The Kingdom of Animalia

Chapter 1

I watched silently as the doe moved to the safety of the shrubbery. I lowered my bow and waited for her to come closer. At first I thought she was going to be my next prey, but then I realised who she was and what she was.

"Ah, Zara, still scoping forests for victims?"

"Prey, not victims." I said slowly and clearly.

She walked towards me growing taller and thinner as she came. Her face moulded back into her beautiful, high cheekboned self and her body again became stunningly thin.

"Well, Isabella. Long time no see. Where have you been, I wonder?"

"Why do you ask such questions? I would tell you but - actually, I wouldn't."

"Wow. Great insult."

"What was that, Zara? Sarcasm?"

I started walking away, but she grabbed my arm in a quick, sharp movement. I should've shot her when I had the chance. My hand hovered over my arrows. I finally prised her hand off my wrist and waited for the right moment to walk away. I made it a meter before, "You know what I can do, Zara. Father won't be alive much longer. If you so much as touch that kingdom, I -"

I cut her off quickly.

"Why would I even want to rule a kingdom? I don't want to be worshiped and waited on."

She stared at me.

My heart was making a fast but steady rhythm as I ran. I had been running for a while now. My mouth was starting to go dry, so I took a break to go the nearby pond, or rather the nearby swamp. I took a small cup out of my pocket and filled it with the murky water. It was a humid day in the forest and even the birds were resting in their nests. My stomach rumbled as I saw them lazily laying in their twig beds. I suddenly caught a scent in the air. Rabbit.

My teeth sunk into the tender meat and flavour filled my mouth. My bottlebrush tail loomed behind me. I stood up and transformed back into my thin figure. At this time of night I was nothing more than a silhouette. My eyes could see anything in this light though. I wondered what my sister meant by 'you know what I can do'...

Walking back to my tree, I felt my teeth grow blunt and my hair grow short again. I tripped over what I thought was a tree root. I thought about my conversation earlier again. I realised what she said, father wasn't going to live much longer. Last time I saw him he was perfectly healthy - and that was only last month or so. His voice had been a little hoarse, but nothing major. He wouldn't let himself become diseased, he's too wise. I found my tree at last and started to crawl into the shallow hole when I realised what I was.

Poking my head out of the hole, I sensed that something was wrong. My ears pricked up at the sound of twigs cracking. I instinctively got out of my den. My fur turned back into my backpack and clothes and my claws shrank down to my dirty stubs of nails. I sniffed the air and caught a scent of deer - female deer.

Suddenly the smell was cut off. I couldn't smell deer, but something else. Something I had never smelt before.

I tried to follow the scent but it kept on coming and going. At last it became strong. I walked slowly forwards, wondering where it was coming from. I had never followed something so different. I started to think that this was a bad idea when I heard a small, low growling noise. I felt insecure , like there were a thousand eyes staring at me.....

I was walking hypnotically towards the scent of I didn't know what. I reached a small clearing where I hid behind a tree. My face was hot and sweaty. I morphed back for the second time today. I walked curiously over to the sunlit part of the glade. I didn't find anything, it was empty.