AU Fic: Moonlight Garden, Prologue
Jan. 27th, 2009 09:53 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cloversworld
Title: Moonlight Garden, Prologue
Author: clover71
Pairing: David Cook/ David Archuleta
Rating: R (for the entire fic)/ PG-13 (for this part - mainly for violence?)
Beta(s):![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
vna04 and lenariel
Description: AU. A myth/ legend/ fantasy fic that I challenged myself to write.
Summary: AU. David Archuleta harbors a deep dark secret that prevents him from socializing with normal human beings. But then he meets David Cook, an amateur novelist and painter who is obsessed with the idea that the legend about humans possessing the power to shape-shift into a beautiful creature is real, unknowing that the young man who he falls in love with is one of them.
Disclaimer:
1) Please note that this is purely fiction and none of the contents are real except for some of the characters used in this story.
2) Most characters used are based on real people but the details within do not purposely imply occurrences in real life; thus, anything here that concurs with real events may be completely coincidental.
3) This fic is created based solely on the imagination of the author and for non-profitable purpose.
NOTE: Fic is friend-locked. Please friendcloversworld so you'd be able to read.
Author's notes:
- I brought upon myself a challenge to write a fantasy/ myth fic. There have been writers on the Cookleta community who have written vampire!fics so I thought I’d give this type of fics a try. I wouldn’t be writing about vampires though, because that had been amazingly explored by the talented writers in the comm. I will, instead, write about the mythological creatures known as Loup-Garoux. Casually known as werewolves, but not in the sense of knowledge we all possess about the creatures. This one is different. I was inspired by the book and movie ‘Blood and Chocolate’ and was enthralled by those creatures. So I thought I’d use it in a fic. Now since I know so little about these beings, I may place my own imagination on the story.
- Thanks a billion to my awesome betasvna04 and lenariel. They have made my struggle through this torturous block bearable. Thank you so much for your patience lovely ladies.
- Please be reminded that I am still suffering from a severe writers' block and I was only able to finish this prologue mainly because I found a tiny crack through that block. But the fact that it's still there, this fic might progress slowly. Hopefully not though. I'm not sure how the people at cookleta comm would react to this fic, since it has strangeness written all over it. So I might not post to the comm right away, I'll mull over it a bit.
A legend had been spoken.
The myth of the loup-garoux had been passed on through generations. A separate species from humans, yet still human in many ways. Individuals who were blessed with the power to shape shift by the Goddess of the moon. It is said that this genus has the power to transform into a wolf-like creature at will. The full moon has no effect on them, though the nearer to the day of the full moon, the harder it is to resist transforming, nevertheless, it can be done at their own bidding. One cannot become a loup-garou.. A person is either born one, or not
They are not cursed, but blessed.
PROLOGUE
There was a whisper in the wind. A silent warning that pierced through the serenity of the night; too silent that it could not reach the inhabitants of the small hidden village somewhere at the foothills of Murray.
The full moon festival had drawn to a close. The last few people remaining at the center of the village made their way to their respective homes. Hushed bids of ‘good night’ were filtered through the thick cold air of early autumn.
The pale glow of the moon softly glimmered over the log cabin situated at the edge of the village. Its residents, like the rest of their fellow villagers, were turning in for the night. The younger children had been tucked in their beds, the older ones were still frolicking around their bedroom.
“David, Claudia, I mean it. Lights out this instant,” Lupe Archuleta stated in a stern but doting way. “If you don’t turn off the lights soon, you’ll wake Daniel up.”
“But mama, he’s not asleep. He’s just pretending to be asleep,” the eldest among the five siblings, Claudia, said with a whining pitch that sounded more like a protest rather than making a point.
“No I’m not! I’m already asleep!” Seven-year-old Daniel blurted out as he opened his eyes and instantly realized he made a big mistake when his mother pointedly looked at him. “Oops.”
Lupe tried to hide her smile as she gave her children a firm warning, “I’m coming back after ten minutes to check on you.”
As soon as their mother was out of sight, eleven-year-old Claudia whispered over to her younger brother, David. “Go turn off the lights. I have a flashlight here.” So David leapt from Claudia’s bed silently, careful not to wake little Jazzy. When he climbed back to his previous spot where he had been perusing through a large world map with Claudia, his sister already had the flashlight on. She raised the small cylinder so the beam shone across the map, following her finger as it traced over the area marked with ‘U.S.A’. “Soon as I come of age, I will travel through these mountains over to where Aunt Kara is,” she explained, ending her finger trail over the state of Vermont.
“How are you gonna do that?” ten-year-old David asked in a low voice, half listening for their mother’s footsteps in the hallway. “You don’t have the money.”
“Davey, I said I’ll travel through the mountains, I guess you know how that would go,” Claudia said with an air of confidence.
“But why go to Aunt Kara? Dad doesn’t like her because of Uncle Simon,” David whispered, slightly frowning at the thought of his Aunt’s husband. His Aunt lived in a small but highly progressive community and her husband is one of the wealthiest tycoons in the wine industry at the town of Moulich, a pack leader in his own right. Their father was likewise a pack leader, who believed in a simple and peaceful life, not entirely following the old traditions.
