Lunar Zenith

Chapter Twelve

Cassandra

The Alpha stood strong and tall as he claimed his place on the ledge, but as able-bodied as he appeared, I could see his patches where his dark, jet coat was dull and matted. He had evidently served his people for years.

The Alpha rested his gaze on me. "Cassandra, correct?" I nodded. "You tell a strange tale," he said, "one that seems hardly believable. You were a human turned wolf?"

I nodded again. "Lune and I were hunting the beast," I said, "but the tracks were lost, and we came to a dead end. The intention was to part ways there and then when we were ambushed by someone from the village. Someone I thought was a friend."

I hated how my grief and hurt audibly seeped through my words. I gritted my teeth. But such was the way the cookie crumbled. Peter refused to believe me, and I would not let Lune be murdered without reason. I made my choice. I did not regret it.

"This beast," the Alpha continued, "have you seen it?"

"No. I've only heard second hand accounts, but even those do not describe its appearance. It slaughters mercilessly. Farmers lost their livestock all in one night."

A dark look crossed the Alpha's face. "Such a potent killer," he mused. "Should it set its eyes upon us, we could be in danger." He looked back down at me. "And the tracks. What did they look like?"

"They were lines, side winded lines, shaped like an S."

"An S?" Raisa said, stepping forward. "Father that sounds like the tracks of a snake."

He shook his head. "But there is no such snake that could kill cattle."

A croaky voice rose above the crowd. "There is one."

The wolf that spoke up hobbled on creaky joints to the front of the masses. Her fur was matted and stale like a dirt stained rug that had been left to the elements, and a pesky fly buzzed by her head. She would flick her ear every other second, but the stubborn insect never left, always hovering nearby. "If it is a snake that you seek, there is only one," she said. "If you believe me not, then there is none."

The Alpha paused, seemingly contemplating the wolf before him, then he finally spoke. "Who do you speak of, Esme?"

"With a heart as dark as his skin, he bears the evilest grin. The snake that bears such a threat is none other than the wicked Slyvet. And should he rise to power, we all will cower beneath a blotted out sun."

A shiver ran down my spine. A snake with a heart as dark as his skin? Memories of those visions I had flashed through my mind. A black serpent. A covered moon. A dark shadow cast upon the land. Esme slowly turned her head and fixed her milky, glass eyes upon me. A knowing smile spread across her face, and I looked away feeling a sudden chill.

Jaxton rolled his eyes. "It could be the evilest being in all of existence, but that fails to change the fact that it is nothing but a slimy worm. We have nothing to fear. Banish the girl, Father."

I shot a withering glare at the grey wolf. What did he have against me? Why was he so determined to get rid of me?

Esme tsked, shaking her head. "The young wolf seems to forget, but nevermind and do not fret. For old Esme remembers the prophecy—the one that brought upon us this atrocity."

A hollow atmosphere settled in the gorge, and I glanced around. Sorrow eyes, drooping tail, sloping shoulders. This prophecy had to be the cause of the curse.

Esme recited the prophecy. "As sanction for your atrocities, I grant you this, a curse and prophecy. The form of lupus, you shall take. Tears of anguish lie in wake. To break the endless agony requires a simple act not of gallantry. The night of lunar bloodied zenith, be prepared, you ghastly behemoth, to spill the blood of a virgin maiden whose heart is pure and tough and brazen. When the pooling red taints the lands, the curse shall be lifted from your hands, and the sylvan woodlands that you roam shall be rendered empty, cold, alone."