Midnight Wolf

It was weird how the woods looked exactly the same as it did fifteen years ago. It still  gave me the same strange vibes, the same demonic resonance, the same thought of home.

It had been my home ever since I was born. From the old oak trees to the friendly squirrels and everything in between. I had a feeling that this was the way it would be for the rest of my life.

Oh, how wrong one can be.

"Wolf! Where are you?" I heard a grandmotherly voice beckoning me. I looked to my left and saw nothing but dark trees, but I knew what lay far beyond.

I ran, the branches whipping my face, the roots threatening to trip me, the owls hooting angrily as I disturbed their peaceful rest.

"Wolf!" they'd cry after me. "Stop being such a nuisance!"

I never understood how they knew my name.

Maybe it was because whenever Elder Catherine beckoned to me, I came running. It wasn't like I had much choice. She was my only friend.

I faintly noted the placing of the moon. It was low, and I was fearful I wouldn't get to Elder Catherine's cottage in time. I began to run faster, pushing my legs to their maximum limit, my arms swinging wildly at my sides. I was never a fast runner during the nighttime. I wondered if Elder Catherine new how early it was.

Finally I saw a break in the woods. I saw the end of a dirt path, and along that path, a small mossy house where Elder Catherine saw on the porch.

I huffed and puffed as I sat down on the steps. "I'm sorry for being late."

"Nonsense, child, today it does not matter what form you take. I have news for you." I looked up into her kind, heart-shaped face. I prayed that I was related to her. Though, for all I knew, I was related to no one.

"What's the good news?" I asked excitedly. It wasn't every day that something new happened in Creke Village.

She once again smiled. "There is someone coming to the village, someone very interesting."

"Who is it?!" I asked, intrigued. Interesting in Catherine's terms was very interesting indeed.

"The mayor's niece from Midhaven."

I gasped. Midhaven?! That was the same town as Brighton Castle was located! "That's quite interesting, indeed! But why would you tell me this?"

Elder Catherine winked. "There's a rumor out there that she can talk to animals."

My heart leaped, but I tried not to show it. "Is she a sorceress? Can she lift the curse?!"

Elder Catherine patted me on the back. "I am not sure. But she is certainly interesting, indeed. She arrives at noon today."

"Tod--" Suddenly, my body was overcome with throbs. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't move, I couldn't speak. A grinding noise occured as my bones mashed themselves against one another. I gritted my teeth and waited for the aching pain to stop.

I looked up at Elder Catherine, the pain finally subsiding. "--ay?" She shook her head. It was no use. She couldn't understand me any more.

I looked down at my paws, covered with coarse black fur. Once again, I had transformed into the Demon Wolf that "haunted" these parts. The people in Creke Village hated me. They were terrified of me. And I was so, so jealous of them.

Normalcy. A concept that would never be mine. NORMALCY. It was the one thing I craved most in the world. I didn't want to be the Demon Wolf, the Midnight Wolf, the Hell Wolf. I didn't want to be labeled as the thing that haunted these woods.