75 Million Gold Contest!

Prologue:

A young pregnant Cleric was spying on the Wraiths near Turkstown with her husband. It wasn't usual for an pregnant elf to go somewhere. But all the warriors were sent away on different quests assigned by the Elder of Plume City.

Her husband, an Archer, was sent to Tusktown to spy on the Wraiths who amassed in front of Tusktown, according to the local elves. They were supposed to gather armies of Wraiths to overthrow the current leadership over the Perfect World. And by doing that messing up the whole balance between Good and Evil. The young Cleric was just protecting her husband against the very strong Wraiths, in case he needed it.

Somehow the information given by the local was incorrect, there was no Army of Wraiths near Tusktown. But before the young female knew her husband was attacked by an Supreme Foxwing, she tried to spamheal him, but it didn't work. Her husband died. She began to weep. 'Oh... WAIT... The Foxwing is coming to me! Fly, quickly!!' As she thought she flew as fast as possible back to Elf territory. Over Bamboo Village, back to City of the Plume.

Even if female Clerics are pregnant, they are to stubborn to sit down and do nothing at all. But she was already far into pregnancy; anytime that day the baby could be born. She was rather curious what it would be, a boy or a girl. And what the baby wanted to be, a Cleric or an Archer. Of course that would take time as the baby needs to be raised first. Raised only by her, as their father died on the battlefield. It was like that for ages.

Flying over the level 8 monsters around Bamboo Village, she was attacked. She hadn't noticed the Evolved Vipions and realized she couldn't make her Plumeshot in time as she got into labour by shock. She flew as fast as she could in the direction of Plume City. Soon she would be there but the Evolved Vipions were still after her. She needed to go faster as the Evolved Vipions got closer and closer. One had a powerful weapon on the back and shot at her. She evaded the beam, but she became weak as the baby wanted to come out.

She couldn't get to Plume City in time, she had trouble avoiding the broad beams of the Evolved Vipion. The other Vipions went back. But the one with the beam still tried to hit her. And it did! The female could still fly, but she didn't knew how much longer she could. Another beam struck her and torn her clothes apart. With ripped clothes she fell to weak to be able to fly anymore. The baby slipped out of her, because she was to weak to hold her muscles together and the clothes were ripped.

“NOOOOO!!!” she cried, “My Baby! Please, not my baby.” Then she was vaporized by another beam who'd struck her. The baby fell down, above the Lake of the Plume. Just before the baby would hit the waters, it got an strange blue glow around it; and disappeared into thin air.

The same moment a baby appeared between the slippery fish in the basket of the Shipyard Owner at the Lake of the Plume. "Huh, that's no fish..."

I like the prologue so far, but just some things I'd like to say...Can't really call it a critique if you wanted it to be that way, so I'm just pointing it out there.

Using words like 'spamheal' and 'level 8' kinda took away the magic of the story for me. The story felt almost real (I don't know if this makes any sense...I'm trying as best as I can lol), but when you used such words, it feels like you're still in the game and not a separate world where there's a 'real' pregnant cleric (I say 'real' because obviously she's not) and 'real' monsters roam around killing things.

Aside from that, it's a good story. Just my two cents, and good luck in the contest. ^^

Chapter I: The Guard and the Tree

Late at the High Moon, a boy sneaked out the house of his Elferic Parent; an old man who owned a shipyard at the Lake of the Plume. The boy could be very swift in his sneaking.

Eventually he stopped at a dead tree with strings attached to it. *Knock...Knock...* He did tap on the wood. From the inside the wood flung away, the boy climbed down a wooden ladder in to the depth of the tree.

“Hi, Ren. How are you?” A voice of a girl asked.

“I'm fine, thank you. How are you?” Ren replied.

“Now with High Moon it couldn't be even better. Could it?”

“I dunno. Why do you ask?” Ren asked the girl in curiosity.

“Well, the Elder is talking a lot, you see. Not just with anybody, but with the Celestial Ones from Heavens Tear.” She added spotting: "He never does that."

“Something is going on, I suppose.” Ren suggested.

“By the way Ren, have you heard the news from Etherblade?” The girl asked.
Ren looked at the girl, “What news. Is it a new plague? Or on attack of the Wraiths? Or both? A plague of Wraiths.” He almost saw it in front of him. Small tiny Wraiths overthrowing the stinky Guard Rain. He grinned.

