Round1✔ - Ambassadors' Pick
Round2✔
Longlist✔
Shortlist✔
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Genre: fantasy, romance, and a teeny tiny bit of action.
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Of a Moon, majestic silver and soothing blue, that hung in the sky, breathing life into barrenness and lifting...
Sunrays filtered through the foliage, tickling everything it touched with a spark of life. A comforting warmth enveloped all living beings and inanimate objects alike as the birds sang and the breeze whispered.
The melody of the forest echoed with labored breaths and the rhythmic sounds of paws striking the soil, stirring up clouds of dust in their wake.
His limbs pounded against the earth and devoured the ground. The more he pushed, the greater his exuberance swelled. An exceptional upsurge of energy coursed through his muscles, propelling him forward at an astonishing speed. With each thundering beat of his heart, he pressed on, driven by an insatiable thirst for freedom and the addictive euphoria of the wind tousling his dark mane.
The wolf zoomed through the woods, deftly dodging dense thickets and obstacles that littered his path. Scattered logs and rocks threatened to impede his progress, yet he only quickened his pace, bending his hind legs to leap into the crisp air. His jump soared higher than usual, and in a moment of unexpected but welcome exhilaration, he let out a silly, overly excited bark before landing ungracefully.
Dirt clung to his fur as he tumbled on the forest floor, invading his airways with each breath. Shaking his head vigorously, he emitted a few snorts to clear his nose before settling down, tongue lolling out.
His heart, only just returned to a steady beat, quickened again at the sound of potential food. Ears pricked and keen, his gaze swept his surroundings, seeking the noise source that promised his next meal.
There was nothing.
His irises glinted an ethereal silver as he scanned the area again until his focused gaze landed on the unsuspecting prey. A deer meandered carelessly through the forest, blissfully unaware of the predator closing in silently—a distance that would take a normal creature a full day's journey, traversed in mere moments by him.
As soon as he reached his destination, the wolf hid in the undergrowth and watched. His approach was calculated as he slowly moved, a shadow amongst many. His body tensed, muscles coiled like springs, ready to unleash the full extent of his newfound vitality. Then, in a heartbeat, he bolted, sinking his teeth in the deer's neck.
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After the hearty lunch, the black creature strutted through the vast lands he had united in worship for the Moon. In and out he traversed endless territories with sticky scarlet besmearing his matted fur.
He hadn't bothered cleaning himself.
At every encounter with fellow wolves along his journey, they bowed their heads in a display of awe and reverence. Unable to meet the intensity of his grey moonstones, they bared their necks, keeping their eyes trained on the soil beneath their quivering limbs.
These gestures pleased him greatly, and he would offer a woof in response before resuming his journey, completing his round around all the lands he'd conquered. Then, before heading home, he made his way toward an unkempt lake hidden among the woods, his second favorite place after the cliff.
