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Part I
Chapter 1
Kritzia, a history
A strong feminine figure stood atop a mountain ridge overlooking the valley and what seemed like a tiny village below in the early evening sunlight. She listened intently as the wind blew through the trees and familiar smells wafted through her nostrils. She flashed back into her early teenage years. Why she chose that memory was quite beyond her. Perhaps it was the familiar evening smell. She didn’t know.
In her early teenage years, barely sixteen, she had a first love, a first kiss, Marcus. Oh, how she missed him. He had kissed her on a dare: a childish game. Their kiss was awkward, and unrehearsed. The game quickly turned into another childish direction - Hide and Seek.
Running off into the woods, a young Kritzia sought to happily avoid Marcus.
“Come out. Come out, wherever you are”, Marcus sang.
He could barely hear Kritzia’s giggling through the evening breeze and the rustle of the colored leaves on the ground and in the trees.
Kritzia hid behind some bushes, as the sky grew darker, in hopes of happily avoiding another embarrassing and awkward kiss. She spotted Marcus in the distance disappearing behind a large tree; hunting for her. She giggled to herself.
A slight rustling noise from behind startled her. As she turned to find what made the noise, she came face to face with her worst drooling, snarling fear. She froze. She wanted to scream, but couldn’t. As she took a quick breath, the creature made its move.
Marcus heard a shriek in the distance. He ran in the direction of his friend. Running about and searching, he couldn’t find her in the darkening woods. He stopped suddenly in his tracks as he heard the howl of the beast off in the distance.
Marcus felt ill. His world started to spin and go dark.
***
“M’ lady? It’s time”, a voice from behind whispered.
Her eyes shifted in the direction of the annoyance, then back to the seemingly small village, in the now darkened evening light.
“M’ lady…. ” The voice began to repeat.
But before he could finish his sentence, a strong feminine claw had grasped his throat and squeezed. Gasping for air, her minion tried to form the word “please”. Kritzia, with an easy stroke of her arm, threw him to the ground.
The shadow of Kritzia on the wall shed her cloak and dress, and began to change, and grow into a large animal shape. The shadowy figures ran off to feed in the night.
Off in the distance, the cries and barks of ravenous animals were getting closer to the village. |
