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Deep in the wilds, there is a land of pristine natural beauty where predators and prey have learned to exist harmoniously side by side. In the land of Eldhaven, nourished by an enchanted river which slakes both hunger and thirst, the likes of foxes, bears, and wolves have laid aside their grisly need to hunt and now live and dwell amongst the rabbits, squirrels, and nice that they now consider their neighbors and friends. Nourished by the enchanted river and guided by the wise and judicious rule of the wolves and their King, the animals here lead lives of tranquility, secure in the promise of peace that dominates the forests and plains of the kingdom.

But now, a new animal is about to enter this wondrous place, haunted by the trauma of his past. Having never known an existence beyond the reach of the laws of nature, Leyfe must now adapt to life in a kingdom ruled by the very creatures he has learned to fear.", "writing": "Prologue: A Desperate Flight\n\n\n\n\nHe ran. His legs ached; they felt like heavy stones, but he ran anyway. A fierce howl split the night, and labored snarls echoed through the trees somewhere behind him. His hooves scraped against the moldering bark of a fallen log as he leapt over. He nearly stumbled in a patch of loamy soil on the other side. His breath hitched in his chest until he found his footing. Then he sprinted on, straining to catch up to his mother. Her white tail was a flash in the dark, leading the way through the dense trunks of the tangled wood.\n\n\nA branch whipped across his face and he cried out. The tears that welled up in his eyes were more from fear than pain. The sharp throb in his chest was worse than the sting on his cheek. Neither would approach their agony if the wolves caught up to them. The thought of jaws snapping in the dark drove him wildly onward.\n\n\nThere was a sudden snag; his foreleg caught in an upturned root. He came down, and his snout smashed into the earth. The world spun, and a heavy tightness squeezed around his chest as the wood turned upside down. The branches overhead morphed into gnarled grasping arms that reached out to restrain him. \n\n\nHe tried to orient himself, but it was too much. The breaths he took wouldn't enter his lungs. His legs thrashed, refusing to move in the way he needed them to. The edges of his vision pulsed and throbbed, bearing in on him. He was trapped, gasping and flailing. The pulse of the world collapsed in on him.\n\n\n“Leyfe, get up!”\n\n\nHis mother's voice cut through the howling of the wolves as her hooves skidded in the loam beside him. Her face loomed stark, and her frantic eyes scanned the darkness. “Get up now, Leyfe! We need to run!” \n\n\nHis breaths came like sharp daggers inside his chest. He tried to find his footing, but she didn't wait for him. With a jerk, she bit down upon the stubs that would one day be his antlers and began to tug. He was pulled bodily forwards as he scrambled to find purchase. His front legs finally dug into the soil, and with a mighty heave she dragged him up onto his feet. \n\n\n“Run, Leyfe! We can't stop!” Her rear hooves kicked up a patch of dirt and leaves as she sprinted off. He followed, his chest and legs heaving with the exertion. \n\n\nThey fled at breakneck speed, dashing around trees and leaping over brooks. The wolves still were not far behind. A dark form broke through the brush off to his left. He could see it, a shadow heaving through the darkness beside them, eyes glinting like amber moons. He had just enough time to scream before the beast lunged at him. \n\n\nHe leapt to evade, but not fast enough. Those jaws caught him, and a fierce pain exploded in his ankle. He went down, colliding into the earth with a splitting crash. And then it was on him. The hot breath of the beast's panting growls washed over him while more fiery bolts of pain shot through his flanks and side. It had its claws in him, raking and tearing. Its jaws sought to find purchase. He kicked and thrashed, trying to land a blow on the creature's face. It merely ducked and bit into his shoulder. Its eyes gleamed with a fierce hunger and the promise of a violent end.\n\n\nA primal scream erupted unbidden from his lungs. He tried to twist away, but the fangs of the wolf only ripped deeper into his flesh. Off to the side, a sharp and strangled cry mirrored his own. A rhythmic thudding of hooves rose above the vicious snarls, and there was a sudden violent impact. The force jolted his entire body.