Kingdom Of The Shadow Wolf

2

I squinted and tried to hold the steering wheel, but quickly lost control. The car skidded across the road, rotating, until it came to a stop a few meters further. My shoulder and left leg hurt a little, but otherwise I was thankfully fine.

"Are you okay?", I gasped and looked at Jacky. She just nodded mutely. Though she looked disheveled, nothing else seemed wrong with her.

"Stay in the car, I'll go see what it was," I instructed her, but she grabbed my arm.

"Don't go out there. Who knows what that thing was. Let's call for help instead." She fumbled for her cell phone but couldn't find it. Presumably it had gone through the shattered windshield in the impact.

I shook my head vigorously.

"I need to look at the cars damage . Just sit here," I instructed her again and pushed the dented driver's side door open.

As I stepped out of the car, I squinted my eyes in pain. Apparently I had hurt my leg more than I had thought.

Nevertheless, I managed to approach the huge thing lying a few meters away on the road. Through the fog it looked like a big rock, but as you know, rocks can't jump in front of your car.

"You'd better not get too close," a voice sounded behind me and I wheeled around, startled.

A man was standing behind me as if from nowhere. I certainly hadn't noticed him before.

"How did you get here?", I asked, backing away a few steps.

"What are you girls doing here?" he replied, not answering my question.

"That's none of your business," I replied. If he wasn't going to give me answers, I wasn't either.

He laughed harshly and ran his hand through his brown hair. I guessed him to be in his early thirties.

"I don't suppose you have any idea where you are right now?" he continued to ask.

I snorted. "In a forest, I'd say," I replied, pointing with my arms at the trees to the right and left of the road.

He growled and it was such an inhuman sound that I winced.

"This isn't just any forest. It's the kingdom of shadows. Humans shouldn't be here at all."

"Ah yes, and what are you doing here then?", I returned.
Well great, now we not only had a broken down car somewhere in the middle of nowhere, but also a lunatic on our hands.

He just grinned at me in reply and slowly it began to dawn on me.

"You... You were the other thing," I stammered. "The one that ran across the street in front of us."

I turned around and took a few steps towards the huge monster that was lying on the ground in front of us. And now I also recognized what it was. A wolf. But none like I had ever seen before. This one was huge.

"Well spotted, little one," laughed the man behind me. "You did me a huge favor. He was after me."

I couldn't believe my eyes. Was I hallucinating as a result of the after-effects of the accident? Was this man really trying to tell me he could turn into a wolf?

"Damn it," I suddenly heard him curse behind me.

"What is it?", I asked, turning back to him.

"They'll be here in a minute," he muttered.

"Who's going to be here in a minute? What are you talking about?... HEY!"

He sprinted to the Range Rover, where Jacky was still sitting. I barely had been able to take three steps when he was already yanking the driver's door open.

"Get away from the car!", I yelled, limping toward him. "Don't you touch my friend!"

But he didn't listen to me; instead, he jumped into the car. I didn't think the beat-up car would still be running, but the next moment he started the engine and dashed off with Jacky.