A Hunter's Keep - #1 of "The Hunter's Series"

Lizzy’s POV – Flashback

I’d just turned 14 when Dad told me about the Initiation. I just nodded and finished dinner. That’s when I knew that tonight was going to be the night.

I’d prepared for a year. I knew what to do.

The lower prisons weren’t as heavily guarded as the rest of the prisons. Through there, was a backdoor to the garage. I was I knew how to operate a car and how to open the garage door. I was going to follow the tire tracks out of there, until I reached a town. Then I was going to get on a train or a bus or any means of transport to get as far away from there as possible.

My backpack was packed and ready. I knew Dad wasn’t going to notice I was gone, until tomorrow morning when breakfasted hadn’t magically appeared on the table.

I took my backpack and in the cover of night, I snuck into the prison.

The smell was horrendous. And the wolves there weren’t any prettier to look at. Most of them females, but occasionally there was a male among them. Heavy chains, laced with silver, was burning into their skin, leaving a strange smell of burned meat in the air.

I wanted to be sick, but stubbornly swallowed the bile in my throat. Most of the werewolves didn’t even register my present there. Some stirred, but most ignored me. Nobody cared I was there. Nobody, until her!

I stopped dead in my tracks, when I heard crying. It was the cry of a newborn child. I heard someone hush her and the sound quickly died down. I don’t know what came over me, but I followed the sound, like I’d been mesmerized.

The she-wolf was beautiful. Even with sweat and blood covering her naked body and pain and fear plastered on her face, she looked stunning. Her hair was naturally blond, almost golden. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, but they still flashed beautifully gray, like silver.

She took one look at me and instantly she knew, why I was there. I don’t know how, but the feeling of wordless understanding filled my being. She knew and for a split second, panic wrapped its cold claws around my heart.

Was she going to sound the alarm? Was she going to ask me, to take them with me? My breath hitched. I didn’t have any means to free her. And if I freed her, what about the others? I only wanted to escape. I never intended for a prison brake…

“Please!” the she-wolf begged, handing me her newborn daughter. My heart sank, once eyeing the beautiful, little baby girl.

“Take her!”

I swallowed. Thinking a million things at the time. It wasn’t in my plans. It was going to make running much more difficult. She could compromise everything.

Yet, before she breathed again, I leapt forward and took her off her outstretched arms and ran away. The single thought that stuck to my head, was the picture of a girl – just like this one – with her face shoot off.

I couldn’t save that one. Perhaps I could save this one.

I guess it had become quite ironic.

I was supposed to take this life. Now everything that mattered to me, was saving it…