Polaris Skies

Chapter 3

The trees that surrounded the area loomed over the site like ancient guardians protecting their tiny treasures Nat and his friends hunkered down into the snow-covered grass, bracing themselves against the chill wind that blew in from the north of them. It smelled of wood smoke and burning gas. They were far enough up on the side of the hill that the entirety of Jenton spread out below them. The wind gusting through the forest pushed the flames in the orchards on the south side of town away from the group. Grey-white flakes descended as they observed the devistation; ash fell with the snow.

"There might be more fires to our backs." Deck studied the piecemeal sky between the evergreen boughs.

"We should get moving then. Don't want to get stuck in a wildfire." Nat helped Zola get her backpack on.

"Benj, got a plan?" Deck's voice muffled under the patter of snow. He pulled a hunting mask on over his face to cut the chill.

Benj prodded at leaves buried under white mounds. "Neo York."

Sun Hee leaned against his arm, her hoodie pulled over her beanie. "That's gonna be a walk."

"Neo York?" Nat squatted down to hide behind a thick tree trunk to escape the wind. He observed his friend, or rather the pain running under his skin studied the memories Nat had of the man. Benj had been the butt of bullying for his antiquated clothing style and straight A's and the way he spoke sometimes. The teasing had stopped when Deck and Yeller took him under their wing. That was after Benj let into the side of Deck for making a pass at Sun Hee. The man practised Muay Thai in an underground ring weekly. That was how he was able to afford most of his expensive science equipment and pay his way through college.

Nat's stomach pinched at the realisation that his home would soon burn with the rest of the town. The wind sprinkled gritty snow in his hair and tugged at his coat before dying down once again. A tree limb snap. Side-eyeing the woods, he found no elusive shadows or monsterous forms hiding beneath the frozen foliage. He shrugged it off as the cold breaking a corroded joint.

The young man returned to the scene in front of him. He bit at the peeling edge of his chapped lips and brushed at his ears as snow flew into them. The pressure in his head had not ceased. He shut his eyes against the pain.

Itching deep in his chest, subtle, almost a tickle, prickled his skin. He coughed once to see if he could discourage it. The sensation gnawed beneath his sking until it burned. It slithered from his lungs to the top of the breastbone. Fingertips buzzed like white static, muscles in his forearms cramped. A deep chuckle bounced between his eardrums. Beads of sweat formed on his brow. Nausea built in his stomach. A roar in the base of his skull crumpled him to the ground. His vision blurred a crimson red.

"I think I remember where that facility was supposed to be, the one I mentioned earlier, Deck. It's a research plant in Neo York that was specialising in RWE effect antidotes. They were a start-up, so I don't know how far they got; even if they weren't hit by a bomb, anything could have happened to them. There aren't too many supplies along the Eastern Front right now. Too many bombs have hit that place to know...," Benj collapsed as his throat closed off around guttural resonance. He put a hand to his throat. Eyes round, he gasped, struggling to breathe.

The world grew taller. Pain slashed unmercifully through Nat's body, gripping and tearing at his organs and bones and flesh. The roaring increased, letting itself rip from his body. Fur pushed through his pores in a thick mat, wet and blood-soaked. Nerve endings pulsed and throbbed. His teeth sharpened into long canines. His jaws, in what felt like an eternity, extended in a crunch of bones. His tongue changed into a thin strip. In the last of it, his spine, humerus, and femurs cracked and shifted into a new, more compact wolf form.