Captain Danirus Hudson - Expedition One - Prologue -
"Captain" Danirus Hudson is a young Whitetail Anthromorph Archeologist. He's come out into the wilds, hunting for a lost civilsation of Tribal Wolves, who once lived in the wild jungles, centuries ago. Believed hunted to extinction by humans, Danirus is adamant in his conviction that this isn't true, and is determined to find out...
Captain Darius Hudson
Expedition One - Prologue -
© Cederwyn Whitefurr
2ndJuly, 2019
All Rights Reserved.
Wiping a rag across his forehead, "Captain" Danirus Hudson, the Captain part of his title, was from his days serving her Majesty in the Great War, panted and shuddered. He'd been exploring this exotic site for days and his heart leapt into his throat. His green eyes widened in surprise, as he pushed through the thicket of thorny bushes, then the forgotten city lay beneath him in a mist shrouded valley.
"It exists," He murmured, eyes widening. "It truly exists!"
His wedge like tail, poking through his khaki cargo shorts, flickered in excitement, black tipped ears flicking away the stinging flies that irritated him. Being a Whitetail Deer was bad enough - many of his esteemed colleagues still held deep prejudices against allowing 'his kind' into their centuries old halls of learning.
He was young, barely twenty, yet many of the humans were in their forties of higher. Often, they sat around, perusing old tomes on archaeology and sociology, debating and arguing often - never giving this erstwhile buck more than lip service and at times, outright apathy.
He had studied long and hard, proving himself first to his Professor, then the University itself - earning his Doctorate just like the others had. Now, he stood on the precipice - literally and figuratively - and he gasped, his pale muzzle falling open as he looked at the sheer cliff on which he stood.
It would be about two thousand feet straight down, and he felt his stomach fall to somewhere around his black cloven hooves, before he shivered and stepped backwards. So lost in what his mind was showing him, he'd nearly ended his career here and now.
"It really exists - " He repeated, eyes wide as he crouched down and looked down into the shrouded mists, seeing ancient - almost timeless - stone buildings. Temples, homes, all of it lay in this valley. "Wolves lived here, the Blackmane Tribe, if my research was right!"
Fascinated, yet trying to remain professional and dispassionate, Darius stood up and stepped back again, before he turned and pushed his way back through the thicket. Thorns sliced at the khaki shirt, the maroon vest under it and snagged at the loose tie he wore around his neck. His legs were soon bleeding from a thousand cuts and his arms didn't fare much better.
"I don't remember this thicket being so - " He muttered, crouching down and holding his paws up in front of his eyes.
He sighed, getting on his belly, and beginning to worm his way through, whimpering as the razor like thorns tore through his uniform and skin. Finally, he pushed his way through, then he blinked in confusion and surprise...
About two feet in front of his leathery nostrils, stood something his rational mind said shouldn't be...eight black furred toes, tipped with short but sharp claws, stood there. As he watched, his cervine brain trying to make sense of it, the toes rippled, almost as if something was tapping its feet. He could see the black paw pads on each toe as it lifted then dropped. Swallowing, he began looking up, seeing the toes attached to strong, muscular feet. These feet in turn, belonged to black furred legs, which led up to a ornate leather loin cloth that - from this angle anyway - didn't conceal anything...
He whimpered, unable to stop the prey instinctual cry coming from his furred throat, as his muzzle hung open and his eyes widened. As he looked up, he found a sharp iron steel spear prick his nose, held in the unwavering dark furred paw. As he went to lift his head higher, something whistled and there was a sickening crack on the back of his head and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious and unknowing...
To Be Continued...