1 Ch. 1

The little boy explored the cave with vigorous excitement though he was more than a bit wary. He gingerly shined his small blue flashlight into every crevice he could find. As he trekked deeper into the cave he became lost, confused by the twists and turns and the seemingly identical spikes on the ground and ceiling of the cavern. He tried to turn and go back the way he came, but soon realized he didn't know the way back. He started to cry. He was lost, hopelessly lost. He coughed as tears ran down his cheeks. He kept walking. When a low, gurgling growl echoed off the walls, the boy halted. Shining his light around himself. His gaze rested upon a large, snarling, hairless creature with a wolf-like head and black, reflective eyes. It lunged at him. Instinctively, he held up his arms and closed his eyes to brace himself. When the creature's teeth met his arm, he screamed and let go of his flashlight as his head smashed into the ground.

When he regained consciousness he was laying in a clearing not far away from the mouth of the cave. He turned his head in the direction of the cave and saw two star-like gleams reflecting the sunset, and in the same moment, they flitted back into the darkness. The boy's head pounded painfully but he knew he couldn't lay in the damp moss for too long. He crawled to the edge of the clearing and sat with his back against a tree. He looked at his wrist, the gashes weren't deep but they covered most of his forearm. It looked like the blood had washed away but they were still painful and oozed red. As he observed the clearing he saw his flashlight on the ground, it looked broken. The little bit of glass over the bulb was missing and the paint was more scratched than it used to be. He was tired and began to fall asleep against the tree.

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It watched the boy sleep, it looked hungry. As though it hoped for something it could never have. It helped the boy when he cried. What was the beast thinking? Had it meant to hurt the child? Or was it waiting for something? The creature curled up just out of sight behind the veil of shadows. Lying awake, listening.

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When night came, it was bitter and cold. The creature decided to lay with the boy, to keep him warm. They both slept soundly through the night. When the sun had risen and the creature retreated back to the cave, the boy did not wake. He lay there calmly. His breaths deep and repetitive. Suddenly, shouting could be heard in the distance, as it got closer and louder one clear word could be made out: Cody.