“No, don't be that stupid. No, a Master of the Blades was sent into battle, a fierce battle near the Ancient Peak. The monsters were in big masses, and he was on his own. He fought the Wraiths and their Servants. He managed to kill a few of both. Next thing he knows is standing in the Walled Stronghold.”

“Wow...” said Ren speechless, “how... is that possible? The Oldest of Generations have stories about their Ancestors who had immense powers, but...”

“Yes, I know.” The girl said, “They have long been gone. Disappeared from the face of dusts and waters. But... What if there is one left? The only ones who might get to an conclusion, are the Celestial Ones.”

“So...” Ren began, “you think the Elder is planning something with the Celestial Ones?”

“No, not planning. More like discussing matters. I think I've heard a legend once.” The girl tried to remember it, but it wouldn't come to mind.

“A legend? Whahaha, please you don't believe that **** do you?” Ren tried to keep it as quiet as he could. But he woke an guard, which on his turn tried to find the source of the noise. He wouldn't find them here, nobody but the kids knew of this place. After the girl shot an green Scarab through a hole in the tree, the guard followed that noise instead.

“But you don't believe legends, Ren?” The girl asked.

“No, certainly not. Not after it's proven to be right.” Ren answered stubborn.

“Let me tell the legend anyways?” The girl said.

*SQUEEEEK SHHHHHH* “Ah, it was you who woke me. Little brats. The Kittens of the future. I don't like them. But the old ladies wants to have them on their sheets, for fun... Can you believe that? Well, let's go to sleep then, already.”

Ren was immediately focused. But when he noticed the guard talked about all the cats walking around, he relaxed.

The girl began: “As you know the Ancestors of the Oldest Generations in their stories. They told this story, too. Although, it's not as popular as the one with Ancestor Rwentie. This one was a story about the future. A future for the Perfect World. The Legend of the Perfect World...”

im going to write a poem... (perfect world is a sacred place that everyone should know,the monsters are most deadly and severe,but to have fun is oh so sincere,to experiment with all characters is like different personalities,so try all of them you should,to find which one you like the most and and fits your personality,i wrote this poam to thee becuase perfect world is my home away from home,even if i dont win i had fun writing this and expressing my feelings to perfect worl) to all fellow PWI players enjoy the game and good luck!!! b:bye

Lol, made two chapters on the same evening. I even like to write. Although it is based upon PWI, I make up a lot of things too. Is that allowed? As I'm not really such a geek on Perfect World Internationalogy. I know there are many stories in PWI itself, but I don't know them at all. So I'm improvising with my own imagination. I don't know if that is allowed?

~The Ren
Renegade_Elf

As the night becomes dark and the wind becomes cold,
the mysteries of a barbarian start to unfold.
His face with a snarl an animal like grin
and his eyes as fierce as the beast which lies within.
His fur is dark and wild. His flesh is torn and scarred.
His stance is always firm, always strong and always on guard.

His armor oh so heavy, battered and damaged from the fight.
Still like a badge of courage sparks a shine from the moon's pale light.
His shoulders strong and massive with a helmsley draped of red
like the color of the blood flowing from the pile of dead.
In his powerful hands, he holds his axes with all his might
as the edges drip with blood and the mobs stare on in fright.

He starts to lose feeling from his head down to his toes,
as the beast inside his heart continues to grow.
His body is taken over with hatred and fear.
Then out of the darkness the white tiger appears.
With a cleric healing and blademaster by his side,
no mob can stop him and all wraiths will die.

I likes all of the entries so far! It's great to see may talented writers hidden here on HT! I'm also really glad that I'm not the only one to go a "learning" route with there story, where you kinda learn a lesson at the end. Good show.

b:victory

9 more days until the contest closes. Oooh, I'm so excited, I want to see who has the best story around! ^^

....And I'll post mine last minute because....that's what procrastinators do. >.>

"Damn you, Xaldain. I won't be able to sit for a week." Hojo growled and winced as he rubbed his behind.

Serenity, Luna, and Maria giggled behind Hojo. It had been one day since that event and Hojo still was complaining about the arrows that Xaldain shot him with.

