their own secret. That is, all was going well until the Leopard tribe allied with the Raven tribe and overthrew the Owl tribe from power. They took co-leadership. The Owl tribe withdrew from history, becoming more myth then reality. Leopard and Raven tribes were ruling the shape-shifters with a strict, but fair, manner. Peace ensued for many, many generations.
Then the Leopard tribe did the unthinkable, they called for a meeting with the leaders of each pack of each tribe so their word would ring out even farther. This was where they first declared their steps toward world-rule. They declared that all tribes and packs were to reveal their true forms to humans and enslave them. The Leopard tribe would rule with Raven tribe as co-rulers. Their word was law. So Hawk and Wolf tribes did the only thing they could: they fought back. Attempts were futile however, as the Leopards were strong and Raven just as strong. Almost every raiding party that went in either ended up dead or captured. But a meeting with the oldest of the Wolf tribe revealed that the stories of myth were indeed fact, not fiction. This Wolf remembered the time of the Owl tribe. Stories that had been passed down through father to son for generations were now the only hope they had of stopping Leopard and Raven tribes. The Owls had built great technological advances and machines, they had even saved the shape-shifters, after all. So Wolf tribe sent out their most formidable pack and Hawk tribe sent out their three best tribemates to search out the Owl tribe to find the machine that they know will save them. Raven tribe spies had heard the tales and had reported it directly to Leopard tribe. Leopard tribe and Raven tribe have also sent out their best, only this time, to take out the Wolf and Hawk delegates before they reached their target. No one knows where the Owls are, they can only guess. This is where we meet Valerie, leader of the chosen Wolf pack, as well as her pack and Hawk tribe allies.
Present Day...
"Is everyone accounted for?" Valerie asked as she shook her damp fur dry. This wasn't the first time they had to cross a river to escape. Good thing those Leopards hold hatred for water as their wild counterparts do. She mentally smiled as the thought of Leopard tribe members swimming through the river they had crossed only half and hour prior. "Well it's getting dark, we'd better find a place to camp." Her sentence carried her gaze up to where their ally was quietly observing from. "Did you see anything suitable on our way here, Jamari?"
"Yea, there's an enclosed cliff cave up ahead. I'll go scout it out." Her screeching voice soft as her wing beats as she took off, going to complete her task. Valerie watched the black speck of her body until it disappeared from view, judging the direction she flew in. Ah, so just Southeast of here. Hopefully we won't be ambushed there like we were at our previous location. They had a rough awakening last night at about 2:00 AM, seeing as the Leopard pack following them had attacked. Luckily she was a light sleeper, since the only sound warning she had were the sound of claws on rock as Cyril who had gotten attacked shifted into wolf form. That reminds me.
"Cyril, how are your wounds?" She asked, striding over to her teammate. The Leopard who had grabbed him had first grabbed his mouth to muffle sound then tried to drag him away. But at his struggling, had shifted into animal form and scraped along his right flank before receiving a nasty forearm gouge from Cyril.
"They aren't too deep but-" His sentence got cut off with a gasp of pain. "But it does sting a bit." He finished, grinning to show his spirit and strong will. Which is exactly why he's in my pack, I want to make sure they can take all the crap life throws at them. Well, I know they all can take this except for- She turned to look at the packmate she most despised.
"Damnit Zanna,what was that out there? Did you want them to catch you? If it weren't for me, you'd be a pile of bones by now!"
"Look, I've already realized my mistake, lay off already. I know that I messed up okay?"
"Fine." Valerie strode off toward the river, going to check the sky for Raven scouts. She saw a couple tiny black dots off way in the distance, toward the South, too far to be of any concern, she concluded. She turned back and shifted effortlessly into Wolf form to get back to her pack. She padded silently into the clearing they were temporarily inhabiting. I still feel at unease here. A chill ran down her spine as if to give proof to her mental consternation. "I think we should move out of here as fast as we can, I don't like sitting here like ducks. Plus, the sooner we find a shelter, the more rest we can get." She didn't need to explain what she meant, their rude awakening was fresh in the minds of all of them. After all, we ended up fleeting for the whole day.
