The elf scout had found the trail again, some trampled grass and bent stems are all the traces that the prey had left. It still bothered me that we hunters of the Lou’Nar pack couldn’t track the prey by scent. A countess of the Night Court had many talents and abilities, but removing scent was not one that we had ever heard of. A mystery, but even with this we were close to finally cornering our prey. It had been a valiant flight, but the hunt was nearing its end, I could feel it. My blood thrummed in my veins at the thought of finishing the chase. I swallowed as my mouth began to salivate.

The elf scout and his captain finished discussing the track and the captain turned to address the squad, three werewolf hunters and five elf soldiers of the Lunar Lakes, including the captain and scout. A small group but we had to travel fast to catch up to this elusive prey. The moon elves wore their signature silver armour, the face of their helmet nearing a reflective mirror, that made it slightly unnerving to look at them and difficult to tell them apart. All of them had a bow and arrows as well as a spear and dagger. We hunters had only several pieces of leather armour, when we shifted most armour no longer fit, and it felt cumbersome and restraining. As for weapons, my fellows carried a war-hammer and claymore respectively, and I carried a great-axe.

“Effriel is certain that the countess and her ward are not far. We should catch them by tonight so check your gear. Even alone a member of the Night Court will be dangerous.” The captain seemed to direct the gear comment towards us as his soldiers didn’t react to the order.

“Full moon tonight as well. Garou smiles upon our hunt.” Howand, my fellow hunter with the claymore, spoke up. I glanced up at the sky and saw it would soon be evening. I struggled to contain my excitement at being able to enjoy the hunt fully. It was too bad I wasn’t able to smell their fear as they fled.

“Yes, it is fortunate, but do not let down your guard.” The captain warned. We growled softly in response and the elves shifted slightly. That made me grin, and it was not a friendly grin, as superior as the elves thought themselves and tried to act, their fear in the face our power was telling.

“Enough.” The captain commanded. “Effriel lead us!” He motioned to the scout and soon we were off. The elves lightly darted through the undergrowth with unconscious grace, while us hunters had an equally quiet footfall, though our stride was a lope.

We stopped a couple more times to check the faint tracks as the sun continued to descend in the sky. Our path continued steadily north, and the forest thickened. The tree grew taller, but that just meant the undergrowth was sparser. Shortly after entering this part of the forest the elves paused, speaking to each other swiftly in their own language. It sounded to me that their tongues must be rolling in their mouths to be able to make such noises.

“What is it?” I growled.

“Nothing to worry about,” the captain spoke quickly, “the lack of undergrowth makes it more difficult to follow the tracks.”

I grunted in response and the elves continued on, before I could follow Howand clasped my shoulder and leaned close to my ear to whisper. “The scout never said anything.” At his words my eyes narrowed, and I glanced at him meeting his gaze. I looked over to the other werewolf, Beurn, and he nodded to show he had noticed as well. The elves were hiding something. I inhaled deeply, but it just smelt like forest. I growled softly in frustration, first the lack of scent from the prey and now the aloof elves were hiding things.

“Keep on guard. Ears open and eyes sharp. Change at the first chance you get.” Howand spoke softly as we followed after the elves quickly catching up to them.

The full moon rose as the sun set, the dim twilight the only true inconvenience to our hunt as the elves’ eyesight was not suited to true dark. The thick foliage blocked out the moonlight, but I could feel the call of the beast. My sight and hearing sharpened and I could feel energy well up inside me. As soon as we hit a clearing I would change. Beurn and Howand looked like they were feeling the same. Teeth bared in hungry smiles; the frustrations of this hunt would be over this night.

Our pace held steady now that the moon elves had dappled light leaking through the leaves, until finally I glimpsed a pair of figures, one larger than the other, about a hundred paces ahead of us. Past them moonlight streamed through a break in the trees, a glade by the looks of it, the contrast causing their dark figures to standout in the gloom. I broke ranks with the elves and sped out moving slightly to the right, opposite me Beurn went to the left and Howand set out directly towards them. The elves smoothly flowed into formation behind Howand, only a half dozen paces behind.

