Kitten in the Wolf's Den

Prelude: a Father's Promise

*Seventeen Years Ago*

The sky was grey and full of dark rain clouds as a tall young man carried a wooden bassinet in his arms. The bassinet was made from the branches of an ancient willow tree, woven by the hands of his great grandmother. It had been passed down from generation to generation, but soon it will be forgotten. The young man continued to push his way through the thick shrubbery around him, trying his best not to make too much noise. For if he did, he would surely wake the sleeping infant who was resting in the beautifully crafted bassinet.

The man's forehead was slick with sweat as he swiped his hand across it, trying to cool himself off. His long honey brown hair was pulled back in a tight low ponytail and he was dressed in a pair of jeans with a gray button-up shirt. He had unbuttoned and untucked the shirt, in the hopes that it would help keep him cool and not overheat in the sweltering hot jungle that he was currently venturing through. However, nothing seemed to be helping, but he refused to give up. He had to get his resting child to safety.

He continued to walk through the damp forest while drenched in sweat. He pulled out his canteen from his back pocket and took a swig of the remaining water that was left. His eyes landed on his little bundle of joy again and he quickly closed the cap on his canteen before he could finish it. Soon she would stir awake, hungry for her mother's breast and he would have to fill her tummy with the warm water sloshing around in the metal canteen. With one final glance down at his daughter, he continued his trek carrying the bassinet in his hand.

Around an hour later, the man felt the bassinet jostle as his daughter stirred in her sleep. He knew that meant she would soon wake up from her nap, which meant he needed to find somewhere safe that he could feed her. Quickly, he looked around, searching for his surroundings to find somewhere to rest while he fed the infant. Soft mewls and whimpers escaped his daughter’s puckered mouth as she began to wake. If he didn’t get somewhere safe before she started to cry, they would attract the attention of the hungry carnivorous beasts that inhabit the jungle. Those beasts would come hunting after the man and his baby. With a newfound urgent determination, he started sprinting through the trees looking for anything that would conceal the child's wails.

His eyes landed on a cave up ahead. The cave entrance was shielded by thick mossy vines hanging down in front of it, and when he listened carefully the man heard only the ambiance of an empty cave. He quickly ran inside just as the infant began softly mewling in her bassinet and he could hear her lips suckling in the air. She was surely hungry, and he hoped that the water would be sufficient to satisfy her hunger. He carried the bassinet into the cave quickly and walked to the farthest corner from the entrance. The cave definitely appeared to be abandoned. The man and his child would be safe here.

Once he reached the back corner, he set the bassinet on the ground and looked down at his daughter. She was certainly a vision. His daughter inherited the best qualities from both her mother and himself. She was blessed with her mother's warm ivory skin tone with a pink rosy complexion, small button nose, and soft magenta pink lips. However, he was even more proud of her strong narrow jawline, perfect arched eyebrows, and thick luscious honey brown hair that she received from his strand of DNA. Although, both himself and her mother were surprised to see two iridescent sapphire blue eyes staring back at them when the infant had first opened them. He had caramel-brown colored irises, and her mother had olive-green irises.

The child peered up at her father as he beamed down at her. She returned his smile with a toothless adorable grin, making the man laugh. Her tiny little arms reached out for him and he quickly scooped her up, holding her against his chest. He pulled out his canteen of water and carefully held it up against her lips. It took her a few minutes to figure out how to drink it but she eventually opened her mouth and allowed him to dribble the water past her lips slowly. She suckled the warm liquid down her throat and he smiled, glad that he was able to satisfy her hunger for the time being. Once she finished the little water that was left, he quickly burped her to prevent her from getting a stomach ache. Then he rocked her in his arms again until she fell back asleep, and placed her back inside her bassinet. He picked up the bassinet once again and walked toward the exit of the cave.

Suddenly, a loud growl sounded outside the entrance. The man froze in his movements and a shudder ran down his back. He knew what that sound meant. It meant that there was a predator lurking outside the cave and it had caught their scent. The man darted towards a tall rock inside the cave and placed the bassinet behind it. Then he slowly made his way towards the cave exit again. Another growl echoed into the cave, and this time it woke the baby, causing her to scream out loud. The man felt a tear run down his cheek. He glanced back at the rock he placed his daughter behind before finally running out of the cave.

He felt the rippling of his muscles under his shirt start to stretch out as his bones shifted around inside him. Thick brown fur began to sprout from his skin as his face contorted into a large snout. He crouched down on his knees and hands, feeling his limbs grow in length with four large paws replacing his feet and hands. Just as he finished the transformation from man to beast, a large black panther leaped out of the bushes in front of him. The panther growled again and bared its sharp teeth at the massive wolf before it.

The man, who became a wolf, let out a loud thunderous howl making the trees and shrubs shake violently. The panther pounced forward, aiming its large claws at the wolf's neck, but the wolf easily stepped away, dodging the attack. The wolf turned to face the panther and barreled towards it with its jaws wide open. The wolf bared his fangs at the panther and easily snapped his jaw around its neck. The wolf ripped the panther's throat out with its lethal teeth and tossed the corpse into the bush that the panther had previously been hiding in. Then the wolf's body morphed back into the young man's human form and he went back inside the cave to grab the empty canteen.

