Page 5 of The Wolf Moon

“Run, human. Feel the fear you tried to force on us. Feel the impending doom our mothers felt when your men tore down their doors with horrific weapons. And then feel the pain of their deaths and know nothing you do will save you or your kind,” The King Alpha growled, his words thick with historic anger; as if he had been there all those centuries ago himself.

He turned me, facing me towards the woods where no wolves stood in my way. And then he released me. I stood frozen, stuck in a moment where time paused and not a breath could be heard.

Then I ran.

I breathed loudly, nearly hyperventilating as I bolted through the trees in sheer panic. I did this for only a moment before I tripped over a jutted root, landing roughly on the floor of the forest. I pushed myself up, leaning against the adjacent tree and taking a moment to breathe deeply. While I tried to gain control of my breath, I thought about my little brother. I touched the outline of the knife on my leg, recalling my promise to him and to myself.

I pushed myself back onto my feet, running through the trees with renewed vigor. I didn’t have to be so blind while running. I spent much of my time in woods similar to this. My skin was still tainted from my previous hunt. I didn’t have to act as though my surrounding was so unfamiliar.

I began to erupt short, sharp whistles followed by clicking my tongue as I slowed my running. I paused after a couple tries, looking around for tracks or evidence of wildlife. I reached out with that part of my soul that connected with that wildlife, that was so fond of the forest and its creatures.

Two rabbits emerged from their hiding spots and I quickly flattened myself against a tree, hearing a howl in the distance. My heart rate spiked, suspecting this meant they would be coming after me.

“Come here, little ones,” I whispered as I approached the rabbits. They were antsy, but they held still as I knelt beside them. I pulled my knife from its sheath and pushed it against my hand, hesitating to look at that crescent birthmark on my palm of my left hand. I then forced myself to slice the blade across my hand, wincing at the angry pain that resulted. I grabbed the first rabbit, rubbing my blood on its paws and parts of its fur at random. I did the same with the other before releasing them. I hissed to them, “Run!” And as though they could understand me, they ran in two different directions.

I used my blade to rip off a piece of my dress, wrapping the fabric around my hand. Then, I began to run again as well. I could hear the howls coming closer and closer, but it seemed to me they were spreading out and not as focused on me as would be expected.

I kept running, my stamina keeping up with my legs. I leapt over a log, turned a corner, and suddenly found myself in the audience of a large, black wolf. Its fur was impossibly dark, like a shadow in the night. However, its eyes were a sapphire blue, bright and near illuminating as it peered at me. I expected to fight it, the knife ready in my hand, but there was something about it that made me feel as though I weren’t in danger of it.

At least, I thought so. The wolf suddenly looked into the moon and howled, long and loud. More howls followed, alerted to my position. I immediately turned and ran, believing the wolf would follow the call with an attack. However, a glance back revealed the wolf standing where I had left it, watching me go silently.

I didn’t stop. Just because one wolf didn’t attack didn’t mean another wouldn’t. And this was proven when I was crossing a small stream and was suddenly knocked down viciously. The knife dropped from my hand as I hit the ground. Claws immediately swiped at me, slicing across my stomach painfully. I screamed loudly, no doubt alerting even more wolves, but then forced myself to roll away and reached for my knife.

I looked up, spotting the grey wolf standing just feet away with bared teeth and bloodied claws. I only had enough time to take a single breath before it lunged for me. I immediately dove backwards, gripping my knife with two hands and shoving it forward. The blade sunk into the wolf’s neck. If it were a tiny blade, it might have been useless, but it seemed just big enough to cause damage.

The wolf yelped horribly, rolling away from me and taking me with it. I ripped the knife from its throat and instead aimed for the eye, thrusting the blade into the socket deep enough to hit brain even through that abnormally large wolf head. I tore the knife away and stabbed the wolf again, blood spilling over me thickly. It seized under me familiarly, the death throes of an animal something I had become accustomed to in my experience as a hunter.

However, when the wolf began to shift under me and took the form of a middle-aged woman, a wave of illness rushed over me. I reached for the knife planted in her eye and found it was embedded into her skull, no doubt from the shift change. I struggled with it for a moment and cried out in disgust and frustration. When wolves howled nearby, I winced and opted to try running for it again.

As I ran, leaving behind the dead lycan and my weapon, I found my strength beginning to wane significantly. I held my hand and arm over my stomach, feeling the agony and wet damage of the lycan’s claws.

I made it only a short distance before I stumbled and then stopped. In the distance, wolves were waiting as though they knew I was coming long ago. I turned sharply and more wolves were coming into view. I was surrounded. Coat after coat of wolves shifted under the moonlight, knowing I was caught. It was the end of the hunt.

I thought about my family back home. I thought of my little brother, so reluctant to let me go. I thought of my dad, strong and protective as he taught me to string a bow with ease. I thought of my mom and all her smiles, now smothered by those terrible wails of despair as her only daughter was sacrificed to the Wolf Moon.

I looked from the wolves to the moon, my hands falling away from my wounded stomach. Then, as if moved by something other than myself, I lifted my left hand to the moon. I offered that wounded hand, bloodied from death all in a single day.

“Mother,” I cried out pitifully with tears in my eyes, calling to a woman I know couldn’t save me. However, as the word left my lips, another image flashed behind my eyes. Another woman, familiar like my mother, offering me comfort; a goddess reflected in the moonlight.

I felt an urge pulse throughout me. Just as the wolves surrounding me howled and attacked, diving towards my battered form, I fell to the floor of the forest onto my knees roughly. I slammed my offered hand to the ground and a burst of power rippled around me, clawing through the wolves simultaneously.

“Stop!” I cried out, reaching towards them all with that power in anguish. For a moment, there was dead silence. When I didn’t feel the pain of teeth and claws ripping into me, I lifted my head from the ground slowly. Dozens of wolves stood just steps away from me, paused in mid step and panting loudly. I could feel the breath of those closer, frozen under my order.

I hesitated, keeping my hand clenched into a fist with confusion. I recalled my connection with the wildlife; how they could hear me sometimes and did as I asked. The pain of my wound was throbbing, but I was afraid of staying where I was.

“Stay back,” I ordered, igniting some dangerous growls from many of the wolves. Some shuffled their feet in place, trying to step forward, but finding it difficult. When one made a step, I cried out, “Stop! Back away!”

The wolves whimpered, stepping back as I asked. More wolves appeared in the distance, but just as each stepped into range it was as though they were caught in a web. They froze where they stood, some huffing with confusion.

I tried to move from my knees to my feet, but cried out when the pain intensified and I ended up on the ground again. I panted, focusing on the wolves around me determinedly. I knew if I didn’t focus, they would attack again. However, I couldn’t stay here.

I clenched my hand over my stomach again, ignoring the blood now dripping dangerously over my legs. I winced and whimpered as I stood, staggering as I caught my footing. Just as I did, another wolf joined the circle of what had grown to at least a hundred and continued to increase. I could feel whatever was happening was becoming strained under the sheer amount of wolves surrounding me.

The larger wolf stepped through the frozen wolves, huffing and growling angrily. I focused on it, holding out my injured hand.

“Stop!” I demanded desperately, “Don’t move!”

The wolf slowed impossibly, struggling against my order. I could feel that connection reach for him, twisting through his stubborn mind and demanding that he listen to my words. The amount of focus I needed was extreme and somehow I knew this wolf was the King Alpha. He remained frozen for a moment, catching the attention of the other wolves.

---