Ray soon arrived at the city wall. The gates were closed, but the wall was covered in moonlight. He jumped, and ran up the wall. Why wouldn’t he be able to run anywhere the moon’s silver light shone? There was a barrier over the walls that covered the city in a protective bubble, but it only defended from outside intrusion, it didn’t hinder him.

Once he was over the barrier and the wall, he remembered how his Father had ran in the sky. Why wouldn’t he be able to do that as well? As he jumped off the top of the wall, he wanted to use the moonlight again as footholds in the sky. He didn’t think, it was instinctive, as he felt hitting something solid in the air that was created just for him. He felt joy, and started running, silver moonlight shining under his paws. He ran, and ran with joy in the silent night, high above the ground. Freedom. For the first time he felt free.

Ray ran for a while like that, unrestrained, unthinking, just enjoying himself running on the wide sky, under the silver moon, without any burdens. The wind gently ruffling his fur, the smells encouraging him on, to run free, run wild. But he stopped after a while, and looked back towards the human city. He couldn’t see it anymore, but it was back there. He hesitated for a moment, then turned, but still stood still in the night sky, silver moonlight gently surrounding his feet.

Say Vorm, it would be easy for you to break my connection with the girl, right? I mean to say if I asked you, would you do it?

“Sure, why not. Want me to do it now?”

No, wait. Ray wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. He could break free, and be free to do whatever he wanted. But what did he want? Didn’t he want revenge in the beginning? But now, he didn’t really feel he wanted that, he was too tired to care. He was… actually scared to leave. That infuriated him. He was grown up by now, strong enough to survive alone. Why was he scared to leave the girl? Why hadn’t he asked Vorm to break the bond right away? He hesitated.

Now, that he ran to the wild and could keep running and be free, now, he was actually scared… scared of freedom? It didn’t make sense. He turned again to keep running further, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so. He was annoyed and frustrated. After a while, he sighed, as he resolved himself, and turned back towards the city. He was reluctant, but he decided on what to do, and he would see it through. No turning back.

Vorm, please help me one last time. He didn’t wait for an answer as he looked up at the silver moon and started to howl.

He had never howled before. What would had been the point? But now, he howled, howled and poured all his feelings out to the moon. Howled all his frustration, his anger, resentment, his twisted love for the girl, his fear of leaving, his indignation, everything. The long lost warmth that once enveloped him at home, surrounded by Mother and his family. The lost home, that was destroyed by humans, the girl spawn of the humans with her perversion of love, Vorm, that abandoned him as he abandoned Vorm, abandoned the moon, abandoned himself as he abandoned his name.

He howled, and howled all his sorrow, all his hope, and all desire. His desire to be free, to be unshackled, unrestrained, unburdened. These invisible chains that bound him down to the humans, he had to break them. He would never be free otherwise. He was scared and afraid, but he was resolute. And he howled.

In the beginning, the silver moonlight gently rippled around him, consoling him, the smells calling him. As he howled, the moonlight resonated with him, wanting to help. He kept howling, and the moonlight gathered densely around him, the smells of power and freedom wrapping around him. The wind rose, clouds gathered, a storm was brewing. A storm, his storm. A storm of silver moonlight.

Ray instinctively felt he could evolve now, but it was not enough. He knew the humans were strong, this was not yet enough. He gathered more and more moonlight as he kept howling everything that he was, the storm grew stronger and stronger. He knew what he had to do, and some part of him found it comforting. The smells both warning, trying to dissuade him, and encouraging him forward, to throw away all restraint.

As he howled, he offered it all up, he offered up all of himself. As his howling, the moonlight, and the storm he was creating reached a turbulent peak, he stopped, as everything grew quiet and froze for a second all around him. The next moment, as far as he could see, shining silver moonlight flashed and covered everything, as the storm furiously roared, and Ray felt himself melt away. His fur became silver moonlight and melted away, his flesh, melted away. Even his bones melted away, his mind scattering into the storm. It was peaceful. The storm quieting, he had no more pain, no more sorrow, no more…

“Pathetic, as always,” a voice mocked.

