The First Slayer

Chapter One

As the sun began to set in the western sky and the heat of the day began to lessen, a small group of human-like individuals began to move from the shelter of the trees. As they looked over the grassland that seemed to go on forever, they slowly eased away from the edge of the forest, eyes and ears and noses alert to any sight, sound or smell that might indicate danger -- lions, hyenas, or any number of carnivores that would make a meal of the smaller, seemingly defenseless bipeds.

Quickly, the three females and four youngsters began to gather eggs from ground nesting birds, and roots and seeds as the two males stood upright, stretching as tall as their five foot height would allow.

As the sun touched the horizon, the older of the males began making hollering sounds, urging them to return to the safety of the trees. The wind began to change direction, making it difficult to catch the scent of any stalking or attacking animal.

Before darkness was upon them, the small troop gathered around a small fire and began feeding it dried grass, leaves, small branches, and finally long limbs that they moved into the flames as they were consumed. The fire was never allowed to go out. It had been captured from a fire that swept the grassland months earlier when the summer dry season allowed the one lightning strike to ignite the straw-like grasses.

As they finished eating the little that had been gathered in the short time they were in the open, the dominant male retrieved the carcass of a small deer he had cached in the crotch of a tree. Using his teeth and a sharpened stick, hardened in the fire, he began tearing off chunks of meat from the haunches, the valued entrails having been devoured days ago. The pieces of meat were skewered with more sticks and were put into the flames to cook.

The two males ate theirs, growling, daring any of the females or young to approach.

The females shared what they had among each other and the four younger ones -- two males who were old enough to wallk, but still nursing, and two females, one who had lived through six summers, and the other who was beginning to show the signs of impending womanhood. She would be ready to bear children by the end of the coming winter.

The meal over, more wood was gathered and put near the fire. There had to be enough to keep a strong blaze going all night, defense against the creatures that hunted under the cover of darkness.

Despite the constant fear of attack, the females and the young fell asleep, huddled together, feeling secure with each other's scent and warmth surrounding them.

The males positioned themselves on the opposite side of the fire, each dozing in turn, the other alert, listening and sniffing the night air.

As the night passed, eventually both males slept.

Then without warning, the small camp was attacked!

Screaming and snarling, six creatures overran the adults. The older male, recovering, grabbed a burning limb from the fire and hit one of the creatures. The fire caught the hair of the creature, and as it fled from the pain, the fire was fanned.

Before it could run five steps the flames devoured it, and it turned to ashes.

One of the creatures, fangs bared, bit down on one of the adult females, sinking its oversized canine teeth into her neck, sucking out her lifeblood in the space of a few heartbeats.

Seeing her mother killed, the young female jumped on the back of the creature, but when it felt her weight, it tried throwing her off. In desperation she grabbed it around its head. As it continued to dislodge her, she spun its head in one direction and felt something snap.

The creature screeched in pain and fell to the ground. The young female knew it was hurt, so she twisted the head in the other direction, and the head separated from its body.

Almost before she realized what she had done, the beast dissolved into dust and she found herself on the ground, confused. Then the screams of the others made her forget her confusion.

Two of the creatures had ganged up on the younger adult male, and he, too, had his life sucked from him. As the older adult swung the burning branch, another creature jumped him from behind. The firebrand was knocked from his hands and he lost his life as two more creatures devoured him.

Picking up one of the sharpened sticks, the young female swung it at the remaining creatures, knocking them away from the two children they were trying pick up. Then she saw the young girl, her sister, being carried off by yet another of the attacking beasts.

In frustration, she threw the stick at the retreating figure. It spun around as it sailed toward its target, traveling faster and harder than it should have coming from a female of such small size. The point of it buried itself into the fleeing thing, but as it turned to dust, another scooped up the fallen girl and continued running off into the darkness.

Turning back to the two remaining creatures, now feeding upon the small girl-child and the other adult female, the young female screamed in anger and attacked them, dragging one off and into the fire where it was instantly burned to ashes. As she turned toward the other, he threw the carcass of the girl at her. As she stopped to catch it, the creature scooped up the crying boy-child and ran off into the darkness to join its companion.

Watching it as it disappeared, the lone surviving female was paralyzed with indecision. Should she pursue these creatures into the night, risking her life knowing her brother and sister were surely dead by now? Or stay by the fire where it was relatively safe?

Looking around, she then realized she was alone. There were no adult males to protect her. No adult females to guide her. No siblings to quarrel with and to snuggle with. No family to share food and water. No one was there.

As the shock of the situation overtook her, she became numb, she could think no rational thoughts.

Slowly she turned from the darkness toward the fire. Instinctively, she put more wood on it, knowing without thinking that the smell of blood would attract other, more dangerous animals.

Gently, she laid the bodies side by side, then squatted down beside them, hoping they would awaken, waiting for their eyes to open.

She was still squatting by the dying fire when the sun rose, still waiting for signs of life. Finally, tired of waiting, and her legs cramping, she stood up.

She looked around and saw the last remains of the deer they had eaten on the night before. As she absently ate, she began to think about the creatures. She had never seen their like before. Looking more closely at the bloody necks of her mother, father, and uncle she couldn't understand why they hadn't they torn out their throats as lions do.

She recalled the one she had dragged into the fire. What caused it to burn so quickly? Even dried grass didn't turn to ashes that fast.

Slowly she walked in the direction the remaining two had run. Then she spied the sharpened stick she had thrown. It hit the animal, and it, too, turned to dust!

What kind of animals were they? They looked so much like she did, but they were so strong, so bloodthirsty, yet died in such strange ways.

