"A Good Chase" [Kindred Fan-Fiction]
Clatt clatt clatt.
Footsteps clattered against the cobblestone path in a fury as he ran for the woods.
The man ran from every shadow he saw; every animal tail, every pair of glaring eyes that he saw.
He outran the wind, but they whispered passing words to him – omens from the hunter to the hunted.
Run if you can.
He ran when he could –
Feet tire fast.
– but he could never allow his soul to tire, not if he never tired.
The sun beat on his face, as if it were alarming him.
He woke up with a start.
A curse slipped through his lips; he had been careless.
An unearthly howl sounded in the distance, as if to remind him of his folly. It was followed by a deep, characteristic cackle.
He had lost a lead of a night’s worth in hours. And he was gaining.
For once, he had lost – not to him, but to himself. His body had given out from exhaustion deep in the woods, and he had stayed asleep long enough for the sun to wake him through the canopies.
He had to maintain what little remained of his lead.
Steeling himself, he jumped upright, then bolted through the forest.
Every fallen log, every obstruction – he avoided them all.
There was no time to waste in mortal life when death was not wasting its immortal one.
He learned that just one year previous -
The Wolf had given him a week’s head start; now, he was just an hour behind him.
Was I a fool, to accept a wager such as this? Life that denies inevitable death?
Should I have accepted it? My life as something that could end?
No! I should have died one year ago, but I am still alive now! I can still live!
So lost in thought was the man that he lost track of time.
So lost in thought was he, that he realized not the ledge that grew closer.
Nor the ravine deep below that was lined with bladed stalagmites.
He was too late to react, for when he put his foot down in hopes of pushing off for the next step, he felt only air underneath.
He fell.
A sickening THUNK echoed within the ravine.
The man violently lurched in pain – an attempt to curse fate one last time as he lay atop the sharpened protrusions.
The last thing he saw was the ravine’s jaws closing around him.
The Wolf had claimed his prey.
Hey guys, this is a fan-fiction idea that came to me after reading "A Good Death." I figured that if Lamb got her mark, surely Wolf would want a dedicated chase of his own.
Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment/constructive criticism; I'm open to discussion as I would very much like to improve my writing^^