As if on cue, Jamari's feathery body flew in low, back-winging before landing expertly on the branch she had chosen as a perch. "The site checks out as being all right, it has two back tunnels, one leading to a cliff overlooking water and another leading into an underground cavern that leads out into a small enclave about a quarter mile away from the original site. Safe enough." She took off the branch again, a silent invitation to follow her to the site. All of them, except for Valerie, shifted into Wolf form and took off at a sprint in the direction the Hawk had taken off in originally. Valerie stayed to ensure their clearing showed now sign of their brief stay. She did not want their pursuers to find them again.
Jamari, who had been circling just above the tree tops, flew off in the direction of their new shelter. Valerie sprinted after her, following her direction. They shortly caught up to the others shortly, seeing as they had slowed down once out of the clearing, waiting for their navigator so they would know where to go exactly.
"You did a good job Jamari, this is a good location." She turned to the rest of her pack, raising her voice in the process, to address them all. "Okay everyone, you know the drill by now, we need to get a camouflage shelter and some smouldering coals. With a cover of course." She was trying to eliminate causes for how Leopard tribe had found them. "Jamari, how's your sight at night? Also, can you fly through trees without getting injured? I don't want you hurt if I don't have to."
Lyre, co-pack-leader, called Weylin and Nairn to go with him to put up the shelter and fire up like Valerie had said. They were the best at this, seeing as Weylin was trained specially in shelter-building and Nairn had in firebuilding as well.
"Well, I can't see as good as owls but I can see well enough. I managed to fly through them during our earlier flight. What is it you have in mind?" She flew down from her perch to stand on a little rock outcrop so she could better hear Val's proposition.
"I don't like how we were ambushed this morning. So I was thinking if you, or even Kayin or Faiga went and scouted where the Leopards are, we might better know where our enemy is spending the night. If you choose to accept this, don't go finding Raven, they'll only follow you back here. And only fly over to there during pitch black night, we don't want Leopard to see you either." She was somewhat concerned about her Hawk allies. She was asking a lot of them and she didn't want to loose them, especially since Leopard had Raven. They needed an eye in the sky or else they'd be traveling blind. Not that we really know where we're going anyway...
"I think I should be able to do that. I'll bring Kayin as backup. I'll leave close to midnight and I'll be back by early morning here. If I'm being followed I'll make sure too shake my pursuers before coming back here, though I don't plan on gaining any. I'll go find Kayin now, he and Faiga usually are a couple hours away from us, making sure nothing other than our current enemies." She pushed off of the rock, her wings scooping air to pull her body into the sky. She kept at tree level, heading in a direction that Valerie guessed was where the other two Hawk tribe members were. She and her tribe rarely saw them and this was the first time she'd have met them, since they were sent out after her pack was.
Her gaze turned upward toward the rapidly-darkening sky. I hope Leopard doesn't find us. Her pack meant more to her than anything, even her beloved. She had lost him during a Leopard camp raid several years ago. She didn't want to leave him behind, but her pack would have been captured and killed if she did not leave at once. Every time she is reminded of that fateful day, it brings tears to her eyes. Though she was lucky that the evening wind quickly ended them, she did not want her pack to see her cry. She has had much pain and loss in her life, starting with when she was born. Her parents had been killed when she was but a child. Killed by Leopard, no doubt. They had been on the verge of discovering where the remains of the Owl tribe were located when a mysterious accident happened and they were found, dead. She shook her head to rid herself of these dark memories. I must be strong for my pack now, they must not see me so dark and afraid. I am their leader, I am their strength and motivation.
End of Chapter 1...
(To be continued)
Background...
For as far back as humankind goes, there have been the shadow-walkers, the shape-shifters. These unknown creatures were stronger and faster than humans. There were five tribes: Hawk, Wolf, Leopard, Raven and Owl. The tribes named after the creatures whose form they inhabit, they are different from their wild counterparts.
Originally they were hunted for their meat as well as their pelts or feathers (seeing as they were larger and more intelligent than their normal counterpart. But at one point (now lost in history) the Owl tribe elders, oldest of the old, had created a machine that infused strands of human DNA into them to allow them to change shape into human form at will. This huge step allowed these creatures to immerse themselves into humankind, living along with them, and helping them. They were seen as the gifted, or the community heroes, valued for their strength and intelligence. The elders from each tribe saw this and thus called for a huge conference. This conference was held with the owl tribe, and a conclusion was drawn: they were to cease any open communications with humans. And so the shape-shifters faded to obscurity, known to humans as the socially outcast, and were thus ignored.