The storm froze. Then as if it was getting corrupted, the silver clouds were tainted with an eerie black that spread through the storm, like an infection. But before the silver light could have been all swallowed up by the eerie black, it shined brightly, refusing to surrender, to back away, and black and silver melded together and took shape. The storm faintly took the shape of a wolf, parts of it were shining with silver light, parts of it were blacker than black as if the world was missing there. As the storm gathered, denser and denser, the wolf shape became more distinct, and Ray’s mind gathered anew. He felt the encroaching insanity, the slipping of his mind, but he fought against it. He refused to run away into insanity, he would do everything as himself, not some mindless beast. His mind slowly cleared as he got a hold of himself.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

As his mind stabilized, he felt for his body, and howled with glee. He was powerful, there was nothing that could stop him now. He shot towards the human city like a falling meteor, and arrived back in no time. He looked down at the quiet city that was suffocating with the thick, rotten, wretched human smell.

For a second, it flashed through his mind that not all of them were bad, some quietly lived their lives, never hurting anyone or anything. But he threw the thought away as he sneered. So what? Had his litter-siblings ever done anything wrong? Yet they were massacred like they were nothing. Now, it was time for the humans to be slaughtered like they were nothing.

He shot down, and broke through the barrier like it was never there. He ran through the city, passing through obstacles as if his body weren’t fully in this world anymore. As he ran, he unleashed his fury, whipping up the storm, his storm. It only took a second. Then he stood above the city, admiring his storm and the tragic smells that pleased him.

The humans never even had a chance to know what had attacked them. They were peacefully sleeping one moment, the next the world went insane. Those who were stronger ran outside to see, but all they could see were roiling black and silver clouds that surrounded a giant silver moon. There was a wolf in the moon, but as their eyes fell on it they lost their mind, and soon their lives as well.

Ray watched as the wretched humans despaired and went insane in anguish. The weakest, youngest, and oldest died on the spot. The bit stronger ones killed themselves, and the strongest ones killed everyone they saw, then killed themselves. It only took minutes, and the screaming city grew quiet again. The smell of blood and terror was thick. Ray found this bloody city beautiful, as the moonlight gently shone, and death silenced all.

All, but one. There was only one person he left alive, she was quietly curled up, sobbing in a dark corner. Ray shrank his body back into his original form, and covered himself in moonlight to hide the black to protect to girl from going insane. He went to see her.

The girl recognized him right away. She didn’t understand what was happening, but her Dusk suddenly appeared before her. He was changed, his whole body shining and shimmering a gentle silver. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She called out to him and rushed to him. Her Dusk was still alive, she felt some relief that this one thing still made sense.

She wrapped her arms around her wolf’s neck and buried her face in his fur as she wept. The whole world went crazy, only Dusk still remained. But then, she felt it. Her Dusk, who she had never felt much from, flooded her with all that he was, and all that he felt, was now unfurling. She froze. Deep love, dependency, trust, warmth, but underneath it all a boundless resentment, helplessness, hate, indignation and fury. She didn’t understand, where was her gentle and kind Dusk? She was confused, but she didn’t have time to feel anything more as pain shot through her neck, hot blood pulsed, and everything fell away. As her consciousness faded she had an impression as if someone was talking to her. “I’m Ray, I’ve always been Ray. Rest.”

Ray looked down at the motionless girl, her neck torn open, her crimson blood dripping from his mouth. Her confusion and terror in the moment of her death shot a hole through Ray’s heart. He felt disgusted, and full of sorrow. He left her there, and shot back into the sky to wait for the sunrise, his final freedom.

“Was it worth it? Do you feel satisfied?” Vorm calmly asked. There was no mocking, no insults, just a cold inquiry.

Ray didn’t answer for a long time. He didn’t know what he felt exactly. He felt grief and sorrow. He forced himself to kill the girl. He thought he would gladly kill her, but found himself not wanting to. He still did it, and now, he felt regret and remorse as if he lost part of himself. But under all the grief, he felt relief as well, it was finally over, and he could find his peace now. He looked towards east as the sky slowly brightened there. As his time was coming, his feelings slowly settled, and calm washed over him.

I don’t know, but it is what it is. It’s not so bad to die like this. Ray softly acknowledged. He changed too much and he grew too complacent. But he didn’t want to live like that anymore, so he broke free, broke all his chains, even if the price he paid was high.

“Mm, in a way, it’s a beautiful death, you did good.” For once, Vorm’s tone was neutral, no mocking, no derision, as if it genuinely meant what it said. It surprised Ray. It made him feel warmth and comfort, and as the first rays of the sun hit him, he faded away feeling content. Goodbye Vorm, thank you.

Vorm couldn’t help but laugh, but Ray was not there anymore to hear it. The sun shone on a dead city, and the silver moon faded.