Howling at the Moon - [A Werewolf Adventure]

Music to Match the Mood (Tamara)

Darion went absolutely still as soon as Fred came rushing out of the forest. Jaxon, of course, didn't notice, crawling all over him. I moved closer to Darion, hoping I would get into whatever relaxed bubble surrounded him. Darion was always the collected one.

Last year I had gotten my foot caught under a rock. Everybody was a bit hysterical, we weren't even supposed to be in the forest in the first place. Our parents would have killed us had they known we were out there, let alone running around doing stupid things. But Darion just started humming my favorite song, working on moving the rock, calm as could be. And just like that, everybody could relax. Darion was our constant source of comfort.

And even then, when it seemed as though everything was slowing down, he just held onto Jaxon a little tighter. Lenora was yelling, shifting, launching herself at the wolf across from her. How could this happen? "Darion..." I whispered, horrified as we watched wolves creep from the forest.

Auron was thrown backward, and Darion instantly pushed tiny Jaxon into my arms. "You have to stay, calm. Think of a song, okay? Keep thinking of that song, and find somewhere to hide." He watched me, making sure I was listening, and I just nodded, wide-eyed. All he needed was that confirmation and he was throwing himself into Auron's direction, shifting as he did.

I caught just a glimpse of Darion's fluffy black fur before I was turning away, holding Jaxon tight in my arms. A song, think of a song. Stay calm. Hide. Simple instructions, I just needed to keep my head on straight.

Skies are falling tonight.

God, why couldn't I think of a happier song? I took a deep breath, trying to block out the screams around me, howls of pain. Almost everybody had shifted into wolves, they at least had a small chance, but the others... They weren't going to last long.

As you run and hide.

My feet felt heavier with each step I took, Jaxon whimpering in my ear. My arms were tired, I wasn't as strong as Darion. "Jax, stop squirming." I hissed. Jaxon just sniffled his response. I opened my mouth to apologize, try and comfort him, but I had nothing. We had made it just to the outskirts of the forest when something slammed into my side. Jaxon wailed, flying from my arms. At the moment, that wolf was the most terrifying thing I had seen. It snarled, poising to leap towards me, and I tensed in response, preparing for the worst.

Ashes to ashes.

Just as he jumped, another wolf caught him by the throat. I didn't wait, turning to Jaxon and scooping him up into my arms. I turned towards the wolf, big and glossy black. Darion. He tore at the other wolf, and blood dripped from his fur. I took a step towards him, and he growled, shaking his head.

"Be careful," I whispered, and he brushed up against my leg before rushing back into the clearing. He was going back for Auron, I knew it. Darion wouldn't forgive himself if anything happened to the three of us.

Dust to dust.

I knew where I needed to go, I was just hoping we wouldn't run into any trouble on the way. From the sounds of it, everybody was too preoccupied trying to survive to have anything to do with the forest. I tried to walk quickly, and Jaxon kept insisting on squirming. He whimpered a lot too. I wanted to scream, sometimes I wanted to throw Jaxon to the ground and demand he does a little walking.

"What's happening, Sissy?" He finally asked, just as I was beginning to see the sanctuary.

I let out a shaky breath, "I don't know, Jax." He might've been the last of my family, for all I knew. Jaxon might have been all I had left. My chest felt tight, why wasn't I crying? Jaxon had. I just couldn't seem to cry, no matter how much I wished I could. Was it heartless, for me to be incapable of tears?

Ashes to ashes.

"Look, we made it," I said, turning so Jaxon could have a better look. The Hideout. We had found it years ago. It was like a cave, the roots of a huge tree crawling their way over a boulder, the opening just barely hidden by branches. It was the perfect size for the four of us, even though Darion had to hunch over slightly. I set Jaxon on the ground, allowing him to rush inside, and followed close behind.

"Where's Mama?" He asked, just as we had settled against the back wall. The rock was cool, and I could feel it through my shirt. I turned to him, looking at his big green eyes, wide with terror.

"I don't know..." I sighed, wishing I could come up with a more satisfactory answer. Jaxon just nodded, and I felt sorry for all of the terrible thoughts I'd had earlier. "I'm sorry, Jax."

"It'll be okay, Sissy," Jaxon said, moving onto my lap. I rested my chin on the top of his head, struck by the absurdity of my little brother having to comfort me. I wanted so badly to agree with him. I wanted to be able to wake up, and know it was all just an awful dream. But I couldn't delude myself into thinking so. This was all too real.

We weren't that far away, Jaxon and I, but I had hoped we wouldn't be able to hear the sounds of pain. They were there. Faded, but still torture to hear. For every howl, Jaxon would fidget, fixing his position on my lap. Finally, it was too much. His shoulders started to shake, and his head bowed. I lifted my head away from his, craning to look at his little face.

Tears rolled down his cheeks, collecting at his chin, and he quickly wiped them away with his sleeve. There was a lot of sniffling before he finally turned to look up at me, "Do you think Darry is okay? And Auron?" He asked.

I bit my lip. Darion was strong, but he wasn't nearly as big the other wolves. And Auron... I didn't even know what might have happened to him. But I couldn't just tell Jaxon I didn't know. That had been my go-to answer for everything, it seemed. I smiled, hoping it didn't look too much like a grimace and kissed his forehead. "Everything will be fine."There was one final howl as if to prove me wrong.

We all fall down.