Night Lights and Dark Places

Chapter One - Hermit

James could not remember the last time he'd woken up to screams. They echoed through the caverns; perhaps three of them, with one discernibly female shriek piercing notes higher than his ears could tolerate. There was a time when it had been more frequent, when the sounds of their agony broke his heart, but humans were becoming more cautious these days and he'd long since numbed himself to their desperation.

The screams were not what woke him, however, as he'd roused earlier from a dreamless sleep for no particular reason, only to lie with his eyes closed in hope that he could reclaim it. No such luck, as usual, and the screams ensured that. They were startling but brief, each cut short one after the other in slow enough intervals to indicate that their demise was probably not a group effort. Back when there were more of them, when the colony was at its closest to thriving, hunters were designated; a very skilled few. His family were not hunters, their hands too clumsy for precision and patience too thin for mercy, but they were all that was left.

Unsure claws fumbled, shaking in the dark, seeking out his lantern and illuminating his living space. A notch in the cave wall high above the ground, nested comfortably with stolen blankets and sleeping bags. Among the many folds of cotton and cloth were his belongings, mostly shiny things and items colored red, his favorite color. Deeper, though, were the books. James sat in his nest, bleary-eyed and a little stiff, taking silent inventory of the titles hidden about; books that were expressly his and that he'd read so many times, the covers were worn and faded, completely inscrutable. Did he really want an old favorite tonight, or something more stimulating? Perhaps he could borrow one of his mother's, since her collection far exceeded his own. He rested his chin on his palm, elbow bored uncomfortably into his thigh. James did not have to contemplate his sorry little library for long, because a voice called up to him from below.

"Are you hungry?"

Yes, famished. "Not really," he called, too drowsy to bother peeking out over the edge at his sister. It was dizzyingly high up and there was an equally high chance he'd fall and break his neck. Elaine huffed somewhere beyond his line of sight.

"Come down anyway, mum wants to see you."

"Am I allowed?"

"Dad's busy, so you should be fine if you hurry." He could not discern whether or not she'd left, unable to hear her footsteps as Elaine walked quite softly. A controlled, silent gait that allowed her to sneak up on prey, or on him when he wasn't paying enough attention. The grace with which she carried herself would've been impressive if it wasn't so eerie.

When he dressed, he was pleasantly surprised to find that his boots fit better than they had the previous night, but his jacket had become unbearably snug. He'd need a new one, praying desperately that there was something in the stockpile that fit his gradually broadening frame. With the old jacket tucked into his belt and his lantern hanging from his teeth, he scaled the sheer cavern wall.

Elaine had not left and had in fact been waiting in the dark to startle him once he made it to the ground. "How prompt! Grandfather would've been utterly delighted."

James rolled his eyes, freed the lantern's handle from his fangs and turned to face her. "I don't think he'd like me much, no matter how punctual I am."

She nodded, a silent agreement, cringing a bit in the lantern's light. Her hair was braided that night, hanging limp over one shoulder, unable to capture all of her wild, dark curls in its twist. Elaine turned and trotted away, beckoning him to follow. He did, with some reluctance.

"I am so unbelievably bored," She began dryly, dragging her claws along the cave wall. The sound it produced was maddening. "Nothing happens around here anymore. It's so terribly dull."