As she stood, trying to make sense of it all, the wind picked up and she smelled them. It was only now she realized these things had an odor that was different from other beasts. It was vile, and it sickened her, but something inside her told her it was the very thing that would allow her to find them. And to kill them.

Looking back at the bodies of her dead family, a feeling grew inside her that she had never felt before, a kind of rage that went beyond anger. A rage that gave her the strength and determination to find these animals and destroy them. But not just the ones that had destroyed her family, but all of them, no matter where she found them. She would slay them all!

As the sun climbed higher in the sky, the wind began to diminish, but the scent she was following was still strong. As she walked through the ever-thickening trees, she began to hear things she never noticed before -- the distant sounds of other animals that shared the forest, their walking and breathing. She could hear the mute buzzing and humming of insects, and the wind brushing the tops of the trees.

She saw the broken stems of grass and twigs caused by the creatures as they had run through night. She saw claw marks on the trees from the wild cats as they climbed to safety, or to watch for prey.

Occasionally, when the scent faded, she would get down on her knees and sniff the ground until she found it again.

Not long after midday, the young female approached a large hill, almost a small mountain. Following the odor she found the entrance to a cave. Here the smell was almost overpowering; there were more than just the two inside.

On her hands and knees, the sharpened stick in her mouth, she crawled just inside the opening of the cave, listening, and waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dark interior.

Coming to her feet, she slowly, hesitantly, made her way deeper into the cave. Every few steps she would stop to listen. She could hear movement, but no breathing. Did they not breathe?

She could hear a heartbeat, but it was hers. The smell was getting stronger; she was getting closer to them, to their ... "nest" was the only concept that came to her.

As she stood waiting, she felt a movement behind her. Then there was a noise like a low growl. Spinning around, she stabbed with her stick, and felt it as it penetrated the chest of the beast. But it only howled in pain and pushed her away from it.

As she was slammed into the cave wall, the stick came out of the creature. When it advanced on her again, again she drove it into the chest, this time in the right place because as it opened its mouth to scream, it turned into dust.

The upper chest, on the side where the heart lies. Without thinking, the fact was burned into her consciousness; this is the spot to kill them.

But the roar of the monster aroused others, and they attacked her.

Fighting them off with strength she didn't know she had, she was able to make it to the entrance of the cave. Two chased after her, but almost immediately ran back in when they realized what they had done.

More curious than fearful, she cautiously walked back to the cave, sharpened stick ready. But as she looked in at them, and they back at her, snarling and growling, none of them moved to leave the cave.

Why did they remain in the cave when she was so close to them? What were they afraid of? Surely not her.

But as the sun continued its path across the sky, it's rays found a break in the canopy and the area outside the cave was flooded with sunlight, and they moved farther back into the cave.

They were afraid of the sun? And fire burned them to ashes. And her stick through their chests turned them to dust. Then she recalled the first one she killed by ripping its head from its body -- it had turned to dust, also.

These facts she knew she should remember. She WOULD remember!

Looking past the entrance of the cave, she knew there were too many of them, she would not be able to kill them all.

Fire! She needed fire. The camp. The fire was at the camp!

Turning away from the entrance, she began to run, faster than she ever had run before. Faster than wolves chasing deer or rabbits. Faster than the deer.

When she got there she found still smoldering embers, which she coaxed back to life with a gentle breath. Gathering dried grass and leaves, she built the fire up until it was burning branches large enough that would remain lit until she was able to return to the cave.

Glancing at the bodies, she saw they had been scavenged by hyenas -- their tracks were everywhere. But her concern now were the creatures of the dark hiding within the cave.

When she arrived back at the cave, the sun had moved on and the entrance was shaded again, and they were gathered there, waiting for sundown.

The young slayer forced them away from the front of the cave with the burning branch. Then she gathered wood.

She piled so much of it inside the entrance it was almost blocked. Then she lit it, trapping them inside. All night she fed the fire, and all night they screamed and roared, but could not leave.

As she waited for daylight, she began to fashion more of the pointed sticks. First she would char the end, then with a rasping stone she found, she would begin to shape the end. Then put it back into the fire. Over and over she did this until she had a fire hardened tip that wouldn't break off with the first use. By daylight she had as many sticks as fingers on one hand, some as long as her arm.

The next morning after the sun was high enough to keep them inside, she began working her way down into the interior of the cave, pushing the fires ahead of her with whatever branches and logs she could find, forcing them farther and farther back.

One by one as they tried to escape, they were either burned crossing the fire, or were thrown back into it. A few she turned to dust with the point of her strongest stick.

But eventually she had to leave the cave, the smoke was burning her eyes and she was beginning to cough.

As night fell, she climbed a small tree within leaping distance from the opening of the cave, waiting for them to leave, waiting to ambush them.

By ones and twos the ones that were left tried sneaking out, but she was always there. And she never failed.

The next morning she re-entered the cave, using a burning branch for a torch. She went as far as she dared, not wanting to get lost in the labyrinth of passages, but she was convinced she had killed them all.

She left the cave, satisfied that all were dead, but now what? Where was she to go? She had no family. There was no one left.

But she knew where to find water, and how to gather seeds and berries and roots, and how to hunt. And, strangely, she was less afraid of the carnivores that preyed upon her kind.

And she knew there were others of her kind. She would find them, for her body told her she should soon take a mate.

Then the odor of the creatures was stirred by the wind. Sniffing the air, she knew, felt, she must hunt them. And she would kill as many as she could find, even if it meant she had to deny herself the company of others like her. And even if it meant living without a mate.

Somehow, she sensed her life was going to be different from what it had been before, very different.