I crouch low and peer through the sunbeams that dapple the forest in a glowing radiance. Even in my human form, I have become a ferce hunter.

Today is a special day. It’s my eighteenth birthday. Well, it’s only a special day to a few people. My parents and my boss where I work at the tavern were the only ones to congratulate me. But that doesn’t really bother me... at least that’s what I tell myself. It wouldn’t bother me, except that it’s Prince William’s eighteenth birthday today too, and he always steals all my glory.

Later this evening, the king will call together all the residents of Castle Town in order to celebrate Prince William’s birthday. It wouldn’t be so bad, if we weren’t peasants. The merchants are allowed to enter the castle’s lobby for a fancy party and banquet. The poor people like us have to stay in the courtyard with no food. I don’t think any of us peasants would go if it weren’t mandatory. Today, the king’s soldiers will go door to door in our district to make sure anyone who is well and able goes to the gathering. There’s one good thing about this yearly event; it gives us a chance to catch up with old friends.

I freeze when I hear a rustling in the bushes ahead. Quickly ducking behind a tree, I nock an arrow on my bowstring. I peer slowly and silently around the side of the tree at the rustling bushes. After a few moments, a large bull elk parts the bushes with its mighty shoulders. I can’t help but smile. I haven’t had such a good catch in months. What a nice birthday present!

With very slow movements, I carefully aim and draw back the bowstring. I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. I get ready to fre...

Suddenly, two of the king’s soldiers race by on their horses, scaring the elk away. Spitting angrily, I jump out from behind the tree and yell, “Hey you jerks! I’m trying to hunt here!”

They give no sign that they heard me and are quickly lost from sight in the foliage. I wonder what they’re doing out here. The king doesn’t often send out his soldiers to the forest. He has no need. But maybe it’s because of William’s birthday. They’re probably checking the entire perimeter of Castle Town today to be sure there are no suspicious characters about.

Still, that’s no reason to lose me my birthday present. And after the racket they just made, there won’t be any more prey out for hours. I have to be back soon, so there’s no way I can catch anything now. Once again, I’m going home empty handed. Sigh. Oh well. At least this time I can blame it on the king’s soldiers. Dumb soldiers. Ruining my birthday.

Slinging my bow and quiver over my shoulder, I start heading back to town. I’ve hardly taken a few steps when I suddenly hear a strange sound. I can’t put a name to it. It’s not a sound I’ve heard before. It sounds like the beating of bat wings, but much larger and stronger. I look up at the sky, pondering what could possibly be making such a noise. I don’t see anything and after a while the sound fades. I give a shudder and walk faster.

I may be a werewolf, but this forest still gives me the chills. Every night I venture in here to be alone. I don’t sleep. In fact, I’ve hardly slept in the past thirteen years. The few times I did sleep, it was simply because I wanted to, not because I needed to. At night, it’s like the moon gives me power and restores my energy. But no matter how many times I come in here, I will always remember that night flled with fre and blood that changed me forever....

I have to pass by the Salty Seahorse Tavern on the way home. Most days, I work there clearing tables and cleaning up. It brings in some extra money, and I work more days in the winter to make up for the poor hunting. But the past few months, there has been less game around, despite the nice weather. I don’t know why, but I think there’s a sinister presence that has moved in. The animals feel it. I feel it. I don’t know what it is, but it sends a chill down your spine and makes you feel as though you are always being watched.

Sally, Bard the bartender’s wife, waves out of the door as I pass by. “How’s the hunting today?” she calls in a friendly way. She’s always liked me.

“I would have had a beautiful bull elk if it wasn’t for the king’s soldiers,” I reply.

She laughs, waves once more, and disappears back inside the tavern.

My parents are home when I get there. They both look up hopefully as I enter, but their faces fall slightly when they see I’m empty handed. “Bad hunting?” Garth asks.

I then proceed to tell them about the bull elk and how the king’s soldiers had ruined my catch.

My dad snorts. “Leave it up to the king to ruin my girl’s special day,” he grunts.

I sigh. “I should have known it was too good to be true. After the meager hunting season we’ve had, it was amazing to see something like that. It would have kept us fed for months if we didn’t sell too much of it.”

