an Everlasting Pursuit

twenty two

"You ready?"

I turned to look at Eliza, finding her attention solely focused on Mya. The sun was setting now; its colours fading beyond the horizon. The entire pack was gathering at the far end of the lake, the energy buzzing as they all wore enormous grins. I saw Asra stood at the head of them, tall and proud as he waited for the stragglers to gather.

The air felt... strange, but I shook it off to being nothing but a bad thought.

"Yeah. Let's go," Mya smiled.

Eliza gave me a once over. "Are you sure you don't want to go to the house with Olive?"

I nodded, giving her a reassuring smile. "I'm sure. I'm just going to swim until you come back. About an hour, right?"

"Okay, if you're sure." She shrugged. "Don't drown or anything."

They walked away after I gave them another affirmative nod, Eve already being promptly on time and waiting in the crowd. It felt warm tonight, that or the blood in my system was making me feel that way. I wrapped my arms around my bare torso in comfort, sitting myself on the blankets. Olive and a few other humans made their way back to the house, and I found myself all alone as the wolves chittered excitedly.

The energy grew almost palpable. Shrieking excitement came from the crowd of wolves as the last rays of sun kissed the horizon. Asra raised one hand, commanding the attention of all the wolves without even making a sound. A hush fell upon them. The only sounds were the swaying of fabrics as they impatiently jostled each other.

"Cardinal Pack, tonight we run under the new moon. Stay on course." He commanded.

I shuddered, pulling my knees tighter to myself as his words held a warning. The moment he lowered his hands, I watched with shocked amazement when the first wolves shifted. The multitude of crunching and popping bones caused my hands to raise to block out the sound. Fur of all different colours, patterns and shades sprouted from four-legged beings. Tails swirled and swished, ears elongating as fangs forced their way through wolf-sized snouts.

Once the entire, terrifyingly large pack had shifted, only one remained.

Asra stood tall amongst the beasts, his tall frame overpowering them even in his human skin. His dark eyes met mine from across the lake, huddled alone under the trees. His tongue darted out to lick his lips before his head bent towards his chest. I watched with a strange intention as his spine began to arch and snap, his head twisting as a large, dark snout elongated from his human jaw. His arms hung low, enormous paws dragging along the ground as his body lengthened and grew. All the while, dark fur sought the tepid air, covering his skin in a thick, heavy blanket.

I exhaled heavily when his wolf's head rose over the top of the others, dark eyes so dazzling and sharp as he found me once more. His wolf, although horrifying, did not make any move towards me, his eyes taking in my smaller frame with a quick glance. He dropped his gaze quickly, bending his head backwards to expose his throat. My breath hitched when a low, breathy howl left his snout, the air clouding above his head as the final rays of sun fell beyond the skyline. A chorus of appraisal followed him, the deafening and excited howls and yips of his pack eager to run.

Dropping his head back to the centre, he quickly bowed once before they all exploded into a run. The pounding of paws was loud, growing quieter as they disappeared into the trees until I was sitting there, all alone.

Sighing, I rested my head on my knees and basked in the loneliness for a while. My eyes stared down at the blue lake, watching the way it darkened before lightening as the sun rose. I could see the illumination of the moon's halo in the water and felt a deep urge to swim. Shredding the blanket from my shoulders, I stood from the ground and made my way towards the lake's edge.