Prologue

The very beginning...

     Nothing had moved.

     The only audible sound was the evening breeze rustling through the evergreens.

     There it wasn't again!

     Nothing looked out of the ordinary on the craggy mountainside. A faint but crisp clicking sound suddenly cut through the brush startling a crouched figure that quickly spun in that direction slashing off the nearby branches. But as fast as the figure was, it knew that something out there was faster!

     Another click sounded on the opposite side of the figure from the first. The figure's hands reached in and pulled from a hip pouch a smooth dark flat stone and quickly scraped at it with a long dirk sending white and blue sparks into a messy pile of dried needles and twigs. The pile ignited quickly sending a trail of black smoke into the surrounding area. The figure hastily began to feed and fan the fire more and more until it was blazing and the warm gentle breeze spread the thickening gray smoke throughout the nearby shrubs and trees.

     The figure listened to the still quiet mountainside. No birds chirped. There were no animals to be seen or heard in this area. The clicking sounds had stopped on both sides.

     The sun drooped further still and was quickly approaching the horizon to signify the oncoming night. This place would not be safe past sundown. Night would bring out to feed something that the figure did not want to meet....

Author's Note

The opening scene is rough but the idea is done.