Four Years Ago
The night was darker than usual; as black as the deepest pits of hell. It wasn't a new moon though; the moon had swollen to a full circle, it was just that its silvery radiance was hidden by the thick cover of clouds which hung low and heavy in the dark sky. The usually silver dappled forests in the outskirts were black, and the quite hoots of the birds and the nocturnal gazes of bats gave it a sense of malevolence. The crow shrieked as the harried footsteps were heard. The crowing was considered a bad omen for any visitor but with the nightingales all sleeping, the crow took it upon itself to welcome the guest into their forest home.
The footsteps were loud and the girl who those belonged to huffed loudly as she skidded to a halt in front of a huge banyan tree. The banyan tree was ancient and one of the forests' oldest inhabitants, its branches twining and meeting the ground. The tree was a respected Elder1 and one of the links between the magical world of Verafeisai2 and the human world.
The girl skidded to a halt as soon as she saw the tree. Gulping in fear she placed her hand on one of the trees' older boughs. The power that the tree wielded seemed to pulse in the humid air. The girl sprang apart from the tree, hands clutched to her heaving chest as if a shock of electricity had sparked through them. Her eyes seemed to gleam in the dark, a beautiful grey which contained the power to change colors as if part of a kaleidoscope.
The girl knew what it would mean if she chose to leave her world. She'd have to live in fear, surrounded by the disgusting stench of weak and frail humans. However it was a sacrifice she had to pay if she ever sought of living a peaceful life. 'You can do this.' She encouraged herself.
The thick cover of clouds parted and the moon shone down. The girl pressed her hands to her brow then her heart. "My fate is now in your hands, Goddess. I pledge my life as yours."
With the name of four moon gods in her mind she pressed her hand again on the trees’ boughs. It wasn't painful— the feeling of electricity, it was tingling her palms but she was more afraid of the howls and footsteps behind her. Cocooning herself in the reassurance and warmth of the darkness around her, she ran through the invisible barrier. She gasped as she felt a weird feeling go through her: she was on human territory now.
She fell down against the trunk of another tree, energy seemingly spent from all the running. Though her kind was not favoured by the animals, the girl with the legendary Wilhem7 eyes was a source of excitement for all the trees and the forests' inhabitants. The birds chirped around her and many of the wild cats prowled about her. They were a lesser breed, not as majestic as the lions or tigers, but cats nonetheless. They growled at her, wary, they knew that in the chain of predators this girls' kind was ranked way up higher than them, she was after all not a mere human but something more sinister, more dangerous. The footsteps and the howls were getting nearer but the girl was too wrapped up in the thought that she had made it out of Verafeisai and her only hope was that the wolves would not follow her into the human territory.
The wolves burst through the trees and stopped when they neared the tree. For all of their power, they were no match for the Elder Tree; even they knew the amount of power the tree possessed. It was their choice to defy their own nature and break through the barrier or stay where they were. Though the first option seemed like an unlikely option to the girl, it wasn't entirely impossible. The latter had its own merits, one of them being that they would live to see another day but the demerit being that they had to defy the late Alpha's dying wish.
The girl sat up, a hysterical smile on her face and eyes glowing with bloodlust.
"Not so sure of being able to catch me now, do you still think you can?" She started laughing and it was loud but an ice like frost spread in her voice. Until she had this strange look in her eyes, a look which said death. The wolves whined and pawed on the loose soil, unsure of what to do. They were reluctant to catch her…
They were Loup garou8; mythical beings from stories of old and a source of amusement in the contemporary world. Their legends changed from region to region, country to country. Their mere existence wasn't supposed to be real and that is why all over the planet protective shields had been made by witch covens to save the magical world of Verafeisai. If it were up to the witches, all the Loup garou would be dead; the only thing that stopped them was a treaty— the Qaxida Accords9— in which representatives of all mythical beings had signed and submitted to.
The only thing mythical about them was that they live like humans and mingle in the society. They didn't. The only ones who even thought of staying in the human world were Loup garou or the infamous name 'werewolves' that had been given to them.
Back in the forest, it seemed as if the wolves had momentarily forgotten their orders as they stared up at the girl. Their coats were mangy and scars covered their bodies but they wore them like medals of valor. As their eyes turned a milky color, the girl realized that they were being given new orders. It had been foolish of her to think that they wouldn't follow her into the human world. It had been wishful thinking but it wasn't like she had expected to run away unscathed.
As if possessed by an invisible force they both walked forward. Out in the real world it was finally visible how abnormal they were; bigger than any normal wolves, lither and faster. Animal senses meshed with human intelligence.
