Categories > Original > Fantasy > Of Beast and Man

Chapter One - Zylus

by Kairu-kun 0 reviews

"I...have never killed a human before...blood stains my hands now. But, was I wrong to do so?"

Category: Fantasy - Rating: R - Genres: Fantasy - Warnings: [V] - Published: 2008-07-16 - Updated: 2008-07-16 - 2969 words

1Moving
This story is going to have more than one main character. The character's name will be in the title of that chapter that follows him/her. More than likely I'll have them meet up, and if there's more than one, I'll leave that part blank. It should be self-explanatory by then.


Chapter One - Zylus

Crouched low in a tree, hidden nearly completely by the dark shade its leaves cast over him, a hunter stalked its prey. A wild boar wandered aimlessly to the center of a small clearing where a pond awaited. Lowering its snout, the small beast began to lap up the clear, blue water. A soft growl caused the boar to lift its head in curiosity. The figure in the tree suddenly leapt out swiftly, making hardly a sound. A spear raised high in both hands, the humanoid being slew the boar with a swift stab through its heart. A loud squeal echoed about as the pig tried to fight against the pain and darkness that swept over it. Its cries died out and the hunter yanked the spear from the thing's back with a wet, meaty sound. The light that peered through the trees into the small area revealed the figure's true nature. The man wore nothing more than a pair of plain, light-colored pants. A light, yellow-orange fur covered his well-built body. Black spots here and there dotted his bare back and chest. He had a long, slender tail swishing behind him. His feet were padded. His hands had claws protruding from the tips of his fingers that looked quite sharp. He had the face of a leopard with long whiskers on his cheeks, long golden hair falling around it. Small cat-ears poked out from beneath the locks of hair. He was a leopard anthro, having just hunted a rather large meal. Looking down at his kill, he smiled. 'This will feed the whole family' he thought to himself. The anthro reached down and grabbed the dead boar by one of its tusks and easily hefted it over his shoulder, carrying his spear in his other hand, and headed off into the forest. The being carried his prey through the forest, heading back to his village. Fortunately it wasn't far. He stepped out from the shadows of the trees to a sight that always made him smile. Wood and straw huts dotted the large clearing randomly, little children ran around playing and laughing. Smoke from cooking fires rose lazily to the air and a pleasing aroma filled the air. It was home.

"Zylus is back!!" A small voice shouted. The leopard anthro dropped his catch, knowing what was coming. A dozen or so small children tried to tackle the waiting man. Zylus chuckled loudly as he knelt and wrapped his arms around as many as he could. "I was not gone for THAT long a time" he said in a kind, gentle voice. The children laughed and chattered in delight. "I brought you all food" he said to the orphans. Their parents had been lost to the Hunters, the humans who slew their kind just because they feared they wanted the human's land, which wasn't true at all. He stood, lifting two of the anthro children in one arm while he grabbed the seventy pound animal in the other and slung it over his shoulder once more. He went to one of the larger huts in the village, a gathering place for those with no more family so they didn't have to eat alone. They each still had their own homes, their own huts but Zylus felt they needed a place where they could still experience a family environment. "This should be more than enough for you little ones" he said, grinning still at the wide-eyed reactions to his large catch. "No way! I will eat that by myself!" one of the smallest ones chimed in, getting laughter from the whole group. Zylus laughed along with them as he started preparing the boar to roast. He too had no family anymore. His mother having died shortly after he was born and his father having died fighting the humans. "Ok, you all go play while I cook this. I'll call you when it's ready" he told them. They all nodded and ran away excitedly. Life in this village was simple. Everyone looked after one another, food was gotten mostly from hunting the animals in the area as this whole village was leopard anthro. Other than that, days were spent by each individual doing whatever he or she considered fun or relaxing. Zylus set about skinning and carving the creature before him and then cooking it all. There were probably going to be twenty children and teens there, but this would be plenty.

