• Savages
    Ch.1 The Changed World

    I still remember the explosion. It was five years ago and the sky went red with terror as the city went up in flames. No one started noticing the changes until it got really bad. The changes came slowly, some didn’t get it so bad and for others…it was horrible.

    Me, I’m not used to my changes that much, although the weird strange craving for fish kind of gets annoying, but my strong since of hearing and smell helps me a lot, not to mention my claws.

    Being in this world now is like being in the movie “The Predator”; you have no idea what’s hunting you down. Every day you have to watch your back, because you know the eyes of the higher food chain is hovering over you.

    Right now I’m in New York scrounging for any kind of food that I can find. Thank god my stomach hasn’t changed that much, otherwise I’d be dead from eating this chocolate donut I found in a trashed down grocery store. The whole city is completely totaled from the explosion…actually if you think about it, New York didn’t change much, just less noisy.

    There was noise outside and my ears twitched. This was a strange sound, I never heard it before. I dropped my five star meal and quietly snuck over to the door and peered out. It was a machine; it looked like something from the “Terminator” movie, but tattooed on its arm said the word “Core”.
    Never heard of it, so stupid me decided to walk out in front of it. The eyes of this metal beast peered at me; quickly pulled out this huge gun and it started charging. That was one point in my life I stopped and said. “Aw, crap.”
    Out of nowhere, I was lifted high in the air. That’s when I finally noticed the flapping sound. I looked up and saw a man with big brown wings.

    “Looks like I found a stray kitten.” He said with a kind smile.

    He had white hair and yellow eyes. From what I can see, I’d guess he was an eagle. The robot below, started firing this weird laser at us, but he was too fast and I was getting air sick. The man brought me to a large tower and placed me on top.

    “You’re not going to leave me here are you?” I said in panic.

    “No, this is where me and my younger sister stay.” He said and pointed at this large metal box that looked like a giant air vent. “It looks better on the inside.”

    I hope so; otherwise this stray kitten is going to go stir-crazy. When I walked in, I saw a giant bed mattress and a lot of pillows. Something was stirring in the middle of the pillows.

    “Hey, sis, wake up; we have a guest.”

    A little girl with bright short blue hair and long flopped down yellow bunny ears poked her head out. She had one red eye and the other eye had an eye patch. When she saw me, she seemed a little scared.

    “By the way my name is Hiroto and my sister is Machi, what’s your name?”

    “Hiroto, Machi?”

    “My sister and I are from Japan.”

    “Oh…my name is Layla.”

    The little girl stared at me strangely and walked to her brother’s side.

    “What was that thing that attacked us?”

    “Don’t you know?”

    “If I knew I wouldn’t be asking.”

    He went over and flipped the window screen open. Outside shown a really big ship and the robots were flying in and out of it. On top of it looked like a city and a black tower. The tower gave me the creeps.

    “What is that?”

    “Everyone calls it “Sky City”, its meant for the “normal ones” and a factory for people like us.”

    “You mean theirs people out there that still look…you know…human?”

    “Yeah, the great explosion didn’t get everyone.”

    “On that robot’s arm, it said the word “Core”, what’s that?”

    “You see that really big black tower?”

    “Yeah?”

    “That’s Core, that’s what making the machines and they capture people like us to do some weird experiments on us…like my little sister.”

    I looked at her eye and started feeling bad for her. She must have been through a lot.

    “My sister was the first to escape Core…she hasn’t spoken since.”

    Hiroto sat down on the bed and put his arm around his sister. I take one more look outside and saw something on a roof on the other side.

    “Hey, Hiroto, what’s that?”

    He stood next to me and peered out. I looked at him and he closed his eyes, but when he opened them, his pupils were very small.

    “It seems we have a visitor.”

    “Is it Core?”

    “No…seems to be a tiger…and I think he fallowed us.”

    “Why do you say that?”

    “Because he’s staring right at us.”

    Hiroto waved his arm at him and the tiger guy responded. That’s a good sign, means his sanity is still there.

    “I’m going to go see what he wants.”

    “Isn’t that a little dangerous?”

    “Don’t worry kitten, I’ll be ok.”

    I’m glad he was confidant, though I wish he would stop calling me that. He flew over there any ways and talked to the guy, next thing I knew, Hiroto was carrying him across to our side. When he got closer I noticed the tiger was a white tiger and his hair hasn’t seen a brush in years.

    “Hey Layla, this is Iain.”

    The tiger winked at me. “What’s up?”

    What a dork, and what’s with the hair? If I look at it more it’s going to bug me even more. I guess that’s another drop down of being half cat, you have to groom everything.

    “What’s with that look, cat?” He said with an evil grin.

    For some reason I had a sudden urge to scratch that grin off his face…so I smile grinding my teeth.

    “Why were you fallowing us?”

    Hoping to calm myself down by changing the subject.

    “Aw, come on little kitten, you can tell me.”

    It didn’t work…

    “Please don’t call me that…”

    The jerk laughed and walked inside. Looking at Hiroto with a “please kick him out look.”

    “Sorry Layla, he could be of help to us.”

    “How so?”

    “His fighting skills could help us…not to mention his claws.”

    “I have claws!”

    Next thing I knew, tiger boy’s claws were under my chin but…they were metal.
    “Whose claws might be more…effective?”

    Seeing that evil grin again makes my blood boil. I smacked his hand away.
    “Fix your hair!”

    I walk away in shame of my defeat…but the war isn’t over. I’ll prove to him that I’m better than him. Then hearing him laugh made me feel worse and I sat next to Machi. I think she’s still scared of me. Hiroto came inside and sat on the other side of me.

    “There are a few more people out there that we need to find to help us.”

    “Help us with what?”

    “We’re going up agents Core.”

    “So you better not slow us down.” Tiger boy said as he walked by…god I hate him.

    “Isn’t going agents Core kind of like suicide?”

    “Not if we are prepared for it.”

    “You guys are crazy!”

    There is no way I’m going to go through with this. Tiger boy blocked my way from the entrance and couldn’t get by.

    “Move out of my way!”

    “Liston, little girl, we either take care of this now, or you can sit in a little trash can and wait for them to get you. And while you’re sitting on that cold operating table, you can wish all you want, because no one well be there help you.”

    He let go of my arm. Dame, he’s right…I hate saying that, but it looks like I have no choice. I turn my attention to Hiroto.

    “Who else is crazy enough to join us?”