The Hope for Death

Chapter One

Heavy rain poured down from the dark, never ending void of clouds above. A flash of lightning struck every now and again, illuminating the vast expanse of hills lined with carved stones. Some stones had a bouquet of flowers resting in front of them, others has puddles of rain surrounding them. Carved into these stones were the names of loved ones of many families.

A shadow-like figure lurked across the field. It was a wolf with rather peculiar markings. Its fur was black with a white skeleton design covering its body, and withered floral pattens colored with dark, depressing colors of blue, red and purple. The grass beneath its feet seemed to shrivel up as it was touched, leaving a trail of, now dead, brown grass.

The wolf was headed for the exit of the graveyard. Towards the city.

'Maybe I can rummage some food there,' he thought, his stomach growling.

Once outside the graveyard, he picked up his pace, wanting to get to town faster.

'The faster I get there, the faster I can get some food,'

After a while, he finally reached the entrance to town. The walls and houses were neatly decorated with many different varieties of flowers and colors. Little sugar skulls sat on little trays on windowsills, their decorative swirls and floral patterns expertly painted with even more colors.

'Dia de los Muertos is soon,' he thought, feeling a hint of pride.

Trying not to run into or step on any flowers or vines, he carefully made his way to an alleyway in between two shops. Heaps of garbage lay on the ground, wasting away. Approaching the pile, he surveyed the trash, looking for the most promising spot for potential food. Finding a good place to start, he dug in.

"Hey, deadbeat,"

He stopped rummaging and turned around only to be faced with a set of snarling jaws.

"This is my alleyway. You best get that set in your dumb little skull there, or you're gonna regret showing your face here ever again," growled the stray.

"Oh, my apologies, your highness," he replied, bowing his head down. "I didnt realize we had royalty around here,"

The stray scoffed, his eyes furious. "You better believe we have royalty here. You have to have the high and mighty to have the little graveyard runts. Isn't that right, Muerto?" He snarled, pushing his face into Muerto's. 

Muerto just stared at him with cold, dead eyes. "I see," he responded. "But, I dont see a throne. Oh! And where your army?"

The stray's tail flicked, and soon after five more strays of different sized and colors surrounded Muerto.

Muerto just stood in the middle, unfazed by anything that was going on. "You dont want to fight me, Jose," he warned.

Jose let out a bark of laughter. "Sure, sure," he replied. He glared at Muerto, then growled, "Get him,"

All at once, the dogs started swarming onto Muerto.

Muerto leaped over the wave of dogs crashing towards him and spun around, facing his attackers. They seemed confused as they collided into each other. Rising back up from the ground, the dogs tried attacking Muerto again. But this time Muerto didnt move. He stood there, watching his attackers dash towards him.

Suddenly his eyes seemed to disappear and he blended into the darkness behind him. Only his white fur showed, which gave the impression that an actual skeleton was there. The attackers stopped, watching Muerto carefully.

"What's he doing?"

"I dont know. Do you think its an illusion? Is he still there?"

"Of course he's still there! Just get him!"

Suddenly, Muerto's eyes glowed red. "Have a fun Dia de los Muertos, amigos," he said with a deep, terrifying tone.

He then stalked up to one of the dogs, who stood defiantly towards him. The dog tried attacking Muerto, but Muerto was quicker. He dodged to the side, raking his claw on his attacker's neck. The dog then shrieked in pain, his fur and skin shriveling up like a rotting plant. Howls of agony escaped the dog's mouth, his eyes desintigrating. He grew quiet and still. Lifeless. Hus bones charred black with patches of flesh and fur still sticking to them.

Muerto turned back to the group of strays.

"Who's next?" He asked threateningly.

The pack then stood and sprinted off in pure terror. Muerto stood victorious in the alley. Walking back to the dog's corpse, he placed a paw on the skull and chanted, "Heavens, please accept this soul with welcome arms, and let him be remembered by all who loved him,"

Stepping back, the bones then started to glow softly as a whisp of white was emitted to the sky. Muerto watched the whisp fade as it entered the World of Peace.

Deciding it would be best to just sleep in the cover of the alleyway for the night, he curled up behind a trashcan and fell into a deep slumber.