The pair stepped into the clearing and out of view, but it was too late for them to flee. Howand, Beurn, and I entered the clearing at the same time. Weapons drawn as we stepped into the light of the moon. For a single agonizing moment, it felt like I was burning as the light hit me, then the change took over. Bones shifted and fur sprouted and now my great axe felt as light as a feather in my monstrous clawed hands.

I regained focus and saw my quarry, the larger figure was clothed in a red cloak and stood protectively in front of a smaller black figure. Their backs were to a cliff that formed the side of the clearing, trees growing on top gave them just enough shade to cast their features into gloom. The three of us boxed them in with the cliff at their backs, and I let out a howl to cause the cornered prey to panic. Then for a moment I paused, confused, I didn’t hear anything. I growled, but again no sound. I sniffed, but no smell. My hearing and sense of smell were blocked.

Looking to my companions, I saw they had hesitated as well and were just cautiously keeping a loose semi-circle around the pair. The elves arrived a moment later, soundlessly, though they never made a sound when running anyways. The captain tried to call out orders before realizing the same thing that we had. He made some quick motions to his elves, and they filled in the semi-circle. There was a hunt to finish regardless of what mysteries were at work here.

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We stepped forward, moonlight shining silver off our weapons and the elves’ armour. The larger figure pushed the smaller back and stepped forward into the light, her cloak falling off in the smaller’s clutches as she did. She was beautiful. Pale as snow, with lips as red as blood, and hair dark as shadows. Fangs peeked menacingly from her mouth as she raised a sabre in one hand and a dagger in the other. She was wearing a red battle dress that left her looking elegant and deadly.

I couldn’t wait to tear out her throat.

So, I didn’t. I leapt forward a heartbeat behind Howand as he swung at her with his claymore. She slid around the swing like she was made of water, the claymore’s length the only thing that allowed him to avoid being skewered by her counter, but it had still drawn blood. A nick on his forearm. I came in at her from the side with my own swing, and for a moment I thought I had bisected her, and then I realized that she was close, right up against my chest. ‘Fast.’ Was all I had time to think before a dagger buried itself in my side and the point of the sabre filled my vision.

** Moira **

The last week had been the worst week of her life. It had started boring as she travelled in a carriage to visit her grandmother, then they had been attacked. Vanessa had taken her with the guards on horseback after that, and they had hurried to make it to grandmother’s, but when they had arrived it was in flames. They were spotted and had to flee again, but they couldn’t lose the pursuers. Eventually they had been caught and Vanessa had taken her and fled alone while the guardsmen fought. The last several nights had been exhausting as they marched all night with what little food they had swiftly running low. Now it was terrifying, though through the fog of exhaustion it felt like it was happening to someone else.

Vanessa was in front of her as faceless silver soldiers and bestial monsters attacked her. Vanessa stabbed one of the monsters and it fell, but then the soldiers were firing arrows and stabbing with spears. For some reason she couldn’t hear anything. She felt frozen. Helpless. One of the monsters crept along the edge of the cliff and came towards her, giant hammer in his hands.

A feeling welled up in her despite the exhaustion. A feeling of fear. ‘Why couldn’t they just disappear? Leave us alone!’ She thought as a clawed hand reached for her. The feeling filled her, so she gave it release. She screamed.

**

A shriek unlike any that had been heard before in the forest domain split the night. It was a scream of terror and hatred. The night creatures responded. In a normal forest they might have responded in fear, but here they went to discover the source.

A pair of pixies had been playing atop the hill and so got to witness the explosion of sound and darkness that shattered the quiet night. Before this it had been silent, but now it was anything but. They peered over the edge to see the situation. In the dark of the cliff a small figure lay. In front of it, kneeling and cradling its head, was a monstrous wolf creature. behind them was red figure lying on the ground pierced several times with spears and arrows from silver creatures that looked like the sprite lords. With them was another monstrous wolf creature that was also cradling it’s head with it’s claws.

