Chapter Two

The still dark forest rustled and the crunch of fallen dried leaves beneath the feet spread through the night that was blanketed with the thick darkness. A black cat with shimmering green eyes tilted its head curiously from atop the tree it sat.

A little child of about nine years old walked out from behind the shadows causing the green eyes of the black cat to gleam weirdly. An ostensibly feral grin stretched out from the cat's mouth exposing its canines.

Its little pink tongue darted out and licked its front paw before it leisurely ascended down from the tree.

The little moonlight shining through exposed the scary features of the child.

The nose was upturned, looking like it possessed no nose bridge, the eyes; bright blood red without orbs, exposed chainsaw-like teeth which had suspicious pink meat stuck in them, pointed ears, and blood dripping from beside his mouth.

"Where have you been? You said you were only going to join them for a meal and it will not take long but I've been waiting for you for almost an hour now. Don't you know it's midnight already?" The cat asked with a twinge of annoyance in its voice.

The child grunted, licking the blood at the corner of his mouth. "The human they caught this time was rather fleshy," he said.

The cat huffed at his reason. "let's go. If it wasn't because you wanted to go to town today I would have left already." The annoyed cat purred haughtily and walked ahead without the child.

"Well, I'll bring the eyes of whoever I get today as a gift for you." The child said in a compromise, following the cat.

"You better" The cat grunted. "I need to maintain myself so my eyes can remain the prettiest. If not, how am I supposed to entice those human men?" it asked.

The cat became happy with the compromise and proceeded to give a half-hearted advice

"Don't get carried away and make sure to return before daybreak."

"I won't, I intend to find a woman...." the forest child started saying before the cat interrupted.

"Have your fellow forest children not taught you anything? You don't want to enter the house of a woman, most especially those women that belong to a cult. They are ruthless and will use you to make ritual essence. Hunt for a man and if you want to hunt for a woman, hunt in a group." the cat snapped.

They came to a pause by the frontier of the forest, with the tarred road by each side. The cat morphed into a beautiful woman on her feet. Thick luscious dark hair and shiny and firm dark skin complimented her small nose, cupid bow's lips, and huge watery eyes which seem to hold stars. She had ample bosom, a thin waist, and long legs; the things men liked.

She ran her thin fingers through her hair and her long lashes fluttered. After achieving the messy hair she wanted, her tear duct obeyed her command and her clean beautiful eyes glistened with tears making her more beautiful and igniting men's desire to protect her.

The little boy looked at her with his red eyes which were devoid of an orb and a barely noticeable sneer rested at the corner of his mouth.

The cat's hazy eyes were captivating and she looked so innocent and harmless. If people were cautious enough though, it wasn't hard to notice the eminent dark and evil aura around her. But it's a pity, the virtue people possessed least was attentiveness.

"Alright," The cat woman hummed, delighted with the outcome. "This should do the trick"

The forest child looked at the road ahead with undisguised greed. The thought of a hunt made his heart pump faster.

A warning flashed in the cat woman's eyes, she sneered and said.

"Children of the night pay attention.

Dwellers of the thickest dark nest.

Play in the night for it is your mission.

Harness power for we worship the strongest.

But pay heed,

the daytime is not our dwelling.

As soon as the light rears its head,

return to the environs of the thickest darkness.

For the hidden are the most protected."

She chanted in a low and serious voice, her warning undisguised and clear.

Her voice echoed in the dark as she took to her path.

The boy knew the chant was for him, its meaning was very clear. The cats were powerful chanters, they had beautiful voices and that was one of the reasons they easily caught human males as their prey. Their voice was enchanting to men.

But damn those cats, all they knew how to do was beguile men and steal seeds to enrich their beauty and increase their life span. The boy thought and scoffed as he took to his path.

"crazy cat" he muttered in a voice colored with disdain. "what does she know?" he asked.

Every forest child preferred women to men.

Men had tough skin, they weren't soft or pillowy like women and their bones were as hard as rocks. Women were nicer.