Hojo sighed. "So you two are coming with us?" he asked.

Luna shrugged. "Me and Rocky have nothing better to do. Sure." She gave a big smile.

"I will go wherever my Lady Luna will go." Stripes replied with a kind cat grin.

"So where are we going anyway?" Maria asked Hojo.

Hojo stopped walking. "Good question."

"We can start by trying to find the whereabouts of Harpy Wraith." Xaldain suggested.

"H-Harpy Wraith?" Stripes studdered.

Everyone turned their eyes on Stripes.

"Is something wrong, Stripes?" Serenity asked.

"I know that foul monster." Stripes replied. His eyes hardened. "She killed my father and my clan when I was very young..."

---

Stripes' memory

---

"Dad, what is wrong?" a white tiger cub asked a large tiger. "What's that smell?"

"Hide, Stripes." the tiger comanded. His eyes flamed red and he walked around, taking in the scent of death.

Young Stripes obeyed his father and barrowed himself in a hole that was partly covered by a log. A purple mist surrounded the entire area him and his father were in.

The mighty tiger then roared ferociously. There was a woman who had the body of a snake in the violet shadows. "What do you want here Wraith?!" he growled. "Where is my clan?!" he roared. His claws dug into the dirt as he was getting ready to pounce. "Answer!" he demanded.

The Wraith woman had a chilling voice when she spoke. Indeed it sounded like a snake's, yet it was not human nor beast. "Why, they are all dead." she replied with a chuckle. "You must be their leader. They would be happy if you join them." Once the tiger leaped into the air, his throat was caught by her claws. "I have devoured many souls. What makes you think you, a lone tiger, can defeat me?" Her mouth opened and she began to suck the life out of him.

"Father!" Stripes jumped out of hiding. "Let him go!" he growled only for it to sound like a baby cat.

"No, son. Run." the tiger groaned.
"What do we have here?" Harpy Wraith spotted the young cub. "Ah.. the son of the leader. I struck gold."

Stripes glared up at her. "You don't scare me. Put him down or I'll-"

"You'll what? Bite me with your baby teeth?" Harpy Wraith mocked. She then finished eating Stripes' father's soul. "Mmm... tastey." She threw the corspe down and slither towards the cub. "I wonder how cubs taste."

Stripes could not help but to cringe and shake under the shadow of the Wraith.

Harpy Wraith grinned. "I thought you weren't scared." Her tongue flicked in amusement. "When you're older, I'll come get you. Fear me. Hate me. Either way, your soul will be mine." After he statement, she vanished in purple fog.

---

End of Stripes' memory

---

Everyone gave Stripes sad looks. Stripes shook his head. "Don't give me those frowns. Nothing can come of lingering on in the past. We shall only move forward."

A poleblade struck the ground in front of Xaldain and Hojo. "You may not pass any further!" a male voice echoed through the mountains. The group looked upward and spotted a figure in the mountains. The shadow leaped out into the sunlight and landed on his feet right in front of them. He was bald and his eyes were a ghostly white. Was he blind? "You travelers must turn back now." he stated as he stretched his hand directly in front of him and grabbed his poleblade. "Or I will have to make you." the strangersaid and pointed the bladed end towards Xaldain and Hojo.

"Why?" Xaldain asked.

"We walked all this way here. There's no way we're turning back." Hojo growled and unshealthed his sword. "If it's a fight you want then I'll give it to you." he said with a smirk.

"Hojo, he's blind." Maria stated as she gave Hojo a glare.

"What? If he's big enough to point that stick at me. He's big enough to take a beating." Hojo explained while twirling his sword around before pointing the blade at the blind man. "He's probably not even blind."

"Hojo." Serenity crossed her arms and shook her head.

"Is he always like this?" Stripes asked Luna who only gave a shrug in reply.

Hojo ran towards the blind blademaster, ready to attack. However the blind man was ready as well. "Piercing Winds!" the man shouted and an incredible force knocked Hojo backwards.

Hojo spat out some blood and smirked. "See. He isn't so fragile. Now I don't have to feel sorry when I whip him." He got back up and the fight began.

"And there he goes." Xaldain stated as he shook his head. Hearing a branch snap, he turned to see a woman dressed in pink and green. His brow arched as he looked closer at her. That was not an ordinary woman. "Guys, we have company."

