The Summoner's Mark (First Draft) (Book One)

A Familiar of his Own

Sin continuously swiveled his head and eyes around to ensure that while he was searching for a Fae that he could tame; that he wasn't being hunted by anything that viewed him as prey. Thankfully, up to this point; Sin hadn't seen anything that he should be suspicious of which made him feel a little safer in his search.

Occasionally, Sin could hear noises of Fae that were running through the underbrush; though considering that none of them revealed themselves to Sin he had to assume that they viewed him as a predator.

Time continued to pass and with each minute that did so; Sin found himself going deeper into the forest which had started cutting the sunlight that once flickered through the trees out. With the vanishing of the light, Sin felt fear flicker through his body which almost caused him to turn back though thankfully Sin was able to keep himself from doing so. Taking a few deep breaths to help ease the fast pace that his heart was in; Sin once again started pushing himself forward.

Stepping into the darkened area of the forest, Sin was met with snarls and cries of the Fae that made this forest their home. Sin could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand as he felt the darkness start crushing him under its weight though before he was able to lose himself in the fear that was trying to take hold of him; a piercing yelp of pain echoed through the area. Even though this didn't force the whole of his fear away from him; he was able to get some control over it.

Though it might not have been one of his most brilliant ideas; Sin was curious as to what could have caused that noise and as such, he found himself pushing through the shadows of the forest. Considering that he wasn't sure of the danger that he could be in, Sin pulled his dagger out of the sheathe and held it out in a fashion that was like the one he held the practice sword in battle class.

Eventually as he gained more ground within the darkened place; Sin spotted two forms before him and though he couldn't make out complete details, as his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, Sin was able to see that both creatures were canine in nature. This was the only similarity that Sin could pinpoint, and he figured that he might not be able to ever find out anymore if he didn't stop the bigger form from devouring the smaller one and from the small yelps that he continued to hear from the direction of the smaller Fae; Sin knew that this was the owner of the yelp that had drawn him here in the first place.

For a reason that was unknown to him currently; Sin felt the need to rescue the smaller creature that would soon meet its demise if someone or something didn't intervene. After this thought circled his mind; Sin found his body moving of its own accord and though it was rather surprising considering that he was shrouded in shadows, he found himself arriving where his body was taking him without much difficulty.

What was even more surprising was how when Sin did arrive; he flung himself upon the larger form which immediately started flailing around to dislodge its unwanted passenger. Even though Sin didn't really wish to find himself in situations like this especially since he could feel pain echo throughout the wounds on his back and from the wetness that he felt now sliding down his skin; he knew that he must have reopened the wounds that he had received. Refusing to be thrown off; Sin brought his dagger up in the air and within a short time frame, he slammed it into the back of the Fae.

Blood welled up from the wound that Sin had inflicted upon the creature and though Sin didn't know what he was really expecting; he knew that it wasn't what he saw. The liquid that fell out into the world due to Sin's dagger wasn't in the shade that Sin was used to and instead resembled the shadows that surrounded them.

Once the smell of the unnatural colored blood came seeping into the Faelands; the smaller creature that had once been the larger one's prey, must have saw this as an opportunity to get revenge upon the predator. This could be referred upon due to the way that the smaller form flung itself at the larger one which left more wounds upon the body of the beast. Sin knew that he wouldn't be able to keep himself on top of the bigger Fae forever and since he wasn't wishing to draw even larger Fae towards him; Sin decided that he would have to make his escape.

Pulling his dagger free; Sin stabbed it one more time for effect before once again ripping it free. Praying to whatever God happened to be listening; Sin flung himself from the creature and as he landed on the ground, he looked back to look at the creature he had just attacked. From what he saw; Sin now wished that he hadn't wasted precious time to do this since the larger Fae was still standing and from how it was now looking at Sin, he could rightly assume that this creature had decided that he would become its new prey.

Considering that Sin had come to this world to claim a Fae for his own and since he didn't wish to leave without first accomplishing this; he decided that the smaller Fae that he had just risked his life for would be the best opportunity to accomplish his goals. Using time that he didn't have to spare, Sin plucked the smaller Fae off the ground and though the creature let out a yelp of surprise; Sin was thankful that it didn't attack him.

Now that Sin had the creature within his arms; he thought that it would now be the best time for him to make his escape.

*

Light flickered into the forest through the trees that stood before him. "We are going to make it little guy!" Sin cried out as he continued forcing himself to run in hopes that he could escape the forest and make it to the portal before the Fae that he could still hear crashing through the forest behind them; was able to reach him.

Even though Sin knew nothing about the creature that he held within his arms and though he had first only grabbed him to ensure that he didn't fail on this outing to gain a Fae of his own as a Familiar; Sin was now hoping that he would not only be able to protect his own life but the life of the being that he grasped in his arms.

With only a bit more to go before he was able to fully exit the forest that he had ventured into; Sin forced more speed to enter his legs. Though he didn't know how much longer his stamina was going to last before he needed to take a break; Sin vowed to himself that he wouldn't give up. "Come on! You can do this Sin...just a little further to go!" Sin commanded of himself as he neared the light that he saw as a holy savior.

Just as the words flickered through his mind; Sin was throwing himself through the trees and due to the change of lighting, he was momentarily blinded though this still didn't stop the movements of his legs. Considering that Sin was now running blind; he was worried that his vision wouldn't return to him until it was too late which started to cause him to panic slightly more than he already was though thankfully, after a few seconds his eyesight had adjusted to the intense brightness.

Now that he was able to see once more; Sin sighted the portal that he had used to come into this realm in the first place. The shimmering of the deep purple portal was like a gift from an unknown God which Sin wasn't going to allow himself to miss being blessed by.

For a few moments, Sin could no longer hear the crashing of the Fae that was trying to devour them though this soon came to an end when he heard the snarls that broke free from the throat of the beast that was hunting them. Though the sound caused fear to boil within Sin even more hot than it already was; this fear was used for good for once since it only allowed him to run faster than he previously was.

This new onset of speed allowed Sin to reach his destination before he was overtaken by the being that snarled behind him; and though he wished to know how close the creature was too him, Sin felt that he shouldn't risk any precious time that he had. With this thought burning bright within him, Sin flung himself through the shimmering portal and into the safety of his own world.