Once he had stepped back out into the jungle, he used his heightened senses to listen for any sounds coming from inside or outside the cave. The child had gone quiet and he thought to himself that she must have fallen back to sleep. The outside also appeared to be peacefully quiet with no more signs of danger lurking nearby. After deciding that his child was relatively safe from harm, he started sniffing for a source of water. With one last glance at the cave, the man turned and took off to find a nearby stream to fill the canteen. A silent vow in his mind that he would return to her as soon as he refilled their drinking water.

While the man was gone, the child began to stir in her bassinet again. Her bright sapphire blue eyes popped open and she peered around the empty cave. She let out soft whimpers as her bright eyes searched for a familiar face, only to come up empty. Her lips began to pucker as she tried to call out to her father by making soft noises. After a few minutes, she began to scream with large tears streaming down her face. Her father was too far away to hear her loud cries and was busy searching for a source of water.

A vampire, who had been lurking nearby in search of prey, overheard the sound of the infant's screams. A sinister smile crept up on his devilishly handsome face and he quickly changed his direction, leaving his original target alone. He knew that the baby would be much easier to subdue and feed on. It took him only a minute to track down the sound of her beating heart and smell the blood pumping through her veins. He descended from the trees and stood in front of the cave. His body tensed up as he felt a force within him stir. That strong feeling urged him to move forward. The vampire took a deep breath before finally mustering up his courage and entering the cave in search of the wailing child.

His nose picked up the scent of her sweet blood that flowed through her tiny veins and noticed her smell was coming from behind a large rock towards the back of the cave. He also caught the scent of a werewolf lingering in the cave but could tell it was at least 30 minutes old. The vampire appeared before the crying child at the speed of light. He was incredibly fast, even more so than the other vampires. It was one of the many things that made him different from the rest. One of the things that made him special. His mouth watered as he stood directly in front of her bassinet and could smell her sweet scent. Her blood smelled like sugared strawberries, but her entire being expelled a delicious and alluring scent of tropical sands and salty seas. She was a true breath of fresh air. A strong summer breeze. Almost like a hurricane, he thought to himself.

The infant's cries immediately ceased as she saw the strange man appear before her. She gazed up at him with her unique wide eyes and stared at him wondrously. For some reason, this infant was mesmerized by the stranger standing before her. The vampire stood as still as a statue as his eyes were transfixed on the adorable baby girl lying inside the wooden bassinet. She mewled and squealed at him as her little arms reached up, wanting to be held by him. He was completely stunned that this tiny infant was not even the least bit afraid of him. This innocent baby girl was not afraid of the strange monster that stared down at her.

He felt his fangs start to ache as a breeze entered the cave and stirred her tropical ocean scent in the air. Her blood's sugary strawberry smell wafted up his nose and he felt his hunger increase. His blood-lust was becoming unbearable, and he could hardly resist the urge to feed on this tiny baby. Her little mouth puckered up as soft whimpers escaped her lips. She was becoming impatient and wanted to be held by someone again. It had been a while since her father left to go get water. Her hunger was also growing and the vampire heard her little tummy growl in anger. A small smile slipped onto his face and before he could stop himself he quickly lifted the infant from the basket and cradled her against his strong chest.

His eyes immediately searched out hers. It was an instinct inside of him to peer into her deep blue eyes. They were unique, so bright and vibrant. Different from any other pair of eyes that he has ever witnessed in all his thousands of years of life. Her irises reminded him of the depths of the ocean. He thought it was rather fitting for her tropical scent. The longer he looked into her iridescent sapphire blues, the more he felt himself drowning in them. Her beauty made the cold dead heart inside his chest beat once again. Just once, but he still felt it.

"What are you doing to me, duckling?" He cooed down at the infant girl who smiled up at him. She lifted her little arm and rested her tiny warm hand against his cheek. The warmth of her skin touching the coldness of his forced a small shiver traveling down his spine and goosebumps erupted all over his body. He chuckled, unable to resist the grin that spread across his lips. "I am taking you with me, duckling." He spoke to the infant, and without hesitation he used his incredible speed to carry the child back to his clan.

When the infant's father returned to the cave after filling his canteen, he was horrified to find that his daughter was not there. Her bassinet was still in the same place that he left it but she was no longer inside it. She was only a few days old and there was no way she could have climbed out by herself. She was just beginning to be responsive to her surroundings and lift her arms up when she wanted to be held. He felt dread creep into his stomach as he sniffed the air and discovered something dreadful. He could just barely pick up the scent of a blood-sucking vampire lingering in the air.

A growl ripped through his chest and it shook the entire cave around him. "I will find you! I will save you from those monsters, my daughter!" He roared out loud as he placed his fist over his chest above his heart. He exited the cave and shifted his gaze towards the sky. The moon was full and shining as bright as ever outside. He felt tears fall down his face as he stared up at the silver moon. "I will bring her home, darling." He promised it.