Shadows

Shadows.



Her legs were pumping, sending precious blood through her veins. She was sucking air in shallow, gasping breaths. Sweat was beading on her forehead. The light was filtered; shining down in patches between the dark pine trees. As she ran, she was continually blinded by the changing light. Running through the patches of moonlight was hurting her eyes and blinding her; but it was impossible to avoid them.

Shadow

Light

Shadow

Light

And he—it—whatever it was—began to close in on her. She turned around, for one final glimpse of her pursuer. Although she saw its face, she didn’t see the tree root.

She crashed heavily to the ground, and he was upon her. The last thing she remembered was the wolf’s terrible roar as it lunged toward her throat.





Alida woke in a cold sweat. Her heart was pounding. She fell back against her pillow for a moment, taking in the morning light. Since she was a child, nightmares about the wolves had plagued her.

With a sigh, she got up and put on her clothes for the day. She was about to head out, when she remembered her crucifix. She fingered the worn silver cross. Everyone in the village had one, as protection against the wolf-men that prowled in the forest surrounding their tiny valley.

As Alida opened the door, she was greeted with the appearance of her escort, Laan. Laan had been chosen as her protector the day she was orphaned. Alida was destined to become the next leader of the village when she came of age. Because of this, she had to be protected. Laan was both her best friend and her guard. They’d grown up together, and were being trained for their future duties together.

“You seem distracted today,” said Laan. He knew her so well.

“I had another nightmare,” Alida sniffled. They were a painful reminder of her father’s fate. Laan noticed her distress, and enveloped her in a bear hug. It felt so right to be close to him, with his arms wrapped around her.

“Where’s your cross? You know tonight’s a full moon right?” Alida said, pulling away. Now that she thought about it, Laan hadn’t worn his cross for days. Laan’s eyes glinted darkly, and he frowned.

“Oh, I must have forgotten it again, silly me,” there was something off in his tone. “Well we better get to school, or we’ll be late.” He started to walk away, but stopped when Alida didn’t follow.

She studied his face for a moment, his green eyes shining in the sunlight. That’s funny she thought. I could have sworn his eyes were brown.

They stood that way for a moment, and then started towards the schoolhouse. Alida couldn’t honestly say that she liked school, but then again, she didn’t hate it. The day passed in a blur, and before she knew it, she and Laan were the only ones left.

“Why don’t you two head on out?” It was Anika, the teacher. Alida shook herself out of her drowsiness. “Oh, and happy sixteenth birthday Alida,” she called after them.

Alida and Laan walked for a few minutes in silence. “Hey, I know something that will cheer you up,” said Laan.

She looked at him suspiciously. She just wasn’t in the mood for birthdays or celebrations today. She absent-mindedly fingered the cross on her necklace. Laan began to steer them in the direction of the forest.

“I’m sorry for this morning,” he said. “I’m just not a morning person. I thought being here would cheer you up.” They stood on the verge of the forest, with the impossibly tall trees stretching hundreds of feet into the air. Alida was having trouble seeing as they walked deeper into the woods. The sun was setting behind them, causing the trees to cast deep shadows over everything.

“Where are we going?” Alida finally asked. It was beginning to get chilly, and she shivered.

“Just a little farther,” he told her.

At last they reached a still pool, where the trees had cleared just enough to show a piece of the crimson colored sky. The colors were reflected beautifully in the pond; making it seem like a piece of the sky had fallen down to the earth.

“It’s beautiful,” she gasped. Although Alida loved the forest, it was sometimes hard for her to be there, especially because her father had been bitten by one of the wolf-men here. No one had known what happened until the next full moon, when he transformed into a beast and killed a man. Shortly after, the villagers mobbed and killed him.

Laan looked over at Alida, blushed, and looked away. “Alida, I’ve wanted to tell you something for a long time now,” he began.

“Really?” Alida was breathless. Laan reached out, and held her hands in his own.

“Alida, you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. I know it’s improper for a guardsman to be with his leader, but I…well…I want to be with you forever,” and with that he leaned forward and gently kissed her.

“Oh Laan!” She kissed him back, her darkened mood completely forgotten. She couldn’t think of anyone she’d rather be with at that instant.

A moment later, Laan pulled away from her. Alida opened her arms, inviting him back. “Before this goes any farther I need to be sure of something,” he said. He stood with his back to the pool, as the moon began to rise in the horizon.

“What is it, Laan?”

He looked as though he was struggling with something. A strange looked came over him and passed. “Alida, I need to be sure that you really love me. Do you really want to be with me forever?”

Alida shivered though she wasn’t sure if it was the cold or her nerves. “Of course Laan, I’ll always love you, no matter what.”

At that, Laan allowed himself a smile. “Good, because after this night, you will always be mine,” he growled. As the moon shone down from above, a ghostly white light filled the clearing. The shadows that had covered everything seemed to grow darker in the places the light couldn’t reach them.

With the advantage of the moonlight, Alida was able to see her childhood nightmares unfold in reality. As Laan looked at her, his body grew massive, and his teeth sharpened into horrible points. His fingernails grew longer and sharper into the claws of a wolf.

Through her terror, Alida could hear the howling of wolves. The pack of wolf-men would be on them soon. Finally, she broke from her trance. “Laan…” she sobbed. Everything she knew about him was a lie. She felt tears begin to well up and spill onto her cheeks. Not only was he one of the kind that killed her father, but he was going to kill her too.

Alida sprinted away from the pond, stumbling over every root and branch in the forest. She had no idea how long Laan’s transformation would take, or where she was. At last, Alida found a suitable looking tree, and scrambled up it just as Laan came around a corner. He was still humanoid, but he now had a tail, and was covered in fur.

“Alida, come out. You can’t hide forever. Don’t you want to be with me?” Even as he said the words, his mouth transformed into a hideous snout, and he let out a terrible snarl. He doubled over so that his arms hung low in front of his body. The transformation was complete.

He began to circle around the bottom of the tree. Alida suddenly understood that this was in no way her Laan. He wasn’t just going to bite her and make her one of them. No, he fully intended to kill her.

Alida began to tremble, and she slipped part of the way down the trunk. She couldn’t suppress a cry of surprise. Laan roared, and easily bounded up to where she was. He fiercely grabbed her leg in his mouth, breaking the skin as he pulled her down the forest floor.

He dropped her, and reared up one last time to strike. Alida was dizzy, and her vision was blurry, as she’d hit her head hard on the ground. She opened her eyes just in time to see what Laan intended to do. The moon glinted in his bright green eyes as his snarling jaw lunged for her throat.

Alida grabbed the silver crucifix reflexively; praying for what she thought would be the last time. She pointed the long end of the cross toward Laan as he landed on top of her. The silver cross sank deep into Laan’s chest, and he howled with all the rage of the world. He thrashed wildly about for a moment, and then was still.

After a minute, Alida opened her eyes, shocked to be alive. She rolled out from underneath Laan’s massive wolf-like body. She felt empty inside. What would she do now that her protector, her guard, her best friend and only love in the world was gone? The shadows seemed to mirror her mood, shifting darkly in the moonlight.

Almost by instinct, she smoothed her tattered skirt, revealing the bloody bite Laan had left on her leg. As the moon shone down on Alida, she felt a feral, bloodthirsty rage beginning to build within her.

The transformation had begun.