Chapter 1 of my original story is here.

I should say I do not own any of the art or pics in this book.

Also, some of concepts for this book were inspired by other ideas.

Hope you enjoy.

Also, think of this as a rough pilot chapter.

It's very rough and it'll get more refined as the chapters progress.

Anyway, enjoy.
_______________________________________

The full moon hung high in the night sky which illuminated the forest below.

Within said forest, a figure could be seen calmly walking through the trees as the sounds of various creatures could be heard echoing throughout the darkness.

This figure appeared to be some kind of Plague Doctor wearing a red cloak and top hat.

He wore black underneath the cloak, white gloves and the iconic bird mask was also white.

Like all Plague Doctors this one gave off quite an unsettling aura.

Only adding to it was the scythe and stylized Revolver he was carrying.

This Plague Doctor is named Corvus and he calmly made his way through the dense trees, his weapons at the ready seemingly on the search for something.

The sounds of the various woodland creatures did nothing to deter him as he pushed further and further into the darkness.

Corvus suddenly came to a stop and holstered his gun before locking his gaze upon a tree.

This tree very much stood out as it's entire top half had been completely ripped off.

He approached it and he could now see that upon the ruined tree there was an odd red handprint.

Said handprint was larger than an average human's hand should be and upon closer inspection the doctor deduced that blood was used to create the handprint, though it has obviously dried at this point.

Corvus stared at the tree for a good while before journeying onward.

That handprint meant he was within it's territory.

The Plague Doctor unholstered his gun once again, ready to fight anything that may jump out at him.

The forest got darker as he ventured deeper and the Noises of the various creatures began to grow more quiet.

Soon the forest grew completely silent the only sound coming from Corvus' footsteps crunching on the forest floor.

He passed by a tree with another bloody handprint and a bit of an extra touch.

Around the base of the tree were a pile of bones and human skulls, obviously victims of the creature he was currently hunting.

Upon seeing the bones, all Corvus did was shake his head and push onward.

He passed by multiple trees with various bones around the base the further he entered this beast's territory.

Suddenly Corvus stopped in his tracks when his ears picked up what sounded like...

A crying baby.

The Plague Doctor immediately rushed towards the sound.

He swerved past every tree and bush following the sound of the crying infant which got louder and louder indicating he was indeed traveling in the right direction.

Finally Corvus came to a clearing within the forest.

The clearing allowed Moonlight from above to shine upon the large lake within the clearing which was also surrounded by a grassy field.

It was truly a beautiful sight, but Corvus had no time to admire the sight as he needed to find the source of the crying.

However, the moment he layed eyes on the clearing...the crying had ceased.

It was quiet once more, but there was no mistaking the source of the crying had come from here.

The Plague Doctor stepped into the clearing, his guard still up as he looked around.

There was really nothing of interest, just a flat grassy terrain with a lake and a large rock near said lake.

Corvus was no fool though, the creature he was after would obviously be using this as a home as it was a good source of drinking water.

Either it wasn't hear right now or...

Corvus immediately pulled out his Revolver and shot 3 bullets into the lake.

The projectiles hit the water creating ripples and after that, the Plague Doctor waited.

Either for the creature to burst out of the lake or for the lake water to turn red with it's blood if one of his shots scored a hit.

A brief moment passed and seemingly nothing was amiss but Corvus was smart enough to not go near the lake.

There was a chance this creature was smart enough not to come out if the shots missed it.

If it was in there the moment he got closer it would jump out and grab him.

Just to be sure, Corvus shot at the lake, this time shooting 5 bullets into the water.

Nothing...no creature, no blood.

If it was in there, it clearly wasn't coming out unless he got close or it wasn't there at all.

Corvus did not want to waste more ammo, so there was only one way to make absolutely sure now.

The Doctor moved closer and closer cautiously after holstering his gun and using both his hands to wield his scythe ready for anything to burst out.

He made it to the edge of the water, scythe raised glaring at the clear liquid reflecting the Moonlight from under his white mask.

Another brief moment passed and like before, nothing happened, but Corvus did not move from his spot.

There were no sounds to distract him as this small area of the forest was completely devoid of wildlife, if there was any type of noise, it would either be from him or it.

Corvus' patience was rewarded as 2 glowing yellow orbs lit up from under water.

His assumption was correct, the Monster was indeed down there and it was going to show itself.

Suddenly, a hand burst up from the lake and attempted to grab Corvus only for the doctor to dodge backwards and swipe at the hand with his scythe.

The hand however, was fast enough to quickly sink back into the lake and avoid being severed.

Corvus then immediately got into a fighting stance as bubbles began rising from the lake indicating the creature was rising from it's depths.

Slowly but surly, a figure emerged from the lake and let out a low growl.

It's sharp yellow eyes reflecting killing intent as they locked on to Corvus who did not flinch and stood ready to face this beast as it stood at the lake's shore.

_______________________________________

Ahuizotl:

Beast Type: Lake Lurker

Threat Level: Tiger

Strength: C
Intelligence: B
Speed: C+
Durability: C
Magic: C

_______________________________________

This was his target, this Ahuizotl is what Corvus came here for.

