Howling at the Moon - [A Werewolf Adventure]

Kill or be Killed is What We're Taught (Tamara)

Have you ever felt like your head was about to cave in? It’s not a pleasant feeling, but I guess that’s self-explanatory. I had never been so angry, so scared, in my entire life. I think everybody would be angry, in my position.

And I was angry with everybody. Angry with the brutal animals that had attacked us. Angry with Darion, who seemed so collected, even after all that had happened. Angry with Auron, who at least got to learn the fate of his mother. Angry with Jaxon for being so naïve. Mostly angry with myself for being so weak. In the end a lot of it stemmed from jelousy.

I had no right to be mad at my friends, and I knew that, which only frustrated me further. And then I couldn’t help it any longer, I had to turn from the sight of Auron’s mother. Jaxon whimpered by my side, but I had broken into sobs. I had been fairly certain that my parents hadn’t survived, and I knew for a fact a few of my friends were dead, but I hadn’t shed a tear.  But seeing Lenora like that… It just pushed me over the edge.

Then there were footsteps, moving rapidly in our direction. I turned, instinct kicking in, to see Darion and Auron running towards us, and it was like everything around me became sharper. Wolves, across the clearing, I felt a growl build up in the back of my throat, something that definitely wasn’t human.

“Run and run now.” Auron ordered, “We need to shift, there’s no way we’d outrun them.”

I sucked in a deep breath, glancing at Darion who gave me a small nod. Think of a song, remain calm; his constant words of advice that never failed me. He didn’t even have to say anything anymore, we just had an understanding.

“Tamara, it hurts. Please don’t make me.” Jaxon moaned, and I tensed. My bones were cracking, building a whole new body. I shivered slightly, looking down at my little brother. I pitied him, but at the same time I couldn’t help but feel a bit angry. Only the strong survive. Our dad had drilled that into our minds, why couldn’t Jaxon understand that?

He was finally put onto Darion’s back, clutching onto his fur. Then we were off, nothing more need be said. The three of us had always been like this, no need to speak, a silent agreement between all of us. When Jaxon was around that hardly changed anything.

I was on auto-pilot, my breath coming out evenly, and every step a precise movement. Auron led, his paws pounding against the ground, Darion and I close behind. Auron and I had always been fast, something that led to the two of us endlessly competing with the each other, and while Darion wasn’t especially fast for his size, but he was strong and the urgency propelled him forward. Despite our speed, I could hear snarls close behind us and resisted the urge to look back. Don’t ever look back, or you’ve got no chance left.

Teeth snapped, just behind my back legs, and I tried to move a bit faster. Without thinking about it, I glanced over at Darion, checking up on my little brother. Tears rolled down his cheeks, but his eyebrows had scrunched together, his expression so determined it was almost comical even at a moment like that. I heard a snarl, and Darion bared his teeth at me. Keep running. I had to trust him to take care of my brother; I couldn’t let myself get distracted.

Where could we possibly go? Up until then, I had been blindly following Auron, but I was beginning to question where was safe. Then I began to notice the familiar path. The Hideout? Would Auron really take us there? I shook my head, hoping that would clear my thoughts a bit more. I needed to keep my focus on one thing only, constant running. Auron’s job was to lead, I was to follow.

Run, run, run. Inhale, exhale. Ignore the growls, ignore the snapping of teeth, and ignore the sniffles from Jaxon. Run, run, run.

And then Auron glanced back at us, just as the Hideout was in sight, and I looked over at Darion in response. It all happened in the blink of an eye; we were spinning around, lunging at the wolves behind us. Darion instantly moved into the Hideout, getting Jaxon safely inside before jumping out, lashing at the face of a deep brown wolf. I launched myself at another, knowing that Auron would go for the third.

There was a howl from Darion’s direction, but I didn’t dare look to see who it had been. These wolves had more training, and the one I was against was very clearly stronger than me, but we’d had that brief moment of surprise, and like I said, I was fast. I slammed my body against his, pushing him up against the thick rock wall. There was a crack, and his head drooped at an awkward angle. Broken neck, a quick death.

I turned; surveying the others, checking to make sure everybody was safe. Darion bled slightly, his wound from before having moved so much it wasn’t a surprise, but I was relieved to know he wasn’t the one that had cried out earlier. Auron stood over the other wolf, its stomach completely torn to shreds. Auron himself looked fine, aside from a small scratch on his side. But the third wolf was nowhere to be seen.

“Spineless bastard ran off.” Darion grumbled as I began shifting back. I never tried to stay a wolf too long, especially not in front of Jaxon. At the moment, my little brother was huddled at the entrance of the Hideout, blubbering as usual. “Doesn’t he have any pride?” Darion continued, glaring in the direction the wolf must have ran off in.

I heaved out a breath, shuddering slightly in my new skin. Jax took a step out, as if he was unsure of just how safe it was. His eyes widened when he saw the bodies around him, and I tried not to feel insulted when he instinctively ran towards Darion, burying his face into his side. I couldn’t blame him, I suppose. Darion was our protector, that’s just how it was. I managed not to take it too personally, though it still stung a bit. Both Auron and Darion glanced at each other, and then looked over at me. My eyes narrowed, and I quickly made my way into the Hideout, avoiding looking at either of them.

“Let’s get inside before they send more lackeys to kill us, yeah?” I grumbled, sitting against the far wall. They came in a moment later; Darion making sure the entrance was well hidden. Auron sat next me, his shoulder leaning against mine. We were a team, I couldn’t forget that.  

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Picture of Darion with the distinct white mark on his chest (to tell the difference from Lore) in the top right. 

[A/N: The titles of Tamara's chapters will be lyrics from songs this point on. The song for this one is This is War by Flight 409. The lyrics posted in Tam's last chapter were from the song Ashes by In This Moment.]