literature

Never Before Ch.4-Introduction

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Never Before Chapter 4 - Introduction

        Rae could have screamed in protest, in outrage, but once again she steadfastly held in her emotions, never willing to give her hosts the sick satisfaction of knowing they were getting to her.  Anger coursed like blood through her veins, overshadowing any previous emotion or thought.  Beyond irritated, and quickly edging towards livid rage, Rae’s body shook from the adrenaline pumping through her system, unable to be released.  Wanting more than anything to regain control of her once structured life, and completely unable to do so, Rae simply settled on kicking the door, releasing a fraction of her pent-up rage, and gaining what meager pleasure she could from torturing the lifeless object.
        Breathing heavily, Rae turned away from the study door and closed her eyes.  There were more thoughts streaming through her brain than there were fish in the ocean.  It wasn’t in Rae’s nature to act impulsively, but her situation was starting to get the best of her, and she knew that if she didn’t gain a hold of her mind again and start thinking logically she would do something she would later regret.  Trying desperately to settle down Rae took a few deep breaths, placed her paws over her ears, knelt down on the floor, and singled out her original goal.
        Find Scythe…
        Find Scythe…
        Find Scythe…
        Slowly her breathing steadied and her body no longer shook.  Her troubles faded out of focus, and she was left with a clear head.  
After only a few moments, but far more than Rae would have cared to waste, she was finally calm and rational once more.  She gave a sigh, opened her eyes, and stood up, ready, but not willing, to come back to reality and the current hopeless situation.
        Rae gazed around the room with distaste, temper still smoldering from her recent adrenaline rush.  Her eyes traced the walls, just as they had minutes ago in the room upstairs, picking out miniscule details, anything that could prove useful.  
        What she discovered was nothing deeper than what she had seen on her initial search of the room.
         She found herself in an enormous study, walls lined completely with elegant bookshelves, no doubt filled with meaningless philosophical books that the owner had never even read, but it was accepted that such items were only for show anyway.  Set back from the shelves, equally spaced on both sides, were two stained-glass windows, the picture of which Rae could not decipher.  In the center of the room, between the two ornate windows, sat a desk, larger than any Rae had ever laid eyes on, which automatically made her assume whose ever study she was in was truly an important official.  
        Rae’s face again assumed it’s natural frown after she found nothing out of the ordinary in the study, and certainly nothing to aid her escape.
        Her first search revealing nothing, Rae began to pace the study wall, slowly and nonchalantly.  As she scoured the room, she came upon a mirror hanging on the study wall.  It was wooden and plain, slightly out of place in the spectacular study, but a mirror nonetheless.  Rae hesitated to look into it, for she was afraid of what image might wait for her on the other side, after a years worth of improper grooming and especially after her recent romp through the forest.  But she did look, much like any female would have done, to gage her appearance.
        The reflection awaiting her made her cringe, for the coyote looking back at her from the mirror’s depths was nary a shadow of what Rae had once been.  The mirror revealed what were once sleek features, now distorted by scratches and riddled with bruises.  Rae brought one paw up to her cheek and carefully slid it across her face, grimacing as the blood tangled fur peeled apart, and wincing when it stuck.  She sighed, knowing that the pain was only temporary, and that within a week her face would be healed anew and ready to be cut up once more.
        At least, she decided, her overall appearance wasn’t so horrible.  True, her fur was disheveled, but beyond that was a beautiful and determined creature.
        Very defined features.
        Smallish nose.
        Largish ears.
        Gray underside highlighted by a tan overcoat.
        Facial features decorated with an array of specks.  Freckles her mother used to call them.
        But by far her most captivating feature, Rae thought, were her eyes.  Slate grey most of the time, but in the right light they reflected a flicker of cobalt.
        As Rae was admiring her appearance, she heard a commotion from behind the study door.  She could hear two distinct sets of footsteps, one loud and determined, the other scampering to keep up.  Accompanying the footsteps was a male’s voice, muffled by the wood, but still clearly audible, and whose outrage was not easily hidden.
        “WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU LOCKED HER IN THE ROOM?  Who do you think we are?  Savages?  I’d be surprised if she stays to hear our explanation that is if she doesn’t already think we’re insane!  What were you thinking?  I’m sure you’ve caused the lady considerable stress, if not brain damage!”
