Ironclaw Chapter 1: Tale of the Coyote and Escaping the Cage

Once, in the wild, untamed forests of the Carolina’s Barrier Islands, the Coyote race ruled the land. They were the most powerful, numerous, and wide-spread. All of the creatures feared the cry of the female Coyote, Ironclaw, their leader of only fifteen seasons; something close to fifteen human years. Usually, a female her age would never be able to lead a race so strong, to control a pack so big, but there is a reason why Ironclaw is a legend.

Ironclaw became a legend because she challenged them, the Humans, the ones who had tied them down. Ironclaw destroyed the chains that bound them, and bit the hands that tortured them. Ironclaw dared to defy, and dared to fight. Some say that more than fifty men have died at her teeth alone.

It is possible that the truth of Ironclaw’s life will never be known. It is possible that Ironclaw will continue to be an enigma for the rest of her existance, die, and live on as whispers in the night, as ink on pages.

The one thing that is known, is that once, like all legends, Ironclaw was once nothing. Once, before she was Ironclaw, before she was a coyote, before she woke on the Barrier Island we now call Cavete Viator, Ironclaw was Vermillion DeLuna, and Vermillion DeLuna was a nobody.
And then, Vermillion DeLuna woke on Cavete Viator, and lived and died simultaneously.

xxxx

When Vermillion DeLuna woke, she realized instantly that things had gone terribly wrong. Her whole body ached; she realized that before she opened her eyes. She had been lying on her side, back arched slightly, as if she was curling in on herself. Her chest heaved up and down, slowly, making it feel like a chore just to breathe. She was dizzy, disoriented, and very confused, especially when the flat of her palm brushed metal wiring and leafy undergrowth. Finally snapping open her eyes, she forced herself up in one fast, fluid movement. Too fast, she noted, as her head suddenly hit the top of whatever she was enclosed in. Ah, a cage, it seemed to be. Grumbling with the added pain and humiliation, Vermillion pushed hard against the side of the cage. It wasn't very large, probably only the size of a medium dog kennel, and all of the sides were made of wire, so that she could view her surroundings. Her back was pressed to one side of the cage, and her arms were pressed against the other, which gave her a view of the forest undergrowth. It smelled dark and damp, like it had rained recently, and when she opened her mouth to get a better scent, she tasted salt on the roof of her mouth.

'Salt?' That must mean that she was somewhere near the ocean. Vermillion raised her head again, albeit tentatively, remembering her earlier mishap, and stared more closely out at the forest surrounding her. The ground looked soft and earthen, but there was some light gray-white sand mixed in with the rest of the dirt. A noise of disgust rose in her throat, and she turned so that she could be on her hands and knees, resting like a cat on her haunches, staring out at the front of the cage. The clasp to it was simple. If she tried, she could easily unlock it and get out from...wherever she was.

The gang needed her back home, and Vermillion's duty as their leader was to protect them. She wouldn't be able to do that where she was, and even though she had no idea where she was, she'd be damned if she was just going to lie there like an injured dog and wait for someone to come along and steal her back again.

As she pondered the possible dangers of escaping from the cage, Vermillion thought back to what had happened before she'd gotten here. All she remembered was running breathlessly down the city streets, teens from the gang flanking her on both sides, police sirens blaring in the backgrounds. Somebody'd called the cops on them while they were fighting with a rival gang, and while running from the cops was nothing new for her, she couldn't help but feel something...different, this time.

After all, this was the first time she was running without Chi.

A pang of sadness passed through her chest, and her dark, nimble fingers fumbled at the lock. Oh, Chi. Vermillion couldn't help but wonder if he was looking down on this situation with his big green-brown eyes narrowed, or if he was laughing at how stupid she looked, messing around in a dog cage like that. Knowing Chi, he was probably laughing. She silently cursed the bastard, while at the same time wishing that he could lend her some of her knowledge.

Her metal hand wasn't aiding her much in this delicate procedure, so Vermillion let it drop to her side as she continued on with trying to unhook the lock. There were actually two locks, which complicated the process, and wasn't what Vermillion was expecting. She'd worked off the first lock, and had pushed on the door to see if it would spring open, but it refused to budge without the second lock being released as well. Giving another curse, Vermillion turned her attention to the second lock.

This one was a small padlock around a chain, and it wouldn't be so easy. Realizing that this would need some brute force, Vermillion first tried to pick the lock with a stray stick she found at the bottom of the cage. After messing with it for a few minutes, she threw the stick away with yet another curse, turning her attention to the chain that held the padlock to the cage door.

The chain looked old and rusted, which was good news for her. Maybe, if she pulled just hard enough, it would break. Grabbing the padlock with the metal hand this time (this was grunt work), she stiffened the muscle of her right arm, then pulled as hard as she could on the lock, throwing all of her weight backwards. The chain squealed, and the door bent inwards with her as she pulled. A few seconds later, the flimsy metal door ripped off of its hinges. The inertia sent Vermillion falling backwards into the cage, her back slamming against the ground, effectively knocking the wind out of her lungs and sending a searing pain through her ribs. It felt like an old wound had been irritated, and Vermillion hissed as she rolled over, pressing her hand to the throbbing area.

That's right, she remembered now. She'd been knocked off of her feet and had fallen on her side on the concrete, back when she was running in the city. Something--no, someone--had slammed into her abruptly, sending her slamming into the ground next to a trash can. Before she had any time to react, a boot had been pressed to her neck, and someone leaned down close to her face. The someone was so close, so near to her face, that Vermillion could smell the smoke and liquor on his breath. She remembered it being disgusting, and as the man leaned in, he said,

"You belong to me now."

That was when she blacked out, and try as she may, Vermillion couldn't remember what had happened after that.

When the pain finally faded, and she felt like she could move again, she heaved herself out of the cage and onto the forest floor, resting on the ground for a moment as she panted. She could smell the musty scent of the forest again, dead, rotting leaves mixed in with those freshly fallen. The dirt felt fresh and cool against her skin, and it was...oddly refreshing, in a way. It had been a very, very long time since she'd been out in a free area like this.

Finally forcing herself onto her feet, Vermillion leaned against a nearby tree, chocolate brown eyes narrowed as her metal arm dangled by her side, limp as the wind tussled her hair. She'd gotten free from the cage, yes.

Her freedom, however, was still much too far away from her.