Claudia rolled her eyes. “Dad doesn’t like Uncle Simon because he doesn’t believe in his ways,” Claudia’s voice raised a notch. David suddenly placed his pointing finger against his lips to silence her when she opened her mouth to continue because he heard the brisk footfalls outside their bedroom and from the sound of every step; he knew that it was their mother.
“Mom’s coming.” David almost mouthed the words as he did his best not to make any more audible sounds; then quickly scuttled from Claudia’s bed to his and slipped under the covers.
By the time Lupe opened the door, Claudia and David were already lying motionless, eyes shut but their minds were still drifting to Claudia’s desire to embark on a journey, a secret they now shared. They willed their hearts’ beating to ease up and their breathing to even out so their mother would believe that they were on their way to the deepest layers of slumber.
Lupe could sense their lingering minds, however. But she smiled deciding that she’d let them be this time. She slowly closed the door as she stepped back into the hallway.
When David was certain that his mother had gone back to her room, he turned to Claudia and called out in a whisper, “Claud, if you go off on your journey, will you take me with you?”
“Davey, I was planning on going once I come of age. By then, it would be a year before you do,” Claudia whispered back.
“But… but… I will miss you if you go,” David asserted.
Claudia turned to lie on her side then propped up on her elbow to look at David who was on the bed across hers. “Ok. Fine. I will take you with me. Even if I have to wait a year until you turn eighteen. Now can we please get some sleep?”
David didn’t go to sleep right away. He was still staring at the ceiling trying to bring back the images of the map to his head. He wondered how it would feel to actually run through the woods and the mountains freely. Without fear. Without any worry. Just like nature had meant for them to be.
He heard the approaching footsteps from a distance even before the banging on the front door came. Then there were raised voices downstairs but he could not understand a word that was being hollered. He sat up startled when his mother suddenly burst into their room and austerely asked them to get dressed, grab their coats and put their shoes on. She had likewise ordered Claudia to get Jazzy dressed warmly.
After a span of five minutes, maybe less, their mother was herding all of the children down through the ground level of their home, all the way to the basement. Their little sister Amber, wrapped safely on a carrier tied around her shoulders and waist. David glanced back to see his father, Jeff, and a neighbor standing behind the front door holding rifles and speaking in hushed voices. Jeff turned to David who was standing at the top of the stairs leading down to the dimly lit room below and locked eyes with his oldest son.
Jeff walked over to David and in a voice barely audible said, “remember everything I’ve taught you, son. Protect your brother and sisters and your mother as well. Protect your identity. Protect our secret. Protect our existence.”
David could not understand what was going on but he nodded in response nonetheless. He only took a step down the stairs after his mother called out for him; half hoping he could stay by his father’s side. When he glanced back to his father, he saw him slowly pushing the door that hid the basement stairs until it was completely closed. That was the last time David ever saw his father.
Lupe was already moving boxes that were piled up against a wall when David reached the bottom. A small red door on the wall was revealed soon as all the boxes were set aside. And David remembered his father once told him that it was to be used for emergencies. His father had once said that the tunnel behind it leads to the woods behind the village.
His mother struggled with the lever to push the door open, it was a difficult task since she had baby Amber against her chest, so David reached out to help her. When the door budged, Lupe quickly shoved David inside, followed by Jazzy, Claudia and Daniel. Gunshots were fired somewhere above and they heard angry voices before Lupe could close the tiny door behind them.
“Dad.” David whispered, more to himself, in fear that his father may have been caught in the crossfire.
“Move David!” Lupe’s voice resounded through the tiny space that made up the long dark passageway. “Hurry!”
“Mama, what’s going on?” Claudia’s voice clearly expressed worry as the realization that their mother was leading them out of the village through a secret route sank in. She held Jazzy on her side, balancing the toddler on her right hip, while her feet moved against the moldy surface of the slightly slippery ground.
“Hunters! Move!” Lupe urged them to move in haste.
The tunnel they were traipsing through led straight to a concave chamber with a metal ladder against a wall. David took a moment to turn around and check on his siblings and his mother only to see that there were flames spreading wildly behind them. He could smell a strong odor that made his throat hurt and guessed that it was gasoline.
David clutched on the metal rod at the bottom of the ladder and quickly began to ascend. He climbed up until he reached a wooden platform overhead. He pushed it forcefully until it heaved open and crawled out. He then turned around to help his sisters and brother just in time to witness their mother slipped from the ladder and fell on her back as she hit the ground, her arms still protectively wrapped around the baby she was carrying. The flames that rapidly spread through the passageway they walked through had crawled out of the cavernous space and had threateningly slithered across the ground like tentacles in urgent need to wrap its limbs around a living being, it’s burning tips licking at Lupe’s feet. Before she was completely engulfed in inferno, she managed to yell, “go on, keep running, and don’t look back” to her older children. And David felt helpless as he saw their mother and their youngest sister being engulfed by the raging fire.
“Mama! Amber! Noooooo!”
The screams of the remaining Archuleta children echoed through the hollow walls of the tunnel. The sound of their pain pierced through the numbing atmosphere of the night and was heard from a distance like a disconcerting howling of creatures in deep lamentation.
Some neighbors who had likewise fled to the woods called out to them and warned them of the incoming onslaught of hunters holding rifles and torches several yards away. David gestured for his siblings to follow him and he led them into the woods using his ability to see through the dark.