The Ahuizotl let out a snarl as Corvus got into a fighting stance, his scythe at the ready.

The Ahuizotl immediately lunged at the Doctor who in response delivered a downward slash at the creature.

The Ahuizotl quickly jumped to the side to avoid the attack and twisted around to send it's hand-tail at Corvus.

The hand-tail also formed a fist to punch Corvus, but the doctor was quick enough to jump back and dodge it.

The Ahuizotl's tail fist hit the ground instead which caused cracks to appear on the punched area.

Corvus attempted to slice off it's tail to eliminate more of it's offensive options, but it was quick enough to pull it back.

In response Corvus pulled out one of his revolvers and shot at the Ahuizotl.

The bullet hit nothing but air as the Ahuizotl vanished in a puff of black smoke.

It knew teleportation magic.

Unsurprising, most Ahuizotls knew a bit of basic magic, usually to help them hunt.

It was usually weak illusion or evasive magic like teleportation.

Corvus, on instinct side-stepped to avoid a punch from the Ahuizotl's hand-tail.

Corvus twisted around and shot in the direction the tail-hand was coming from.

The bullet once again hit nothing as the Ahuizotl teleported to avoid it.

It reappeared behind him and tried to pounce on the doctor only, but Corvus was quick enough to dodge and tried to slash at the Beast.

It vanished in a puff of black smoke once more.

And that's how it went for a while, the Ahuizotl kept teleporting every time Corvus attempted to slash or shoot at it.

Occasionally, it would attempt to attack Corvus itself only for the Doctor to dodge.

After one more attack, the Ahuizotl jumped back and glared at the Doctor who stared back, his expression unreadable behind his mask.

The Ahuizotl was breathing a bit heavier now, the constant teleportation and attacks were clearly taking a lot out of it.

Corvus however was completely fine.

One would assume the constant dodging would tire him out, but he was in far better shape than the Ahuizotl and it knew that.

If it got too tired it would get sloppy, it wouldn't be able to react as fast and not teleport out of the way of any incoming attacks in time.

Corvus knew this as well, all he'd need to do to get an opening to kill this monster was wear it down.

That would be easy, Corvus had far more stamina and endurance than one would think.

And this wasn't his first Beast hunt.

The Doctor took a step towards the creature and it stepped back in response.

Corvus took aim at it with his Revolver and the Ahuizotl immediately vanished.

Corvus performed a quick sidestep to avoid the Ahuizotl's attempt to pounce on him.

It landed a few feet in front of the Doctor.

It turned around and saw Corvus once again taking aim with his Revolver.

The Ahuizotl jumped back in fright and this seemed to have amused Corvus.

Instead of shooting at the creature though, he simply twirled his Revolver and put it back in it's holster.

This confused the Ahuizotl as the Doctor once again took a fighting stance.

After a while it clicked.

He was beckoning it to attack him, daring it to try something.

The Ahuizotl however could tell this was just a ploy to get it to tire out quicker so it'd eventually be too tired to teleport.

If it didn't do anything however, Corvus would eventually attack and kill it.

So, like any cornered Predator facing a stronger foe, the Ahuizotl did the only thing it could.

Turn and run.

It twisted around and bolted towards the forest in fear.

Diving in the lake would be stupid as it would just corner itself even more.

Corvus' eyes narrowed beneath his mask and ran after the Ahuizotl.

It was not going to get away.

Play music:

This fight had now become a chase as both the Ahuizotl and Corvus ran through the forest, dodging and swerving around trees, jumping over rocks and avoiding the flora.

This was a mistake on the Ahuizotl's part, running would just tire it out quicker and it became more evident as Corvus slowly caught up to the creature.

During the chase Corvus once again took out his Revolver and shot at the Ahuizotl.

Hearing the gun fire, the Ahuizotl immediately vanished to avoid getting shot and reappeared a few feet to the side.

Only for it to immediately be forced to vanish again as Corvus kept firing on the Beast.

It went on like this for a while, until finally, the Ahuizotl was hit directly in the leg.

This caused it to trip, tumble and fall and the Ahuizotl's tumbling body smacked right into a tree.

Corvus did not waste his opportunity and after a quick spin tossed his scythe directly at the Ahuizotl.

It flew at the Beast fast and just as the Ahuizotl managed to pick itself up off the ground, the blade of Corvus' scythe pierced it directly in the throat.

The Beast let out it's last gasp before finally collapsing to the ground, limp and lifeless.

Stop Music:

Corvus walked over to the corpse of the beast and simply pulled his scythe out of it's neck.

He flicked the scythe to clean it of blood and then flicked his cloak back to reveal a small brown satchel on his belt.

The Doctor opened it and put his scythe near it and almost instantly his scythe shrunk down and got sucked into the satchel.

Corvus returned his gaze to the corpse which had now created a sizable puddle of blood on the floor from the wound on it's throat.

Corvus waited for it to finish bleeding out and when it did he grabbed it, swung it over his shoulder and proceeded to leave the area by going back the way he came.

Later:
Corvus after a bit of walking finally came to a halt as he entered a small village.

