Clocks

Clocks
Mystery, Fantasy and more. Enjoy!

Here's Clocks Extras

Prologue
''A silhoutte of a scrawny wolf stared at a clock, ticking loudly. The room was dark, save for a sliver of light through the cracked door.''

''It opened, flooding the room in a silver light. A blue tiger, wearing a sword, elf bracelets and an eagle hat, stood in the doorway.''

''"What is it?" The wolf turned, grey fur now illuminated. her eyes shone a vibrant orange.''













''"Somebody wants to see you." the tiger replied quietly, pale brown eyes sliding to the door.''

''"Tell them to leave! We're running out of time and I can't be bothered with visitors!" the wolf snapped, hunching her shoulders.''

''"Please give them a chance." The tiger implored.''

''The wolf then turned, straightening up with a sigh. "Lead them to me...."''

Chapter One
A young coyote was wandering in the woods, brown eyes wide. She wore a blue cap, scarf and a brown toy sword and leg braces.



She had wandered a bit too far from home and was now deep in the woods of Sarepia.

"Hello? Is anybody there?" She pulled her scarf tighter and gazed around. A sharp wind blew her cap off her head and she yelped. "Hey!"

She pursued her cap but it kept skittering away from her. She hit her paw on a rock, stumbled and fell. She hit her head on something hard and saw the world going hazy before she blacked out.

<p style="text-align:center;">~*         ~ *~      *~

<p style="text-align:center;">".... Wake up!"

<p style="text-align:center;">"............."

<p style="text-align:center;">"........Found her here?"

<p style="text-align:center;">"....Have to stay until she wakes up..."

<p style="text-align:center;">"Will she be alright?"

<p style="text-align:center;">~*     ~*~    *~

<p style="text-align:center;">The girl woke up in a dimly lit room, with an orange haze about it. She blinked. The surroundings cleared - she was in a room, with warm coloured walls. A tiger stood in the doorway.

<p style="text-align:center;">"Who are you?" the tiger asked softly.

<p style="text-align:center;">"Wh-who are ''you?" ''the girl stammered. "Who--where, where am, who is--are--"

<p style="text-align:center;">"I am Kel, caretaker of this home. I found you lying outside the entrance. Your head is damaged."

<p style="text-align:center;">"I'm.... Lute."

<p style="text-align:center;">"You must stay here until your head is healed. It will take roughly a few days."

<p style="text-align:center;">Lute snapped awake. "A few days?! My parents! Where am I?!"

<p style="text-align:center;">"Stay calm, Lute." Kel said, padding over to a round table and lighting a small lamp. "We can not rush the healing process."

<p style="text-align:center;">"Oh man, I gotta get home, oh Mira, my parents are going to kill me... actually they'll be worried sick!"

<p style="text-align:center;">Kel waved his tail and left the room. "Get some rest. When you wake up I will give you food."

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<p style="text-align:center;">Lute eventually got out of the bed and looked around. Something caught her eye and she froze, eyes wide. "Kel!" She squeaked.

<p style="text-align:center;">Two orange dragons were sitting, huge claws in front of something in a guarding position, eyes glowing.

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<p style="text-align:center;">The old tiger came in and chuckled. "Spooked by the dragons?"

<p style="text-align:center;">"What?"

<p style="text-align:center;">"Those old things... they aren't alive; they're mechanical and haven't worked for years. Still, wouldn't get close. J-- I mean, I put them there for a reason."

<p style="text-align:center;">Lute gulped. "Okay."

<p style="text-align:center;">"Ah, hungry? I made sandwiches."

<p style="text-align:center;">"Yes please."

<p style="text-align:center;">They walked into the kitchen area and Lute noticed a light from upstairs. "What's up there?"

<p style="text-align:center;">"Nothing that need concern you."

<p style="text-align:center;">"Where are we?" Lute frowned.

<p style="text-align:center;">There was a pause and Kel closed his eyes.

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<p style="text-align:center;">"Home."

