He was miserable. He was jerking his head left and right as shadows flashed all around him. He couldn’t focus on the blur of motion around them and his eyes were wide and wild looking. After some time, the fear of attack faded from his mind simply because he was exhausted. If these things were real and if they were going to attack, then let them come. Dying didn’t seem so bad when compared with running forever from a tireless enemy that outnumbered you by thousands.
No, this is not where he would die. If a fight came, he would meet it with both hands, on his feet. The wolf kept walking in that same rigid fashion in the same rigid line she had been following since she entered these woods. He followed her example as she led him deeper into this strange place, this place where the shadows moved.
After some time had passed, he and his guide stepped into a small clearing in the trees. He was able to look through the forest canopy and see the stars. They were losing their brightness and soon there would be no stars left in the sky as they submitted to and disappeared in the new dawn.
The heat didn’t seem so oppressive in this small space under the stars. He inhaled and realized that he couldn’t smell anything. There was no scent at all. The trees, the dirt even the wolf at his side, nothing smelled.
He looked down at his companion and she was sitting on her haunches looking straight forward as she had been doing since they had entered the clearing. He looked through the darkness at the trees. They were standing still, and everything was quiet. He was slightly disturbed at the thought of there being no smells here. And he was irritated that he hadn’t noticed it earlier. Was the whole forest like this? The lack of scents was probably driving the wolf crazy. He knew that she hunted and was guided by her nose just as much as was by her keen sight, this must be torture for her.
As he looked into the trees trying to penetrate the shadows, all at once there was movement all around them. He could see pine needles fall to the ground as trees were jostled by what appeared to be a tornado just outside the clearing. He could hear whooping and yelling, strange barks and laughter as shadows moved and whirled around them. They were standing in the eye of a storm of shadows and cruel laughter. The trees were being shaken and a cacophony of noise met his ears.
The wolf sat where she was, not moving, her eyes stayed locked in front of her. He turned his head trying to follow the shadows as they danced and twirled and blended into the wind. A wind that didn’t touch the clearing itself but tore into the trees bordering the clearing.
Then just as quickly as the tornado started, it ended. They were standing in the clearing and the noise and movement around them stopped. The sudden stillness and silence made his ears howl and his skin crawl. There was something not right here. Six figures entered the clearing at the same instant.
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.
He was looking ahead of him just as the wolf was. Two forms appeared in front of them while two more appeared at their sides. He felt the hairs rise on the back of his neck and he somehow knew that two more forms had appeared behind them. Standing in front of them was one human female and one very nasty looking wolf. He was covered in a dark, uniform brown fur that covered his entire body. One of his ears had been scarred where something had taken off half of it. His eyes were gold like the she-wolf at his side but darker somehow. He could see no empathy or pity or fear in those eyes. He wasn’t afraid but he felt a deep sadness for this wolf. Something terrible must have happened to him to make him so cold.
The girl standing next to him was covered in skins much like he was except she was wearing straight black bear skin pants. Her chest was left partially uncovered, while a strip of brown leather covered most of her breasts. Her skin was pale white, made even paler by the soft waning starlight.
“What are you looking at?” The girl spat at him. Her voice was rough and deep, almost like she hadn’t spoken for a while. She shook her head and her waist long strawberry blond hair was loosened and fell over her chest covering her curves.
He moved his eyes upward and locked his blue green eyes with her stark blue ones. She didn’t pay him much attention but instead turned to his companion. “What are you doing here?”
His companion uttered a short burst of whines and barks. He found himself looking down at his companion, he hadn’t heard her make this much noise ever.
The female looked at the wolf then to him. She bent down and rubbed her hand along the neck of the big brown wolf at her side. They looked at each other for a while. The woman stood back up.
“You have us at a disadvantage.” Her hard look softened and she smiled at his wolf companion. “You seem to know us but we have no idea who you are.” She stepped forward and offered her hand to him. “I’m Tasha.”
He looked down at her hand. It was small and delicate looking. However, the man to his right was neither small nor delicate. If this woman spoke for this group, it would be unwise to underestimate her. He reached out his hand and she gripped it. Her hand possessed a startling strength and he smiled as they matched strength in an iron grip match of a handshake.
“I’m William.”
She let go of his hand and turned to the wolf. She lowered her self down and looked at her in much the same way as she had done with the brown wolf. He watched as the two females looked at each other.
After a time, Tasha stood up and shook her head. Smiling she turned back to William. “Your companion tells me you have been having some trouble with some agents.”
William couldn’t help his eyes grow wide as Tasha told him this. My companion told you what? How? Tasha must have picked up on his confusion because her laugh rang out through the clearing. It was full and beautiful. He hadn’t spoken to another person in almost two years and it was good to hear the sound of someone else’s voice besides his own.
“Why, William, I do believe you seem shocked,” she said with an overtly fake southern bell accent. He wasn’t quite sure if he should laugh or be insulted. There were a lot of weird things going on in these woods, least of which this strange girl who could communicate with wolves. No stranger than you turning into a werewolf every full moon. He ignored his own sarcastic retort.