Chapter 1

Mark was having a bad day before robots invaded his home.  Mark was in the kitchen his finger in his mouth. “Ow ow ow ow.” He exclaimed. Luke looked over at his younger brother. “That’s what you get for not waiting, I told you it would burn.

x Luke put the pan down and removed his oven mitt. He shook his head in disappointment.  At sixteen Mark was still behaving like a kid.

`Mark too his finger out of his mouth and glanced up at Luke. “What?” He muttered.

Igoing to the forge okay?” He opened the door, allowing some sunlight to enter. “Solem is supposed to 3take you hunting with him today, just don’t piss him off.” Mark grunted and started to push the door closed.

“Mark I’m serious!” Luke said, “Please just list-” Mark closed the door on his brother and slid down, exhausted. “I hate going hunting with Solem” He groaned. “It’s always so boring.”  He thought of Solem’s smug feline eyes. Oh, you don’t wanna come? They seemed to say. Good for me!

Mark scowled, grabbed his sword from its post on the wall and strapped it to his back. He waved his hands in false enthusiasm. “Yay, hunting.”  

Mark stepped out of his hut, into the sunlight. He lived in a desert village, the heat never bothered him though. It was a wave of motion, no one in the village ever stopped working.  Luke pulled the hem of his cap over his eyes and trudged through the moist sand to Solem’s hut.

Solem’s hut was a bit different than everyone else’s.  Instead of the plain, clay that the other villagers, his was scrambled together from leaves and bone. Some kind of primal instinct he claims.  Mark approached, the hut and knocked twice on the bone handle. A few thumps could be faintly heard as someone moved to the door. The door swung open revealing a tuft of orange fur. Mark looked up and met the green feline eyes of Solem, frowning down at him.

“Was’up Solem?” He blurted. Solem rolled his eyes.

“What do you want welp?” Solem hissed. Mark leaned to the left and saw a peak of Solem’s glanced around. “Just give me a second.” He said. Solem’s door slammed shut and Mark stood there waiting. Or at least he should have. Mark tapped his foot for a few seconds then jumped off of Solem’s home, curtains were ripped and the furniture was thrown over.

“I...uh..You were supposed to take me hunting with you.” Mark sputtered. Solem scowled and porch and trailed around to the window on the left side.  Solem was hunched in a corner around some kind of light source.  That creeped Mark out so he trudged back to the door. Solem exited a moment later.

He looked much better than he did before, his ragged clothes replaced by leather armour, riddled with pouches and his daggers strapped to his sides. “Alright boy, let’s go. I’m going to teach you how to hunt Ball Wags now. Mark stepped out of Solem’s way as he strode down the stairs, his tail swaying down every step. “We’re going to hunt Ball Wags! They literally eat people.”

Solem scowled. “Which is the reason, why we’re going to hunt, and kill it.”  Mark made a sour face like  are you crazy and fell out of step with Solem.

“Well?” The Cat-Man called out for the boy. “What are you waiting for?” Mark shook his head and jogged to catch up with him. “Where exactly are the Ball Wags.” Mark croaked out.   Solem sighed and looked over at the teenage boy his hand quivering.  “They live west of here, about an hour walk.” Solem spat on the dirt and kept walking.  Mark stepped out of the way of the spit and stared ahead. He would finally get the chance to kill a Ball Wag. His Mother would be avenged. Mark looked around and noticed Solem glaring down at him. “Mark, this is not about revenge, fight wisely. A Ball Wag can use its venom to blind you. Mark grinded his teeth, he knew that. Everyone knew that. “And If their venom does hit you? Mark growled. “Solem, all of these questions are trivial, I know what to do!” He  howled.

Solem whipped his leg at Mark’s chest knocking him to the ground. Mark rolled and then flipped himself back onto his feet. He dragged his sword from its scabbard. The hissing sound echoed through the silent forest.  “Mark,” Solem spat. “What did I tell you about drawing your sword.”

Mark charged him and swiped at Solem’s arm. A dagger flashed and blocked the blow. “Don’t use it if you aren’t capable of killing your opponent.  Mark dropped and swung his legs in an arc, but Solem backstepped and flung dirt at Mark forcing him to cover his eyes. At that moment he delivered a roundhouse kick into the boy’s chest sending him sprawling in the mud.

