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Chapter II

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Life's Beginning

Yet Dante continued to sleep, as a distant hooting could be heard, an owl returning from an early evening hunt, only to discover a guest in it's home. The hooting suddenly stopped, then amid a rustling of leaves emerged a resplendent owl lady. A Caucasian lady strode through the forest without a sound, her beautiful worthy of a flower nymphs elegant features were adorned with the occasional long, white feathers along the beautiful white dress that she wore. She strode purposefully to her little knothole, where her chicks who would yet learn to turn into their human forms peeped in anticipation. Little did she suspect that she had a visitor in her home. As she stood before her nest she peered inside with a smile, which faltered slightly as she noticed a bundle inside of her home. Reaching out she withdrew Dante, cradling him in her arms she said softly,"Who in the world would leave a pup here?". Dante yawned sleepily, his yet premature mind still not understanding where he was. He looked up at the owl lady with cloudy eyes, still not fully being able to focus. But what he saw seemed to awe the little pup, he blinked up at her. She smiled warmly,"It seems as if I have another mouth to feed." she said out loud to herself, gently depositing the pup beside the owlets, she transformed into her owl self. Five small owls hopped out of the shadows, looking to up and over the bundle's edge to look at the new pup and back to their mother, chirping inquisitively.

The mother hooted softly to them, telling them they had a new sibling, the one female chick looked down at Dante, who looked back, unfocused, but in awe once more at the creatures around him. He sneezed once, as the other owlets chirped in mirth at the cute little pup's expression, the owl lady knew from that point that he would become a part of the family. Dante soon adapted to a newer life, for the next few weeks he grew to feed on rodents and other small animals that his foster mother provided, his weaning off of milk was sudden and abrupt, but rarely did he cry or even show any sign of discomfort. It seemed as though a heavy weight was carried on the pup, for he carried himself carefully, always on poised paw. The owlets soon grew disinterested in the pup, except for the female, who constantly stood by him, watching him. Soon, he went from a small, newborn infant to an older pup, as the owlets learned to fly in their feral form alongside their mother, Dante too, flew with them. His wings proving to be a strong suit for him, for he copied and performed his own acrobatics in midair, growing nimble, but still a little awkward, just like the rest of the owlets. As for the owl lady, her race was a proud and strict one. She treated Dante just like the rest of the owlets, each getting their fair share. But in her heart, she truly did care for the sad little pup, she knew not of his origin, nor of his magic or accursed life. All she knew, was that, there was something definitely special, about the odd, three tailed wolf pup.

Dante grew steadily, slightly above average height for a pup his age, he soon began to become too big in the rather spacious knothole, along with the other owlets. At three months, he was lean, and well nurtured. And, about three months after he had been discovered, the owl lady decided that it was time for her children to learn to walk the earth in their more human form, along with Dante, who would pad alongside his siblings. "Come along" she said, as her beak snapped, she was in her owl form, she watched as the owls, now nearly as big as her, nobly walked towards her, Dante padding along beside the female owl, who name was Salina. Salina gently nuzzled Dante's wing,"Don't worry, I'm sure it'll be fun! And then at least we'll be your size!" Dante nodded hesitantly, keeping his expression at a curious state, but reserved. The owl mother looked appraisingly at each owl, then nodded graciously to Dante she said,"Children, as you may know, we are not normal animals, we are closer to nymphs than to animals or humans. We are creatures of legend and mythology, yet we exist. Be proud of what you are, all of you. Dante may not be an owl, but he is blessed as we are, with wings. Meaning that we all shall first learn how to walk the Earth with our wings on our backs, you will learn today, what will mark you as an individual for the rest of your lives." They all nodded solemnly, understanding what their mother had said. Dante thought to himself,"Perhaps... I will learn something... of my past... in this. I wish I knew more than just being cast away in this nest... I wonder who my family is, why am I here... I don't even know my purpose."

The owl lady turned and motioned with her wing for them to follow her. She leaped from the knothole, her elegant, white wings opening as she glided down to the forest floor. One by one, the owls soared down, with Dante and Salina being the last. Dante landed lightly on his hind-paws, at full height, he stood at about a two and a half feet tall. His wingspan about 3 and a half feet, and his tails were around a feet long each. Often than not, small wisps of shadow bellowed gently around his form, often scaring off the other owls when it rose up in activity sometimes when his emotions were less tame, but not Salina, she always stood by his side, protecting him, often comforting him as well when he did become a little volatile. The owl lady nodded, then turned into her human form, her beauty present as ever it is. She smiled kindly, as she said in a musical tone,"To become human, you must concentrate on one quality, communication, the spoken word marks the sign of humanity, language. Do this, then speak your name out loud. After that, your human individuality shall come forward." The young owls nodded as Dante stood there, beside Salina, waiting for them to try their first attempt. A few minutes passed as the young owls concentrated, most closed their eyes in effort as they strained to accomplish the task. After a few minutes, the oldest suddenly morphed into a young, human boy, that of the age of four. He looked around, in awe and amazement at his form, his blue eyes glinting as he grinned up as his smiling mother,"I did it!" She smiled and nodded approvingly, slowly, each and every owlet took their human form, Salina being second after her eldest brother. They all stood, including Dante, at about equal height, they laughed and played games together, Dante enjoyed a few brief hours of acceptance, now that they were almost one the same ground.