\n\n\nThe fangs and claws of the wolf tore from his flesh. The beast went flying, tumbling across the soil with a feral grunt. His mother crouched over him, her own muzzle just inches above his flank. Her chest and shoulders heaved with the effort of the charge. Her eyes, fierce and wild, bore into the wolf, which regained its feet with a terrible growl. “Get up! Hurry!” she gasped, eyes locked upon the fearsome predator.\n\n\nHe tried, but there was so much pain. His legs and hooves were slick with blood. He couldn't get nearly enough air. His limbs spasmed, sticking straight out like deadwood despite his attempts to move them. The terrible wolf was hunched low. Its maw pulled into a snarl as it advanced on his mother. Even at a distance those jaws seemed to clamp around his throat. A dreadful certainty locked his muscles and pinned him to the forest floor.\n\n\n“Leyfe, please!” She stamped her hooves and feigned a charge at the snarling beast. It backed away just slightly, snapping at the air. There were more shadowy forms in the dark now. They edged around trees and glided over a nearby hill. The air was alive with the growls and heavy breaths of the feral beasts. They closed in, a semi-circle of fur and flesh and fangs. Their heads were low, ears pulled back and jaws exposed. They inched closer, and still he couldn't move. The fearsome gaze of the wolves pinned him down.\n\n\nWith a sudden growl, one of the beasts leapt forward. The wolf's claws raked the air just shy of his mother's flank. She hopped aside, aiming a kick at its jaw. The blow landed with a sickening crack and the wolf tumbled past. An agonized yelp escaped the creature as it folded its paws over the crimson stain on its muzzle. \n\n\nAnother tried to get at him while she was distracted. Its jaws snapped shut on his bloodied ankle. A strangled cry escaped him. The blistering pain broke briefly through his paralysis and he tried to jerk away. But then his mother was there, her forearms a flailing fury as they stomped upon its head. The predator released him with a growl. It snapped at her instead, biting down on one of her forelegs.\n\n\n“LEYFE!” Her voice was a desperate sob. She tried to jerk away, but the pack seized their chance and lunged forward. Another set of jaws clamped into her shoulders, a third seized the side of her face. She tried to jerk away, but their fangs only sank in deeper. Hot blood dripped and pooled to the forest floor, gleaming in the moonlight. In that moment Leyfe found his strength. He flailed wildly, his hooves kicking up moss and dirt as he scrambled to get to his feet.\n\n\nThey were upon her now, yanking her down. Another wolf, huge and solid black, leapt upon her flank and forced her bodily down to the ground. Her bulging eyes met his, frantic and pleading. Her voice rose high above the snarls and the sounds of rending flesh. It rang out in a final, desperate plea.\n\n\n“RUN!”\n\n\nHe ran. There was a disturbing crunch behind him like the snapping of bone. He charged blindly forward, wailing into the night, heedless of direction. But he couldn't drown out the noises. The growls and snaps mixed briefly with his mother's screams, before they were abruptly silenced. He didn't know where to go, which way to run amidst the trees. Just away, away from the horror and the wolves.\n\n\nThere were growls and soft footfalls behind him. One of the wolves was still giving chase. He didn't look back. He didn't want to see the blood on its lips. His legs thudded faster, even as he felt himself begin to stumble. His strength was failing, the darkness of the wood was pulling closer around the edges of his vision. His own unceasing sobs stole what little air he seemed to have left.\n\n\nHe dodged around a thick trunk, only to pull up short at what he saw before him. There were more eyes, more gleaming moons of amber and silver and gold. He tried to skid to a halt, to change direction, anything. But his legs crumpled before him. His face collided with the stony earth at his feet.\n\n\nThe world was spinning. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't think. The darkness crept in around him and he was falling backwards, sinking into some endless chasm behind him. He spasmed as his senses fled. Even the cold ground upon which he lay felt distant and far away. There was a pain, a sharp tug at the back of his neck. This too quickly faded into the nauseous spiral of darkness which dragged him under. It all fell away as he sank into the despairing void.\n\n\nAnd then he knew nothing.", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "Prologue: A Desperate Flight




