Disastrous Destiny

Prologue

         Shaking, I walked towards the glowing light. My skinny knees buckled before I reached it.

A great clawed hand caught me; it’s a scaled surface that is surprisingly warm. Snow gave way for a colossal head. An eye, the length of at least a grown man, opened, showing its golden iris. When the beast’s eye found what it had captured its pupil contracted to a narrow slit. Moving its head so the breath of the creature’s mouth knocked me to a sitting position in its palm, it seemed to laugh.

         The beast growled, “Child of the fireless apes I will warm and protect you... if you let me.”

         Nodding, I didn't know that it meant I could never go home again.

         The creature used its barbed tail to scoop away snow till bare ground showed. It lifted a wing, and nudged me forward with its muzzle. I was greeted by sudden warmth. I was pushed, gently now, to the ground as a great forked tongue swiped over my head. It licked my hair so it stood up funny.

         “What is your name?” I asked, fear conquering my voice so that it shook.

         “Why is a fireless ape’s runt here for? Lenerk, they die in no-light era.” Said a cold voice as if the snow was talking, but then my eight-year old eyes saw a lady; her pale dress sparkled like the snow, her eyes glared at me.

         “They left the little one to die in the cold. He is strong; he will grow and learn our ways and we shall teach him.”

         “But-” she started but the monster interrupted.

         “He is already changing.” It shifted a wing and thrust me to a patch of ice.

         In it I saw my unusual eyes were now cat-like: the left red, the right blue. My skin no longer felt cold as if I was in a warm place instead of this tundra, Antarctica, as we had learned in second grade. My hair was turning silver then white at the ends. Blood dropped from my mouth and froze on the ice.

         I spat into my hand, a mix of blood and spit came out with something white as well. I picked it up and was amazed and scared at the same time. That white thing was a tooth. I felt my mouth’s inside and met a jagged fang where the tooth had fallen from. Pain extended though my hands; looking down, my fingernails grew and curved into hooked claws.

         I glanced at the beast and realized I was becoming whatever it was.

         “He shall be my heir,” said the creature, shrinking to the size a man.

         “What shall he be called, Lenerk?”

         “Redd.”