The humidity of the summer night had become unbearable as I travelled through Middleham forest. Shadows were cast on the ground from the moon’s fullness, right through the canopy of the trees to the forest floor. I was thankful for the tall trees and thick brush that kept me hidden from the main road. I had been travelling only a few days –about a week or so – and within such short time, I devised a walking pattern. During the day, I would drink the Sunwalkers Potion and allow myself to walk through the fields, soaking up the rays of the sun. At night I would wander somewhat close to any towns I could find, listening to the pounding of hearts, and inhaling the scent of their sweet hormones and blood, but I always kept meters away, never pushing myself to get closer than I could handle.
It was my own way of testing myself, making sure I was able to handle human scent and sound without going out of control. So many times I wanted to dash into the towns that I passed, to cause mass panic and commit murder, but the memory of Andrea dying by my doing made me bite the needs back. As I continued to walk, only the occasional sound of an owl hooting, some deer scurrying, and other random critters was registered by me; there was never a sense of danger. Another hour passed as I walked, and the dirt under my feet began to change in density. Instead of hard packed dirt, it was soft and luscious as if not many had walked through the very spot.
Following the path that I had taken, I stopped to look around, realizing I had made it to a large clearing. Beautiful blue-green grass swayed in the wind and fireflies danced in the air as I took a moment to be free. I spun around laughing, arms out stretched, and I began to daydream of what life would be like when Antarus and I would be together again. With the beautiful cloud of fireflies around me, it was as if I was dancing in the stars. As I laughed and had a moment to myself, a sudden downwind breeze made me stop dead in my tracks. My nose began twitching with a caught scent as I realized I was not alone. The sudden loud thumping of a single heartbeat turned into four, then five, and then more. Before I knew what was happening, I was surrounded by a group of large wolves. They were absolutely massive, and it was terrifying – had I still had a beating heart, it would have leapt in my chest, slammed against my ribcage and maybe even stop in fear.
Looking around me I took them in, my eyes landing on each one as they came from the woods. Their eyes peered at me, each set glowing in different hues; yellows, reds, oranges and more. The fear fully set in; a lengthy chill ran down my spine, and my hand clutched tightly to my bag, slung over my shoulder. My other hand had immediately reached to the side of a hip, fingers landing on the slender handle of a dagger. I looked around myself in the wide, but ever closing circle of enemies, counting not four, not five, but eight fully overgrown beasts.
Adrenaline rushed through me as I began trying to think of some way to scare them off. My mind rushed through a plethora of strategies, ranging from fire to throwing my bag down and running. As I contemplated my choices, trying to devise some sort of plan. my eyes grew wide as one of the large wolves came forward. It seemed that this wolf was the leader of the pack. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, the wolf transformed, leaving a human girl standing in front of me. I rapidly blinked, unable to believe what I had just seen, and I squinted my eyes taking her in. She couldn’t have been much taller than me, maybe by a few inches, and instead of a curved soft body she had a boyish figure – straight lines and muscles.
Along with her toned physical presence, the aura and confidence she carried was enough to rattle anyone standing before her – even the largest of men. Her hair was cut in a bob that was short in the back, with a wisp of fringe that just fell into her sight. I was almost envious she went into public like that. Dressing differently was surely to make her stick out, and I could only wish to do the same. My eyes skimmed over her tanned skin, taking in how the black of her clothing – men’s clothing might I add- not only stood out against her skin, but the ruby coloured hair on her head.
“Who are you, and why are you in OUR forest?”
Her voice was low toned, curt and boisterous. There was a hint of something feminine there but it was covered by the gruff growling she made. I must have taken too long for her liking, because she stepped forward and sniffed the air around me. Whatever I smelled like to her had immediately set her on edge and she gave me a bewildered look.
“You’re one of them – one of the undead! What are you doing here?! ANSWER ME!” She stepped forward, obviously wanting to get in my face to sneer and bare her teeth, but she kept her distance. Her voice was so loud it was as if she was barking at me, an analogy that only seemed fitting considering her previous appearance, I was taken aback by how aggressive she was with a simple stranger, and I took one step back from her, growling coming from behind me as the wolves closed in around me slowly. I swallowed audibly, my nerves starting to get the best of me, but I forced myself to take a deep breath, steady myself and prepare to speak to this beastly woman. With that deep breath settling in my lungs, my nerves relaxed, shoulders pushed back, giving me a more confident appearance and I spoke calm and slow, making sure to speak as loud and clear as possible.
“My name is Jade Nixon, and I am travelling to Liverpool to seek out a woman. I decided to pass through the woods to keep away from the villages and towns during the night.” I spoke nothing but the truth, of course keeping the exact details to myself, as there was just no telling what this woman, and her wolf pack, would do to me had they found out I was seeking a powerful witch. She frowned at me with gleaming hazel eyes that had a spark of gold in them, her jaw shifted to the side with a grim line as she mulled over my answer.
Circling me like a shark, she looked me over, moving her eyes up and down and with a slight shake of her head she spoke, “I’m sorry to say this Miss. Nixon, but I just do not believe you. Now, you’re surrounded, eight to one, you can either come with me willingly, or we can do this the hard way. Nobody walks through Middleham forest and isn’t known about by the Morgenstern Pack, especially some undead girl such as you.”
She snickered a bit as she spoke to me, looking around at her pack with a soft chuckle, and when I turned giving some of the members a glance; it was as if they had a snarky grin on their maw. I swallowed hard, she was right. I was surrounded and my best chance would be to comply and hopefully not get hurt. Taking a deep breath, my gaze shifted between the glowing eyes of the pack. Their hearts were beating so rapidly and loudly that the sound was a dull roar in my ears. The quickened pace reminded me of drums being played in some primal ritualistic beat. They all seemed as if they were on edge; fur bristled and standing up on their ends. I wondered if they thought I would attack them, try to get away or something, and maybe if I had been stupid I would of ran, but I knew better – I was fast alright, but not enough to outrun eight rather large wolves.
Standing nice and tall, I looked the woman in the eyes, “Alright, you can take me where you need to and I will speak to your superior. I have done nothing, except for pass through these woods, and I am hopeful that your superior is not as rude as you and a lot more understanding.” I scoffed annoyed as she barred her teeth at me and with a slight snarl she gripping my arm and began leading me away. Led deeper into the forest, it began to grow thick and dark, the wolves that had once surrounded me, had morphed as well and were now humans, each varying in size and mass, and all men.
Three hours had passed since we had started walking, and finally the forest’s floor changed from luscious softness, to a solid paved road. As we broke through the forest, I looked off into the distance; from where we stood I could see a hill; and on that hill was a large stone keep. As we got closer to it, about three hundred yards away or so, I could hear the faint sound of music being played. As I focused my hearing on the sounds, it made me smile wide when I recognized the song, Caged Bird.
The song was something I had heard often as a child. It was a beautiful song, so very elegant and happy, that I walked with a slight bounce in my step. Looking up at the large stone mass with the beautiful sounds I began to believe that surely a home like this wouldn’t pose much of a threat – right? My thoughts begun to stir as I wondered who lived there, why would they capture me, and would I make it out alive.
Serenity K Moon 