Saving Todd

    Crisp autumn wind blew through the trees as children laughed running about the village. Adults went about their day visiting and doing chores, altogether a serene and peaceful day that was often found here. Our village elders were gathered in the meeting hall discussing the marriage candidates of our young alpha Delmar, though he himself was no where to be seen.     Alpha, now there is an interesting term, ordinarily applied to the leader of a pack a wolves; in our village though it refers to a child born through tragedy who is raised by the elders to become someone who would give anything, or do anything for our people. They are raised with excessive love, extremely strict guidelines and the harshest training imaginable. In a since a soldier, but what truly separates an alpha from the others raised in this manner is the ability to demand respect and loyalty from others.  Alpha, for us represents hope brought from pain and a means to a future brighter than any of us dare to imagine.        Far away on the outskirts of our forest there exists a large town. Quite contrast to our way of life its residents lived in constant fear and hatred of the unknown, which was evident due to the towering walls surrounding it. A safe haven keeping out anything that threatened their way a life some called it, but to one young girl this place was a prison....  Clenabel Rothstein's P.O.V     I awoke early as the morning sun crept through my window, its warmth landing on my face. Slowly I stretched looking around to gain my bearings. My room was mostly bare, my bed had a black and grey comforter, a dresser sat next to it, across from that there was a closet with a full length mirror attached, a door to the left of my closet was open revealing a shower stall, toilet, and sink. My eyes found their way to my alarm clock that was perched on my dresser, it's green numbers displayed 6:45AM, September 3rd. A smile found it's way to my face, today's the day, I thought to myself. Today's the day I convince my parents to let me leave this place. Today marks the day that I turn 17, I am officially considered an adult! Surely I'll be able to choose my own fate, decide my own journey and finally, finally go beyond  those stupid walls. Nothing, however would change if I stay in bed all day.     Excitement flowed through every fiber of my being causing an undeniable energy to build within. I cast my blanket aside and leapt to my feet before running to the bathroom. Once inside I quickly turned on the shower to warm up while I brushed my teeth and washed my face. Normally showers were my favorite part of any morning however today it was just one more thing I had to do before I could realize my dream, so I washed in a hurry not lingering to enjoy it's relaxing warm embrace. I quickly put on a black tank top along with my favorite pair of blue jeans and a pair of black boots before sweeping my hair back into a high ponytail that cascaded back down to my shoulders. I glanced in the mirror ensuring that there weren't any strands out of place in my dark chestnut brown hair.  I slapped my checks to gather my nerves causing a slight red hue to appear just below my eyes, which resembled polished malachite. Satisfied I headed into the dinning room.     Our kitchen was almost as simple as my bedroom, it had several widows, a dinner table and a counter imbedded with appliances. The amazing aroma of coffee swirled the air causing me to pause for a moment and close my eyes in admiration. Opening my eyes I immediately went to the counter and emptied some coffee into a thermos for me before swooping in to give my mother a kiss as she stood cooking on the stove top and stealing some bacon in the process, earning me the mom look. We all know that look, the I'm not amused and your not to old to whoop look, I laughed aloud rushing to where my dad sat eating breakfast and watching our antics with an amused expression. Placing a kiss on top of his head and hugging his shoulders caused my mother to roll her eyes before turning her back to us to assemble a plate of food.     As much as I love morning like these I was dying to speak to my father, I took a deep calming breath as my mother placed my breakfast in front of me. On my plate was bacon, scrambled eggs and buttered toast, it looked mouth watering. Mother then pored me a glass of orange juice which I was thankful for as my coffee hadn't yet cooled enough to drink. I raised the glass to my lips letting the cool tangy drink fill my parched mouth, when I sat it back down I turned to look at my Father.     "Daddy, you do remember that I'm seventeen today, don't you?" I asked at a loss as to how else I could breach the subject     "oh?" the look on my fathers face was apprehensive and he looked slightly amused clearly wondering where I was going with this "Are you now?"     "That's right daddy I am, I'm an adult now. Which is why I'd like your permission to go see what is beyond the wall." I smiled full of excitement and hopefulness, that is until I saw the expression my dad had. He was frowning and looking absolutely disgusted to say the least.     "No."      I was shocked, all the excitement, all the preparation and waiting brought me to this moment and the only word from his mouth was "no?"       I jumped up from my seat unable to contain my emotions. "But why can't I go out there daddy? I'm plenty old enough....." I was prepared to argue until I exhausted my vocabulary but I was cut off by my father's enraged voice.     "You know why! Out there is constant danger, you will never be safe from those beasts! These walls protect us from the chaotic forest and those creatures." the word rolled off his tongue laced with unbridled disgust." No daughter of mine will ever venture beyond those walls and that is final!" my father stood leaving what was left of his breakfast behind and stormed out of the room, presumably he had decided to go to work early since moments later we heard the front door slam.      I stood there in shock until my mother stood and began clearing the table, not saying a word to me. My eyes lingered on her back for only a moment before I was over whelmed with thoughts and emotions I couldn't sort out. Quick as my feet could carry me I ran from the house, I didn't have a destination in mind I just, ran. Night was falling and I had no idea how long I had been running but every breath was excruciating, my body was so heavy I couldn't possibly take another step. Nearby there was a fountain, being as thirsty as I was I didn't even care how unsanitary it might be, I went to the fountain and submerged my entire head desperately gulping the much needed water. Once my thirst was fully quenched I brought my head up splashing water everywhere, with the lack of options at my disposal I removed my shirt using it as a makeshift towel to dry my face and hair slightly before putting it back on enjoying the coolness on my overheated skin. As I reset my pony tail into place I moved my self in a small circle taking in my surroundings, it didn't take me long to realize I had no idea where I was. Things were eerily quite as if everyone had already gone to bed, just how late is it? I thought to myself. Surely somebody would come along that I could ask for directions eventually, so for now I decided to sit on the edge of the fountain listening for any sign that someone was nearby while I worked on regaining my spent energy.     It only took about fifteen minutes before I heard what sounded like hushed voices coming from a nearby ally. Under normal circumstances as a girl alone in an unknown place in the middle of the night the last thing I should be doing is going into a dark ally, but hey what were my options? Enter the ally and possibly find help, possibly trouble, or stay alone all night in a mostly deserted unknown part of town when I barely had enough energy to stay awake. I decided to take my chances with the alley, at least moving would keep me conscious. Not being a complete i***t though I approached quietly trying to catch the gist of the hushed conversation before letting my presence be know to potentially dangerous individuals.     "Be careful with the cargo it's been paid for;" one voice said. "We better get going you know how Mr. Rothstein hates to be kept waiting."      These people know my dad?      "Yeah, I'd hate to see him mad. Something isn't right with that man if you ask me." another voice replied     "No one asked what you thought moron; and unless you want to lose your head I suggest you keep your opinions to yourself and just do as you're told!"     They're clearly bad guys what could my dad possibly want from them? As I heard a wagon pulling away curiosity got the better of me, I carefully left my spot and crept along until I could see the wagon. Dread filled me as it passed under a street lamp, illuminating a prisoner cage but that wasn't what got to me, it was the creature inside of it that chilled me the core. The creature was shaped like a man except he had a snout like that of a wolf, canine ears and a tail. What is he?  Seeing him huddled in his cage only led to more unanswered questions.     Something was painfully clear though, I was lost and for some reason these men were headed to wherever my dad is. I followed the wagon through many backstreets for the longest time before it finally came to a stop. Immediately I dropped myself behind a pile of trash so I wouldn't be spotted, the men took the creature  inside the foreboding looking building. Not sure if I could follow further unnoticed, and not knowing what I would find in there if I did had me glued to my hiding spot. Time felt like it was moving at a unnervingly slow pace as I waited, eventually the men reemerged from the building and left. Still I waited, I knew I had to see for my self what was going on and just how it involved my dad but I didn't want to know, I wanted to remain the ignorant little daddy's girl. After steeling myself for about an hour towards whatever I might find in there I left my less than comfortable hiding spot and entered the building.    > The following will not be comfortable or suitable for all ages please go to the next chapter if you're not comfortable enough or old enough to be reading it.     This place seemed to be some sort of warehouse there were boxes almost filling the entire place, no one was in here so far as I could tell. Walking around the large room I was beginning to think I had the wrong place when I noticed a staircase hidden in the back. Going closer to it I could see it headed down into some sort of basement, slowly I descended, each step I questioned my sanity, I questioned if I was doing the right thing, if I should even be here; but something propelled me onward. When I reached the bottom I found a single door, from it voices could be heard.     "This is too perfect!" a voice sounding an awful lot like my father was saying. "I can't believe this creature turned out to be your mate! Tell me are the rumors true?" A bloodcurdling scream resonated in the room followed by one of pure furry causing me to jump slightly. "So it is true;" my father said sounding absolutely delighted. Another scream filled the room, "You truly can feel each other's pain! wonderful simply won...der...ful…" His voice sent shivers down my spin and made me skin crawl, something was wrong, this wasn't my usual caring father. "Creature, they say that when a mate is unfaithful the other will feel unbearable agony, that the only worse pain is the death of a mate. I wonder if it's true?" I heard the sound of chains followed by a heavy thud. "Your kind would do any thing to keep their mate safe and alive wouldn't they? I want to test this theory, if you do as I say I will let your mate live, I may even let her go. How does that sound, of course you could refuse but I'll kill her immediately if you do."      A woman's soft sobs found there way to my ears, "Please don't do this..." followed by the sound of a slap.     "Shut up! You see my wife doesn't respect me, she wants a child of her own so bad it's almost an obsession." my fathers voice said. A tear rolled down my face as I realized the implications. "But you see eighteen years ago we discovered I was sterile. I can't sire any children. When she brought that thing home I thought it would make her happy, but she seems to have lost interest in it recently. So I want you to impregnate her, give her the baby she longs for and you mate is free to go."     There was a shuffling sound followed by a grunt, and a horrifying scream. I couldn't believe my ears it must be a lie, or some kind of trick; so I carefully cracked open the door a peered inside. There doubled over chained to the floor was my mother, grunting on top of her was the creature I had seen in the wagon cage. Another painful scream filled the room, turning my head to find it's origins I saw my dad leaning on a table with a female creature crumpled on the floor next to him. Every scream that left that creatures mouth seemed to fill my dad with ecstasy, suddenly he stood and removed his pants leaving him bare. I didn't want to look but something told me I needed to see just how far he had sunk. He grabbed the females hair and leaned close to her face "Do as I say and I'll let him live for now." he said in a sickening voice. She nodded before he shove her face roughly onto his crotch "Then suck it!" he commanded. This time it was the male creature who bellowed in pain, dad's eyes shot up and never left my mother's crying for after that. Soon the grunts in the air changed you could tell the moment of climax because the female creature let out her most pitiful scream yet, her scream was cut off in the middle though as a shot rang out. The male creature fell off my mother dead, a gaping hole in his cranium. My mother whimpered and the female creature fell to the floor clearly broken beyond repair at this point. My father approached my mother still hard and entered her. Before he reached a climax of his own I heard him tell her that he was going to bring me down here for discipline next, that he had raised me all these years and deserved something out of it. He told her he was gonna break my will to leave the confines of the wall. But I truly never thought I would here my mother say what came next.     "Yes dear."     I don't know how I got my body to move, in fact I'm pretty sure it acted on it's own. Buildings were flashing by in a nauseating blur, I tripped once skinning my knee. My mind was reeling, I had no where to go, and I was alone. I looked around and that's when I saw it, the wall....The only people my father had ever referred to as things were people who came from outside of that damn wall. I could hear my father's words ring through my head again When she brought that thing home I thought it would make her happy. Those words that cut me like a knife had me wondering did I come from beyond that wall?  But how could that be? No one is allowed entry from the outside, then again those creatures back there had to come from somewhere. Could there be a life out there that was meant for me? I sure as hell wasn't gonna stay in this place watching over my shoulder playing the perfect daughter until daddy decided it was time to break my spirit, heaven knows after what I witnessed down there that I wouldn't be able to count on my mother to help me. She may have been crying when that creature was in her but when dad took his place she seemed almost happy. Anywhere is better than here, I have to leave this twisted place. Taking another look at my surroundings I realized there was a nearby store owned by my family, considering what that jerk was planning to do to me I felt no remorse as I picked the lock. Knowing I had to move quick I grabbed a backpack, 2 outfits, socks, underwear, a sleeping bag, a flashlight, food, water, a pocket knife, some matches and a rope. Once my supplies were gathered I headed to the wall, getting out was surprisingly easy. Guess they only care about keeping people out. Once I had made it to the other side I felt relief rush through me. I did it, I was out despite everything a smile found it's way to my face as I made my way to the Forest of Chaos...