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<p style="text-align:center;">(~Chapter End~)

<h2 style="text-align:center;">Chapter Two <p style="text-align:center;">Lute paced around 'Home' feeling restless.

<p style="text-align:center;">The few times she had tried to go upstairs, Kel had stopped her, telling her she needed more rest.

<p style="text-align:center;">Now she couldn't find the strange old tiger in either rooms. They were small, too.

<p style="text-align:center;">"Kel....?" Lute called.

<p style="text-align:center;">Nobody came.

<p style="text-align:center;">Lute shivered. Usually he seemed to know when Lute needed help. Suddenly an idea popped into her head. If Kel wasn't here, there was nobody to stop her from going upstairs...! She padded into the kitchen and was prepared to march up the slanted tunnel---

<p style="text-align:center;">A sharp fence was put halfway up the tunnel, reaching nearly to the top of it. There was no way she could get over or around it.

<p style="text-align:center;">"ARRGH, of course Kel would do this! This wasn't here before, was it?!" she fumed, kicking the fence and then wincing in pain.

<p style="text-align:center;">Sighing, she left the kitchen to go see if there was anything she could do in the bottom room.

<p style="text-align:center;">Her gaze lingered on the two dragons. Between their claws was... a box?

<p style="text-align:center;">She gasped. It was a chest with a heavy golden lock.

<p style="text-align:center;">''What's going on here? ''she thought.

<p style="text-align:center;">She snuck forwards, Kel's words ringing in her ears. "Those old things... they aren't alive; they're mechanical and haven't worked for years. Still, wouldn't get close. J-- I mean, I put them there for a reason."

<p style="text-align:center;">Suddenly, the dragons opened their eyes and clenched their claws over the chest. Their heads turned and their jaws opened, something glowing at the back of their throats.

<p style="text-align:center;">Lute froze.

<p style="text-align:center;">And then the dragons focused on somthing on the other side of the room, metal necks scraping.

<p style="text-align:center;">The coyote girl ran into the kitchen and crawled under the table, paws over her eyes.

<p style="text-align:center;">After a moment, shivering, she heard a voice, so fammiliar, like an echo of her own.

<p style="text-align:center;">"It's safe!"

<p style="text-align:center;">Lute squeezed herself out from under the table but nobody was there. frightened and confused, she glanced back into the base room to see the dragons, eyes dull and seemingly not working once more. Feeling more than a little creeped out, she turned around to get something to eat. After a sandwich, she curled up on the couch and took a nap.

<p style="text-align:center;">When she woke up she saw Kel sitting in the sofa, reading a book.

<p style="text-align:center;">"KEL!"

<p style="text-align:center;">"You're awake. Good."

<p style="text-align:center;">"Where were you?"

<p style="text-align:center;">"Nowhere that need concern you. You need to leave."

<p style="text-align:center;">"Wh-what?" Lute stuttered. This strange dimly lit house had started to feel like home.

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<p style="text-align:center;">"Your parents need you back and I'll be glad to have the house to myself." The tiger's words stung her but she knew she needed to go.

<p style="text-align:center;">"...Okay."

<p style="text-align:center;">"Close your eyes." Kel got up and took off Lute's scarf, then put it over her eyes.

<p style="text-align:center;">"Why?"

<p style="text-align:center;">"Just close your eyes."

<p style="text-align:center;">Lute nodded.

<p style="text-align:center;">A big paw took her small one and Kel led her around. There was a pause for a moment, then they continued. She felt them go <p style="text-align:center;">ing up, then dirt under her paws. Light filtered through her scarf. She felt grass. Then, the paw she was

<p style="text-align:center;">holding slipped away. She opened her eyes and pulled her scarf down, then looked around.

<p style="text-align:center;">She was in the woods behind her house. She could just see it through the trees. "Thank you, K--" She stopped as she realized she was alone.

<p style="text-align:center;">Conflicted feelings inside her, she padded towards the house.

