Outside, a slash of lighting flickered along the sky and thunder roared from above. Inside, the murderer travelled through the abandoned church, searching for Dericks’ hiding spot. An old cross shattered on the floor, broken pues stretched across the room and torn pages from the bible. To his fear, he saw there was no longer a way out. It was hopeless.

Behind him the petrifying was striding through the tall door frame, his knife shimmering in his hand. Derick gulped…

… but that instant, something roared, as loud as lightning. Out of the abyss, not one but a set of blue eyes (that were as blue as the ocean) blacked, then a stripe of yellow and teeth as white as quarts shone. Whatever it was, it leaped past Derick and towered between him and the man.

It was massive. Massive and yellow. Derick realised that he was standing face to face in front of a leopard! It threw back its soft head and growled. At that moment, the man had disappeared. Derick stared, frozen to the spot, incapable of moving.

The leopard blinked; knelt down to his level, resting its on top of the old, creaky floorboards. Derick could see that the leopard was wounded. A small river of red running down its head. He had never been so close to such a rare creature before. As he took a breath he could smell: a forest; the blood descending its body; the presents of other animals and a metallic kind of smell.

Derick thought it was trying to scare him off but he didn’t feel intimidated at all. Without thinking he stretched out his hand and the leopard rested its head on Dericks’ hand. That instant he felt depression for the beast.

The leopard spoke in a low, terrifying voice that seemed to constantly echo in his mind,”do you know the gatekeeper?” “Who?” replied Derick “it doesn’t matter the hunters are here.”

Fifteen minutes later, they were at Theford and the leopard asked “what happened here?” “I don’t know it just happened.” -Will the hunters find them?-