Intruders. The pixies gibbered to each other and then one leapt from the cliff top while the other took flight to find help. The first pixie dove straight from the kneeling wolf creature and screeched violently as it began scratching out its eyes with its claws. The creature responded in panic but was too disoriented to properly protect itself. However, the pixie was also too small to end the creature. An arrow nearly clipped the pixie’s wings, and it began to flit around wildly to avoid being hit as the silver creatures fired at it.

Luckily for the pixie help arrived before an arrow did. A shadow was all the warning the intruders had before a pair of strix swooped down onto the group from above. One of them snatched up the downed wolf creature, while the other lifted one of the silver sprite-like creatures by the neck, its body going limp in it’s grasp as the talon crushed its spine. The other silver creatures pivoted to fire after the strix and from the forest rushed leshy, their gnarled claws failing to break through the armour, but leaving dents from the force of their blows. Things quickly fell into chaos as the intruders struggled to fight back. The most successful was the last wolf creature, releasing its sword after it got stuck in the tough bark of one leshy, it lifted its fellow’s great-axe and hacked off limbs and branches from the other leshy. Cutting a path free the harried intruders fled from the encounter.

Two of the silver creatures had fallen to the leshy and another to a strix. There was only three of the silver and the one wolf creature left, but they swiftly fled from the border of the forest domain. Two of the leshy had been killed by the last wolf creature, and two others were maimed. Silence, though not as deafening as it had been returned to the glade as the leshy and strix left in pursuit of the intruders.

In the glade pixies were flitting between the corpses and struggling to free different shinies. Some of the pixies were bickering with one another over the loot leading to small scuffles for possession of the object, though it was often as worthless as a buckle or button. One of the pixies approached the small figure lying at the base of the cliff and was startled as the figure groaned and sat up. The pixies squawked in surprise and then hissed in anger at the affront, however it's urge to attack died as it gazed at the girl before it.

The girl in front of the pixie was as dark as night. Her skin speckled with white marks like a night sky covered in stars. They formed freckles across her nose and cheeks. Her eyes were a deep dark purple and her hair was jet black. She seemed more confused at the pixie than scared, but then her focus was taken by the woman lying in the centre of the clearing.

A red figure surrounded by a pool of red blood. Black hair matted and white skin splotched. Tears streamed down the girl’s face as she rushed to her side and knelt beside the body. Several arrows still stuck from the woman’s body, one through the heart. She was dead. The girl wept. Surrounding her the pixies stopped their looting and watched curiously. Then one by one they brought their trinkets and treasures that they had scavenged and laid them around the woman’s body.

Surrounding the glade, the leshy stood silent vigil from beneath the boughs as they watched the girl mourn her protector. The strix filled the branches. Wisps slowly floated into the glade. Circling the girl as she collapsed over the body. However, none dared to interrupt the weeping child. Until finally another entered the clearing.

Smaller than the spriggans and sprites, but larger than the pixies. The figure had a cloak of green corvid feathers and a wolpertinger skull mask covering its face. From the holes of the skull shone a light similar to the wisps. Beneath the cloak it was attired like the sprite lords with finery. Grass didn’t bend beneath its steps, and it stopped behind the crying girl. Gently tapping her on the shoulder with a hand made of gnarled wood it stepped back. When she turned, still sniffling, but seeming to realize her surroundings. It bowed deeply to her and then without flourish produced a deep red rose from nowhere. The girl stared with confusion, but it stepped forward and gently laid the flower on the breast of the dead woman. Lifting her hands, it folded them over the flower and then drew back. Lifting the child to her feet it led her slightly away from the body and then spoke.

“Welcome to the Forest of the Fey, Night’s Child.” Its voice was not clearly male nor female. “Here you will be safe.”