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<h2 style="text-align:center;">Chapter Three <p style="text-align:center;">Traveling up the stone path, she wondered what on earth what she was going to tell her mother.

<p style="text-align:center;">She knocked on the door.

<p style="text-align:center;">Her mother, Singing, opened the door. She gasped and embraced her daughter. "LUTE!"

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<p style="text-align:center;">"H-hi, Mom...."

<p style="text-align:center;">"Where were you?! It's been three days, how are you alive?? The police couldn't find you, we thought you were dead!"

<p style="text-align:center;">"I.... uh..." Lute struggled to find words.

<p style="text-align:center;">"You're probably in shock, come inside and sit down."

<p style="text-align:center;">Lute flopped onto the brown sofa numbly.

<p style="text-align:center;">Singing busied herself making a cup of hot coca for Lute. It was thrust into her paws and she took a sip, not tasting it.

<p style="text-align:center;">"Okay, Lute.... What happened?"

<p style="text-align:center;">"Got lost." She mumbled.

<p style="text-align:center;">"How did you survive?"

<p style="text-align:center;">"I...Ate berries."

<p style="text-align:center;">"You're lying." Singing looked down her glasses.

<p style="text-align:center;">"I.... I need to go." Lute turned and raced out the door.

<p style="text-align:center;">"Lute?!"

<h2 style="text-align:center;">Interlude "She just ran away?"'"No. I led her out." "Why? She doesn't have anywhere else to go."

"She has family."

"No. She has nobody."

"You don't understand, she isn't---"

"BE QUIET! I know who she is. Bring her back."

"I can't, but the others can."

"Good thinking, Kel."

''A sigh. ''

"What would any of you do without me...?"

Chapter Four
Lute raced through the forest. Her mother didn't seem.... herself.

She tried to find the place she fell down in but couldn't place it. She wandered around the forest until she felt dizzy, tired and hungry. The sun was low.

She turned around, then realized she had no idea where she was.

"Over here!"

Lute stiffened. It sounded so familliar, exactly like the one in the kitchen after the dragon incident. She spun around and saw a coyote girl, like herself. Lute shook her head. she was seeing things.

"Come here! I know the way!" The girl turned, then looked over her shoulder.

Lute took a step forwards and the girl grinned, then bounded away. Lute yelped and gave chase.

<p style="text-align:center;">The strange girl kept going, very quickly. Lute stumbled and then rose. When she looked up, the girl was gone and she was in the clearing.

<p style="text-align:center;">"Kel?"

<p style="text-align:center;">Lute closed her eyes and waited. Soon she was asleep.

<p style="text-align:center;">She woke up and gasped. She was back in the room but Kel and a stranger were in the room.

<p style="text-align:center;">"Ah. Our guest is awake." the old tiger said.

<p style="text-align:center;">"Hello, Lute. I've heard quite the mouthful about you from Kel." a grey wolf said dryly. She had glowing orange eyes.

<p style="text-align:center;">"Lute, this is Jae. She's an old friend." Kel said.

<p style="text-align:center;">"You look so much like..." Jae shook her head. "Get up. I don't have time to deal with you."

<p style="text-align:center;">Lute hopped off the big sofa. "Wh--"

<p style="text-align:center;">"Why are you here?!" Jae snapped, cutting the girl off. "We found you in the ruins, SLEEPING! Do you have any idea how--"

<p style="text-align:center;">"Jae-!" Kel raised his voice. "Stop. she doesn't."

<p style="text-align:center;">Jae took a deep breath. "Listen, Lute, the ruins are dangerous. So how about you leave and go home?"

<p style="text-align:center;">"I..." Lute stared at Jae.

<p style="text-align:center;">"Come into the kitchen, I'm going to make breakfast."

<p style="text-align:center;">Lute blinked. "It's lunchtime."

<p style="text-align:center;">"It's all the same here. You wake up, it's breakfast; you're tired, it's supper." Jae stalked into the kitchen.

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<p style="text-align:center;"> (End for now, still a work in progress! Check back later for more!)