        The voice then trailed off, but Rae was sure the words uttered after that outburst were not fit for normal ears to hear.
        The footsteps neared the room, and the door handle rattled, making Rae panic.  Despite the defensive voice that seemed to be fighting for her, Rae was cautious of the unknown being that approached, and was worried she had finally been cornered into submission.  Trying to keep ahead of the opposition, she backed away from the mirror, towards the middle of the room and looked around, assessing her options and paths of escape.  
        Another rattle emanated from the door, then a growl, and something large and heavy made contact with the door, forcing it open.  Mouth dry, Rae swallowed, and tried to will herself to act stoic, but not knowing was she was facing made such a feat difficult.
        As she stood there watching, analyzing, a form in the doorway shifted and stepped into the room.  She relaxed a little at the sight of it, still tense, but also confident that she could outwit this being.  After all, it was a fact of nature; no feline could outwit a canine.  For what stood in front of the small coyote could not be mistaken for anything other than what it was, a tall Bengal tiger.
His appearance put Rae to shame, for while she was bruised, cut, and caked with mud, this creature seemed to pride himself on looking pristine, matching with the décor of his study.  His deep auburn coat was perfectly oiled, no hair out of place, as if he had just stepped out of the bath.  Covering his flawless coat was an equally stunning pair of clothes.  Blatantly flaunting his status, he wore a three-piece, pinstriped suit, something so perfectly confining it would have giving Rae fits.
        The tiger was burly and tall, and made to seem even more imposing due to the fact that he was standing on his hind legs.  It wasn’t an uncommon method of travel in that time, Rae having mastered it herself when only a pup, but it was widely accepted that only those of high status walked in that manner.  She was certainly looking upon someone with great influence.
        Rae didn’t take stock in socially accepted standards, and upon seeing the well-bred feline she stood a little straighter.  
        The two faced each other, and after a moment the tiger lord stepped forward.  This act would have been extremely daunting if it wasn’t for the wispy shadow of a creature that stood behind him.  With the step he took, he revealed a minuscule squirrel huddled out of sight near his feet.  Upon seeing Seth Rae instinctively knew that she no longer had a reason to be frightened.  
        As if on cue, Seth mumbled something up at the tiger, looking infinitely small compared to the muscle-toned mammal he stood beside.  Rae strained her ears to hear, but the room absorbed whatever Seth said before it graced Rae’s ears.  The tiger obviously heard it though because he tilted his head downwards looking disgusted as soon as the rodent’s mouth stopped moving.  And fortunately for Rae, she didn’t have to strain to hear what followed.
        “What?” growled the tiger.
        “You said she needed to be tested,” squeaked Seth in return, visibly stressed.
        “I said she might need to be tested eventually, and not by your hand!”
        “But I was merely doing what was…”
        An attempted backhanded strike easily stopped the conversation from progressing.  
        Seth scampered out of reach.
        With the squirrel out of the way, Rae found herself once again the center of attention, and prepared herself for whatever lay ahead.  The Bengal passively stepped toward Rae, not looking directly at her.  He halted about five feet from her, placed his paws into the pockets of his suit, and finally raised his gaze to her eye level.
        “Miss Talin,” he sighed, “I see that you have found your way to my office.  I hope that my accommodations suited you.  Good afternoon, I’m Helios,” he said, extending his hand.
        Rae stared at it, not sure what to think, and then up at his face, disregarding any affectionate handshake.  Helios chuckled, and withdrew his hand, making his way past Rae towards the desk.  He then sat down and motioned for Rae to do the same.
        Rae stayed where she was.
        “So, Miss Talin, I’m sure that you have a lot to say to me, after all, you’ve been through quite an ordeal.  And I would completely understand if you wanted to hit me right now, I’m sure it would be justified.  But enough, I’ll let you take the floor now.”
        Rae stared in awe at him, trying to decide if he was sincere, but she couldn’t see past his dazzlingly bright smile and oiled auburn hair.  After a moment of fruitless gazing, she decided to take Helios up on his offer.  After all, even if it was merely a ploy, it was the only opportunity she had to get some thoughts off her mind.
        But where to begin?
        Last night?
        The wolf?
        The hologram?
        Seth?
        She didn’t dwell very long on those questions before asking one of her own, the one that had been nagging her the longest, and consequently, the most important.
