EMPTY REALMS

CATCHING WILDES: CHAPTER TWO:

( This is an unedited, first draft WIP (work in progress). Please leave any comments or a fave to let me know what you think. Thank you so much and I hope you've enjoyed EMPTY REALMS so far) 

Time ticked on.

Belle's hands formed fists as she bolted into the foliage. She had one hour to find and capture a Wild, probably even less time if she wanted to be the first. She ran into the depth of the man-made forest, steering off the flattened tracks left from those who went before her. Above her head the clock ticked down.

Beyond her eyesight she could hear the hurried footsteps of the other participants running ahead, but there were no signs of struggle. Minutes passed in uncertain calm. She ran hard right and slowed to inspect the dirt around her for signs of a Wilde's presence. She moved carefully  when stepping into a thick pocket of shadows, checking the ground for unusual sized foot prints in the soil, or large gashes across the bark. Sometimes, there would be a metallic smell or a touch of an icy draft.

Belle trailed her fingers along the fallen branches, trying to decipher if the breaks in the twigs were animal made or man. The warm, damp air hugged her top against her skin. She could only smell dirt.

Birds squawked. Belle whipped the electronic prong out, her back automatically hunching. Three birds flew overhead and disappeared among the thick branches. Normal sized birds. Normal bird sound. Not a Wilde.

She continued onward. More time ticked on, and with it her desperation thickened like sweat. Her cautious pace turned into a long jog, and as she ran she made as much noise as possible, trying to draw attention to herself.

"Oh my God, where are you?" She called when a distant crack sounded above her head. It was heavy, no doubt a tree trunk snapping. Only something truly massive and strong was capable of breaking a tree in half, and she didn't think any recruit with their electric stick could master that.

She stopped and watched the distance where the noise came from, listening out for a victorious cheer from the lucky victor. Sweat ran into her eyes, her long curls tangled in her necklace and slapped across her cheeks. She had been running so hard a stitch pulled the muscle near her ribs. Please no. Please no.

A flare hit the sky. A call for help. Despite herself, she sighed with relief. No victor yet. A second thought followed, hoping they were alright.

"Close call, Belle. No more messing around." More determined than ever, Belle charged forward, pressing further toward the boundary of her section.

A golden line marked where her territory ended. She reached the line and decided to run alongside it, sticking to the areas heavily congested with shadows. She leaped over a fallen log and landed in a shallow stream. A smell hit her. A metallic smell.

She snapped around herself, her nose pointed upward trying to track the scent. She followed the water and crouched to the ground. A paw print, with five claw marks. A Wilde. A small one.

She looked back up at the large over hanging clock. Three minutes were left and she had just found her very first hint. It was small, meaning it was going to be hard to track.

"I spy with my little eye..." She started to taunt the invisible creature. "Something beginning with m. Are you a mouse? Are you a.... squirrel? Are you a...rabbit? Come out, come out. I just want to capture you my little furry friend." She crouched and poked around the corners of the surrounding tree, trying to spook the creature out when a sight stopped her.

She quickly straightened up. A few steps ahead, a body had collapsed. She couldn't see his face but his body had fallen behind some bush, as though suddenly dropped by an overhead attack. Instinctually she ran toward him but skidded to a stop. The gold line cut across her path, and he laid beyond her perimeter.