Crimson Moonset ↠ TWILIGHT

chapter 4: 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬

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It was pouring when River woke up in her den up in the Olympic mountains. With the early morning, she rose from her bedding and dashed outside, down the moss-covered slope and into the wet forest.

The rain hammered against her pelt, making loud splat noises, but the pressure of it wasn't painful. It felt nice as it hit against her aching muscles. The roar of thunder and rain also drowned out the thoughts that plagued her night and day.

There was not much to do these days. River used to have so many responsibilities for the tribe she was born and raised in, but since she was exiled...

River wished she could feel numb again, but she couldn't recall how she'd managed it before back in the tribe. Perhaps it was more peaceful to bare that numbness surrounded by all she knew. A nightmare that she had last night was nagging at her, making River think about the old days that sent pangs of sadness to her heart like sharp, frozen shards of ice. She didn't want to recall her birth home. The thought of it made her shudder away from such images, filling her eyes with tears and it caused an aching feeling to grow around the edges of the hole in her chest.

River shook her head and kept walking through the dense woodland. She had no desire to relieve the pain she had to go through all those moons ago. This was a burden that she deserved. A burden that she will soon be rid of when the time comes.

As she journeyed, River barely paid any attention to where she was going – just wandering through the critter-scarce, wet forest, avoiding thorn bushes and sharp brambles. The terrain here was much thicker than the one she was used to, but it was still nice.

River stopped walking after a while and crouched under a thick-leafed tree that sheltered her from the rain. Curling over, River pressed her broad, puma head flat against the trunk and tried to breathe. She wondered how long this eerie freedom was going to last before they'd finally come for her. Perhaps a week from now, many more winters maybe. By then, would River look back on all her old memories with a settled heart? Good and bad? Despite everything, River was grateful for all the time she was given. It was more than she could ask for. More than she ought to have.

Holding herself tightly together, River considered everything. She feared what was inevitable. Would she still feel such despair when a Chosen came for her? It had been many moons. Too many. Did they forget about her? Did they even care? The paranoia was torture, and that was their greatest method of punishment.

After this long of waiting, River had undoubtedly changed. She had altered almost past the point of recognition. Her face was shallower, her fur wiry and not soft like it used to be. She had white whiskers from stress popping out from all over her flank. Her sapien form – her human body – looked starved and trapped within her own mind. It was one of the reasons River never shifted back. Her human eyes that were once frosty and bright, now grew dull and dark against her pallid human flesh that – if she were beautiful and seen from a distance – she might even pass for a vampire. But River no longer was beautiful. She was as dead as she felt.

River let out a shaky laugh at the thought of being a vampire. The humorous thought distracted her from her pain. Her breathing eased and she was able to pull away from the tree. Her pelt was absolutely soaked, and her whiskers were dripping heavily by rivulets of water trickling down her head like tears.

Sluggishly, River stepped back out into the now drizzling rain. The wet weather had dripped through her fur, cooling her. It helped clear her mind.

River blinked the water from her eyes and stared blankly down the tall slope she'd come across.

A house stood at the bottom, tucked comfortably into the trees. It looked old, but cozy. An ancestral home, maybe? But what she did know for sure was that this was a werewolf home. It reeked of them. It wasn't a bad smell... it was just a dog smell. Vampires smelled a little better, like cold stone and lemongrass. Though, Karakurt had described the scent of vampires for his kind to be nothing but tangy and dead. River wasn't sure if that was just him being biased, though.

River began to climb down the steep slope. Her visits had become a normal occurrence these past three moons. She had met the Karakurt's four packmates, Jared, Embry, Quil and Paul. Then a week later, she had finally met Emily, the Karakurt's life mate.

There was a scuffle, and four wolves came bounding out of the wilderness on the right side of the clearing. River let out a huff of greeting and immediately the canines made their way to her. Their leader was nowhere to be seen.

Jared was the first to meet her with a small wag of his tail. "Hi, River. You're early."

"Jared," she greeted, sending acknowledging looks to the other three werewolves who huffed back in welcome as they trotted towards the house, shifting back into their sapien forms before going inside. The smell of Emily's cooking must of attracted them.

River peered around. "Where is Ka... Sam?" She quickly corrected herself. River had gotten used to calling Sam a Karakurt that it had become a sort of nickname for him. She found it amusing whenever he had flicked an ear in irritation, but nonetheless River tried to not call him that around the others.

"Recruiting our newest member," Jared explained, flicking an ear after a large raindrop hit it. "Jacob Black. He just shifted yesterday."

"I see."

Werewolves had a peculiar way of life. Most werepuma's shifted during the early days after their birth, but these canines almost went their entire lives without experiencing the way of their true nature. The gene even often skipped many. Sam told her the gene was mostly active when vampires move in the area, so that the Tribe was ready to defend and protect itself and the citizens in town. It was strange, to say the least.

Suddenly, a loud and familiar howl pierced the air, and a huge black wolf leaped into the clearing followed by a rust-coloured male. The new wolf looked strong, but he was still a little smaller than the Karakurt. His muscles flexed under his thick fur, and his colour outshined the others. Vibrant and well kept. A flicker of fire in the light. It reminded River of her youngest brother, Bracken, who had a similar texture to his golden-brown pelt.

Sam padded his way over to River once he spotted her with Jared, seeming pleased by her convenient presence. However, the new wolf, Jacob, looked sceptical, and he stared at her suspiciously. "What the hell is that?"

"Her name is River," Sam informed him, warningly. "She's not a part of the tribe nor our pack, but she is helping us hunt this vampire. She is accepted within our territory as a close ally. Show some respect, Jake."

"Right..." Jacob seemed to be uneasy, nonetheless. Jared bumped Jacob's side with his own encouragingly. "Nice to meet you..." he spoke, uncomfortably.

"Likewise." River's answer was prompt.

The Karakurt gave him an impatient look and shifted back in his sapien form with ease. He turned around and nodded respectfully at River. "It's good to see you here, again."

With a twitch of her whiskers, River watched as the other two shifted also and followed Sam inside the old house. Jacob paused before he entered and turned around to look at her again, uncertainty in his eyes.

River let out a chuff at him, blinking in amusement when he jumped in surprise and scrambled inside the house. 

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