All was going well for the tribes, silently helping the humans while still not straying to close to their own secret. That is, all was going well until the Leopard tribe allied with the Raven tribe and overthrew the Owl tribe from power. They took co-leadership. The Owl tribe withdrew from history, becoming more myth then reality. Leopard and Raven tribes were ruling the shape-shifters with a strict, but fair, manner. Peace ensued for many, many generations.
Then the Leopard tribe did the unthinkable, they called for a meeting with the leaders of each pack of each tribe so their word would ring out even farther. This was where they first declared their steps toward world-rule. They declared that all tribes and packs were to reveal their true forms to humans and enslave them. The Leopard tribe would rule with Raven tribe as co-rulers. Their word was law. So Hawk and Wolf tribes did the only thing they could: they fought back. Attempts were futile however, as the Leopards were strong and Raven just as strong. Almost every raiding party that went in either ended up dead or captured. But a meeting with the oldest of the Wolf tribe revealed that the stories of myth were indeed fact, not fiction. This Wolf remembered the time of the Owl tribe. Stories that had been passed down through father to son for generations were now the only hope they had of stopping Leopard and Raven tribes. The Owls had built great technological advances and machines, they had even saved the shape-shifters, after all. So Wolf tribe sent out their most formidable pack and Hawk tribe sent out their three best tribemates to search out the Owl tribe to find the machine that they know will save them. Raven tribe spies had heard the tales and had reported it directly to Leopard tribe. Leopard tribe and Raven tribe have also sent out their best, only this time, to take out the Wolf and Hawk delegates before they reached their target. No one knows where the Owls are, they can only guess. This is where we meet Valerie, leader of the chosen Wolf pack, as well as her pack and Hawk tribe allies.
Present Day...
"Is everyone accounted for?" Valerie asked as she shook her damp fur dry. This wasn't the first time they had to cross a river to escape. Good thing those Leopards hold hatred for water as their wild counterparts do. She mentally smiled as the thought of Leopard tribe members swimming through the river they had crossed only half and hour prior. "Well it's getting dark, we'd better find a place to camp." Her sentence carried her gaze up to where their ally was quietly observing from. "Did you see anything suitable on our way here, Jamari?"
"Yea, there's an enclosed cliff cave up ahead. I'll go scout it out." Her screeching voice soft as her wing beats as she took off, going to complete her task. Valerie watched the black speck of her body until it disappeared from view, judging the direction she flew in. Ah, so just Southeast of here. Hopefully we won't be ambushed there like we were at our previous location. They had a rough awakening last night at about 2:00 AM, seeing as the Leopard pack following them had attacked. Luckily she was a light sleeper, since the only sound warning she had were the sound of claws on rock as Cyril who had gotten attacked shifted into wolf form. That reminds me.
"Cyril, how are your wounds?" She asked, striding over to her teammate. The Leopard who had grabbed him had first grabbed his mouth to muffle sound then tried to drag him away. But at his struggling, had shifted into animal form and scraped along his right flank before receiving a nasty forearm gouge from Cyril.
"They aren't too deep but-" His sentence got cut off with a gasp of pain. "But it does sting a bit." He finished, grinning to show his spirit and strong will. Which is exactly why he's in my pack, I want to make sure they can take all the crap life throws at them. Well, I know they all can take this except for- She turned to look at the packmate she most despised.
"Damnit Zanna,what was that out there? Did you want them to catch you? If it weren't for me, you'd be a pile of bones by now!"
"Look, I've already realized my mistake, lay off already. I know that I messed up okay?"