There’s a knock on the door, and a soldier enters. “It’s time for the prince’s banquet,” he says. It’s really just a nice way of saying, get your butts there or we’ll thro you in jail.

“You guys go ahead, I’ll be along when I’ve changed,” I tell my parents.

“Okay dear. Don’t be too long,” Lily replies, leading my dad out the door.

The soldier is still standing by the door. “Shall I wait for you?” he asks. We both know he has no choice. He is required to stay at each house until the people inside have left.

Just to test him, I reply, “Nah, I’m just going to get changed, then I’ll be right there.”

I watch him from the corner of my eye. He shuffes his feet awkwardly. “Perhaps I should stay, just in case...” he murmurs uncomfortably.

I laugh. This is fun. “In case of what? Pirates? Oh, maybe my clothes will come to life and try to strangle me!” With a teasing glint in my eye, I raise an eyebrow and put my hands on my hips.

The soldier rubs his head with a hand. He opens his mouth to say something, but then closes it again. I can tell he’s new. For one thing, he looks only slightly older than me and for another he doesn’t have any responses. There are a few soldiers who know me well enough to reply with just the right things. I’m guessing this is his frst year, and he’s never had to deal with a troublemaker before. But hey, the way I see it, troublemakers like me make a nice change from the dull and boring normal routine of their jobs.

“Why don’t you just go?” I suggest. “I know the penalty for not being there. I’ll be there. If you don’t see me, you can come and arrest me yourself. How about that?”

He looks at me warily, his eyes screaming with uncertainty .

I tilt my head to the side. “What’s your name soldier?”

For a few moments, he doesn’t reply. But then he fnally says, “My name is Matthew.”

I smile. “Well then, Sir Matthew, I shall see you in the courtyard. It’ll be our little secret.” I wink, then turn and disappear into my bedroom to change. When the door is closed, I listen for a few seconds. Matthew doesn’t leave right away, but after a little while, he sighs and I hear his footsteps walk away down the street.

New guys are always fun. They’re so easy to mess with. There’s two kinds of new guys; soldiers like Matthew who give in easier, and soldiers that go out of their way to make sure that the law is followed. I can have fun with both, but I personally prefer the ones like Matthew. I don’t like soldiers in general because they work for the king, but new guys are the closest thing I come to liking them.

It doesn’t take me long to change from my hunting clothes to my everyday clothes. I’m back out in the street soon enough and jog to catch up to my parents. On my way, I pass by Matthew again and give him a little wave. His faces fushes in a blush and he tries not to smile, but I can still see the corners of his mouth turn up a little.

I catch up with my parents just outside the courtyard. Lily rubs my arm in welcome.

The crowd in the cobbled stone courtyard is huge. All peasants who aren’t seriously sick are here today. I see some people I recognize from the Salty Seahorse Tavern. They wave and I wave back. The mood is light, but not because of the prince’s birthday. It’s because to us, this is a friendly annual gathering. I don’t think there is a single peasant that actually likes the prince. He walks around with his nose in the air like he’s better than all of us. If he even comes near us, he shies away as if he’ll become deathly ill if he even breathes the same air as us. I don’t think he’s ever even left the castle. At least, I’ve never seen him in Castle Town. I heard a rumor that when he was sixteen, he spent a year abroad on one of the king’s ships. But a few days after he was supposed to be gone, I glimpsed him in one of the castle windows as I walked by. I bet he threw a tantrum so that he didn’t have to go.

I detest Prince William and everything about his stuck up, snobby attitude. I hate him even more than I hate King Edmund, and that’s saying something. I honestly can’t believe that sweet, kind Queen Abigale could have ever given birth to such an atrocious beast. But I suppose I can’t call him a beast. I’m a beast, and the last thing I want is to be in the same category as that rat.

