Fan Fiction ❯ Hunter's Prey ❯ Chapter 1

This is just an original short story I wrote a while back. Just something that popped into my head. I might make a series of short stories out of it someday. Enjoy!

HUNTER'S PREY

Silence. The peaceful silence of a slumbering town. But it is never really quiet. Crickets called, filling the night with mindless chirping. One house settled more firmly onto its foundation with a muted groaning, each dark window reflecting the stars and bits of cloud scudding across the sky. Feeling safe, the Family dreamed their innocent dreams.

Not all were asleep. A shadow crept, pacing from room to room. A puddle of moonlight spilled into the hall from a high window. The shadow pressed close to the wall to avoid the light. The figure stopped and raised her head to scent the air. She sank to a crouch, belly touching the floor and ears flattened. One ear eased forward to listen. Satisfied, the dainty black cat stretched to her full length and began to groom.

With careful strokes of her tongue, she smoothed the fur on her tail. The Family called her Ebony because of her coloring. Ebony smiled a small cat smile. The humans she took care of thought they were clever. They named her, called her theirs. Ebony supposed they meant well. And she was growing fond of them. She was determined to protect the Family. She had a purpose, given to her by the Goddess. Ebony was a Hunter.

Ebony licked a paw and swiped at her ear. Her charges were endearing. She found them easy to please. A purr and a rub and they turned to putty in her paws. Ebony had overheard the Woman bragging that she chose the cutest kitten in the litter. Ebony's whiskers quivered with amusement. They didn't do the choosing. Ebony had known about the Woman, the Man, and the Baby before her eyes had opened.

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Mama cat had licked each of her babies. She purred softly to them.

"You must be brave, my little Hunters," Mama had said. "Look after your charges. They are like kittens mewling in the dark. The ones you choose will be your responsibility for as long as you live."

Little brother, with the stripy coat, had mewed. "How will we know?"

Mama had nibbled the tips of his ears. "You will know, my little Hunter."

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Ebony bent her head to groom a spot on her chest. She had known, before the Woman looked in the box, that this was her charge.

A drawn-out squeak, as of rusty hinges, echoed through the house. Ebony froze in the middle of her wash. Silence descended once more. She rotated her ears forward and back. The clock in the hall chimed the hour.

Nine … Ten … Eleven. Ebony set all four feet on the ground. She stretched, arching her back and extending her claws. She'd better finish patrolling before sunrise. Ebony slipped into the room belonging to the Man and the Woman. She crawled under the bed and squeezed behind the dresser. Three times she circled the room; once for night, once for day, and once for Bastet, the cat goddess. She stopped in the doorway and faced the darkened room. The Man snored. The Woman mumbled. Ebony relaxed. Everything was fine.

Ebony padded across the hall to the Baby's room. If anyone had been watching, they would see only a shadow gliding across the carpet. She paused before entering, whiskers trembling. Her right ear itched, but she fought the urge to scratch.

Ebony slunk into the room, low on her belly. The Baby's crib gleamed in the moonlight shining through the window. The Baby slept, tangled in his blankets. He sucked his thumb, making soft, contented noises. Ebony crept forward. She stopped, ears pricked. The patch of moonlight winked out as clouds drifted by. Trees rattled their limbs in the rising wind.

Ebony opened her mouth in a nearly silent hiss. Two glowing red eyes gleamed from the dresser next to the Baby's bed. The thing turned to look at Ebony. It lifted its lips in a snarl. Sharp white teeth glinted in the dark. It stared at the cat, hatred and hunger in its gaze. The creature scuttled across the dresser. Ebony caught a glimpse of spiky fur and oddly jointed legs before it was gone. The thing's presence left a sour taste in her mouth and a sense of wrongness in the air.

It was Prey - a creature of darkness and stealer of human life. The Prey looked vaguely like rats, but were bigger and nastier. Mama Cat had schooled her kittens in hunting Prey. The Prey stalked humans as they slept, targeting the young and the old. Many sudden or unexplained deaths were because of the rat-like shadow creatures.

Bastet chose special cats to become Hunters. She told them to protect their human charges from Prey. The Goddess gave Hunters superior hearing and night vision. She increased their speed and reaction time. Prey-inflicted injuries healed in hours, leaving not even a scar. Hunters dedicated their lives to destroying Prey.

Ebony walked around the room. She set each paw down with precise care. Lifting her head, she scented the air. Her nose wrinkled at the rancid stench of Prey. She tilted her head to check on her sleeping charge. The Baby had rolled over onto his back, both arms flung wide. Ebony's ear twitched when she heard a rusty squeak. She spun. The Prey crouched by the leg of the crib.

The misshapen creature placed one paw on the wood. It tensed to spring. Ebony struck. The two creatures tumbled in a tangle of claws and flashing teeth. The Prey recovered quickly, whirling to face the Hunter. Ebony's ears flattened against her skull. A barely audible growl rumbled from her throat.

The Prey lunged. Its jaws snapped shut where Ebony's nose had been seconds before. Ebony slapped with a paw full of razor-sharp claws. The Prey dodged. Ebony gave chase. The thing spun on its hindquarters. Ebony gasped in pain as the scaly tail lashed across her face.

The Hunter pounced. The Prey slashed at Ebony's face. She recoiled and licked her nose, tasting blood.

Ebony pounced and jabbed with her paws, trying to herd the Prey into the open. The Prey bumped into the closet door. Ebony dashed forward. The thing twisted away. CRASH! Ebony hit the door hard. She staggered, shaking her head to clear the stars from her vision.

Ebony yowled when sudden pain pierced her ear. The Prey tried to wrap its legs around her head, tearing at her ear with its sharp teeth. The Hunter whipped her head around, dislodging the creature. Ebony charged, catching the loose skin of the Prey's neck. It squealed in anger, bucking against her hold. She held it down and kicked with her back feet. The Prey bit her foot. Ebony hissed, letting go.

The two stared at each other, panting heavily. The Prey darted, aiming for Ebony's neck. The jaws opened wide to grasp her vulnerable throat. Ebony struck, seizing the Prey by the back of the neck, just behind the ugly head.

Ebony shook her head hard. There was an audible crack, and the Prey went limp. She held onto the lifeless body, growling softly. Panting, hobbling on her sore foot, she disposed of the carcass in the wastebasket. By morning, what was left of the Prey would have dissolved into goo. It happened every time. Her muscles ached, quivering with reaction. Ebony sat in the middle of the floor and began to groom. Her ear had a small nick in it, barely noticeable. Her scratched nose stung. Thankfully, the Family had slept through the entire battle. The important thing was that the Prey was destroyed. It would be days or weeks before another one emerged. Ebony dragged herself off to catch an hour or two of sleep before the Family woke.

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The Man rustled the pages of his newspaper. The Woman sat at the table, feeding soggy cereal to the Baby.

"I think there was a cat fight last night," the Woman remarked. "I'm glad we keep Ebony in at night so she doesn't get into fights."

"Hmmm," the Man agreed absently. He smoothed a section of newspaper. "Look dear, the reported instance of unexplained deaths among infants has decreased."

The Baby banged his pudgy fist on his highchair. The Woman shoved another spoonful of cereal in his mouth. He promptly spit it out.

The Man looked over the top of his newspaper at Ebony, sprawled in a patch of sun. Her furry tummy was exposed, her paws working the air absently.

"All that cat ever does is eat and sleep," he said. "Why doesn't she earn her keep and go catch the mice in the pantry?"

Ebony rolled onto her side. Her paw flexed, almost as if she was dreaming of Prey beneath her claws.

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What do you think?

Food for thought:

Long ago cats were worshipped as gods; they have never forgotten this.

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