He could almost feel the sheer pleasure coursing through his body when sharp teeth dig into their soft skin. The faint nice smell they emit as fear grips and rushes through them. Their eyes dilated from adrenaline and their useless desire to escape made the chase all the more worth it. The despair, sadness, and struggle in their eyes when they realize they're going to die. Women have pretty faces, making such look very enticing and delectable, patting the softest spot of the heart.

But men weren't usually worth the chase and their bodies weren't as warm as the women's.

Their meat was also tough and usually gets stuck in between the teeth which was rather very irritating. Besides, he will not get the exquisite sensation a woman gave from a man.

But Forest children always hunt for women together because one can't tell a woman with power from a woman without but their combined strength was enough to nullify the spiritual potency of a cult woman if they happen to run into one.

He took a deep breath; the flowery scent of perfume, the pungent smell of Alcohol, the hooking flavor of cigarettes, and the darkness of the night rushed that rushed to him made it all the more thrilling. He was out for a hunt and nobody could stop him, not even a cat's chant. All that was needed was for him to be careful in choosing his dinner.

*

Tap, tap, tap. The barely noticeable steps of little feet caused the sleeping woman to frown. The steps stopped and the frown on the woman's face also receded as she drifted into oblivion. The little light from the moon shone on the woman and glowing red eyes which took light steps to the woman's bed.

He inhaled and a grin spanned across its features revealing chainsaw-like teeth stained with blood. The soft mouthwatering smell of his dinner hit him hard.

He wrapped both hands around the neck of the sleeping woman. This was the part he relished the most and he could almost anticipate how it will happen.

Her eyes will open when she realizes she's choking and will coat in fear at the sight of him. She will struggle and attempt to scream and her fear will heighten when she realizes she can not. Basking in that fear, he'll snap her neck and watch the life drain from her eyes. Then he will have a delicious meal and keep her eyes for the cat as he promised.

Forest children hardly ever come to town so he'll take her head back which he'll place in front of his clearing to serve as proof when he boasts of it. He will be the object of jealousy in the forest.

He compressed his fingers causing the sleeping woman to gasp and open her eyes.

Red eyes and black orbs meet, time stilled, and both eyes stayed on each other. His teeth spanned, waiting for her reaction only to be met with none. Her eyes trained on him, with no fear, struggle, or surprise.

She dipped her hand beside the bed and grabbed the handle of a racket which she swiftly whirled at him with her might catching him by surprise and hurling him to a corner in the room. She stood up from the bed with the tennis racket in hand and walked towards the forest child who had thick red blood dripping down the side of his head.

The thing about forest children was that they were rather hard to kill but once they've met their match, they become cowards.

Besides, they were called forest children because they were still children after all.

The racket lifted again to hit him but he promptly got to his feet and dived, the whoosh of the racket barely missing his head. Taking advantage of the height difference, he lunged at her exposed neck only for the woman to take a step back, quickly rescind the racket and land a precise hit on his head, causing a big dent in the side and middle of the bat. The forest child snorted in pain and landed on the floor with a thud.

He shuddered in fear and pain as the woman walked toward him. Something was unnerving about her. She wasn't a cult woman but the aura around her felt more sinister. He felt a deep sense of regret. He shouldn't have chosen this woman as his dinner.

"Stupid child, you came to the wrong house." She said "If you know what is good for you, get out before I get back and make sure your blood doesn't drop on the floor," her voice was laced with venom. An irritated look flashed her eyes as she tossed the racket aside and proceeded to the bathroom to wash her hands.

The sound of water filled the room as the forest child grunted to his feet with tears filling his eyes. He held his throbbing head and looked toward the bathroom. The water stopped and he stiffened, his eyes widening. So much for wanting to eat a woman. He didn't want anymore. Those creatures are heartless.

Besides, he certainly couldn't tell the others that he went to town and got battered by a woman, they'll laugh at him. With one last look at the bathroom, he jumped out the window and into the night.

Fidal came out of the bathroom and met with an empty room. The forest child was gone. She picked up a coat and walked out the door into the night.