Young Writers Society

I stood waiting in a wide alley as footsteps approached behind me. A shooting star flashed past the moon, and I smiled, watching the signal die away. I took a step forward, knowing that the hideout of the leader, Jasmine, would soon appear. For once, I had something to be proud of, a simple human working for a creature of great power.

“What are you doing?” a voice suddenly barked. I jerked around to see a man with black, wavy hair. His brown eyes were narrowed and fierce like an animal ready to attack. In his left hand was something that looked like a grey flashlight glowing with a faint purple light.

“You’re not supposed to be in these alleys,” he snarled, taking a step forward.

I was about to opened my mouth to speak when a light shot from the tube. It zoomed past my ear, and I turned around to watch it hit a large oak tree. My eyes widened as the light danced across the tree trunk, sparks flaring, as the light stretched. Dust rose from the tree and clouded the air, blocking everything in sight. A hand gripped my shoulder and a soft buzzing sounded in my ear. “What is this?” I whispered, as I became dizzy.

Suddenly a loud howling pieced the air. The hand loosened, and I heard multiple footsteps race off as the dust faded. I stood up, my legs wobbly, and glanced around at the shadow- covered walls. Not a soul was in sight, so I raced off. When I saw a large crack in the wall at the end of the alley, I slid in, ignoring how it scraped my arms. Beyond the crack was a small room with small stage lights at the top corners. Tables were pushed against the walls, and an old, beautifully carved rocking chair sat in the very middle.

“Sorry I’m late, Jasmine,” I called, walking towards the rocking chair.

A black cat with gleaming green eyes jumped onto the chair. “It’s fine,” Jasmine meowed, “The enemy came sooner than I thought.” Out of shadows crawled furry animals of many shapes and sizes. I noticed a few that had been in the group before, but there were many that were new.

“The enemy has come!” Jasmine called to all the animals, and seemed to forget that I was there. “They have come to take the power that is rightfully ours! We must fight, and protect all who fight beside us, from the smallest mouse to the largest wolf!” Jasmine’s voice rang across the room. All the animals' stares were intensely on her, and none moved as she spoke.

Mice watched from the table, and a mockingbird with red crosses on her wings sat on one of the lights. All had a look of awe in their eyes, and the world seemed to fade away with the sound of Jasmine’s voice.

A mighty whine filled the room, all eyes turned to see an injured gray wolf limp into the room. “I tried,” he whimpered, “But they had too many weapons.” The wolf let out a howl of anguish before falling to the floor.

The mockingbird flew over to the wolf’s side. She placed her head next to his chest. “He’s still breathing,” she chirped. A group of red foxes hurried to the scene and dragged the wolf away.

The animals watched the wolf, worry shining in their eyes. A hole opened in the wall, and vanished, as the wolf and foxes went through.

Quickly, the walls began to shake, and shrieks filled room. Animals raced off into the shadows, vanishing as quickly as they had appeared. I began to move, but a rabbit hit my foot, causing me to fall into the chair. The lights flashed off, and everything was still. My head spun as I pulled splinters out of my fingers.

A figure entered the hole. It looked around as the lights flashed back on. I froze. It was the man I had seen earlier. He suddenly noticed me, and his eyes widened. “Jasmine,” he whispered, his voice sounding sore.

“I’m so sorry,” he cried, falling to the ground before transforming into a small black fox. I blinked at the tiny creature. Was it even possible for a human to turn that small? He slowly walked towards the chair. “I had no idea you had another form. Please do not punish me.” The sounds of his screeches began to bounce off the walls

"Stop,” I yelled. He looked up, fear shining in his eyes. “I’m not Jasmine,” I said looking at my hands.

His eyes narrowed, as long, glossy claw shot from his paws. A low growl rumbled from the back of his throat as he stared at me. “How dare you,” he cried. Quickly he leapt, but before he could touch me, a flash of black pushed him aside.

Jasmine held the thrashing fox down. “Calm down, Tanto, I’m back. Nothing will make me leave for good,” she whispered as if comforting a child.

Tanto lay still before turning to look into Jasmine’s eyes. “I though she had overruled you,” he whimpered.

“It’s fine. You have proved your loyalty,” she whispered. She turned toward me, her eyes gleaming with nervousness. “It will be best if you left, Cassidy." I stood up, and nodded. A spark of annoyance filled me. How was I suppose to just leave, when I seen such an amazing thing?

The world shook, when I tried to walk forward. A black shadow flew into the room, and landed before the chair. It shimmered before turning into a small winged dragon. Jasmine hissed, releasing Tanto as she leaped towards the form. “How dare you take the scared animal’s form, “she spat, her fur standing on edge.

The dragon laughed, “I see you haven’t changed since the last time we met. And if you must know, this is the new form for the strong, not like that pathetic fuzzy form that can’t even hold a pencil.”

Jasmine's eyes narrowed, and she leapt forward, her claws extended. Suddenly Tanto jumped in front of her, pushing her back. He landed, and turned. That was when I noticed it. His eyes were shining purple. His fur shortened, and the spider web pattern began to show on his skin. In a flash of flames, Tanto's form changed to a small black dragon. Grey smoke spouted from his nostrils, and a faint smile showed on his lips.

The other dragon’s eyes widened, and his wings withered away. He turned, but not before I saw a look of triumph in his eyes. I tried to grab him, but he clawed my wrist, forcing me to let go. Everything went fuzzy. Animal faces flew through my vision before blackness. A small light broke through the darkness, as my head ached.

“It’s all my fault.” Jasmine’s voice echoed. “Me and my cursed soul,” she gasped for breath and continued, “I am long dead. I created the enemy and Tanto.” She let out a sudden agonizing wail. “Now it is too late to right my wrong. The enemy had seen his other half...”

I watched as the light spread, and with a single blinding blink, everything vanished. Once again, I was in a wide alley, but this time, a small black kitten with dark brown eyes sat in front of me. It looked up at me, and with a pitiful meow, I could have sworn it winked at me.