"Fine." Valerie strode off toward the river, going to check the sky for Raven scouts. She saw a couple tiny black dots off way in the distance, toward the South, too far to be of any concern, she concluded. She turned back and shifted effortlessly into Wolf form to get back to her pack. She padded silently into the clearing they were temporarily inhabiting. I still feel at unease here. A chill ran down her spine as if to give proof to her mental consternation. "I think we should move out of here as fast as we can, I don't like sitting here like ducks. Plus, the sooner we find a shelter, the more rest we can get." She didn't need to explain what she meant, their rude awakening was fresh in the minds of all of them. After all, we ended up fleeting for the whole day.
As if on cue, Jamari's feathery body flew in low, back-winging before landing expertly on the branch she had chosen as a perch. "The site checks out as being all right, it has two back tunnels, one leading to a cliff overlooking water and another leading into an underground cavern that leads out into a small enclave about a quarter mile away from the original site. Safe enough." She took off the branch again, a silent invitation to follow her to the site. All of them, except for Valerie, shifted into Wolf form and took off at a sprint in the direction the Hawk had taken off in originally. Valerie stayed to ensure their clearing showed now sign of their brief stay. She did not want their pursuers to find them again.
Jamari, who had been circling just above the tree tops, flew off in the direction of their new shelter. Valerie sprinted after her, following her direction. They shortly caught up to the others shortly, seeing as they had slowed down once out of the clearing, waiting for their navigator so they would know where to go exactly.
"You did a good job Jamari, this is a good location." She turned to the rest of her pack, raising her voice in the process, to address them all. "Okay everyone, you know the drill by now, we need to get a camouflage shelter and some smouldering coals. With a cover of course." She was trying to eliminate causes for how Leopard tribe had found them. "Jamari, how's your sight at night? Also, can you fly through trees without getting injured? I don't want you hurt if I don't have to."
Lyre, co-pack-leader, called Weylin and Nairn to go with him to put up the shelter and fire up like Valerie had said. They were the best at this, seeing as Weylin was trained specially in shelter-building and Nairn had in firebuilding as well.
"Well, I can't see as good as owls but I can see well enough. I managed to fly through them during our earlier flight. What is it you have in mind?" She flew down from her perch to stand on a little rock outcrop so she could better hear Val's proposition.
"I don't like how we were ambushed this morning. So I was thinking if you, or even Kayin or Faiga went and scouted where the Leopards are, we might better know where our enemy is spending the night. If you choose to accept this, don't go finding Raven, they'll only follow you back here. And only fly over to there during pitch black night, we don't want Leopard to see you either." She was somewhat concerned about her Hawk allies. She was asking a lot of them and she didn't want to loose them, especially since Leopard had Raven. They needed an eye in the sky or else they'd be traveling blind. Not that we really know where we're going anyway...
"I think I should be able to do that. I'll bring Kayin as backup. I'll leave close to midnight and I'll be back by early morning here. If I'm being followed I'll make sure too shake my pursuers before coming back here, though I don't plan on gaining any. I'll go find Kayin now, he and Faiga usually are a couple hours away from us, making sure nothing other than our current enemies." She pushed off of the rock, her wings scooping air to pull her body into the sky. She kept at tree level, heading in a direction that Valerie guessed was where the other two Hawk tribe members were. She and her tribe rarely saw them and this was the first time she'd have met them, since they were sent out after her pack was.
Her gaze turned upward toward the rapidly-darkening sky. I hope Leopard doesn't find us. Her pack meant more to her than anything, even her beloved. She had lost him during a Leopard camp raid several years ago. She didn't want to leave him behind, but her pack would have been captured and killed if she did not leave at once. Every time she is reminded of that fateful day, it brings tears to her eyes. Though she was lucky that the evening wind quickly ended them, she did not want her pack to see her cry. She has had much pain and loss in her life, starting with when she was born. Her parents had been killed when she was but a child. Killed by Leopard, no doubt. They had been on the verge of discovering where the remains of the Owl tribe were located when a mysterious accident happened and they were found, dead. She shook her head to rid herself of these dark memories. I must be strong for my pack now, they must not see me so dark and afraid. I am their leader, I am their strength and motivation.
End of Chapter 1...
(To be continued)
2 Comments
I wrote this in a day and a half, yes there will be more when I can post it. Sorry if it seems a bit rushed, I made it for an open writing assignment in English class so I couldn't write it super long...that's about it, enjoy :)
Awesome!!! :D make another chapter plz!