We mingle with each other for about an hour, waiting for the last of the peasants to join us. Just when I’m sure the king and the prince will appear, I hear shouting at the courtyard gate. I turn to see what’s happening. It looks like Greasy Mack, a crazy old guy, tried to sneak back out of the courtyard. The soldiers grab him roughly and throw him back in where he falls on his backside with an exclamation of outrage. The only reason they don’t arrest him is because everyone knows he’s completely mad. He walks around constantly looking over his shoulder, and he’s always nervously picking at his fngers. Sometimes you can hear him talking to himself, and he apparently thinks that he’s talking to a lady named Molly. In the tavern, I hear stories about him. Apparently, he used to make weapons for the king, but he was caught sneaking into the castle at night to meet his lover (Molly apparently). But the king was convinced that he was sneaking in to spy, so he had him thrown in the dungeons and tortured. For a whole week, Castle Town rang with his agonized screams, and at the end of the week, Molly was beheaded for treason right before his eyes. It’s said that on nights when the moon is full, you can still hear an echo of the scream Mack made as he watched her die. But all this is just a story, and I don’t know if it’s true or not. Knowing the king though, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was true.

After all the ruckus with Mack, no one notices King Edmund and Prince William step out on to the balcony. There’s a loud murmuring in the air around me, but I’m deaf to it. I’m staring up at Prince William. His disdainful gaze looks down into the crowd, and after a moment, his eyes lock with mine. I don’t look away, because the moment our eyes meet, I get a weird sensation in my stomach. My wolf instincts are telling me something serious is going to happen soon and it’s not good. I narrow my eyes slightly. I haven’t felt my wolf instincts react to anything in a long time, but the last time they reacted, I was attacked by a griffn while out hunting. If I didn’t have the strength of a werewolf, it would have killed me.

Prince William shivers and fnally breaks my gaze. But as his father calls out for silence, his eyes keep ficking back in my direction.

“Citizens of Castle Town!” King Edmund booms, his voice carrying easily over the crowd. I finch. His loud voice hurts my sensitive ears. But I resist the urge to cover them. The soldiers would think I’m dishonoring the king by doing so.

Waving his son to take a step forward, Edmund continues, “Today is a very special day! It is Prince William’s eighteenth birthday!” William looks like he would rather be anywhere than out here with all us dirty peasants. He steps to the rail of the balcony and gives a very unconvincing wave. I can almost guarantee that his treatment of the merchants inside the castle was quite different.

In that moment when he’s waving at us, I hear a sound. I look around. No one else hears it. But I do. The beat of huge leathery wings draws quickly closer, and soon I can hear heavy breathing. I look up and see a huge shadow dropping from the sky, heading straight for the balcony where the prince is. My heart seems to drop into the ground. The shadow is a black dragon.

No one else sees it. I start shoving my way through the crowd towards the soldiers near the door. I keep running even when I hear a roar and screams of panic as the people spot the dragon.

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The frst soldier I reach just so happens to be Matthew. I grab the crossbow that’s slung over his shoulder. I can hear him exclaim in surprise as I turn and aim towards the balcony. The dragon grabs the back of William’s shirt in its teeth, spreading its wings to take off into the sky. William screams like a little girl. I’m almost disgusted that I’m trying to save this little worm. But despite how much I hate William, I can’t help but think of my father’s peg leg as the dragon starts to fy away. I loose an arrow from the crossbow and rip a hole in the dragon’s wing. The dragon roars and its wing beats stutter, but only for a moment. It recovers quickly and disappears from sight in no time.

I missed. I had been aiming for the dragon’s eye. “I never miss!” I exclaim heatedly, throwing the crossbow down on the ground. Matthew just stares at me with his mouth hanging open. I can’t believe I missed! Now Prince William is gone! I don’t miss him personally, but I knew something was going to happen today, and I didn’t respond fast enough. I can’t help but feel it’s my fault that the prince is gone.

Most of the people in the courtyard are running out of here as fast as they can. But not me. I’m going to fx my mistake. That ungrateful brat better appreciate it.

It’s hard to struggle against the tide of people to the castle doors, but eventually I make it. Just as I enter, I hear King Edmund yelling, “Somebody has to go after him! That’s my only son!”

“But your majesty, that’s a dragon! No one can track a dragon!” exclaims the head of the royal guard.

I step forward. “I can!”

The room falls silent as everyone turns slowly to look at me. “Who are you?” the king asks.

“My name is Saria,” I reply.

“You are nothing but a peasant,” the head of the guard scoffs, turning up his nose.

I glare at him. “You said no one can track a dragon. But I can. I’ve tracked griffns in the forest, a dragon will be no different.”

“Were you the one that shot the dragon?” the king asks suddenly.