The other three turned their heads to see the woman and many others that looked exactly like her.

"Orchid Pentails." Stripes growled.

"You know them, Stripes?" Luna questioned.

"Yes. I ran into them earlier on my way to Archosaur. They shoot you with posion." Stripes replied.

"Then we must be careful." Maria said before a red card formed in her hand. "Pyrogram!" She threw the flaming card into one of the Orchid Pentails, making fire damage.

"Arcane Empowerment!" Serenity shouted as she raised her hand. She had raised her friends' weapon magic attack so the fire would be more effective on these wood type creatures.

"Blazing Arrow!" Xaldain called out. His hand glowed red and he shot arrows that were now of fire.

"Blazing Scarab!" Luna yelled before casting a fire attack.

Stripes turned into a white tiger and ran towards the crowd of enemies."Flesh Realm!"

---

Ten minutes later

---

"To be a blademaster, you have to have the master not just the blade." the blind blademaster joked.

Hojo was getting up off the ground. "Why you-" He winced then fell back down. He was weaker than ever.

"Xaldain, look!" Serenity pointed to an Orchid Pentail that had casted a posion spell on Hojo.

"Got it." Xaldain replied as he shot and killed the monster.

"Hojo!" Maria called as she ran to him. She stood in front of the blind blademaster. "Please, don't hurt him."

"Maria.." Hojo whispered.

The blind man lowered his weapon from Maria's neck. "I was not planning on killing him." He nodded. "I see you all are fine fighters."

Serenity started to help heal Hojo.

Xaldain and the others walked over. "Why won't you let us pass?" Xaldain asked curiously.

"Many Wraiths have come to this part of the mountains. It is my duty to prevent anyone from passing into such a death welcoming place." The man replied with a bow. "I am the last of my people in the village. Everyone else's soul was taken."

"What type of Wraiths?" Stripes asked.

"Flying ones. They are no dinosaur nor bird. They use purple skulls to fight their enemies and also to take lives as well." he explained.

"Purple skulls?!" Hojo quickly sat up and his eyes burned with hatred. "Harpy Wraith..." he growled in between his grunts.

"Who?" the man perked a brow in confusion.

"A mighty Wraith who takes souls and uses then just like you described." Xaldain responded.

"So those birds must be her trusted minions." Stripes stated.

"Then we must go and try to get them to tell us where she is." Xaldain suggested. "Let us pass. We must destroy Harpy Wraith."

The blind blademaster nodded. "Very well, but I shall accompany you." He looked back at Hojo. "He is in no shape to go."

"I will stay with Hojo." Serenity said as she finished wrapping his wounds. "You all just come safely back, ok?"

Xaldain and everyone else nodded before heading off.

---

Five hours later

---

The group came back from the mountains. There was no sign of those birds anywhere.

"They must have left." Luna sighed. "Now what?"

"Then Harpy Wraith must know we are looking for her." Xaldain stated. "So she's now covering her tracks."

"Aye." Stripes replied.

"Earlier, I heard flapping and it faded towards the north. Perhaps the Nameless Isle may have clues to the wraith you are trying to find." the man suggested.

"Nameless Isle?" Maria repeated with a puzzled look.

"Yes." The man pulled out a map and pointed to a small island that was just north from them. "Here."

"Oh." Maria said in suprise.

"Wait..." Xaldain looked away from the map and gave the man a suspicious glare. "How did you know exactly where to point?"

"I thought you were blind." Stripes crossed his arms on his chest.

The man gave them a nervous look (Anime sweatdrop). "Whoever said I was blind?" he laughed nevously.

"See! I told you!" Hojo's voice rang. Him and Serenity came into sight and met up with everyone.

Continued on again.

---

But she didn’t. My heart leapt as the naive fox jogged towards the humans. She seemed to be a friendly soul, but I did not want her to get hurt as the other animals did. I felt useless as I crouched behind the bushes, watching as she approached the humans.

When they saw her, they jumped in surprise. One of them took out something long and sharp, but the fox thought nothing of it. She merely stood there, with her fox grin and wagged her long tail. She must’ve thought they wanted to play.

