The Sun Will Rise (Moonlight 1)

Chapter 6-Trees

The moon felt like it was ripping through me after I'd let out that howl. The only thing connecting me to reality was Calum; he stood in front of me with his teeth gritted and eyes flushed with golden. I could feel Ashton and Michael still were holding me up, their slightly warmer hands a reminder of their presence. At some point, they released because I feel the rush of wind through my ears as my body falls forwards on itself. A few seconds and I felt the cool, spikiness of the grass beneath me. I attempt to hold my body up as it shakes with every breath. I clawed into the grass. I felt as if I was going to be sick, but my body wouldn't let me. Instead, I let out another howl. A few howls echoed after it, none of them mine.

My head swirled, as I race forward involuntarily. A blur of green foliage surrounds, engulfing me. Indescribable noises raced through the wind as energy surged through me. My whole body felt like it was on fire. Echoes filled my mind but were distant. Detached.

Nothing could stop me.

'Luke, stop!'

Everything became focused at those words. My thoughts returned to reality. A deep rhythm echoed in the rise and fall of my chest. I was surrounded by greenery and a strange sense of oddness. Something was wrong here. I sucked in a deep breath as I tried to remember.

It took me a few moments to realise that I was no longer where I had started. A quick glance suggested that Calum's place was nowhere in sight. I was alone. The thickets of trees moving backwards and forwards in the breeze the only sign of life.

It was in that moment that panic started to set in, where was I? What had happened? Why was I alone out here? My breathing thickened as I tried to remember the way I'd come but my memories came up a blank. I was hopelessly lost.

Then I heard footsteps.

I froze, a sense of nervousness striking my gut. Should I keep running? I felt exposed standing here like this. My heart started thumping louder in my ears. I closed my eyes willing myself to calm down. I told myself that perhaps those footsteps belonged to someone who could help.

Slowly, I turned.

There were three wolves bounding into the clearing behind me. They began to slow and move around in front of me, carefully as if I was a bomb that was about to go off. Feeling threatened I took a step backwards, and the wolves seeming to recognize this stopped moving. I could see them better now the way their fur reflected under the moonlight giving a whitish sheen to it.

It was only then that I realised they weren't strangers or even real wolves. It was different seeing them all here in the dark, but I recognized each of them. Michael, Calum and Ashton.

Then I remembered why I'd come outside in the first place. Did all this mean that I'd finally shifted? -

'I almost thought you couldn't hear me.' Calum said.

He didn't say it because his mouth hadn't moved an inch. I tilted my head as if it might help. How had he done that? Was there some way that he could speak to me without words but how? Then I thought about that voice that I'd heard that had seemed to bring me back. It had been his for sure. I didn't think wolves could talk though? Yet, he had seemingly thought both of those over to me. Was I going crazy or was this just a werewolf thing?

'We can talk telepathically like this. It's simple; just think something strongly out to the rest of the group or one person and we should hear it.' Calum continued, answering my question before I could ask it.

Wow, so we could talk to each other like that? That was incredible, I couldn't wait to try it out. When I was younger my friends and I would dream up ways of communicating with each other without words. Obviously, we'd never had much luck with it, remembering a bunch of hand signals or dotted code was difficult.