Were-Night

Meeting the Wolves

Eclipse scrambled away from the slobbering snout of the wolf. "Back, bad dog!"

The wolf seemed to glare at her.

Then she noticed the human eyes, glowing red. Werewolf. She stood up, grabbing a stick lying very luckily near her foot. Narrowing his eyes at the stick, he growled, hair standing up, and whipped around to look at the trees behind him. 

What? What is a werewolf scared of? They're extremely powerful, especially in a pack! Oh wait... Where is this wolf's pack?

Snarling at the bushes, the wolf crept back, almost hitting Eclipse. Something snaky and black emerged out of the bushes, almost touching the gray fur. The scene reminded her of something...

The cowering Siberian Husky stood in front of her dad. It had eaten the last piece of meat from the fridge during a cold and hungry winter. Her young childish form standing beside it, hand on its head. "It's not her fault!" she yelled, tears threatening to fall. Yet her father was unmoved. "It has to go." "It's not an it, it's a her!" "IT has to go!" her father answered, accentuating the 'it'. "Take it out of the house and bring it back to where it came from."

The Husky whined a bit, tail between its legs, and nuzzled young Eclipse's hand. "Come on, doggy. Good doggy. Let's go for a walk!"

Breathing heavily, Eclipse placed her hand on the wolf's head. This time she would not let her enemy win. "Leave." The wolf looked at her as if she was crazy. She heard cold laughter from the bushes. "Nobody tells a mage to leave!" 

"I do." and she held out her branch like a sword. The mage laughed again. "I made that stick so you would save yourself from the wolves! You're making the wrong choice!" 

"I'm not. You don't sound like a creature with human morals, while this wolf does. I can always go back on my choice, while if I listen to you, I won't be able to!"

Out of the corner of her eye she saw her Wisp. It seemed to flare in specific patterns. A whoosh of wind and another one appeared, this time the color of the mage's magic. Smooth black, with white where the sun reflected. 

"I will not be cheated by you again! I ended up in this foul forest because of you! You horrible swamp lights!"

Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh. More and more Wisps appeared, all in the mage's colors. Rubbing her eyes, she looked at them. 

We can lead you outside. Answered the spheres. We can take you out of this forest. 

"Really? Can you?" 

We can. We can lead you anywhere. You have ended your time in this forest - we welcome you back to the human world. Say goodbye. 

The mage turned around. "Goodbye." she said, with a sad finality, addressing everything, everyone in this wood. Seemingly mesmerized, she walked after the hoard of shiny Wisps. 

Eclipse felt a chill. Her Wisp led her here - would she end up like the mage? Forever wishing for an escape, a path to lead her back, to find yet none? 

But the Wisp was pulling her along, and she could do nothing but succumb to its will.

---

Solaria walked after Sunshine. It flitted, appearing here, there, and she walked where it pointed. 

"Somewhere here should be a lemo-" Tourmaline stopped, her mouth falling open. "What the? This is the same clearing, but... that's a cherry tree!"

"Wow, it's like we didn't notice, thanks very much." 

"No, that's not what I meant! I meant - that was a lemon tree!"

"Seeing that we saw a faerie earlier, I wouldn't be surprised... Plus, this forest is said to have gone crazy."

"I wouldn't be surprised if that was the truth." they all whirled around. 

"Who are you?" Solaria beat everyone else to the question.

"I'm Ceryllene."

The strange humanoid had long, flowing, sunshiny hair, and the skirt of her embroidered dark green dress almost brushed the ground. Her eyes matched her dress, and seemed ageless, wise, and omniscient. Her pale skin shone rosy in the morning sun, and in one hand she held a forearm-length staff, made of white wood with an emerald set in at the top. 

"Hi Ceryllene!" chirped Tourmaline, and immediately poured a whole bunch of questions on her. "Are you a fae, a mage, or a witch? You don't look like a witch, but what do witches look like? What does that staff do? Can I call you Ceryl, or would you prefer Lene? Where'd you get that cool dress? Where do you live? Is this forest magical? Are there really werewolves in here? Have you seen a girl with yea length dark blue hair, wearing a black coat and boots? Named Eclipse? I'm Tourmaline, hello, the Wisp is Sunshine, sunset curly hair is Solaria, short black-orange hair is Cleo. We're looking for Eclipse! You sure you haven't seen her?"

"Wait a second..." a bewildered Ceryllene answered. She waved her staff, muttering something, then said "I'm a mage, witches usually have brooms, but look like normal people, this staff I use to magic stuff, like right now I did to slow your words and be able to answer your questions, Ceryl is fine, I made this dress with my magic, I live in the Hills, this forest may or may not be magical, but many of the inhabitants are. Yes, werewolves are here, but they aren't too bad, and I haven't seen Eclipse, hi Tourmaline, why'd you name the Wisp, hi Solaria, and hi Cleo. And I definitely have not seen Eclipse."

"We named the Wisp because it obviously needed a name! We very well couldn't have called it 'Wisp' every time!"

"...hmm. Interesting. It seems to like you."

"Ooh! Really?! How can you tell?!" 

The Mage rolled her eyes. "Look at it."

The Wisp had come a bit closer to the girls, and was glowing warmly in their direction.

"Awwww!" squealed Tourmaline and tried to pet it. But the Wisp whooshed a bit farther, and Tourmaline let her hand fall. "Awww..."

"Wisps do not allow themselves to be touched. That defeats their whole purpose."

"Oh."

"Yet... It doesn't matter. Let us come, I will give you a map - ish - of the forest."

"Thank you, o Mage." Solaria bowed.

"No need for the honorifics, call me Ceryl, as your bouncy friend there suggested."

"Thank you, Ceryl."

"That is better. Come on, it is not long to go."

After a couple minutes, Solaria gasped and looked back. 

"Sunshine!" 

"The Wisp? Oh, it will show up. Don't worry, if you hadn't been feeling the pull too hard away, it should be fine."

Solaria sighed in relief.

Then Ceryl lifted her staff. "Someone is coming!"

Glimmers of black showed up through the trees. 

The mage's eyes widened. "No. Not Drannde! Not now!"