One of the humans, the closest one to the fox, cautiously put out his hand towards her. She remained happy and continued to wag her tail as the human patted her on her head.

“Soft fur,” the human said. “How much do you think this fox will sell for?”

The one holding the sharp object spoke. “Not much. She’s still pretty young. Probably enough fur to make a small scarf.”

“Well, better than nothing. Get the cage, I’ll distract her.”

Their speech confused me; I did not understand what they said, but when one of the humans took out a small cage, I knew then that her fate will be sealed soon.

The anger that slowly dissipated due to curiosity now came back in full force. There was a low growl in my throat as I prepared for attack. They will not take away another animal of the forest. Not while I’m here.

As one of the humans held down the fox, now panicked and scared, and the other stuffed her in the cage, I leapt. With a roar, I pounced down on the first human, my claws digging deep into his flesh. I bit into his neck, tasting the bitter blood that gushed out. The other humans scrambled and shouted, but I heard nothing. I attacked the other human that held the fox, pinning him down with my weight. From the corner of my eye, I could see the young fox running away. ‘Good,’ I thought. ‘At least one is safe.’

But I wasn’t finished with the humans just yet. My business with them now was purely territorial. I growled deep in my throat as I held one dead human in my jaws, his throat spewing out his life blood. My claws were poised for attack as more of the humans appeared. All of them were holding a sharp and shiny object of their own.

“Be careful of cutting the tiger’s fur with your sword now men,” said one of the humans. “This white tiger’s fur is worth millions.”

I gave out a loud roar and pounced on the human in front of me, the others jumping out of the way. I slashed away at his face, anger and adrenaline coursing through my veins. I did not look at anything else now but the enemy in front of me. His blood stained my fur and as I bit down hard on his neck, I could hear his bones shattering
All of a sudden a shock of pain shot up through my body, causing me to lose my grip on the human. Another was stabbing at me, slashing away with his long sword. I backed away, growling loudly and swiping with my claws.

“Careful, moron!” Said the other. “That fur is priceless! The more you **** at it, the more the price is going to go down!”

I had no hesitation. I lunged forward at the man as he was distracted. But before I reached him, something tugged at my neck, pulling me back. The other man was holding a rope, tying me down. The fire in me grew hotter and hotter and I lunged again, this time at the man holding the rope. I was tugged back again. There was another man, holding another rope tying me down.

It began to get harder to breathe the more I struggled against their pull, but I resisted. I refused to let them win. They surrounded me from all sides now, and I tried to attack them, but more and more rope lassoed around me. My side stung from the wound and I was losing blood fast. I swung a paw at a nearby human, but to my surprise, was jerked back as well. My paws were tied, and the more and more as I struggled, more and more ropes tied me down.

It was hours before exhaustion made me give way. The loss of blood made my head spin and I collapsed on the snow, feeling the biting winter on my wound. My paws were bound and I could barely move but the anger surged within me, and as the humans closed in, I jumped up, trying to swipe one down but to no avail. The rope seemed to choke the life out of me, but I could still breathe, albeit barely.

I don’t know how long I lay there, blacking in and out, but soon the humans closed in on me again, and this time I could not resist. I was too weak to fight and it seemed like it would be the end for me. And I as took what I thought would be my last breath, I took one last look at the man who hovered above me. And when I saw him smirk, the anger flared within me again, just before I blacked out.

These humans will not take away my freedom.

Chapter 3:

Soon I was forced into another cage, one that is bigger than the other, and did not bind me with harsh ropes. When I leapt into the cage, I paced around furiously, growling deeply and lunging at anyone who came near. I refused to let the humans come close to me.

It was long before the General came by to look at me again, and this time I wasn't bound by anything. When he came close enough to the cage for me to charge, I went for it.

I ran towards him at full speed, claws out, ready to pounce. I was ready to taste the man’s bitter flesh within my jaws. I swiped at him through my cage.

And missed.

I tried again. He was still only a bit farther from my grasp. I tried again and again in a poor attempt to at least just scratch him, but I never got close. And the General, standing there with his infuriating smirk, never flinched. I growled and roared and swiped and reached as far as I can, but I never was able to get to him.

Suddenly, ropes swung around me again. ‘Oh no,’ I thought to myself. ‘Not this time.’