Dinner came and went without a hitch. The younger children went home afterwards, evening nearing and they were tired. The older ones went to various places, some into the forest to play and others just around the village. The only one who stayed behind with Zylus was a petite, young girl. "Well, did you enjoy the meal Mia?" he asked the little girl. Mia had been found injured and alone in amongst the trees one day. She knew her parents had died, and if it weren't for Zylus finding her, she would have too. She came to live with Zylus in his little hut, having no where else to go. The two were much like father and daughter, or perhaps brother and sister. "I sure did! It was delicious! You're a great cook Zylus" she said in her cute little voice. Zylus grinned and nodded happily. "Glad you liked it. It's too bad we do not have any left. It would have made a great snack for later" he responded. After he finished cleaning up, he swept the little girl into his arms and set her in his shoulder, keeping his arm at her side so she wouldn't fall. "What would you like to do now?" he asked her. The little girl put a finger to her feline lips and thought quietly. She looked adorable when she did that. "Oh! Can you take me to the magick garden?" she asked excitedly. He chuckled. "Again? Sure, that sounds like a great idea. We'll go soon. It has to get a little darker before the magick works" he agreed cheerfully. The young girl squealed with delight, an action that caused a mild pain in Zylus' ear. He laughed and plucked her from his shoulder, setting her on the ground. She fell into step beside him, her legs having to work twice as hard to match his long strides. Zylus smiled warmly down at the girl as her eyes, still sparkling from youthful joy, wandered the village. He had always felt like their meeting was the best thing that could have happened given both their circumstances. Both had no family, and both had little to live for. These last two years, after he took her in to stay with him, he has lived a happy and fulfilling life.

An hour later, dusk settled and Zylus smiled to Mia. "Ok, perfect. Now we'll get there right on time" he said to the little girl as he swung her up into his arms easily. They headed into the forest, the darkness almost smothering around them. His reflective feline eyes, however, made it easy to see their way. It was a long walk through the forest, but one both the Anthros knew well. Soon, they came to a small clearing. As he stepped from the trees, the expected gasp of amazement from the little girl in his arms hissed its way into the air. She had always loved this place as he had since the day he found it while on his hunt. The clearing was covered in white flowers that only bloomed in the moonlight. At the center was an extremely clear pond with stones set around the edged in a perfect circle. The moon was still hidden behind the trees from the clearing, the place seeming caught in a surreal, faint glow. He set the girl down and she ran through the small garden of flowers, letting her dainty hands skim the top of the petals and tall grass lightly. She spun around happily before dropping into the grass, staring at the sky. Zylus watched with a warm smile on his features. A few moments passed by and the moonlight began peeking over the edge of the trees into the small area. Mia jumped up. "Zylus, it's almost here!" she shouted as she ran to him. He sat with his back against a tree on the edge, and she sat on his knee, waiting eagerly for what was to come next. The moonlight slowly crept into the clearing. The flowers could be seen slowly blooming after the light rested on them for a few moments. The light continued, reaching the pond. It was this moment Mia had waited for. As the light hit the pool, natural crystals that had formed at the bottom refracted the light, sending it out in all directions and colors, illuminating the small clearing with pieces of light. Zylus smiled and tossed a small pebble into the water's center, causing a ripple. The ripples caused the lights to dance, as though they were alive by some sort of magick. The girl giggled endlessly and ran to the center, spinning and dancing with the light. Zylus merely watched, enjoying her happiness. After the moon had passed over them, the girl had gone back to Zylus as he slid down the trunk of the tree a little to be in more of a lying position. She curled up against him, quickly falling asleep. It wasn't uncommon for the two to spend the night at this place. It comforted them both for some reason. He soon drifted to sleep with Mia safe in his arms.

Zylus awoke, probably hours later. He yawned and stretched a bit. He sat up quickly when he suddenly realized he was all alone. "Mia?" he called out, more curious than worried. The girl knew these woods enough to find her way home in the dark. Still, he felt you couldn't be too cautious with the way things were now. "Mia?!" he called out again. It wasn't like her to wander away from him like that, and he was starting to worry slightly when she didn't answer. He ran off into the woods, looking and listening for any sign of her. He heard a slight whimpering sound with his keen ears, not far but not exactly close. "Mia" he whispered quietly as he ran towards the noise. He weaved in and out of the trees, nearing the soft crying sound. He heard a soft thud and a cry of pain. It sounded like Mia. "MIA!" he shouted as he broke into a clearing. Zylus stared at the four lightly armored humans that stood around the small anthro girl. Her nose was bleeding, tears mixing with the blood as it stained the front of the tunic she wore. "You bastards!" Zylus shouted as he ran up. One of them spun and backhanded Zylus across the face. The man hit harder than the anthro would have expected, and Zylus turned on the spot and stumbled to the ground. The men chuckled evily, one drawing a sword. Zylus heard the metal sliding against the leather scabbard. "NO!!" he shouted as he jumped to his feet. Too late. The sword came down in a swift motion, and the girl had no time to even scream as the blade bit deep into her neck and continued to sever the head completely from her shoulders. Zylus just watched in horror as the small body slumped over. He couldn't bring himself to watch the head of the girl fall to the ground seperately. He was speechless. He trembled terribly before his eyes narrowed. Without warning, he leapt frighteningly fast at the nearest man to him, the one who had hit him. The man collapsed and before anyone knew what had happened, Zylus' claws had reached under the human's chin and torn his throat out. A quick gargling sound was all the soon-to-be corpse could manage. The next nearest human drew his blade quickly and lifted it high for a strike. Zylus grabbed the dead man's sword from beneath him and yanked it free, bringing the blade from the scabbard to cut out and across the belly of the attacking man, spilling his innards. The man screamed as his stomach acid spilt on his now exposed guts and he fell to the ground.

