She sat perched on a thick long branch in complete darkness. She felt the moist moss beneath her hand where she gripped the bark. Her breathing was steady, long deep breaths, keeping her balance. Her eyes were focused. It was dark with only the light from the moon illuminating the forest. She waited silently. Then she heard the rustle of bushes. She saw what she had been tracking since sunset. Hunting at night may not be the safest option, but she had the advantage. She positioned her bow. Slowly she pulled the arrow back, keeping herself completely quiet. She breathed, in and out…in and out. Focused on her target, still holding the arrow at the ready with her right hand, she released. She hit her target. Of course, she rarely missed.
As she descended to retrieve her prize she remembered the many days she spent hunting unsuccessfully, the many nights she spent enduring the pain of hunger. She remembered eating grasshoppers and worms which were the easiest to get her hands on and learning which berries were safe to eat by watching birds and deer. She wasn't skilled enough to catch them yet, so she resorted to just watching and thus learning to track them and where they had been. A mere 12 years old, cast out on her own to survive. Since then she had become an expert and a woman. She had learn to hunt in many ways and had learned how to survive on her own. She had hunted rabbits, squirrels, mice, raccoons, and birds. Small animals she would be able to finish in one or two sittings without leaving a scent to be followed.
As she retreated to her hideaway, she heard crackling of trees and thumps that shook the ground beneath her. Thud Had they heard her? She was so sure to be quiet. Thud..Thud She would have to have her rabbit for breakfast tomorrow. She couldn’t risk leaving an aroma of freshly cooked meat. She traveled about five minutes before she reached her hideout. She hurried through the thick wall of bushes that hid an archway, replacing the branches that covered the entrance. The thumps continued in the opposite direction, fading in the distance. She hurried along the path that led to her cottage. Covered in old vines and dead leaves. She started to climb up the lattice that stood on the side of the house. She entered through a small window in the attic. She shut the wooden cover and latched it with a long piece of wood, preventing anyone from opening it from the outside, at least not without a struggle.
She went to a tiny stove that sat next to a crack in the wall and lit a lantern illuminating the tiny room. Although she could see at night, it was only with the help of the moonlight, as there was only one window that was boarded, she could not see when it was pitch black. There was a small mattress piled with blankets and fur she had stitched together from the many small animals she’d killed and skinned. She had an extra pair of boots for when winter came and a trunk full of heavy jackets, socks, long-sleeved shirts, pants and undergarments she had been luckily enough to ransack from neighboring cottages. She had been fortunate enough to find this secluded and well-hidden cottage for a hideout, but it did not have a single necessity, so she had rummaged any place she could for supplies. There was a small table against the wall with jars of berries, jams, water she had collected from the well outside, beans, lentils, and rice to last her if she could not find her next meal. There was a bucket in the corner of the room for when she had to urinate and could not leave the safety of her home, otherwise her business would be taken care of in the woods. She went to a small mirror on the wall that hung over a tall table on which sat a big bowl. She poured the tiniest amount of water and dipped a small rag to wipe the marks from her face. She would have to go to the river in the morning to bathe. She quickly changed into cleaner clothes. Pants, a tank and belt. Socks and shoes on at the ready, never knowing when she would have to be on the run because she was never safe. She took the rabbit from her bag and placed it in the oven to suffocate the smell. Exhausted, she turned off the lantern and got into bed where she fell fast asleep.
As she slept, like countless nights before, she was visited by a dream. It was always the same one and it was always blurry, like a picture taken out of focus. She was standing in the forest alone as a child, surrounded in thick black fog. She was scared and weeping. Suddenly, someone grabs her hand and leads her through the woods, almost dragging her. They come to a stop near an old tree covered in green moss that lay across the forest floor. The figure opens a wooden door in the ground. Grabbing her by her shoulders, her mother kneels down to meet her gaze, and speaks to her. “Stay here baby, everything will be ok. Shhh..quiet as a mouse remember? I love you..” And just like that, her mother is gone and she stands there once again, alone in the forest.