They had me by my outstretched paw while I was distracted, but I won’t let them get me again. I roared loudly, but did not make any sudden movements. I looked around and saw that the rope led to the top of the cage, where many of the humans pulled and tugged at my paw. They were trying to lift my paw up.

I was confused, but I refused to let them have it. I pulled on all my weight down on my paw, I ran around the cage and I bit hard onto the rope. But as I resisted, even more men came and pulled harder on the rope. The tightness stung raw on my paws, but still I tried to keep it down but to no avail. Soon, my right paw was tightly bound, raised high in the cage.

Then they bound my left paw. I growled and swiped at the rope, but eventually my left paw was caught and bounded. I was standing on my hind legs now, powerless.

They bound my legs too. I struggled to get away, but I could not get far. These humans were far too strong together for me to resist. Eventually, I was fully bound within my cage, facing the General who did not move throughout the whole ordeal.

“Do you know how to make a barbarian transform into his humanoid form, soldier?” He said to a nearby person. “You torture him. You shock him with enough force that he’ll learn to do anything we say. Soon, the energy running through him will be so much, it’ll mutate him into a humanoid super soldier, ready and perfect for war. Only barbarians can do this, not any other animal will do.”

He commanded the soldiers to open the cage for him to enter. Anger coursed through my veins, twitching my muscles. Soon, he was within inches of me, looking deep into my eyes. A low, guttural growl rumbled in me, baring my fangs, and I struggled to break free of my bindings to snap at his throat. The General merely smiled.

“Get the prods ready,” shouted the General. “It’s high time we have a new barbarian within our ranks.”

And he left, leaving the other soldiers around the cage. I was left alone for a while, but soon there were soldiers holding a long forked metal stick and stuck it into the cage. I struggled and tried to wriggle free of my bindings. I did not know what the stick was for, but I did not want to find out.

Suddenly a wave of pain shot up through my spine. I screamed, blocking out everything from my mind. For a moment, it seemed like I couldn’t breathe; the shock was so painful. My body convulsed furiously, contracting my muscles and burning everything from the inside out. Suddenly, as soon as it hit, it stopped. I didn’t realize how exhausted I was from that one shock, but it seemed as if I couldn’t move.

And then it came again. A piercing shock came through my abdomen and traveled through my spine. I couldn’t help but roar with pain again, my body arching backwards through the shock. I shook violently as waves of white pain ran through my whole body. I thought I was going to black out from the shock.

And again it stopped. My body became numb from the aftershock and I still shook violently, even though they did not shock me again. I felt so weak and in pain and when they stopped I thought that they would be done with me.

But I was wrong.

It happened. Again and again and again. For days and weeks, I could not count how many times they did it to me, and how I could describe the pain I felt. Sometimes it would feel as if I could not feel anything anymore, that I was numb, and then another shock and the slashing pain pulsed through me like fire.

I lost track of time after each shock, but eventually the General came back again. Already, I was beginning to faze in and out of consciousness. I had no sense of surroundings or anything any more. But I could still hear his voice mocking me.

“One last time,” he said. “He’s getting there, I can see it.”

The shock of pain rose up through me again, but it was different. There was a shudder within my spine and something within me changed. My hind legs changed, elongating and allowing me to stand on two legs. The bones in my front paws bent and changed into humanlike arms. The pain of the changes in my body was excruciating and I thought that the bindings became loose as I stood on my new legs, but it wasn’t. I just stood taller now.

As sudden and quick as that change was, I changed back even quicker. The horrible shocks slashed through me again and again, but I didn’t – couldn’t – change back into that strange form.

“Alright, I think that’s enough for today, soldiers,” he said. “Time for some rest. We’ll start again tomorrow morning. First transformation’s always the hardest.” And with a chuckle, he was off.

I was so weak that night, I couldn’t even stand. My hind legs could not hold me up, and my front paws were sore from the bindings. My body felt numb and in pain at the same time. I breathed in shuddering breaths and I shivered in the winter cold. My stab wound from long ago reopened again, sending throbs of pain through my body. I began to fall in and out of consciousness, and my mind wandered back to my home where I once been before.