Dusk slowly approached, and as Dante found the last of the owl children, in their game of hide and seek, their mother swooped down to the ground from the tree she had been perching on, as she watched over their play. She smiled kindly as she turned to her human form,"Now now my children, it's time to head back to-" she was suddenly cut of by a low whistling sound, then her form contorted as something hit her in the back, she stumbled forward, turning around to see where the assailment had come from, a black, gnarled arrow stuck out of his right wing. ashe screeched in an owl's voice, telling her young ones to seek shelter back in their knothole. As the children cried out in fear, hastily trying to turn back into their owl forms, they fleed. Dante hesitated, the shadow wisps of smoke around him now becoming thicker and more tangible,"M-mommy?" he asked softly, a tone of fright in his voice. The owl lady was now facing her attackers, several huntsmen stood, they aimed arrows at her from gleaming, tan bows. A bounty hunter, dressed leather clothing, stepped out from the underbrush, he grinned a wretched smile as he said,"Finish her, but do not damage her plumage any further, we want her form and beauty to be preserved." Dante watched, with horror in his eyes, as they fired. Time seemed to slow, the owl lady suddenly leapt backward, with amazing speed and agility she managed to get up onto a tree branch. Out of nowhere, she withdrew an elegant white and green bow, knocking back an arrow she withdrew from the depths of her clothing she fired it at one of the henchmen. It caught him strait in the throat, he emitted a horrible gurgling sound as he gasped for breath, blood trickled down his chin, neck, and onto his clothes as he feel forward. As he fell the other men were finally shook out of the shock of the owl lady reacting so swiftly, and unexpectedly yelling they fired at her in unison. Time, slowed, arrows flew, with the grace of a swan upon the azure lake, the arrows hit her, and she fell, she fell, right in front of the terrified Dante. He looked down at her in horror and shock, clutching and partially hiding behind a tree.

She looked up at him, as a crimson color slowly spread in her clothes from the where the arrows stuck out like odd appendages, she smiled gently at him, in her soft voice she said,"I love you Dante, go, run and hide with your siblings.... I'll be fine..." her voice slowly faded, as her eyes fogged over, she seemed to focus on something in the distance, before a final gasp escaped her noble breast. An owl lady, one of the most beautiful nature sprites that grace the surface of our planet, died. A shudder went through the forest, so powerful even the men felt it. The trees stirred and several crows too flight into the sky, filling the air with their murderous cry, of,"Never more". Then all lay still, exempt, for one, anthromorphic pup, who kneeled beside his adoptive mother, sobbing. The bounty hunter smiled once more, his goal achieved, waving his hand he said,"Kill the beast, and then bring the nymph back to the jeep. Move it!" The henchmen nodded, one pulled out a knife and advanced menacingly towards the pup. Dante looked up, his eyes, no longer ebony, but glowing red, a small growl came out of his throat. The hunter hesitated for a second, another one shoved him out of the way,"You're so slow Torus! Let me do it!" he held a rifle, aiming at Dante he clicked the safety lock off. At that exact same moment, black tendrils, like writhing, headless blind snakes emerged from the shadows cast by the trees, bushes, anything cast darkness upon the world, and void of sunlight. Dante raised his two paws in front of him, holding them out he jerked them, each to the side, outward. As he did so, the tendrils lashed out at the men. Crying in fear, they scrambled away, trying escape as the horrible abominations begins to constrict and pull them towards their dark lair. The bounty hunter backed up a few steps, narrowly avoiding two of the horrible tendrils. He gritted his teeth in displeasure and stared at the pup with hungry, angered eyes. As the tendrils captured each henchmen, one after another, they began to squeeze them, getting tighter and tighter, the men gasped and shrieked in pain as their insides, bone, and tissue were crushed together, dealing several injuries to all of them. The tendrils dragged them into the shadows, they slowly began to disappear into them, one after another they screamed in terror, a sound that seemed, never meant to be made by a grown man.

As his minions slowly began to disappear into a realm that was almost worse then hell itself, created by the shadows and evil gods that have long since been damned by mortals, he roared, charging at Dante as he withdrew his handgun, stopping he aimed and fired, strait at the pup's head, between his eyes. As his crimson eyes widened in fear, almost, in slow motion, a beam of light came out of his chest, silver, metallic light, enveloped both the bullet and the bounty hunter. The bullet evaporated as the bounty hunter sizzled and cried in pain, he fell to the ground, his form scorched, skin and flesh burned away, until only a gnarled and blood torso and skull was left, he groaned once, a wet sound, before slumping forward. Dante's eyes slowly faded back to black as the tendrils retreated with their forsaken prey. He blinked, looking around in horror at the horrible thing he had committed. He turned tails, and ran off into the dark, into the fast approaching night, as the owl children slowly emerged, to mourn and bury their mother, as well as plot vengeance against all of humanity.

too be continued