“Yes,” I say. I’m not expecting it when he strides forward and slaps me across the cheek.

“How dare you! You could have hit William!”

I glare at him and open my jaws to reply when suddenly Queen Abigale steps in. “Edmund! She tried to save our son! Already she’s done more than anyone else. How can you hit her?”

The queen puts her hand on my shoulder. “You’re the daughter of Garth and Lily, are you not?”

I look up at her. “Yes I am.”

She smiles at me warmly. “They are good people. Hard workers too.” She turns to look back at King Edmund. “Edmund. If this girl says she can save our son, I believe she can.”

King Edmund looks between Abigale and me. His face still looks flled with rage. But suddenly, his shoulders slump and he sighs weakly. With hollow eyes, he replies, “Very well. I will give you a chance.” Waving a hand at the head of the guard, he continues, “Follow Sir Stoker. He will get you everything you will need for your journey. You can leave frst thing in the morning.”

“No,” I tell him. “I’ll leave tonight.”

“Travel in the forest at night? You’re mad!” Sir Stoker exclaims.

“Mad or not, she’s got more courage than you do,” the king snaps at Sir Stoker. “I don’t see you going after my son.” He starts to walk away, but before he leaves the room, he looks back over his shoulder. “Saria, if you manage to bring my son back alive, you will be rewarded accordingly.” I take that as his way of saying thank you.

Queen Abigale looks at me through misty eyes. “Good luck Saria,” she says before following King Edmund out of the room.

I’m left there with Sir Stoker and a few soldiers. Sir Stoker snorts, crossing his arms over his chest. “Well, come on then. Follow me to the armory.”

Without waiting to check if I’m following, he turns and leads the way. I catch up with him quickly. “I won’t need any armor, just good travelling clothes.”

He looks down at me through the corner of his eye. “Probably best too. All that heavy armor might crush your fragile bones.”

“That’s not the reason I’m not taking armor,” I say, looking at him seriously. “I’m not taking it because I don’t plan on giving my enemies a chance to hurt me in the frst place.”

Glancing at me sharply, he opens his mouth to say something. But when he gazes into my cold yellow eyes, he changes his mind and shuts his mouth again.

We reach the armory. It’s a loud room flled with banging as blacksmiths forge swords and other things. A few of them look up when we enter, but most of them are too busy to notice. Looking around the hot haze in the room, I think of Greasy Mack. A spy? Yea right! These people look more like peasants than castle folk. I almost feel bad for them.

But I have bigger things to worry about. Sir Stoker leads me to a quieter part of the room where all the fnished weapons are. He grabs a crossbow. “Here, you’ll need one of these.”

I give it one look and shake my head. “No thanks, I’ll take my own bow. I’m a better shot with it. But I will take some extra arrows.” I look around and spot a fancy quiver. It stands out well against all the darker things in the room. “And I’ll take that gorgeous quiver!”

As I pick it up, Sir Stoker snaps, “You will not! That belongs to Prince William!”

I stare at him in disbelief for a few moments before breaking into a ft of laughter. “The prince shooting a bow? Now that’s something I have to see! What does he shoot at, fearsome teddy bears?”

Sir Stoker has to talk loudly to be heard above the laughing that I caused among the workers. “Whether he uses it or not, it’s still his!”

“Then he’ll be glad to see it when I rescue him,” I reply, slinging the quiver over my shoulder and crossing my arms stubbornly. I raise an eyebrow and stare him down.

Grinding his teeth in anger, he throws his hands in the air. “Fine! Take it! But if he wants you beheaded for doing so, then you’ll be beheaded!”

I scoff at him. “The prince may be a coward, but I don’t think he’s cold enough to kill his rescuer when all his brave knights are sitting at home cowering in fear of a great dirty lizard!”

The room falls silent, but Sir Stoker pretends he didn’t hear me. “You’ll need a sword too,” he growls, grabbing the biggest, heaviest sword he can fnd and tossing it at me. I catch it easily in one hand and his jaw drops open. He must have been hoping that the sword would knock me over. Sliding it partially out of its sheath, I examine it.

“Not this one thanks. It’s too big and clunky, and in case you haven’t noticed, there’s some rust on the blade.” I toss the sword back at him, and he has to use both hands to catch it. “You’re preparing me to rescue the prince, I should think you’d be giving me the best you have to offer.”