This village was near the now dead Ahuizotl's territory and it was a rather small one.

In the center of the village a crowd was gathered and waiting.

The moment the crowd saw Corvus carrying the corpse of the Ahuizotl they all erupted into cheers.

"WE'RE SAVED!" One Villager yelled out in joy.

"WE DON'T HAVE TO LEAVE!" Another cheered happily.

The crowd cheered on, their voices echoing into the sky as they were finally free form this Ahuizotl.

The Ahuizotl that was now a corpse Corvus was carrying had been a big problem for this small village.

Villagers went missing almost every night since it made it's territory near the village.

Clearly it saw the villagers as prey and was devouring them making this small village even smaller.

Corvus was passing through and as a doctor he couldn't turn away from anyone who needed help.

So, he decided to go on a Beast Hunt to slaughter this creature.

Sure, it may halted his journey a bit, but as stated before he couldn't turn away when others needed help.

The chief of the village came up to Corvus and bowed in thanks as his villagers continued to celebrate.

"My good doctor, I cannot thank you enough for what you've done." He thanked and Corvus simply nodded as his way of saying it was nothing.

The chief stopped bowing and placed a hand on the doctor's shoulder.

"First you heal my daughter and now you save my village, truly your arrival was a miracle." He said and Corvus simply nodded.

When Corvus got here initially, not only was the village in a panic and packing up to move, the chief's daughter had also contracted a disease from an odd insect.

Corvus' arrival really was fortunate for them all and now they didn't have to leave their home.

They had tried hunting and killing the Ahuizotl themselves, but that just resulted in more deaths.

Thankfully the Doctor had a lot of experience hunting Beasts a lot worse than that.

Corvus only regrets he didn't get here sooner, but better late than ever.

"Yes, we cannot thank you enough." Came a feminine voice.

Corvus looked to where it came from and saw the daughter of the chief approaching.

She hugged the Plague Doctor making him drop the Ahuizotl corpse.

"Oh, this will make a good feast for the Village." The Chief said picking up the corpse. "This calls for a celebration!"

All the villagers cheered once more as the chief's daughter kept on hugging Corvus who after a bit hugged back.

It had been quite a while since anyone hugged him.

Not since...her.

It was quite a strange, but not unpleasant feeling.

In fact, Corvus found himself saddened when he forced himself to seperate from her.

"I assume you have to go now?" She asked sadly upon seperating looking up at him.

The Plague Doctor nodded in response.

He was on a mission, a very important one and now that his job was done here, he had to get back to it.

"Can't you at least stay and celebrate with the village?" She asked hopefully. "You saved my life and the lives of my people...I'm sure we'd all like to express our gratitude."

Corvus shook his head once more before placing a hand on the Village Princess' head

"I understand." She sighed sadly. "We won't forget this or you."

Corvus politely bowed as a way of saying goodbye, turned and took his leave.

The Princess kept her eyes on him as he vanished into the woods beyond.

The village princess clutched her chest, a deep sadness filling her heart, knowing she'd never see him again.

The Doctor that she fell in love with.

Meanwhile:

Corvus let out a sigh as he continued his journey towards his destination.

He was still worried for that small village though.

What if something like that Ahuizotl or worse came by?

Corvus did not have time to teach that village his techniques, hunting strategies or anything really.

He was on borrowed time and needed to get to his destination quickly.

All he could do was hope that village would be okay.

Corvus had a problem of his own that he needed help with, a problem that needed taking care of as soon as possible.

He had heard rumors of a witch living in a swamp who had a vast amount of knowledge on Ancient remedies, potions and spells.

He had asked a lot of witches in the past to help with this problem of his, but they never could.

Not just witches, he had tried a lot of other methods and he was getting more desperate.

He was willing to try anything at this point, even if it had little to no chance of working.

Eventually, something had to work right?

Back at the Village after a bit of a timeskip:

The villagers Spirits were high as they all celebrated the night away as the Ahuizotl that plagued them had been dealt with.

All the Villagers had gathered in the center of the village and were dancing the night away.

A fire was in the direct center of this village, the corpse of the Ahuizotl getting cooked over it.

All the Villagers danced, chatted, laughed and cheered as the Princess under the night sky.

Unfortunately the merrymaking and joy soon came to an end with one single sound.

Everything stopped and the village went silent as they turned to look at the source of the sound.

Standing there with a smoking gun aimed at the sky was a male figure in a cowboy hat, red scarf and brown coats.

"Howdy." The figure greeted in a deep and commanding voice. "Nice little soirée ya'll got goin here."

The figure put away his gun in one of his 2 hip holsters.

The silence was deafening as the cowboy's red eyes scanned the many villagers who were stunned with fear.

"Alright...does anyone know where I can find the good doctor?" He asked crossing his arms.

TO BE CONTINUED:

_______________________________________

Yeah, this is the start, as I said, it's a rough pilot and it'll get better as the chapters progress.

I originally had a fight planned between Corvus and the Cowboy here, but I decided against it to help things flow better.

I'm pretty proud of this first chapter and I hope you all liked reading it.

Anyway, see ya'll later.