chapter one

the beginng

“Help, somebody, help me!” Astra screamed. Two big men tied her up. They bound her paw-like hands together and tied her big, fluffy, red and black tail to her long legs. And began dragging her down the dark hallway. They stopped, put a bag over her head, and then started pulling her again. She tried to fight them, but they were stronger than her; she was helpless. She thought to herself, How could this possibly have gone wrong? All she wanted to do was help a friend; instead, she was being captured. She stopped and thought about all of her life decisions leading up to this exact moment.

***

“Astra, snack time.” A tiny toddler came crawling from the living room to her mother as fast as her body could take her. The sight of the bottle gave her the boost of energy that she needed. She reached up to her mother as a sign that she wanted up. Her mother picked her up and walked into the small kitchen. She reached for the glass bottle and gave it to the child. The cold liquid sent chills down Astra’s spine. The mother watched as her child's eyelids closed, her breathing shifted, and her grip loosened. It had only been two years since Astra started her recombinant DNA treatment. She had been getting stronger ever since.

“Honey, I’m home,” a gruff voice said as he opened the front door.

“I’m in the kitchen,” Astra’s mother yelled. The man walked into the kitchen.

“Lab coat,” she reminded him.

“Oh, right,” he said. He set his lab coat on the small kitchen table.

“You're home early. Did something happen at  the lab?”

“No, I just wanted to see my two beautiful girls,” he pulled his wife in for a warm embrace. He took a moment to admire his daughter. But deep in his heart, he was looking at his greatest creation. He knew in time she would be the most powerful creature ever. Then he could finally be unstoppable.

Between ages four and six she formed fox-like ears, a tail and paw-like hands. She exhibited a strong sense of smell and night vision.

Author's Note

do I need to describe the father

Reviews

[abletec]

DR.PB, this is *really* interesting! Right now we've got far more questions than we have answers, & that's what keeps folks reading. There's also a surprise, i.e., it would appear Astra's half animal, half human, or similar.

I suspect whether you describe the father depends on how much of a part he's going to play in the story, or if he, too, is a chimera, which might be important to know.

The mechanics were excellent--your tenses & spelling were all correct, grammar was good, etc. I think you're off to a flying start. Give us more when you can.

[Elsa 123]

Hey!
I just came across your story and really liked it, your writing makes the scenes super easy to picture, which I love as an artist.
I do commission work like book covers, character art, and I think your story could look amazing visually. If you’d ever be interested in custom art for it, I’d be happy to help!
You can reach me on Instagram (elsaa.uwu) or on Discord (elsaa uwu) anytime