“Why don’t you just pick out what you think you’ll need then, Miss?” he spits out through gritted teeth.

I smirk. That’s what I had been hoping he would say. “Gladly.”

I feel like a rich kid in a candy shop. Look at all these marvelous weapons! The only weapon here I’ve ever used is a bow, but I’ve practiced swordplay with sticks in the woods. Despite not having any formal training, I’m actually not half bad at it because of my werewolf strength and dexterity.

I fnd the smallest sword they have which is more like a large dagger. Playing around with it in my hands, I feel how it’s balanced. To the big burly knights of the castle, it probably isn’t much use. But in my hands, it can be the deadliest weapon in existence. I sheathe it then tie it around my waist.

Sir Stoker laughs. “You’re taking that little thing? It’s hardly more than a butter knife!”

Quick as lightning, I unsheathe the sword and press it lightly against his throat. “If it’s a butter knife, you’re the butter,” I whisper. He shivers as he gazes into my eyes.

I step back and sheathe the sword again. Sir Stoker rubs his throat nervously. I notice the blacksmiths staring at me with awe and I give them a little smile. They’ve probably never had entertainment like this.

Grabbing a leather pack from under one of the counters, I start packing it with hunting knives and fint rocks. I have to be able to feed myself. Who knows how far the dragon went?

“If you’re done, we can move on to clothes,” Sir Stoker says, clearing his throat.

“Sure,” I tell him, slinging the backpack over my other free shoulder.

He leads me out of the armory into a cooler room. Light flters through the window. Sunset will be coming soon. I have to be quick and leave before my curse sets in. Most of the clothing in the room is either metal or leather armor. I ignore them both and walk farther into the room.

I fnd a lovely black leather travelling suit, complete with black cloak. “Perfect,” I murmur. “If it fts.”

I begin stripping down to my underwear when I notice Sir Stoker has turned beet red. “What’s wrong?” I tease. “Never seen women’s underwear before?”

He coughs and looks away but is blushing too hard to respond.

I laugh and pull on the travelling clothes. It’s a little tight around my chest, but hey, I’m not exactly fat chested. I pull on the cloak and put up the hood. It hides me nicely.

“Now, erm...” Sir Stoker seems to be a little bit distracted as I shove my old clothes into the pack. “Now you need a horse.”

Once again I decline. “No thanks. I’ll travel faster on foot.” I lean in and add, “Besides, don’t tell anyone this but... I’ve never learned to ride.”

He grunts awkwardly. For a moment he appears to have forgotten that I’m a peasant and that peasants don’t generally get the chance to ride horses. He’s obviously at a loss so I decide to help him out.

“What about food and water? I have to have a little to start with.”

He grasps onto the new direction thankfully. “Yes! Indeed, follow me to the kitchens.”

The kitchens are well on the other side of the castle, and my feet itch as I follow Sir Stoker. The sun is getting dangerously low in the sky. I can’t afford to be here when it sets.

When we reach the kitchen, I waste no time. I grab a few apples, a loaf of bread wrapped in leaves and a small chunk of soft cheese along with two water skins.

“Is that all you want?” Sir Stoker asks, sounding slightly surprised. “If you wait a little longer, we can send some meat with you.”

“No, this will do. I can hunt when I’m out there.” I look at the window nervously. “But I want to get going. The longer I take before I begin tracking, the harder it will be.” I walk quickly out the door. “I’ll let myself out of the castle!”

“Good luck and—” is all I hear before I’m racing down the corridor. I have to get outside and hide fast. The sun is on the horizon.

I make it into a back alley and quickly strip off my pants. I don’t want my tail to rip a hole in such nice new clothing. I’m used to the burn when it comes. I’ve had it so often, it hardly feels like more than a tickle. After I’ve changed, I pull my pants back on, keeping my tail tucked inside. I’ll fgure out something better once I’m safe.

Pulling up the hood to hide my ears and face, I don’t bother following the streets home. Instead I take the rooftops. Over the years I’ve learned that not only is it a faster way to travel through the city, it’s safer too.

When I reach home, I enter through my bedroom window. My parents are sitting at the table, talking in quiet, worried tones.

