Traumatised Tim

Chapter One

A rustle to the left caught his attention. It was ever so slight. A mere insect movement in the midst of a forest but it caught his attention. Nothing should be moving. There was something lurking in that bush which all wildlife around could sense, as could he; the danger was very close to hand. Wildlife, insect or not did not move when such a threat was upon them. Which meant that the very slight whisper of movement was no insect; it was whoever dared to try and bring down the pack Tim he was watching over.

                The sun had started to fade a long while ago and all that was left was a dim glow blurring his left hand side peripheral vision slightly. As little as his vision was actually impaired it was enough that he was frustrated over it. His eyes were narrowed looking to the far side of where he was standing. The sound of children playing far off was only a reminder of what was stake should he fail. The threat smelt funny, it had a sickeningly sweet pungent smell almost like decaying fruit. It was distant, faint, meaning it belonged to something that had left, and left quickly but it was getting stronger and he knew it was sneaking up behind him having left only to circle back on him in the hopes of attacking.

                His ears were pulled back a little, listening to everything and taking it all in. The children, the adult voices, the footsteps of guards changing shifts, the retreat of footsteps signalling the tired guards that were making their way back to their homes. They would be less alert, easily caught and as fatigued as they would be from a long day’s work, their initial struggles would not be as strong as someone at full strength. Tim knew that and paid particular attention their progress home.

                The ground was on a very, very slight incline, so slight it would not really be much of an advantage but he was able to use it as such. Feeling the slight cool air that waved over the back of his neck he could feel that it was too strong to be caused by the summer’s dusk weather. It was the sign that someone was right behind him, about to strike at him. But he was agile.

                Whipping around he flung up an arm to feel something strike his forearm; the loud clap sound of the impact told Tim he should have felt pain from that move but he was concentrating too much on his follow through attack to be thinking of the pain. Ignoring that he threw up his other arm and with his lengthened fingernails let his claws slash at the face infront of him. It was a furred face and not one from the pack that Tim was protecting. The wayward pack that had decided to try and take over the wolves of the entire area had decided to send this highly skilled, but not quite Tim’s match, to try and bring down another pack. And in wolf form as well.               

                Unperturbed Tim dragged down his claws cutting four stripes into the snarling face then using that very slight incline of the ground as leverage to use for extra power. Using the balls of his feet to push off from the ground he launched at his attacker, bringing down the animals and wasting no time in wrapping his hands around the animal’s neck. It snarled loudly.

“Do you want the guards to come for you, you missed the last shift, newer and fresher guards are now running the perimeters.” Tim taunted the powerful wolf underneath him, it snarled again this time quieter but no less annoyed.

“Don’t be annoyed, you should have known this pack would not be so easy to bring down. They are under my protection.” A chortling cough sort of noise forced Tim to squeeze his hands further around the wolf neck and snarl with his own wolf mutated throat. “You do not touch those I protect. You have made an enemy tonight; one you can not afford to have.” The wolf under him laughed again and Tim decided to up the pressure.