Aurora Borealis (pt.1)

Aurora Borealis (pt.1)

Slowly I crept through the city, keeping to the shadows. I was trying to stay as far away from the guards and their dogs as I could. It wasn’t that I had any doubt in my abilities against a dog, it was just that I would rather avoid the conflicts altogether. So silence and shadows were my best bet. After all, what good would I be as a hunter if I couldn’t keep my presence unnoticed? That’s what I am, after all. A hunter bred and raised.
I’m still not sure how things came to be this way. Once, a long time ago, we lived in harmony with the humans. Now, though, they’ve come to fear us. They’ve hunted my kind to the brink of extinction. Actually, most humans believe us to be extinct. Very few know we’re still around, and it’s the job of the guards to keep it that way. Sadly, our numbers are dwindling. We were the superior race once. There are records of a time when humans actually bowed before us. But those days were long gone before even my great grandfathers walked the earth. Of course, those records don’t exist with the humans. They’ve wiped all traces of us from their history. But we have not forgotten. Canthines do not forget.
From somewhere behind me the sound of barking echoed through the narrow alleyway, followed by a shout.
“Stop! You there! Your kind is not permitted within city limits! Stop where you are!”
Like I was going to do that. I knew what happened to Canthines who surrendered to the guards. We all knew. I had two choices now. I could stand my ground and try to pass myself off as human, or I could run and be forced to reveal myself as a Canthine. It was a gamble. The guard had a dog and I knew most of them could recognize us. Most humans couldn’t see it, but the way our eyes reflect light makes them appear differently than human eyes to some people. The guards were those people. A very diluted human-canthine hybrid. That was how they could recognize us and that was how they were able to communicate with their dogs. Though, I doubt any of the guards realize what they actually are.
Knowing the odds were against me either way, I decided to flee. Without hesitation I turned and ran, transitioning smoothly from two feet to four paws as I gained momentum. The city fence wasn’t too far from here. If I could make it that far, I would be safe. In the distance I could hear more dogs barking. A pack was coming. One dog I could fight, maybe two, but not a whole pack. But there was the fence just ahead. I spotted the tear through which I had entered and pushed through it, not heeding the wires that cut into my skin, matting my fur with blood.
For a moment I stood and watched them through the fence. The canthine hybrids and their dogs. I almost pitied them, not knowing what they were and what they could be. Almost.
At least I was safe now. I was beyond the city limits and it was illegal for a guard or human to kill a Canthine outside of the city fences. One moment more was all I spent studying these pitiful creatures before setting off across the expanse of snow covered plain.