***

I remembered running through the forest at night, free and in the wild in the hot summer air, with the moon chasing after me. I remember smelling the scents of the forest, running wild and free and I remember calling that place home. I remember the animals that had lived there, that had lived in peace with nature as I did.

I remembered when I was young, and living as carefree as ever. Running around, seeing new sights, touching new things, smelling new smells. Everything in the forest was a wonder, and it was all there, waiting for me to come back to it again.

I cried that night. My heart yearned for my home and I cried out to the starry skies above to take me back to the forest. I felt heavy and tired and for the first time, lonely. I felt ready to give up, to stop resisting and wait for the humans to come back and kill me. There was nothing for me here anymore.

As I cried, I heard a howl near me. It was the wolf I saw from before in the carriages. It looked beaten and bruised and was tied to a wooden pole. It looked at me with intense eyes, and howled loudly to the moon. Finally, the wolf looked at me again and wagged its tail once. Somehow, through this whole predicament, its spirit has not been broken. It still held the determination that it will return home.

That was when all of the other animals in the cages began to cry as well. Throughout all the difficulties and hardships that they have faced, they still cried out to their home. All of them knew that they would return home again. Even the human-like creatures, deep within their own confines in the campgrounds cried out as well. They were all crying. Crying for their home.

The wolf looked at me again and howled. It continued to stare at me intently with its gaze, as if waiting for something.

I realized it then. If a lone wolf still holds hope for his freedom and that it’ll come home, then so will I. With all the energy I could muster, I gave off the loudest roar I could that shook the whole campgrounds, much to the cheer of the animals. It was then that I made to myself a vow. I was ready for the humans now.

I will not give up this fight.

These humans will not break me.

Chapter 5

All of the humanoid animals were gone now, free and in the wild, where they belonged. I remained in the small camp; the scent of blood, death and gore nauseated me to no end, but I stayed. I looked at myself at that moment, and saw what I had become. What they had made me become.

I could not stand on four legs anymore, but the feeling of standing on two legs felt uncomfortable to me, so I sat leaning against the nearby wall of another cage. I was able to remove the prod that was stabbed into me, and through blurry eyes I could see the blood flow freely from my chest, staining the white snow around me.

The sun was high up in the sky now, but somehow, it seemed to me that it had begun to snow. Snowflakes, light as feathers, fell softly to the crimson stained ground. It did not feel cold at all as the snowflakes landed onto my face and human-like hands.

Light flashed before my eyes, and my mind fluttered between the past and the present. Suddenly, it was summertime again; the warmth of the sun and the cooling of the breeze tousled my fur. I was sitting beneath a large tree near a cool lake, watching as the animals passed by for a drink; knowing that I would not harm them.

Suddenly I was back at the campgrounds in winter again. Dull pangs of pain stabbed at my sides, but I took no notice. I closed my eyes again, wanting to feel the wind through my fur and the soft ground underneath my paws as I ran freely through the forest.

It is here that I know that I am not a barbarian as the humans so call me. No, I am not a barbarian, nor any animal that can be tamed as the humans tried to tame. I am Untamed, wild, with a spirit that belongs to the free and nothing can hold me down, not rope, not bindings, nothing.

It is also here, as I lay with my own life blood flowing from me that my story ends. Live free, my untamed brethren, for your life is yours to hold. Never let anything hold you down.

You are free to live as you live.

You are free.

---

Sorry for the multiple posts....Had to post all the chapters into nice, chunky pieces for people to read....GMs/Mods please don't kill me. >.<

Konariraiden - Heavens Tear wrote: »

ಥ_ಥ ...so beautiful, Vixe.

...I thought mine was decent...I know I don't stand a chance now.

b:surrender

Really?! Aaah!! *super excited now*

Honestly, I was hoping for like, at least 6th place or something...then I can pay back all my debts.

But now I got Konari's Awesome-Sauce face of approval! I can die happy now! xD

I looked at my short story for days on end because I kept feeling something was missing...Then I gave up and was like, "**** it....6th place is good too. Maybe 5th if I'm ambitious."

I was gonna post later because I wanted to see the competition, but....then I just got lazy....I kinda like it now, but I don't know. Shota's the one and only judge in this, and she can't say anything right now. She may hate it for all I know. I may end up in last place, or no place at all. b:sad

Here's to hoping. b:thanks