Episode 1

The rain didn't just fall; it plummeted from the sky. Torrential and icy, it pummeled anyone unfortunate enough to be caught outside without shelter. One such individual was a woman who raced down the street, clutching her prominent, nearly full-term pregnant belly.

Her desperation was such that she was oblivious to the weight of the thick drops, some of them frozen, as they battered her body. She had just witnessed the murder of her husband and the destruction of their home. By a stroke of luck in the killers' oversight, she'd managed to escape.

Fear drove her off the street and into the forest reserve, fenced in with barbed wire. She stepped on one of the strands, pushing it down, and pushed another strand up as much as she could. She threaded one leg through the gap she created, then her body, dragging her immense belly across the barbs, scratching her skin and tearing her dress, but she made it through.

She paused for a moment, hands on her thighs, clutching her belly, gasping for air. Upon standing, she noticed a scrap of fabric caught on the wire and removed it. She knew from crime shows that leaving such a trace could give away her direction to the criminals or to the police. She glanced around and cautiously began moving again, careful to step where the grass would prevent her from slipping in the mud or leaving footprints.

The forest became denser the deeper she went, and she felt lost. The rain persisted, and lightning streaked the sky, seeming to mirror her desperation as it followed closely, with one bolt striking perilously near and the sound of a tree creaking confirming the imminent danger. She stopped to look around and saw that the trees were very tall and, despite it being daylight outside, it appeared as night within the depths of the forest.

Her eyes found a hidden path between the trees, and she headed towards it, finally reaching what she considered a chance for safety, where she could find protection for herself and her daughter. She kept moving, trying to be as swift as possible, aware that her pursuers were still likely behind her and that she needed urgent help.

A tiny sound of rustling leaves, different from those moved by the wind, reached her ears. They were here. She knew it was them, but she didn't know how they would greet her. She had been driven out by the group's leader after giving birth to a daughter—he had wanted a son and demanded absolute obedience. Her own mother died when she was young, and once she came of age showing gentleness and calm rather than warrior-like traits, her father gave her in marriage to a human businessman. When she refused, she was expelled.

They watched her and the direction she took, confirming she was heading into their territory. But along the way, her scream halted everything, including them and all the creatures of the forest. Her pursuers heard it, too, and followed the sound.

The woman crouched, holding her belly as amniotic fluid ran down her legs, a sign that the baby was coming. Another contraction hit, and she screamed again. The watchers realized her pursuers were nearing and formed a perimeter to keep them away.

She remained in a squat, feeling her womb's contractions and the baby's movements. It was the right time, but the frantic escape had likely hastened the process. She screamed once more as her muscles pushed the child out, who entered the world with a bellow instead of a cry, seemingly aware of the peril surrounding them.

One of the watchers hurried over, bit through the umbilical cord, and snatched the child, running off and leaving the mother, exhausted and hysterical, screaming for her daughter. She didn't realize that all the other watchers had followed him, allowing her pursuers to reach her.

The tallest of them looked at her, then gazed in the direction the kidnappers had gone. He surveyed his surroundings, familiar with the area and its inhabitants, and decided not to follow. He again looked to the woman, who had stopped screaming and gazed back at him, terrified of what he might do to her.

"Male or female?" he asked.

"F...female..."

"Less trouble, then," he remarked.

The woman was hoisted up into the arms of another burly man, who turned and retraced the path they had come.

"I suggest you remain quiet, we will not harm you," said the first man.

He spared another glance at the forest and made a vow to himself; he would not rest until he retrieved the young female. He followed the others as they disappeared from view, heading towards their vehicles. They vanished down the road after all of them piled into the cars, taking the woman with them.

They drove for two hours on back roads until they reached a town nestled in a valley, surrounded by mountains covered in virgin forest, save for their presence—an extensive family, tightly-knit and ruled with firm but fair leadership, instinctually murderous yet utterly loyal to their own. His needs had always come second, but now, everyone demanded he take action for the sake of their species' continuity, and he felt the pressure.

That's why he had pursued the woman; having observed her since finding her alone in the woods, he had mated with her in a moment of unbridled passion. She fled when he distanced himself to hunt for food for them. He decided not to capture her but to monitor her from afar all this time.

Realizing her pregnancy was nearing its end, he sent scouts to watch her constantly and finally claim her for himself. A man had been with her, and he was displeased as they seemed married. When the man began mistreating her, he decided to intervene after hearing her screams. Overconfidence led to carelessness, and he killed the man while she seized the chance to flee.

***This work has been signed with NovelToon, and piracy such as reprinting without permission is strictly prohibited.***

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***