        “Where the hell am I and what’s going on?”
        Upon hearing Rae’s slightly less than cordial question the smile on Helios’ face lessened to a more retainable position, and he began speaking again, wasting no time.
        “Well, that certainly is a question worth answering.  I can see why that could be important to know.  But I’m sorry Miss Talin… I am not the one with the answer you seek.”
        Now beyond frustrated, Rae exploded.  Expelling all of her pent up fury, she directed it now at Helios.
        “WHAT!  I’ve been locked in this house, forced to endure discomfort, confusion, I was assaulted by a measly squirrel, threatened by a glorified hologram, and now I have to suffer an insufferable fool!  How can you not know?!  What kind of establishment is this, and why haven’t I gotten any answers?  Where is the exit, I want to leave right now.”  
         Rae had worked up quite a head of steam, and completely without realizing it she had marched across the room to the study door, and her hand rested on the handle, gripping it tightly.
         Throughout this whole ordeal, Helios had sat patiently, not commenting, merely letting Rae continue with her charade.  But once she reached the door, he felt obligated to say something.
        “Excuse me Miss Talin, but before you completely storm off, I still would like to answer your question, or questions to the best of my ability.  And as I was saying before, I do not have all of the answers you seek, but I know who you can question to get the full response.”
        Rae’s grip on the handle eased slightly at those words, and she turned her gaze back towards the tiger.  
        “What makes you think that I want anything to do with you at all after all you’ve put me through?”
        “I know you’ve been put through a lot, much of which is my own fault.  I would like to remedy that as best I can.  Despite what you may think of me and my status, I am quite a trustworthy person.  I want to help you.”
        Even though Rae was agitated beyond what any normal person should endure, she was calmed by Helios’ speech.  Even though irrational, and probably foolish, something deep inside her told her to trust him.
        Rae turned away from the door, and headed back to her seat.
        Off her feet for the first time since rising that morning, Rae asked him to continue.
        Helios smiled again, and continued with his explanation, not phased in the slightest. “As I said before, and please try to understand, I don’t have the answers you want, but I have direct access to the man who does.”
        Helios made a motion, and before Rae had time to turn around, the door behind them had opened, and in stepped another
        Rae looked him up and down, still getting over the shock that she was in the presence of complete strangers and had yet to be attacked.  Deciding he was a reliable source, Rae hoped beyond all hope that she could finally get some explanations, and ease the tension coursing through her body.
        “Please meet Landon.  He was the one who found you and brought you to us, so I do believe that his explanation of past events would be much more reliable than my own.”
        Turning from the noble Helios, Rae fixed her gaze on the one he had introduced.
        Landon.  
        He seemed strong and reasonable.  A canine, for which she immediately felt connected to him, and due to that he made the situation seem brighter just by entering the room.  By what she could tell, he was a jackal, or at least part of one.  He was built much like Rae, similar build, same height, maybe an inch or two shorter.  Compared to the master of the house, he seemed quite plain, no outstanding features, adorned with only a simple pair of trousers and a tenderly worn jacket.  She avoided spending too much time assessing his appearance, for she felt it to be rude.
        As Landon approached, he held out a paw.
        This time Rae shook it.
        Landon smiled, and revealed a very pleasant charm that because of his appearance, she had previously overlooked.  With every passing second she felt more content with her company.
        But then she had a thought.  There was no reason to be getting comfortable.  She needed to get answers, and quickly, and move on from this place, the strange hellish place that it was.  Snapping out of her wistful daze, she proceeded to act, reverting back to her defensive style of living.
        “I’ve heard that you can provide some answers for me.”
        “Yes, in fact, I believe that I can.”
Holy wow! It only took me what... five months to write this?! I really have to work on my punctuality.

Anyway, this chapter is actually a lot shorter than I had anticipated because I had to split it. Chapters 4 and 5 were going to be together, but then it would be waaaaaaay to long. So yeah.

Sorry for the delay, hopefully the Chapter 5 won't be that long in coming.


edit: Sorry if there are mistakes, I didn't have time to proofread it.
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jigs-wanderer's avatar
I'm paying you back for all those times during MY story!

Stuff is stuff and stuff happening. Stuff is cool.