March 7, 2010 - 5:23am — quadraptor
Warning - a little gore and violence in this story
Night Runners
Kahlan awoke with a headache. She didn't feel right...where was she?
Last she remembered was the Twin Gods' hill, but now she was in a dark cave. The sounds of dripping water echoed in the distance, and nearby, she saw other figures laying around.
Surprisingly, her eyesight was very good, even though she could tell she was deep in the cave, where no light seemed to penetrate. The doe looked to the others, curious as to who they were.
"He...hello?", she called to them. Her voice was raspy, but she was able to speak. A few of the other deer awoke and sat up. One of them nearby said to her, "You're up early, young one." He was odd looking - his fur was a dark color, and his eyes seemed to glow.
"Where are we?", Kahlan asked. "You don't remember, do you?", the other deer questioned. The doe shook her head - her memory was still very fuzzy. The deer smiled to her, "You were chosen as a Night Runner. We gave you our curse, but it is as much a gift. We are no longer creatures of the Forest, no longer beings of the daylight, but rather..."
"We're...nocturnal?", Kahlan asked. The other stag smiled, "You catch on quickly. Go, look at yourself in the water. You will not recognize yourself.", he replied.
The doe sat up and walked over to the reflective pool nearby. She peered over, surprised to see a clear image of herself...and shocked that she looked nothing like what she had before.
Her face was longer, with little sharp teeth that poked out of her mouth, and her fur was pitch black. Two glowing green eyes stared back at her...her eyes...
She backed away from the pool, she couldn't believe what she had become. "What did you do to me?", she asked the stag.
He gave a little chuckle before he said, "You were infected by one of our kind. You are one of us now!