The people who have managed to enter the forest eventually scattered into smaller groups and have fled to different directions. David knew the forest well because he and his father often took long walks through it, so he knew which direction to take that would lead them out to the other side.
As David turned his head around and waved his arm, motioning his siblings to keep up, he saw a band of people, hunters he presumed, that had followed them through the woods; with burning sticks of resinous wood that lighted up their paths, its flames casting shadows on their indistinct faces.
David felt his heart beat at an alarming rate as fear slowly crept up his spine. The sound of gunshots resonated throughout the dark tree-covered area followed by screams of terror and pain. Two of their neighbors, teen-age siblings Blake and Haley, were running towards their direction.
“Run kids, run!” Haley yelled, as she grabbed hold of Claudia who was carrying little Jazzy and guided her towards the deeper part of the forest. Her brother Blake, who ran ahead, grabbed both Daniel and David and quickened their pace.
Another series of gunshots were fired and David heard someone scream from behind. He turned in time to see his older sister drop on her knees and settled Jazzy on the ground before she fell completely.
“Claudia!” David and Daniel cried out at the same time and made a move to rush to her side like Haley had but Blake grabbed them both by the arm.
“We have to keep going,” Blake said sympathetically and glanced over at his sister. “Haley! We have to go!”
The seventeen-year-old brunette picked Jazzy up and ran towards where her brother and the two Archuleta boys headed. There were angry voices behind them and they knew that the hunters were closing in. David couldn’t even look back because Blake was practically dragging him as he ran and his feet struggled to keep up.
Another scream issued from behind and everything happened so abruptly that David hardly had time to process anything. By the time he turned his head, he saw that several men had dragged Haley and his sister Jazzy to a tiny clearing and their rifles were pointed at the girls. Blake jerked for a moment and took a step as he yelled “no!” and at the same instant, Daniel, whose arm had been freed from Blake’s grasp, impulsively sprinted towards the clearing crying out “Jazzy!”
Then there were several deafening shots fired and David felt like the world was crashing down on him as he saw Haley and Jazzy covered in blood. He screamed, not knowing exactly what he was screaming because all he could think about was getting to Jazzy and Daniel, who momentarily stood still before falling face first to the ground. He meant to run to them but there was this weight on his arms that was holding him back.
He realized it was Blake holding on to him tightly then the eighteen-year-old turned him around and lugged him as he dashed to the area where trees stood closer to each other. And David knew they were getting deeper into the forest.
They had been running for, David guessed, fifteen minutes when he heard angry voices behind them once more and someone yelling “there’s two more over there!” Blake moved behind him and in a fraction of a second, he felt the young man’s grip on his arm loosen until he slipped off from his hold and felt Blake drop behind him. When he turned around, he saw two silver arrows sticking up on Blake’s back.
“Blake!” David crouched beside the teenager.
“Go David. Keep going deeper into the woods, they won’t be able to follow you there. Once you lose them, you have to change so you can escape further,” Blake struggled to say every word, his eyes had become dilated and his body shivered as the poison of the silver arrows flowed painfully through his bloodstream. The noise coming from the advancing group became more apparent. “Run. As fast as you can. Run!” The light on Blake’s eyes flickered, and then slowly faded. And then he was gone.
Tears streamed down the boy’s face as he got up and continued to dash through the dark wooded area. Images of his father and his mother and his sisters and brother flashed through his mind. Fear and anger seeped through him and his feet moved three times faster than it had, dashing through the thickening growth of mahogany. The wind swept against his face and he embraced the darkness that seemed to give him comfort as he went further into the woods.
When he could no longer hear the voices behind him, David presumed that he was far enough from the hunters and was safe to slow down a bit so he could start stripping off his clothing. But he kept on running. He ran as he let his coat slip behind him and fall on the trail he was sprinting through. Then he swiftly pulled his long-sleeved shirt off and likewise let it fall.
David stopped to check if he was still being followed or if he had managed to set a good distance between him and his pursuers. And when he heard nothing, not the slightest sound of footsteps or any distinctive breathing or whispers through the wind, he kicked off his shoes and removed his jeans. Then he ran further along a track opposite the route he intended to take, hoping that he would lose his pursuers completely.
The tree trunks were thicker at the area where David was roving aimlessly through. And it was darker. Trees stood almost side-by-side with their leafy tops intertwining; thus, the beam from the full moon could barely pierce through. David had reached the center of the forest. He desperately hoped that the hunters would have a hard time finding him once they follow the misleading tracks he had left behind.
David had to discard his undershirt and boxer shorts, then he’d be free to transform. He was lifting the white garment when he caught the sound of light footsteps that caused the dried leaves on the ground to rustle. He paused, still holding his shirt that had been pulled up midway on his torso.
Then suddenly, a shadowy figure emerged between two trees and a young man, in his late teens, stopped short at the sight of David.
There was a moment of silence between them. And David gasped when the young man took a step forward. “You’re one of them,” the young man said in a presumptive way, “aren’t you?”
“P-please don’t kill me,” David’s voice, along with his body, trembled in fear.
“I’m not gonna hurt you,” the young man said, voice as gentle as the cool breeze that brushed through David’s skin. “Don’t be afraid.”