He ran. His legs ached; they felt like heavy stones, but he ran anyway. A fierce howl split the night, and labored snarls echoed through the trees somewhere behind him. His hooves scraped against the moldering bark of a fallen log as he leapt over. He nearly stumbled in a patch of loamy soil on the other side. His breath hitched in his chest until he found his footing. Then he sprinted on, straining to catch up to his mother. Her white tail was a flash in the dark, leading the way through the dense trunks of the tangled wood.


A branch whipped across his face and he cried out. The tears that welled up in his eyes were more from fear than pain. The sharp throb in his chest was worse than the sting on his cheek. Neither would approach their agony if the wolves caught up to them. The thought of jaws snapping in the dark drove him wildly onward.


There was a sudden snag; his foreleg caught in an upturned root. He came down, and his snout smashed into the earth. The world spun, and a heavy tightness squeezed around his chest as the wood turned upside down. The branches overhead morphed into gnarled grasping arms that reached out to restrain him.


He tried to orient himself, but it was too much. The breaths he took wouldn't enter his lungs. His legs thrashed, refusing to move in the way he needed them to. The edges of his vision pulsed and throbbed, bearing in on him. He was trapped, gasping and flailing. The pulse of the world collapsed in on him.


“Leyfe, get up!”


His mother's voice cut through the howling of the wolves as her hooves skidded in the loam beside him. Her face loomed stark, and her frantic eyes scanned the darkness. “Get up now, Leyfe! We need to run!”


His breaths came like sharp daggers inside his chest. He tried to find his footing, but she didn't wait for him. With a jerk, she bit down upon the stubs that would one day be his antlers and began to tug. He was pulled bodily forwards as he scrambled to find purchase. His front legs finally dug into the soil, and with a mighty heave she dragged him up onto his feet.


“Run, Leyfe! We can't stop!” Her rear hooves kicked up a patch of dirt and leaves as she sprinted off. He followed, his chest and legs heaving with the exertion.


They fled at breakneck speed, dashing around trees and leaping over brooks. The wolves still were not far behind. A dark form broke through the brush off to his left. He could see it, a shadow heaving through the darkness beside them, eyes glinting like amber moons. He had just enough time to scream before the beast lunged at him.


He leapt to evade, but not fast enough. Those jaws caught him, and a fierce pain exploded in his ankle. He went down, colliding into the earth with a splitting crash. And then it was on him. The hot breath of the beast's panting growls washed over him while more fiery bolts of pain shot through his flanks and side. It had its claws in him, raking and tearing. Its jaws sought to find purchase. He kicked and thrashed, trying to land a blow on the creature's face. It merely ducked and bit into his shoulder. Its eyes gleamed with a fierce hunger and the promise of a violent end.


A primal scream erupted unbidden from his lungs. He tried to twist away, but the fangs of the wolf only ripped deeper into his flesh. Off to the side, a sharp and strangled cry mirrored his own. A rhythmic thudding of hooves rose above the vicious snarls, and there was a sudden violent impact. The force jolted his entire body.


The fangs and claws of the wolf tore from his flesh. The beast went flying, tumbling across the soil with a feral grunt. His mother crouched over him, her own muzzle just inches above his flank. Her chest and shoulders heaved with the effort of the charge. Her eyes, fierce and wild, bore into the wolf, which regained its feet with a terrible growl. “Get up! Hurry!” she gasped, eyes locked upon the fearsome predator.