The girl scrambled to her feet. The fight had gone from her eyes. It was the animal in her which spurred her to move forward; the natural instinct of flight overpowering all. Her bare body was covered in mud, twigs in her hair, her feet were caked with mud and a few cuts from the slightly rocky terrain. She shifted, bones cracking and mouth painfully protruding into a jaw. The shift from were into wolf was painful and became easier with each shift. But not having shifted often it became painful for her.
Her grey eyes remained and the intelligence in them burned through like fire. The animal in her had taken over. She grinned wolfishly at her pursuers who were looking at her in shock. When she ran by, she was a mere blur of black. The black of coat became muddy from the wet earth but the feeling of freedom and the cold air blowing around her, whistling past her ears made her feel alive.
Paws pounding into the mud and body splattered with it, she howled at this newfound enjoyment and her jubilation was like that of a newly shifted werewolf; even though it had been more than two years since her first shift. She howled at the moon, hackles rising and eyes glowing. The earthy scent was addicting and she wanted to kill an animal.
It was a tradition for each werewolf to hunt for their prey and eat it after their first shift. Nobody helped you with that, it was a right and your rank or status did not matter.
The enemies were still pursuing her relentlessly and wouldn't stop until they had her, she had to be quick and make sure they didn't catch her. She couldn't stop for a kill right now. Her mother had had always said, 'All good things come to those who wait.' So even though her wolf clawed inside her mind to take control and kill an animal, it was a fight of wills between the wolf mind and the human mind. Over the years the human part had won many times in these battles of wills and she won now too. She would escape and then she would enjoy her life. She promised herself silently.
They growled and howled, more answering howls reverberating in the cold night. A cold sweat broke out and her movements became sloppy from the panic and dread. She had thought that she had only two pursuers but if the howls were anything to judge by there were more than half a dozen wolves hot on her heels.
The tree cover started thinning but she thought nothing of it. Until she saw the paths end in a steep cliff. The fall would be deadly… lethal. Jumping would be suicide but trying to stay and fight - she would definitely lose her life.
These were seasoned warriors after her; warriors who have suffered through whiplashes and burn marks and severe training, warriors who have sometimes survived bullets. On one side, there were these who had been trained to fight and survive since they first shifted and on the other, there was a girl who had shifted to her wolf form only twice or thrice in the whole two years since her first shift. It was a no brainer who would win.
She stood her ground though, head tilted up in defiance. Jumping down the cliff and dying would be a coward's way and she was no coward. She pawed the slightly wet earth one last time, memorizing the sweet smell of it and the silvery radiance of the moon. The wind blew again, picking up the smell of wild flowers. Due to her heightened senses she could also hear the gushing noise of a small stream deep in the forest. This was a good place to die.
The wolves padded towards her slowly. Their heavy bodies defying the laws of physics in their cat like agility and grace.
Their eyes were black and so were most of their pelts. So, these were going to be her killers.
They didn't do anything and just stood there until slowly one by one they started bowing down to her, laying on their bellies, tail still and rigid. It was their compassionate eyes, so full of sorrow and pain that undid her. They didn't want this for her but the orders of the current Alpha could not be denied.
She shifted back into her human form, without claws and teeth. With all dignity lost as the cold air touched her bare muddy body, without anything. Tears slowly streamed down her cheeks and her stomach twisted inside of her, making her want to throw up. She screamed and cried, hands banging on the dirt beneath. She knew these wolves, so loyal to the pack yet for her they defied it all. She understood their dilemma; if she was not killed their families would be…
The wolves were quite, hearts singing in agony as they sung a sorrowful song.
With each passing minute they grew more attached to the crying girl. They couldn't save her or their families would be killed. The creatures were not mindless and even though they had pursued her, they wanted to save her.
As the figurative clock struck to midnight, the girl stopped crying. Her bones started cracking again, reforming and joining growing bigger. Fur sprouted from her hair follicles and it felt as if her skin was being burnt. This was what happened to every wolf under the influence of a full moon. They change into Lycans11 which is a higher form of werewolf. The only people who cannot change are the Omegas12.
If the senses of a werewolf were sharp, then they were even sharper for Lycans. Even healing becomes fast.
The girl would have her life back, away from this evil place. All of her pursuers agreed to it, eyes locking on one another.
With that thought burning in his mind, one of the wolves ran forward and pushed the girl over the cliff in her disoriented new state. It happened so quick she couldn't react. She fell down howling.
The wolves all whined and pawed the earth. That day they cried.
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