“A-are you a hunter?” There was hesitance in David’s tone because he didn’t want to sound like he was accusing the young man. He knew that would be rude.
But the young man was already shaking his head before David could think of taking it back. “No,” the older boy said, “I am with them though. My father is one. But I don’t believe in what they do, that’s why I’m here, trying to stay away from the violence.”
“I-I’m scared.” David sobbed as new set of tears flowed out of his glowing eyes.
The young man then stepped into the light that shone through the trees, and David immediately looked into his eyes. David was somehow entranced with the depth of the swirl of emerald and shades of gray that he was immediately taken by the sincerity he saw beneath its surface.
The older boy slightly twitched under his gaze, which David broke immediately and took in the older boy’s appearance. Strands of auburn hair fell upon his forehead; pale skin glowed against the moonlight. His lips turned into a half smile that somehow made David feel at ease.
“It’s okay. I—I’ll protect you. I won’t let anyone know you’re here,” the young man said. He looked at David closely, his forehead creased when he noticed the boy’s lack of clothing. “Where are the rest of your clothes? And why were you taking off your shirt? Aren’t you col – oh. Oh I see.”
David flinched when the young man slowly approached him. He somehow felt vulnerable under the young man’s stare; the intent look he had seemed to pierce through the surface of his being, as if he was peering into David’s soul. They both jumped when they heard voices in the distance and turned their heads towards the direction where it seemed to have issued from.
“You have to go. I’ll distract them, point them to the opposite direction so they won’t be able to track you right away,” the young man said, already starting back on the trail David had taken. "But you have to hurry," he called over his shoulder.
Soon as the teenager turned away, David quickly slipped out of his remaining clothes and let the energy within him flow, feeling every twist and every stretch on his bones and flesh and soon he was running; gracefully and swiftly, furred paws lightly touching the ground. He leapt and bounded against tree trunks and relished the cool breeze that blew against his thick white fur.
And so the legend would once again be spoken. Whispers of a beautiful young creature wrapped in ethereal glow, wandering through the mountains, running freely against the wind, in search of a new life.
~ Première - I ~
=========================================================
Comments will be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading.
Author: clover71
Pairing: David Cook/ David Archuleta
Rating: R (for the entire fic)/ PG-13 (for this part - mainly for violence?)
Beta(s):
vna04 and lenarielDescription: AU. A myth/ legend/ fantasy fic that I challenged myself to write.
Summary: AU. David Archuleta harbors a deep dark secret that prevents him from socializing with normal human beings. But then he meets David Cook, an amateur novelist and painter who is obsessed with the idea that the legend about humans possessing the power to shape-shift into a beautiful creature is real, unknowing that the young man who he falls in love with is one of them.
Disclaimer:
1) Please note that this is purely fiction and none of the contents are real except for some of the characters used in this story.
2) Most characters used are based on real people but the details within do not purposely imply occurrences in real life; thus, anything here that concurs with real events may be completely coincidental.
3) This fic is created based solely on the imagination of the author and for non-profitable purpose.
NOTE: Fic is friend-locked. Please friend
cloversworld so you'd be able to read.Author's notes:
- I brought upon myself a challenge to write a fantasy/ myth fic. There have been writers on the Cookleta community who have written vampire!fics so I thought I’d give this type of fics a try. I wouldn’t be writing about vampires though, because that had been amazingly explored by the talented writers in the comm. I will, instead, write about the mythological creatures known as Loup-Garoux. Casually known as werewolves, but not in the sense of knowledge we all possess about the creatures. This one is different. I was inspired by the book and movie ‘Blood and Chocolate’ and was enthralled by those creatures. So I thought I’d use it in a fic. Now since I know so little about these beings, I may place my own imagination on the story.
- Thanks a billion to my awesome betas
vna04 and lenariel. They have made my struggle through this torturous block bearable. Thank you so much for your patience lovely ladies.- Please be reminded that I am still suffering from a severe writers' block and I was only able to finish this prologue mainly because I found a tiny crack through that block. But the fact that it's still there, this fic might progress slowly. Hopefully not though. I'm not sure how the people at cookleta comm would react to this fic, since it has strangeness written all over it. So I might not post to the comm right away, I'll mull over it a bit.
A legend had been spoken.
The myth of the loup-garoux had been passed on through generations. A separate species from humans, yet still human in many ways. Individuals who were blessed with the power to shape shift by the Goddess of the moon. It is said that this genus has the power to transform into a wolf-like creature at will. The full moon has no effect on them, though the nearer to the day of the full moon, the harder it is to resist transforming, nevertheless, it can be done at their own bidding. One cannot become a loup-garou.. A person is either born one, or not
They are not cursed, but blessed.
PROLOGUE
There was a whisper in the wind. A silent warning that pierced through the serenity of the night; too silent that it could not reach the inhabitants of the small hidden village somewhere at the foothills of Murray.
The full moon festival had drawn to a close. The last few people remaining at the center of the village made their way to their respective homes. Hushed bids of ‘good night’ were filtered through the thick cold air of early autumn.
The pale glow of the moon softly glimmered over the log cabin situated at the edge of the village. Its residents, like the rest of their fellow villagers, were turning in for the night. The younger children had been tucked in their beds, the older ones were still frolicking around their bedroom.