Zylus spun on the other two, one already rushing him. Zylus hurled the sword in his hands at the charging man. The human knocked it away with his own weapon, but that was all the time the enraged anthro needed. He had pounced onto the man and repeatedly pounded his face with a fist, his other hand searching for something. He closed his free hand around a rock and brought it to bare against the human skull. A sickening crack sounded out and the man slumped to the ground. The sun started to appear on the horizon, somewhere beyond the trees, as Zylus turned to face his final opponent. In the new bit of sunlight, the anthro could see the human's bare, frightened face. 'He should be scared' Zylus thought as he slowly made his way towards the shaking man. Mia's blood still stained his sword. "She...was just a child! A CHILD!!" the furious Zylus shouted, rage and blood-lust filling his voice. He stalked closer to the man, who spoke not a word to him. Zylus got closer and the man took a swing at him with the sword. The anthro just moved to the side, taking a gash onto his shoulder. He didn't flinch or budge. He moved closer. Another attack cut his leg deeply. This didn't phase the anthro one bit either. The man was truly afraid now. He knew he was about to die. Zylus now stood close enough to reach out and touch the man with his fingertips. In a last effort, the human brought the sword up and stabbed it towards Zylus' gut. Zylus grabbed the blade with his bare hand, feeling the blade cut deeply into his skin. He yanked the sword away and flipped it to catch at the pummel. He swung the blade quickly, smacking the human across the face with the flat-side. The hit made the man's knees buckle and he fell to a sitting position. A few more quick swipes and Zylus had the human's nose broken and blood seeping from gashes on his face and forehead. "Fuck you" Zylus said maliciously as he swung and lopped the human's head clean off.

The sword fell from his hand. Zylus walked over to the form, barely able to bring himself to look at the poor girl. Tears stung his eyes, blurring his vision. He picked up her body and that which should've still been attached to it and carried it off into the woods. He walked slowly, sobs shaking his whole being. 'Why? Why wasn't it ME?!' he shouted at himself in his mind. He still couldn't believe she was dead and that he would never hear her sweet little voice again. He would never carry her upon his shoulders. Her gentle snores would never fill his small house again. Zylus reached the small clearing they had been at just a few hours before. Even more tears streamed down the fur of his face, thinking of how happy she had been here. He set her down and went next to the pond, falling to his knees. He started digging fervently. An hour went by and he had a small grave. He went back to her body and lifted her lightly. He placed her in the hole in the ground, knowing that if there were any place she'd want to sleep eternally it would be here. He stared down at her for a long while, the sight sickening him but he couldn't look away. He felt hate towards the humans now. He despised them. "Mia...I'm so sorry I wasn't there soon enough..." he said, voice barely a whisper, as he started to cover her up with the removed dirt. When he finished, there was neat, oval shaped mound right next to the pond. He went and picked three flowers, the only ones still bloomed from the night before, and laid them across the area. Then he stood slowly and walked back to the village, solemn and silent. The walk was much longer. It felt like hours before he reached the edge of the just now awakening village. He hated his timing. He didn't want to see anyone right now, because he knew what would happen. He walked into the village and collapsed to his knees. Immediately, one of the older women of the village rushed to him, seeing all the blood. "Oh my! Zylus?! What happened?!" she asked him, turning to motion for someone else to come help her. "She's...dead...Mia...she's dead" he started. He retold the story, unable to leave out the gruesome details completely because they burned themselves into his mind. He looked on the verge of passing out when he finished. "I...have never killed a human before...blood stains my hands now. But, was I wrong to do so?" he said quietly, more to himself than anyone there.

To be continued...



[Yeah...I'm sorry but this made me sad just writing it T_T. I imagine her as such a cute little girl too...well that's chapter one. Please review ^_^ I'm curious to know what you think of my work]
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