Cormac peered out from the undergrowth. The pale moonlight revealed no apparent threats, although it was difficult to see - the blood flowing from the cut on his forehead obscured his view. He kept on having to clear his eyes, and his graduation cloak, already torn and ragged from the chase, was stained from white to dark red.

He stepped cautiously into the clearing, every sense straining for anything out of the ordinary. His legs ached and his short, slender frame was shaking with exertion. He was covered in cuts and bruises from brambles and twigs. His clothes were muddy and ripped.

But the only sound he could hear was the faint whimpering coming from the baby Mew he was cradling in his arms. He could feel its broken bones and shallow breathing, and he knew that it needed medical attention - and fast.

"Hang on Thenardi. I'm going to get you out of here if it's the last thing I do." he whispered.

Thenardi gave out a faint 'meow' and tried to lick his face.

As Cormac pressed on, his mind was ablaze with worry, anger, and confusion. Why him? How did he get in this situation? Why target Thenardi? How could he find help? And, at the forefront, who was behind this all? It had only been a matter of hours since the graduation ceremony had ended. He had been one of the best trainers in his class - and widely tipped in the area to be destined for a great career in the future. Of course, some were envious of his talents, but surely it couldn't be...?

A cough from Thenardi made him look down. And Thenardi - he had only recieved him after the ceremony at the shrine, about an hour ago. He was delighted at the result - all graduates had been given a single, random disk as part of the ceremony, and Cormac had secretly hoped for a Mew. It seemed that Thenardi was just as happy to see him as well - it had leapt into his arms, purring like a thunderstorm. Xander, the shrine keepr, had said that it was unusual for a newly-shrined monster to have such a bond with his trainer from the start.

And so Cormac had set off towards his new home and ranch from the shrine, with Thenardi in tow. He was heading back through the Korok woods when...

An animal growl...

A cunning trap...

A vicious blow...

A frenzied escape...

The chase...

Lost in thought, Cormac didn't hear the rustling in the bushes until it was too late. He gave out a cry of surprise as a shadow leapt out at him. His reactions dimmed with pain and fatigue, he was too slow to avoid the claw that gashed him in the side, pitching him on his side. Thenardi flew out of his grasp, landing in the undergrowth a few yards away.

"Thenardi!" he tried to cry, before a gloved hand clamped over his mouth.

"Ah-ah-ah. Can't have that now." said an indistinct voice. Cormac couldn't make out an features at all, not even whether the speaker was male or female. Cormac tried to struggle, but he found it hard to think or move. With horror, he realised that the HakTak's claws must've been drugged.

In the gloom, he could just about make out that it was a huge HakTak that had slashed him. With rising panic, he saw it pick up Thenardi. The stricken Mew looked tiny in the HakTak's massive claws.

"Now, this won't be pleasant," said the voice, "But you..ggaaahh!!" The rest of the threat was cut off by a tremendous blast of noise. Bewildered, Cormac strained to look around as the poison flowed through his system. He suddenly realised that it was coming from Thenardi. The HakTak had dropped it and put its hands over it's ears, roaring in pain. The baby Mew was crouching on the ground, barely able to stand, but making the most powerful 'Meow' attack that Cormac had ever heard. Birds flew away in panic, leaves fell off trees, and he could swear that the ground was shaking silently.

Unfortunately, the shadowy figure, although struggling, was slowly raising some kind of device. Cormac thought that he could make out a glint of metal, before the figure pressed a botton. Abruptly, Thenardi's meow was cut off. Then, swiftly, the figure reached down and touched him on the back of the neck with something sharp. The blackness closed in...

"Nooooo!!!" cried Cormac, rising from his bed. He was drenched in sweat, and his blankets had been thrown off of his bed by his violent struggles. The early morning light filtered through his window. Everything was peaceful.

"A dream...it was all a dream." he muttered to himself, while clasping his forehead. "But it seems so...so vivid. All of the details were right, but that never happened." He'd have felt better if this was the first time he'd had a dream like that, but this wasn't the first time he'd had a dreadful sense of rememberence from a dream.

"Hey, you up? C'mon, you've wasted enough of the day!" came a voice from downstairs.

"I'm up!" he called back, the dream banished to the far corners of his mind. "I'll be down in a sec, Lisa!"

Another busy day lay ahead..

So, any comments/suggestions? I'm happy to hear any feedback, good and bad.

I was completely and horribly appalled be the single, biggest mistake you made in this one. I was horrified beyond words when I saw that…

…it ended.

WHY!?

Make the next one longer dude. Your writing left me drooling for more, with a large and well-diversified choice of adjectives; your descriptive capabilities easily rival the best authors here, and are a true testiment that the ability to harness these words can make a story powerful.

Keep with it dude, and make the next one longer. I was terribly upset when it ended.

Keep up the great work.

P.S. I don’t like Mews, but if you can bring them grandeur to a similar liking of what I gave the Katos, I will definitly enjoy reading this one. This also pleases me, since I can only stand so many Raidens, Durahans, and Zans.

X_X

Like I said, this pleases me, very much so.

HakTak is a Naga/Ripper for anyone who didn't know.