“David, Claudia, I mean it. Lights out this instant,” Lupe Archuleta stated in a stern but doting way. “If you don’t turn off the lights soon, you’ll wake Daniel up.”
“But mama, he’s not asleep. He’s just pretending to be asleep,” the eldest among the five siblings, Claudia, said with a whining pitch that sounded more like a protest rather than making a point.
“No I’m not! I’m already asleep!” Seven-year-old Daniel blurted out as he opened his eyes and instantly realized he made a big mistake when his mother pointedly looked at him. “Oops.”
Lupe tried to hide her smile as she gave her children a firm warning, “I’m coming back after ten minutes to check on you.”
As soon as their mother was out of sight, eleven-year-old Claudia whispered over to her younger brother, David. “Go turn off the lights. I have a flashlight here.” So David leapt from Claudia’s bed silently, careful not to wake little Jazzy. When he climbed back to his previous spot where he had been perusing through a large world map with Claudia, his sister already had the flashlight on. She raised the small cylinder so the beam shone across the map, following her finger as it traced over the area marked with ‘U.S.A’. “Soon as I come of age, I will travel through these mountains over to where Aunt Kara is,” she explained, ending her finger trail over the state of Vermont.
“How are you gonna do that?” ten-year-old David asked in a low voice, half listening for their mother’s footsteps in the hallway. “You don’t have the money.”
“Davey, I said I’ll travel through the mountains, I guess you know how that would go,” Claudia said with an air of confidence.
“But why go to Aunt Kara? Dad doesn’t like her because of Uncle Simon,” David whispered, slightly frowning at the thought of his Aunt’s husband. His Aunt lived in a small but highly progressive community and her husband is one of the wealthiest tycoons in the wine industry at the town of Moulich, a pack leader in his own right. Their father was likewise a pack leader, who believed in a simple and peaceful life, not entirely following the old traditions.
Claudia rolled her eyes. “Dad doesn’t like Uncle Simon because he doesn’t believe in his ways,” Claudia’s voice raised a notch. David suddenly placed his pointing finger against his lips to silence her when she opened her mouth to continue because he heard the brisk footfalls outside their bedroom and from the sound of every step; he knew that it was their mother.
“Mom’s coming.” David almost mouthed the words as he did his best not to make any more audible sounds; then quickly scuttled from Claudia’s bed to his and slipped under the covers.
By the time Lupe opened the door, Claudia and David were already lying motionless, eyes shut but their minds were still drifting to Claudia’s desire to embark on a journey, a secret they now shared. They willed their hearts’ beating to ease up and their breathing to even out so their mother would believe that they were on their way to the deepest layers of slumber.
Lupe could sense their lingering minds, however. But she smiled deciding that she’d let them be this time. She slowly closed the door as she stepped back into the hallway.
When David was certain that his mother had gone back to her room, he turned to Claudia and called out in a whisper, “Claud, if you go off on your journey, will you take me with you?”
“Davey, I was planning on going once I come of age. By then, it would be a year before you do,” Claudia whispered back.
“But… but… I will miss you if you go,” David asserted.
Claudia turned to lie on her side then propped up on her elbow to look at David who was on the bed across hers. “Ok. Fine. I will take you with me. Even if I have to wait a year until you turn eighteen. Now can we please get some sleep?”
David didn’t go to sleep right away. He was still staring at the ceiling trying to bring back the images of the map to his head. He wondered how it would feel to actually run through the woods and the mountains freely. Without fear. Without any worry. Just like nature had meant for them to be.
He heard the approaching footsteps from a distance even before the banging on the front door came. Then there were raised voices downstairs but he could not understand a word that was being hollered. He sat up startled when his mother suddenly burst into their room and austerely asked them to get dressed, grab their coats and put their shoes on. She had likewise ordered Claudia to get Jazzy dressed warmly.
After a span of five minutes, maybe less, their mother was herding all of the children down through the ground level of their home, all the way to the basement. Their little sister Amber, wrapped safely on a carrier tied around her shoulders and waist. David glanced back to see his father, Jeff, and a neighbor standing behind the front door holding rifles and speaking in hushed voices. Jeff turned to David who was standing at the top of the stairs leading down to the dimly lit room below and locked eyes with his oldest son.
Jeff walked over to David and in a voice barely audible said, “remember everything I’ve taught you, son. Protect your brother and sisters and your mother as well. Protect your identity. Protect our secret. Protect our existence.”
David could not understand what was going on but he nodded in response nonetheless. He only took a step down the stairs after his mother called out for him; half hoping he could stay by his father’s side. When he glanced back to his father, he saw him slowly pushing the door that hid the basement stairs until it was completely closed. That was the last time David ever saw his father.
Lupe was already moving boxes that were piled up against a wall when David reached the bottom. A small red door on the wall was revealed soon as all the boxes were set aside. And David remembered his father once told him that it was to be used for emergencies. His father had once said that the tunnel behind it leads to the woods behind the village.
His mother struggled with the lever to push the door open, it was a difficult task since she had baby Amber against her chest, so David reached out to help her. When the door budged, Lupe quickly shoved David inside, followed by Jazzy, Claudia and Daniel. Gunshots were fired somewhere above and they heard angry voices before Lupe could close the tiny door behind them.
