The Dream

[Fenrykus]

This is a short story I came up with years ago, for a creative writing exercise in 4th grade. The assignment was to write a single-paragraph short story; I've since developed the initial concept a little further. I hope you enjoy!

 

++++++++++

 

The chill of the night bit sharply as I gulped in lungfuls of air. Each expulsion of breath produced a thick puff of warm vapor that curled away slowly in the night. The smell of the woods filled my nostrils, and it would have been quite pleasant in any other situation. I was nearly doubled over, leaning against a tree and shivering uncontrollably. Steam poured off my bare, sweaty arms, and the sensation in my feet was a disturbing and painful combination of freezing and burning. But I couldn't stop for long; it was on my trail, and each moment spent sitting still drew it ever closer. With every fiber, sinew and muscle in my body screaming in protest, I lumbered forward once more. My gait was slow and erratic at first; I had been running for what seemed like an eternity, and I just wanted to find a warm, safe place to curl up and go to sleep. But slowly, as my mind numbed some of the pain once more, my stride lengthened and my pace quickened.

 

I hadn't seen the beast since entering the forest, though I was sure it was still there, somewhere. And I wasn't making any attempts to quiet my passage, or to hide my trail. Instead, my efforts were focused solely on escape. As I continued to push on, I slowly realized the futility of my endeavors. The animal was born into this world, it had evolved to stalk this wilderness, even in the icy grip of winter. I, on the other hand, simply learned to endure, and had awoken to find myself naked in a blanket of snow and the beast staring right at me. Its eyes, golden orbs pinned with black, held a ruthless, cunning intelligence that few other creatures of the wild could match. As I leapt up and began running, a keening howl erupted from the animal's throat, its head thrown back with the thrill of a new hunt. It was only a matter of time now before it found me and ended my saga.

 

But I didn't want to enter the red sleep. If it wanted me it would have catch me first. And I would fight it to the bitter end, I swore to myself. Lost in thought as I ran, I barely registered another howl piercing the still night air. It was answered by another, off in the distance, though still behind me. I continued on, running on autopilot for the most part, fear having numbed all other emotions. I didn't even see the root sticking out from the carpet of snow; my arms did little to break my fall, the ice causing them to slide out from under me in an instant. My head impacted on the ground, and the air was painfully knocked from my lungs. With my head now throbbing, the all the pain that had been forgotten came surging back in a tidal wave, knotting my stomach and causing my vision to swirl wildly. And then I felt the warm, humid exhalation of breath on the back of my neck.

 

How had it reached me so fast, so silently? I covered my ears and screwed my eyes shut as another howl cut through the silence; is this really how it would end? Rolling over, I peered into the endless pits of those golden eyes. Where earlier I saw an intelligence in an animal, I now only saw the ravenous hunger of a beast. Its jaws opened, and its pale, pink tongue lolled about in its slavering maw as it regarded its prey. I slowly stood back up, though the creature's head came up to my chest. Its coal-black fur blended in perfectly with the light-less night, which explained why I hadn't seen it. It had been toying with me; allowing me to think I was getting away, but it had been there all along in the dark, watching and waiting for the perfect time to strike. I balled my fists, armed with no other means of defense, and waited for its attack. Stupid me. I wasn't expecting the one from behind. A force like a car barreled into me, knocking me onto my face once more. I screamed in anger and fear as the beasts lunged...and woke up. My scream echoed through the pitch black that surrounded me, and I slumped back, quickly falling unconscious once more.

[Servant of Dante]

I like it :) . . . but does it have anything to do with 40K?

[Fenrykus]

When I created the initial story, way back when (in 1996 ), no; I had no clue what 40k was back then, or even that there was such a thing. But its current state was inspired by reading A Thousand Sons and The Burning of Propsero, and I've had every intention of turning it into a Space Wolves short story. I thought I'd lost it on an old laptop that crashed, but found I'd emailed myself a draft and had forgotten about it. Cleaning out my email last night I came across it and thought I'd share it.

Edit: For clarification, I do still intend to develop this into a Spave Wolves short story.