Collapse - Werewolf Week Short Story

Collapse

The wind rustled my hair as I awoke in my bed. I sat up slowly, with my tired eyes fighting to stay open. My window wasn't closed, allowing me to view the moon, which was now at it's fullest. The sky was dark, so I knew it was already late in the night.

My wolf senses were extra alert, allowing me to smell the trees and the drying leaves. It was well into the fall season, and it was no coincidence that Halloween was approaching soon. Tonight was the full moon, which meant I had to fight harder to keep the control that I had spent years perfecting.

Unlike most others, I was born a werewolf, as was most of my family. This meant that the wolf was a much larger part of me than I liked to admit. My father had been the Alpha of our pack that roamed the campgrounds, acting as if we were its protectors. That was, until the hunters came.

I still remembered that night well, despite having tried so hard to push the memories from my mind. The hunters-a whole family of them-came and ravaged the woods, destroying most of my pack, leaving only my sister, Aspen, and I alive. To this day, we still have no clue how they even knew about us, since we were almost always in our human form. This left us as Omegas, alone, without a pack.

And that's why there was no mistaking the sound when I heard it.

When I heard my sister's howl, all of the memories from the traumatic night came flooding back. I knew something was wrong almost immediately. I felt myself start to shift as a loss of control of emotion, but I held myself back. If I let the wolf take over, I wouldn't have any sense.

I jumped out of my window and sprinted across the grass, blinking back tears that obscured my vision. The night was still dark and chilly, making it even harder to see. I felt the wolf trying to take over again, and this time I let it. Just a little. It allowed me to run just a bit faster. See a little better.

I heard my sister's ear-piercing howl, much closer this time. I pushed myself harder, rushing towards the sound. It came once again, this time with a bit of an echo. Where was she?

Eventually I was able to pinpoint the source of the sound. My eyes must have been glowing at that point. I crept closer, fearing what I was seeing.

It was a cave.

Even with my wolf vision, I couldn't see past the blackness. The only thing I could see, was cold, hard stone. I let the breeze brush past me, allowing me to identify scents. There was only one.

Fear.

Whether it was coming from me or my sister, I didn't know. I needed to find out, and fast. Once again, an inhuman sound came from my sister, and I knew she was well into the process of shifting. I didn't have much time left.

With my precious seconds ticking by, I took a tentative step into the cave. Cool air hit my face, and the air became dense almost immediately. I crept in further, my steps careful. I could hear my sister's howls coming from deep within the cave. She sounded on the verge of panic.

Almost subconsciously, my pace quickened. I allowed my arm to graze the wall, letting my hands feel the rough stone as I walked. It was getting harder and harder for my senses to detect anything. I knew that soon I would have to shift completely into my wolf form.

The further I went in, the harder it was to keep control of myself. The air was stagnant with a scent I could not quite identify. Whatever it was, it was making the wolf side of me go crazy. I didn't know how much longer I could stand it.

After a few more minutes of almost mindless wandering, I heard my sister again. This time it sounded as if she were only a few steps forward. I gently called out to her, hoping it would help me identify where she was.

I heard a low growl come from just a few feet in front of me. She was fully shifted. But why?

Then I saw it.

Wolfsmeade.

Just a few inches away from my feet, a bright lime-colored plant covered the ground. My claws seemed to immediately spring from my hands. Fear overtook me completely, and I staggered back.

The hunters.

Wolfsmeade was a plant used by werewolf hunters to poison us and make us shift. When we shift completely, we lose our human instincts, which makes us unable to make decisions thoroughly.

Within a few seconds, I felt myself start to shift uncontrollably. First came my ears. I could hear my sister's unsteady breaths as she fought the poison she was slowly inhaling. She had been in here for way too long. Then came the feeling, or the touch. My hair grew out, forming my wolf pelt. I was able to feel the damp chill in the air. Finally, came my nose. The smell became more pungent than ever. I felt myself recoil as a result.

Just then, both of our heads shot up, as we both heard an unmistakable crack shake the cave. I heard gunshots in the distance.

The hunters were back.

How did they even know we were still here?

Before I had time to think, we heard the loud cracking sound. I helped drag my sister to her feet in case we needed to run. Then, I felt a small sprinkle of dust fall on my nose.

The cave was going to collapse.

What had once been a small cracking sound, turned into a low rumble that echoed throughout the entire cave. I howled at my sister, signaling for her to run behind me. Just then, small rocks began to tumble down the walls around us. I heard more gunshots outside.

I had to make a choice. I could either face the hunters, or be crushed under tons of rock. I didn't want to choose the latter, so I ran.

Hard.

I moved as fast as my legs would carry me, and I could hear my sister's paws pounding behind me. As we went on, the cave became brighter as we got closer to the entrance.

Just when I thought we were home free, I heard a loud crack from above. The next thing I knew, huge rocks came crashing down behind me. I froze.

My sister and I were either separated, or she was dead. If she wasn't dead, she would be soon if she didn't find a way out. I howled to her, with a hint of desperation, hoping that she would get the message to search for another way out. Our survival was at stake.

I kept running, as more rocks came crushing down behind me. Eventually, the light became so bright that I had to squint my eyes in order to see. It would be only a few more feet and I would be out....

Crack. BOOM.

A bullet flew right past my ear.

I was now outside of the cave, that was only rubble behind me. I was faced with a new adversary.

More bullets flew around me. I kept running, trying to avoid the bullets at best as I could. One just barely missed me, grazing my fur as it passed.

Eventually, I found myself in an empty clearing in the woods. I listened. Silence. No more bullets.

When I thought I was safe, a hunter walked out from behind the trees, gun aimed right at me. More of them emerged, and I was surrounded in an instant. No more running. I was going to die to a hunter's hand, just like my family.

The hunter clicked a bullet into place. Just as I was closing my eyes to prepare for the blast....

My sister jumped out from behind him, tackling him to the ground. I saw my chance.

I sprung forward, claws unsheathed, landing on the nearest hunter. His gun went off, but he missed. It only took one swipe to his neck to end it. Behind me, my sister had taken out two more. Together, we sprinted forward, dodging bullets, until eventually the clearing was silent, with only us standing. I gave my sister a look of relief. She must have found another way out of the cave. I thought I had lost her.

Gradually, I felt myself start to shift back into my human form.

"Good work Aspen," I said. "Maybe you should be the Alpha."

"I think we both know you were born to be one."

Together, we sat in silence, as we heard a howl in the distance, as the moon faded behind shades of orange and pink.