“Dad.” David whispered, more to himself, in fear that his father may have been caught in the crossfire.
“Move David!” Lupe’s voice resounded through the tiny space that made up the long dark passageway. “Hurry!”
“Mama, what’s going on?” Claudia’s voice clearly expressed worry as the realization that their mother was leading them out of the village through a secret route sank in. She held Jazzy on her side, balancing the toddler on her right hip, while her feet moved against the moldy surface of the slightly slippery ground.
“Hunters! Move!” Lupe urged them to move in haste.
The tunnel they were traipsing through led straight to a concave chamber with a metal ladder against a wall. David took a moment to turn around and check on his siblings and his mother only to see that there were flames spreading wildly behind them. He could smell a strong odor that made his throat hurt and guessed that it was gasoline.
David clutched on the metal rod at the bottom of the ladder and quickly began to ascend. He climbed up until he reached a wooden platform overhead. He pushed it forcefully until it heaved open and crawled out. He then turned around to help his sisters and brother just in time to witness their mother slipped from the ladder and fell on her back as she hit the ground, her arms still protectively wrapped around the baby she was carrying. The flames that rapidly spread through the passageway they walked through had crawled out of the cavernous space and had threateningly slithered across the ground like tentacles in urgent need to wrap its limbs around a living being, it’s burning tips licking at Lupe’s feet. Before she was completely engulfed in inferno, she managed to yell, “go on, keep running, and don’t look back” to her older children. And David felt helpless as he saw their mother and their youngest sister being engulfed by the raging fire.
“Mama! Amber! Noooooo!”
The screams of the remaining Archuleta children echoed through the hollow walls of the tunnel. The sound of their pain pierced through the numbing atmosphere of the night and was heard from a distance like a disconcerting howling of creatures in deep lamentation.
Some neighbors who had likewise fled to the woods called out to them and warned them of the incoming onslaught of hunters holding rifles and torches several yards away. David gestured for his siblings to follow him and he led them into the woods using his ability to see through the dark.
The people who have managed to enter the forest eventually scattered into smaller groups and have fled to different directions. David knew the forest well because he and his father often took long walks through it, so he knew which direction to take that would lead them out to the other side.
As David turned his head around and waved his arm, motioning his siblings to keep up, he saw a band of people, hunters he presumed, that had followed them through the woods; with burning sticks of resinous wood that lighted up their paths, its flames casting shadows on their indistinct faces.
David felt his heart beat at an alarming rate as fear slowly crept up his spine. The sound of gunshots resonated throughout the dark tree-covered area followed by screams of terror and pain. Two of their neighbors, teen-age siblings Blake and Haley, were running towards their direction.
“Run kids, run!” Haley yelled, as she grabbed hold of Claudia who was carrying little Jazzy and guided her towards the deeper part of the forest. Her brother Blake, who ran ahead, grabbed both Daniel and David and quickened their pace.
Another series of gunshots were fired and David heard someone scream from behind. He turned in time to see his older sister drop on her knees and settled Jazzy on the ground before she fell completely.
“Claudia!” David and Daniel cried out at the same time and made a move to rush to her side like Haley had but Blake grabbed them both by the arm.
“We have to keep going,” Blake said sympathetically and glanced over at his sister. “Haley! We have to go!”
The seventeen-year-old brunette picked Jazzy up and ran towards where her brother and the two Archuleta boys headed. There were angry voices behind them and they knew that the hunters were closing in. David couldn’t even look back because Blake was practically dragging him as he ran and his feet struggled to keep up.
Another scream issued from behind and everything happened so abruptly that David hardly had time to process anything. By the time he turned his head, he saw that several men had dragged Haley and his sister Jazzy to a tiny clearing and their rifles were pointed at the girls. Blake jerked for a moment and took a step as he yelled “no!” and at the same instant, Daniel, whose arm had been freed from Blake’s grasp, impulsively sprinted towards the clearing crying out “Jazzy!”
Then there were several deafening shots fired and David felt like the world was crashing down on him as he saw Haley and Jazzy covered in blood. He screamed, not knowing exactly what he was screaming because all he could think about was getting to Jazzy and Daniel, who momentarily stood still before falling face first to the ground. He meant to run to them but there was this weight on his arms that was holding him back.
He realized it was Blake holding on to him tightly then the eighteen-year-old turned him around and lugged him as he dashed to the area where trees stood closer to each other. And David knew they were getting deeper into the forest.
They had been running for, David guessed, fifteen minutes when he heard angry voices behind them once more and someone yelling “there’s two more over there!” Blake moved behind him and in a fraction of a second, he felt the young man’s grip on his arm loosen until he slipped off from his hold and felt Blake drop behind him. When he turned around, he saw two silver arrows sticking up on Blake’s back.
“Blake!” David crouched beside the teenager.
“Go David. Keep going deeper into the woods, they won’t be able to follow you there. Once you lose them, you have to change so you can escape further,” Blake struggled to say every word, his eyes had become dilated and his body shivered as the poison of the silver arrows flowed painfully through his bloodstream. The noise coming from the advancing group became more apparent. “Run. As fast as you can. Run!” The light on Blake’s eyes flickered, and then slowly faded. And then he was gone.