He tried, but there was so much pain. His legs and hooves were slick with blood. He couldn't get nearly enough air. His limbs spasmed, sticking straight out like deadwood despite his attempts to move them. The terrible wolf was hunched low. Its maw pulled into a snarl as it advanced on his mother. Even at a distance those jaws seemed to clamp around his throat. A dreadful certainty locked his muscles and pinned him to the forest floor.


“Leyfe, please!” She stamped her hooves and feigned a charge at the snarling beast. It backed away just slightly, snapping at the air. There were more shadowy forms in the dark now. They edged around trees and glided over a nearby hill. The air was alive with the growls and heavy breaths of the feral beasts. They closed in, a semi-circle of fur and flesh and fangs. Their heads were low, ears pulled back and jaws exposed. They inched closer, and still he couldn't move. The fearsome gaze of the wolves pinned him down.


With a sudden growl, one of the beasts leapt forward. The wolf's claws raked the air just shy of his mother's flank. She hopped aside, aiming a kick at its jaw. The blow landed with a sickening crack and the wolf tumbled past. An agonized yelp escaped the creature as it folded its paws over the crimson stain on its muzzle.


Another tried to get at him while she was distracted. Its jaws snapped shut on his bloodied ankle. A strangled cry escaped him. The blistering pain broke briefly through his paralysis and he tried to jerk away. But then his mother was there, her forearms a flailing fury as they stomped upon its head. The predator released him with a growl. It snapped at her instead, biting down on one of her forelegs.


“LEYFE!” Her voice was a desperate sob. She tried to jerk away, but the pack seized their chance and lunged forward. Another set of jaws clamped into her shoulders, a third seized the side of her face. She tried to jerk away, but their fangs only sank in deeper. Hot blood dripped and pooled to the forest floor, gleaming in the moonlight. In that moment Leyfe found his strength. He flailed wildly, his hooves kicking up moss and dirt as he scrambled to get to his feet.


They were upon her now, yanking her down. Another wolf, huge and solid black, leapt upon her flank and forced her bodily down to the ground. Her bulging eyes met his, frantic and pleading. Her voice rose high above the snarls and the sounds of rending flesh. It rang out in a final, desperate plea.


“RUN!”


He ran. There was a disturbing crunch behind him like the snapping of bone. He charged blindly forward, wailing into the night, heedless of direction. But he couldn't drown out the noises. The growls and snaps mixed briefly with his mother's screams, before they were abruptly silenced. He didn't know where to go, which way to run amidst the trees. Just away, away from the horror and the wolves.


There were growls and soft footfalls behind him. One of the wolves was still giving chase. He didn't look back. He didn't want to see the blood on its lips. His legs thudded faster, even as he felt himself begin to stumble. His strength was failing, the darkness of the wood was pulling closer around the edges of his vision. His own unceasing sobs stole what little air he seemed to have left.


He dodged around a thick trunk, only to pull up short at what he saw before him. There were more eyes, more gleaming moons of amber and silver and gold. He tried to skid to a halt, to change direction, anything. But his legs crumpled before him. His face collided with the stony earth at his feet.


The world was spinning. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't think. The darkness crept in around him and he was falling backwards, sinking into some endless chasm behind him. He spasmed as his senses fled. Even the cold ground upon which he lay felt distant and far away. There was a pain, a sharp tug at the back of his neck. This too quickly faded into the nauseous spiral of darkness which dragged him under. It all fell away as he sank into the despairing void.


And then he knew nothing.", "pools_count": 0, "title": "Heirs of Eldhaven - Prologue - A Desperate Flight", "deleted": "f", "public": "t", "mimetype": "text/plain", "pagecount": "1", "rating_id": "2", "rating_name": "Adult", "ratings": [ { "content_tag_id": "5", "name": "Strong Violence", "description": "Strong violence, blood, serious injury or death", "rating_id": "2" } ], "submission_type_id": "12", "type_name": "Writing - Document", "guest_block": "f", "friends_only": "f", "comments_count": "0", "views": "27" }