The Wolf Of Blue Ridge Mountain

Prologue

She kept her gaze on the wolf that is hovering over her broken body, its eyes in a dance of ever changing colors. It is them who turned it this way, changing its once midnight globes into hues of orange and red.

Using the tip of its nose, the wolf nudge on her shoulder. It released an ear splitting howl as its saliva slowly dripped over her cheek.

If anyone had seen her and the beast that is constantly growling on top of her, one might think it’s trying to harm her. But no, it can never—because Machi knows, the beast, despite the perplexity of it, loves and cares for her. Yes, the wolf—the thing that they spent countless hours of experimenting on, subjected to unimaginable pain and terror, taken from its pack and held captive inside a lab—is in love with her.

How can such a thing happen, you might ask. Machi has no answer.

The only thing that is clear, is the loving gaze the beast surprisingly kept on her, from the moment it was taken into captivity.

Another howl erupted from the beast, disturbing the silence of the night—forcing the sleeping birds perched on the tree above them to flap their wings and take flight.

She can even hear the scurrying of tiny animals from around them, desperate to vacate the land surrounding her and the beast.

The wound on her stomach has already developed into a life threatening one. Puss has enveloped the entire wound from the inside.

Even the blood that flowed out of it, is now mixed with a yellowish substance. She knows she will not last long.

The beast hovering above her in all fours must have sensed her impending doom. It moved away and released a thundering howl, she can see the desperation in its movements.

It ran from one tree trunk to another, bumping its body ferociously at everything in its wake. It howled and howled, and if Machi didn’t know any better—she would say its crying. The wolf’s relentless persuit to hurt itself persisted for nearly an hour, until it  looked up at the silver moon. Keeping its gaze on the sphere that dominated the night sky, It howled again.

Machi smiled, did the beast remember what she said? Did it somehow remember that Machi thinks of the moon as a thing that grants wishes? Is the beast wishing for something?

She closed her eyes, hoping her life will end before any of her father’s men finds her and the beast.

If one will ask Machi, what are you doing in a mountain, with a crazy wolf as a companion? She will give a simple answer, an answer which may sound crazy, stupid, neurotic or probably the ramblings of a psychotic teen—she will never care, because she is here, due to love.

She fell in love with an animal, a wolf known by many scientist as (Experiment 3000.)

An experiment, who holds the key to the future of war and power. An experiment, which never should have been.

Another howl permeated from Machi and the beast’s spot, followed by the rusting of dried leaves on the ground. The beast gazed at her, and slowly, the fur that covered its body receded, its hind legs began to stretch—its spine gave out a loud crack as it slowly stood on two legs, its paws stretched and curved and only stopped after mimicking a human’s toe. The front legs which Machi always thought was the fluffiest part of him turned into limbs, while the paws on it too, transformed into fingers.

The beast’s head caved in, its snout seemingly sucked beneath its face, slowly turning into that of a human nose and mouth, but its eyes remained the same. For Machi, it is the one thing that she is glad to have not changed. The gaze it gave her remained intense, loving and full of concern.

The world must never know of the beast’s existence. It will alter the balance of humanity. What will happen if she allows such monstrosity to continue?

But, is it because she didn’t want experiment 3000 to threaten the world, or is it because she refuses to let him be used as a weapon?

Machi can never tell, but one thing is clear. She is in love with a beast, an abomination, created by her own hands.

The human like wolf slowly walked over to her, it opened its mouth, seemingly wanting to talk. Unfortunately, Machi had not gone beyond seeing it transform. She never had the opportunity to teach the beast anything, because the moment it managed to take the form of a human—it was taken away from her, transported to a more violent and vicious place.

That’s why she came to save it. To free it and give it peace. If only she had a better plan, other than waltz right into the base and drag him out—with the entire military force on their trail, things could have taken a better turn.

Machi closed her eyes as the human wolf scooped her up from the ground. She can feel the wind whipping her hair into a tangled mess, while her body shuddered as her experiment took a faster pace. It ran wildly, howling and crying. Yes, Machi can confidently say it—the wolf is crying.

She can hear it continuously howling at the silver moon, its arms around her body tightening with every leap and stride it made

“I’m sorry” Machi whispered. The wolf growled—Machi understands what it meant. “Don’t give up.”

The beast must have howled and growled a thousand times, leaped over hundreds of trees—before the body cradled on its arms fell limp, and breath finally dissipating. 

It looked down at her, and under the light of the full moon, in the middle of a clearing at the peak of a mountain—the human wolf uttered its first word.

Machi........