Tears streamed down the boy’s face as he got up and continued to dash through the dark wooded area. Images of his father and his mother and his sisters and brother flashed through his mind. Fear and anger seeped through him and his feet moved three times faster than it had, dashing through the thickening growth of mahogany. The wind swept against his face and he embraced the darkness that seemed to give him comfort as he went further into the woods.
When he could no longer hear the voices behind him, David presumed that he was far enough from the hunters and was safe to slow down a bit so he could start stripping off his clothing. But he kept on running. He ran as he let his coat slip behind him and fall on the trail he was sprinting through. Then he swiftly pulled his long-sleeved shirt off and likewise let it fall.
David stopped to check if he was still being followed or if he had managed to set a good distance between him and his pursuers. And when he heard nothing, not the slightest sound of footsteps or any distinctive breathing or whispers through the wind, he kicked off his shoes and removed his jeans. Then he ran further along a track opposite the route he intended to take, hoping that he would lose his pursuers completely.
The tree trunks were thicker at the area where David was roving aimlessly through. And it was darker. Trees stood almost side-by-side with their leafy tops intertwining; thus, the beam from the full moon could barely pierce through. David had reached the center of the forest. He desperately hoped that the hunters would have a hard time finding him once they follow the misleading tracks he had left behind.
David had to discard his undershirt and boxer shorts, then he’d be free to transform. He was lifting the white garment when he caught the sound of light footsteps that caused the dried leaves on the ground to rustle. He paused, still holding his shirt that had been pulled up midway on his torso.
Then suddenly, a shadowy figure emerged between two trees and a young man, in his late teens, stopped short at the sight of David.
There was a moment of silence between them. And David gasped when the young man took a step forward. “You’re one of them,” the young man said in a presumptive way, “aren’t you?”
“P-please don’t kill me,” David’s voice, along with his body, trembled in fear.
“I’m not gonna hurt you,” the young man said, voice as gentle as the cool breeze that brushed through David’s skin. “Don’t be afraid.”
“A-are you a hunter?” There was hesitance in David’s tone because he didn’t want to sound like he was accusing the young man. He knew that would be rude.
But the young man was already shaking his head before David could think of taking it back. “No,” the older boy said, “I am with them though. My father is one. But I don’t believe in what they do, that’s why I’m here, trying to stay away from the violence.”
“I-I’m scared.” David sobbed as new set of tears flowed out of his glowing eyes.
The young man then stepped into the light that shone through the trees, and David immediately looked into his eyes. David was somehow entranced with the depth of the swirl of emerald and shades of gray that he was immediately taken by the sincerity he saw beneath its surface.
The older boy slightly twitched under his gaze, which David broke immediately and took in the older boy’s appearance. Strands of auburn hair fell upon his forehead; pale skin glowed against the moonlight. His lips turned into a half smile that somehow made David feel at ease.
“It’s okay. I—I’ll protect you. I won’t let anyone know you’re here,” the young man said. He looked at David closely, his forehead creased when he noticed the boy’s lack of clothing. “Where are the rest of your clothes? And why were you taking off your shirt? Aren’t you col – oh. Oh I see.”
David flinched when the young man slowly approached him. He somehow felt vulnerable under the young man’s stare; the intent look he had seemed to pierce through the surface of his being, as if he was peering into David’s soul. They both jumped when they heard voices in the distance and turned their heads towards the direction where it seemed to have issued from.
“You have to go. I’ll distract them, point them to the opposite direction so they won’t be able to track you right away,” the young man said, already starting back on the trail David had taken. "But you have to hurry," he called over his shoulder.
Soon as the teenager turned away, David quickly slipped out of his remaining clothes and let the energy within him flow, feeling every twist and every stretch on his bones and flesh and soon he was running; gracefully and swiftly, furred paws lightly touching the ground. He leapt and bounded against tree trunks and relished the cool breeze that blew against his thick white fur.
And so the legend would once again be spoken. Whispers of a beautiful young creature wrapped in ethereal glow, wandering through the mountains, running freely against the wind, in search of a new life.
~ Première - I ~
=========================================================
Comments will be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading.
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no subject
Date: 2009-01-27 03:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-27 03:15 am (UTC)uhm...do you think i should post at the comm? coz they might find it... uhm... bizarre?
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2009-01-27 03:26 am (UTC)But I LOVED the meeting between Cook and David- that was so cool!
This is a cool idea, bb!
no subject
Date: 2009-01-27 03:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-27 04:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-27 04:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-27 04:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-27 04:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-27 04:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-27 04:39 am (UTC)i was hoping that the young man david met at the end of this part would remain inconspicuous. i guess i fail at keeping secrets. but i must've been thinking too much of cook when i was writing this that the description gave it away?
thanks so much for reading bb!
no subject
Date: 2009-01-27 04:35 am (UTC)and bb, gotta say, the banner is so0o0o preeettyyy*_* hehe
♥! thanks for letting me beta this :D hehe now, hurry up and send over the next part ^_~
no subject
Date: 2009-01-27 04:44 am (UTC)talk about writers' block. heaven forbid i get the stories mixed up. lol. thanks again for the remarkable assistance!
