Trail of Bones: A Young Adult Fantasy Novel by Chris Salisbury Page A

Kelor experienced in these first moments of freedom, his thoughts were only of his mother and brothers, not of escaping. The flaps to the entrance of the holding tent buckled in the breeze, and yet they were of no temptation to the cat. His focus remained on Dox and removing the beast-man as an obstacle to freeing his family.
    “Come on!” yelled the Minotaur in frustration.
    Kelor’s eye’s narrowed and his shoulder muscles tightened. You’re in my way, Dox, nothing more, thought the cat as he leaped down on his unsuspecting target.
    Dox could not hear the attack coming, but his other senses sent an alarm through his nervous system. The thick, coarse hairs on his back raised as the cat’s claws and fangs approached. He whirled around, a beat too late. The beast-man attempted a defensive swing, but Kelor’s front paws struck his left shoulder and drove the Minotaur to the ground.
    This was not the first time Dox had been in this position, and he had learned from his previous failures. As he slid on his back, he pushed up with his feet, and his hooves hit Kelor’s underbelly. The Minotaur extended his powerful thighs and projected his attacker over his body and crashing into a stack of wooden crates. He spun onto one knee, and he retrieved his weapon.
    Kelor crawled from the broken containers, his coat stained with a number of unknown liquids from the crates’ contents. He shook his head and then his body to rid himself of the contaminants. He sneered as he circled his caretaker, keeping his head and frame low to the ground.
    “Get back in your cage, Kelor. This is your last chance or…” Dox began to explain.
    “Let my mother and brothers go. This is your last chance, Dox, or I’ll kill everyone in this camp if I must.”
    “If that is what you wish, then you must unleash the beast. Let go of the fear within and embrace your nature. Do that or you will fail,” the beast-man answered.
    The panther was perplexed by the Minotaur’s comment. Kelor was young and still trying to understand the range of emotions he felt. One thing was certain, though, he could easily feel the need to fight, and now was the time.
    “Get out of my way!” Kelor roared as he lunged forward.
    Dox dropped the blade and rushed forward, succumbing to the Blood Dream. The beast-man’s senses heightened as his thoughts turned to pure hate and rage. He could not even remember the cat’s name; all he could see was “enemy”. His muscles rippled with the familiar surge of power and energy.
    The cat and the Minotaur collided in a wreck of fur, fangs, muscles and horn. Dox pounded with his club-like fists as Kelor responded with swipes from his dagger-sharp claws.
    The two opponents traded blows, attacks, and counters. Neither gaining an advantage.
    Finally, Kelor landed a decisive blow. He slammed the beast-man with his shoulder and sent Dox spiraling against the steel cage. The bars bent inward from the force of the impact. The panther roared with satisfaction but only for a moment. The blow should have incapacitated the caretaker or slowed his advance, but Dox shook off the collision as if he felt no pain.
    The cat was unsure of what to do. Kelor had been born with an abundance of confidence, almost a feeling of invincibility. But now he experienced a different emotion ... doubt.
    Dox stood up and stamped the ground with one of his powerful hooves. He lowered his head and charged straight at Kelor.
    The panther’s first instinct was to attack, but with the horn of the Minotaur aimed at him, Kelor opted to jump out of the way. To his surprise, Dox’s bulky arms reached up and ripped Kelor from the air, slamming him to the ground, followed by the crushing weight of the beast-man himself.
    The two tossed and turned, tumbled and spun throughout the tent destroying boxes, tables, pots, and every manner of object as the fight continued.
    Roars, followed by yells and bellows, growls and screams filled the tent as if a thousand beasts battled