There was a tiny hole in the wall, about 2 inches in diameter, that would let in sunlight every morning. Strategically she would lay herself so that it would shine in her face and wake her at sunrise. She stirred as the light hit her eyelids. Opening her eyes she got out of bed and made her way to the boarded window. She unlatched it removing the board that covered the window and peeked outside. It was clear. She climbed out and down the lattice, making her way to the river. She could hear the rushing water as she grew nearer. She had finally reached a part of the bank which had a good place to con
Thud….Thud Her head bobbed up over the bushes towards the center of the forest where she heard the noise. Thinking quickly, she ran towards the bank of the river. She gathered mud scooping it into the front of her shirt and carried it like a sack back to where the wolf lie. She began to rub it onto branches making the shelter more secure. Back and forth she ran while making sure to coat herself as well to hide her scent. After she had finally made a good enough shelter while also covering the wolf itself with mud to suffocate the scent of its blood she grabbed one big bunch of mulberry bushes and mints and laid on the top of the heap.
This blue light emanated from the ends of her hair to her scalp, from her finger tips to her toes, glowing like the moon itself, she shined. Dim at first, until she shined brighter than the stars. So bright the wolf had to shield its eyes from her. It began to feel a warming sensation all around its skin and fur. The warm feeling began to intensify until it began to burn. The wolf looked at itself to make sure it was not on fire. The wolf was glowing! The blue hue now engulfed it and was pulsating in waves. The wolf felt this being’s presence inside of it!&
In an unrelenting stand off, the girl and wolf remained like statues, holding their gaze upon one another. “Do not fear me, girl. I will not harm you. You have saved my life and for that, I owe you immensely,” the wolf told her. She stood up tall, withdrawing her blade and spoke to him. “You owe me nothing as you have likewise saved mine. I am grateful you have not ripped me to shreds, thank you.” She gave the wolf a slight bow with her head. At this, the wolf chuckled. He looked upon this tiny being, covered still in dried mu
“So, Dihanie is what you call those monsters?” she asked him, trying to break the tension. “Yes, well it’s what my pack calls them. I’m sure different packs call them different names,” he said, “What about you? What should I call you?” She smiled at him, “My name is Azura. Azura Luxe. What about yourself?” Standing up to walk over to her, hand extended, he replied, “My name is TyRex Lupinn, but everyone just calls me Ty.” She stood puzzled at his action, hand still extending towards her.
It was dark by the time they got to Ty’s pack. They reached a clearing and Ty could now feel the full force of the New Moon. He placed Azura on the ground and let out a loud howl. There was short wall built of boulders that stretched out far in either direction, with a broken part that formed an entrance. He picked her up again and continued through the opening. He had gotten halfway through the open field when two large wolves approached him. “Alpha Ty, where have you been? And who is that you have with you?” the larger of the two asked him. He was a copper color with dashes of white and had green
After much arguing, James finally conceded defeat and Ty went to Azura’s room to stay the night. He said it would not be safe for Ty to be in the room with her as the medicine worked on her body, but Ty wasn’t having it. He pulled the Alpha card and James had no choice, but to obey. As he lay on another cot in her room, he watched her carefully and listened to her heart beat, still very weak. As they carried on into the night, Ty began to struggle to keep his eyes open.He had almost fallen asleep when something caught his eye. Azura, again, began to glow. A blue hue starting from her hair and soon ran through her entire body,
Four days had passed and Azura had still not awaken. Ty grew more restless with each passing moment. He stayed with her at night and tried to visit as much as he could during the day, but he had important matters of the pack to attend to. Food had grown more and more scarce as the hunters brought back less and less. The lake which served as their primary source of water was beginning to dry. Crops began to either wither or not yield vegetables. Members of the pack were growing anxious and scared. This had been going on for months and the hunters now went deeper into the forest to hunt, but this was too dangerous to continue doing.