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2009-01-27 04:53 am (UTC)i was afraid i might end up dodging pointed objects hurled at me for letting archie's family die. sometimes, tragedy needs to happen to shape a person's character.
thank you so much for the lovely comment :)
no subject
Date: 2009-01-27 05:15 am (UTC)I feel so bad for David though. Goodness. :( This is a wonderful start!
no subject
Date: 2009-01-27 05:52 am (UTC)Thanks so much bb! thank you for this awesome comment.
no subject
Date: 2009-01-27 05:31 am (UTC)this came as a surprise as I just finished re-reading closure & shattered about an hour ago (i had it printed. hehehe.)
goes off to read.
no subject
Date: 2009-01-27 05:56 am (UTC)hope you enjoy this one bb. thanks so much for sticking around.
and thank you thank you for the lovely comment
(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2009-01-27 07:08 am (UTC)I see where the tradegy of his family would shape David forever. Looking forward to the next part.
no subject
Date: 2009-01-27 10:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-27 07:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-27 10:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-27 09:24 am (UTC)I am hooked up in this! I know some things about the Loup-Garoux, and I really liked how you portrayed them. It was sad to see the Archuleta family being killed... but I'm glad that Cook (I'm sure that teenager is Cook, and if he isn't, I'll stick with my idea!) helps David!
Can we have more, please? Whenever your writer's block is over, of course.
no subject
Date: 2009-01-27 10:43 am (UTC)loup-garoux somehow captivated me since it was so different from the common werewolves most of us had been accustomed to. sadly, the myth about these creatures aren't much explored, realized that when i was trying to get facts. the loss of david's family was indeed heartbreaking. and the teenager at the end? i guess it's pointless to deny it's cook since i slipped too may times already :D i was hoping the auburn hair was a give away.
my writer's block had been torturing me for weeks. my brain actually hurts trying to get rid of it. i'll find ways don't worry. even if it means going on a pilgrimage....just kidding. thanks so much for reading bb!
no subject
Date: 2009-01-27 12:47 pm (UTC)I was crying for David when they were running through the forest and he lost his family one by one.
I wish I could say more, it was just perfect.
Can't wait to see what happens next x
no subject
Date: 2009-01-27 05:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-27 06:09 pm (UTC)And what a prologue!
*dies*
Loved the entire fantasy feel. And the dynamic between the boys is incredible!
Loved this and I can't wait for more! =)
no subject
Date: 2009-01-27 06:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-28 02:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-28 02:25 am (UTC)I really can't wait until the next post! <333
no subject
Date: 2009-01-28 02:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-28 03:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-28 03:20 am (UTC)And that makes no sense?
I'm sorry, I haven't slept in two days, and this is too much excitement for my brain to handle what with my energy level in the negatives, so coherent is pretty much out of the question at this point.
But anyway. Yes. This. Fantastic. *loves*
no subject
Date: 2009-01-28 04:00 am (UTC)i haven't slept normally in days too, although i have slept. like for a few hours? so i can relate.
thanks so much for reading bb :)
no subject
Date: 2009-01-28 07:19 am (UTC)*kicks your writer's block away*
no subject
Date: 2009-01-28 06:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-29 03:03 pm (UTC)at the beginning I was all "aw this is so cute" "Foothills of Murray haha awesome" and "Aunt Kara FTW"
and then BAM!!!!!!!
dadX mom/baby sisX big sisX Lil' BroX
and I'm all 0.o o.0 0.o T T
poor David! and he's just a little kid!
p.s. I know this is a really weird comment haha
I could go all "deep" and tell you how the story flows so beautifully or how within the span of a few paragraphs you have me completely emotionally involved with the characters. but ..psshhh you don't want that you want lil' faces 0.o ^-^ haha
(p.s. sorry for the epic lameness you have to bare witness to haha)
no subject
Date: 2009-01-29 06:02 pm (UTC)uhm... i hope that doesn't look scary.
anyway, it was fun reading your comments. i totes get what you mean.
thanks so much for reading bb!
no subject
Date: 2009-01-30 05:45 am (UTC)in anycase this...brilliant!
shapeshifter archie makes me happy. the beginning's really depressing though poor baby seeing everything he loves disappear like that at least he's met cook (i'm just guessing here i could be wrong) that's a good thing
your writting is really great and i look forward for more :3
no subject
Date: 2009-01-30 02:16 pm (UTC)just imagine archie shape-shifting to a wolf. kinda magical. but yes it was depressing for him to lose his family, but i wanted to portray the way these creatures fight for survival. how they're treated like ordinary animals instead of gifted creatures. but the young man he met in the end will have a great impact on his outlook in life. okay..i just gave you a spoiler.
thank you so much for reading and thank you for the wonderful comment.
no subject
Date: 2009-01-31 08:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-31 05:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-01-31 06:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-20 02:46 am (UTC)I LOVE THIS SO MUCH. SO MUCH. YOU HAVE NO IDEA.
Also, your chapter endings are so incredibly beautiful! ;)
♥
no subject
Date: 2009-02-20 06:59 am (UTC)thanks thanks thanks so much for your help lee. i really really really appreciate it.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-08 03:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-10 04:49 am (UTC)