Mark pushed himself up, covered in mud and spat. “Solem I’m tired of this.” The Cat-Man rolled his luminescent eyes. “Then stop me.” Mark switched the sword into his left hand and drew a dagger from a thigh sheath. Solem chuckled, “Now now boy I told you fighting with two different size blades in more difficult than you think.”

Mark growled and twisted his boot in the dirt, he launched himself at the older “man”. Their blades connecting with a distinct clang. Mark forced Solem’s blade back their faces nearly touching.

“Come on Mark.” Solem grunted. “Is this the best...you’ve got?” Solem spun, and delivered a backhanded fist into the boy’s face, causing him to stumble. Mark raised his weapons but too slow. Solem was on the attack. The Kyral spun, twirled and leap in a fury of orange fur. “Come on!” He yelled between blows. “Show me just how good you’ve gotten.” With a final twirl Solem kicked Mark’s feet from under him, he fell into the mud with a thump. Solem stood over him, daggers crossed at his throat.

He put the daggers away and offered to a hand the fallen boy. Mark shrugged him off and raised himself off the ground. Solem sighed and stopped to catch his breath. “Come on boy time to hunt some-” Solem was abruptly cut off, by a flash of green. Mark stumbled back his formerly white jacket now fully covered in mud. Mark looked up at the green creature. Blood red ooze dripped from its maw.  The Ball

Wag roared; rising up to its full height. Its speckled scales gleaming in the sunlight. It roared again, sounding similar to a tire dragging across the street.  

Mark scooped up his weapons and readied himself, the Ball Wag screeched and barrelled toward Mark its insect like body dragging across the ground. The young man flung himself out of the way rolling to safety as the Ball Wag crashed into a tree. He charged the creature and slashed, cutting off one of its many legs.

It roared in anger and began to turn to face him. “Come on you big ugly, show me what you’ve got!” He ran around on the other side of the creature and waved his blades.  It turned and snapped at him as he jumped back, out of reach.

The Ball Wag roared shaking the ground, it snapped its jaws at mark green spittle speckling his jacket.

“Man! I liked this jacket.” He scowled. He stabbed the Ball Wag causing it to roar in anguish. It swung its tail. Mark flew back the impact caused his vision to swim. Mark staggered away from the tree his hair decorated with mud and leaves. Mark cursed under his breath and glared at the monster before him. “Ballwags I hate them, you may not be the one who killed my parents, but I’ll be the one who kills you.”

He roared in fury and charged the beast, it sat lazily awaiting my approach. Sliding under its underbelly and raised my sword jamming it into the soft skin. The Ballwag roared and stomped, blood began to spill from its belly. Mark broke his slide and rolled to my feet, my sword still stuck inside of the monster. It spun to face him; its breath coming in ragged huffs.  The scales of it rattled as it struggled to breath, its purple eyes eyeing Mark with sheer hatred. Its mandibles snapped as it watched him.

It snapped at Mark causing him to step back. The sleek mandibles dripping with its own blood. Mark was thrown on my back into the mud. The Ballwag raised its tail for another strike but paused. It shrieked and rolled over in pain Mark’s sword was moving. It wiggled a few times and disappeared into the Ballwag’s stomach. It screamed causing the boy’s ears to ring, as it twisted in pain.  The blade of his sword came back through protruding from its belly and with a sickening rip, the beast’s insides were splayed for all to see.

Solem stepped from inside the gory scene his orange fur now covered in blood and entrails. “Bloody brilliant boy!” He called as he stabbed the dead creature again. “Stabbing your sword into my fleshy prison was superb I never thought you’d be able to pull off anything like that!”

Mark shook mud off of his jacket and chuckled to his feline friend. “Well Solem ya know, I didn’t really plan that..” Solem simply shrugged and patted my shoulder. “Either way well done Susamen.”

Mark sheathed his dagger and glanced at Solem. “What’d you call me.” Solem clamped his mouth shut. “Nothing.” Mark sighed and glanced at the Ballwag corpse.

“Shouldn’t we get out of here?" Mark says quietly.

"Yeah." Solem sighed. "Yeah let's go."