When they see me enter, Garth gets to his feet. “Saria! We thought you got trapped somewhere!”

“Where did you go?” Lily asks, her gaze still worried. “And what’s with the clothes?”

I tell them everything, from the moment I felt my wolf instincts reacting to getting back home. My mother and father sit quietly as I speak and don’t interrupt me.

When I’ve fnished, my mother says, “Oh Saria, you can’t be serious? You’re honestly going after a dragon to rescue a prince nobody even likes?”

“Mom, it’s my fault he was taken in the frst place!” I tell her, trying to get her to understand. “I knew something was going to happen, but I didn’t do anything about it! And that makes me responsible for him. I’ll rescue his sorry ass and never look at him again.” I pause and sigh. “Besides, if I don’t go after him, no one will. And just because we don’t like him doesn’t mean that we don’t need him. The king isn’t young anymore. What would happen if he died and there was no one left to rule the throne? Chances are Lilliath would fall into ruin, and I can’t let that happen without at least trying to do something about it.”

I can tell that Lily is starting to get frantic. To her, I’m still her baby girl, werewolf or not. “But Saria! You’re hunting a dragon! Griffons are one thing, but dragons are quite another! Just ask your father! He lost his leg to one!” She turns to her husband, appealing to him. “Garth, tell her that it’s stupid and dangerous and that she can’t go!”

My father is staring quietly at the foor. Finally he looks up at me. He stares into my eyes long and hard before he speaks. “You can go Saria.”

“Garth!? What’s the meaning of this?” Lily obviously can’t believe what she’s hearing from my father.

Garth turns to her. “She’s not a baby anymore. And she’s right. If no one rescues the prince, we may as well condemn Lilliath right here and now. Yes dragons are dangerous,” he adds as my mother looks ready to cut him off, “but Saria isn’t human. She has more strength than all the men in this city, not to mention her bravery and skill. She’s the only one that can fulfll this task.”

My father hobbles over and places a hand on each shoulder. Even though I’m eighteen, he’s still a lot taller than me. “Besides Lily,” he says while looking into my eyes. “She’s got the light of adventure in her eyes. She’s going to go whether we let her or not.”

I feel overwhelmed with love for them right now, and I can’t stop myself from throwing my arms around his waist in a hug like I used to. “Thanks Dad. I’ll miss you.”

“We’ll miss you too Saria. But you’ll come home. I know you will.” I feel him press a whiskery kiss on the top of my head.

My mother comes over and looks me in the eye. “Saria, you take care. Don’t... get too cocky. It could be your downfall.” I love my mother and all her solid advice. I’ll miss that.

As she hugs me, I tell them both, “You make sure to keep yourselves well fed, because I won’t be here to hunt for you. But don’t overwork yourselves either.” I can’t help but think of that lovely bull elk I almost had this morning. That would have probably kept them fed the entire time I was gone. Oh well. No point dwelling on the past when I have an important mission to do.

I pull myself from my mother’s arms. “Well,” I begin, taking a deep breath. “It’s time I left.”

“Be careful not to be seen in town,” Lily reminds me.

“I know Mom. I’m always careful.” I turn to leave, but Garth puts a hand on my shoulder.

“You know Saria...” he pauses, but then his gaze grows determined and he continues. “Even though I will forever hate that dog for biting you, he didn’t make you a monster. He gave you a great gift. And no matter what happens, don’t ever forget that. Don’t ever forget that you’re a gift to the world.”

I can’t look at him because what he just said brought tears to my eyes. “Thanks Dad,” I whisper quietly before grabbing my bow from my bedroom and jumping out the window.

I wipe the tears from my eyes and look up at the moon as I leap from rooftop to rooftop. The moon will be full tomorrow night. I’ll have to get as far as I can tonight because I can’t pack all my supplies in my full wolf form. I’ve already burned a lot of moonlight saying goodbye. I have to keep moving fast.

I pause as I reach the edge of the woods and look back over my shoulder. I have this strange feeling that the next time I see this place, nothing will be the same. A piece of me is sad to leave my family and friends. But the other piece thirsts for adventure. Every day I spent cooped up in this town drove me crazy. My heart called me to the great expanse of the wilderness.

For the frst time in my life, I answer the call.