The Shadows of Erisdar (ON HOLD)

Chapter 4

Early the next morning, instead of her usual routine, Alex donned herself in buckskin and packed a small bag with a few snacks and tools. She grabbed her bow and quiver, which had been found near where she was in the ravine all those years ago.

Alex snuck off towards the forest. She had a secret place to the far southwest of the territory where she trained and practised her skills. It was a piece of unclaimed land that she had discovered, nestled between the mountain and the Erisdar forest. One had to either go south to the mountain and then move west along the mountain base to reach it, or one could take a shortcut, which is what Alex always did, through a piece of Erisdar.

She sped through the forest landscape, leaping over large protruding roots and fallen trees and at some point, she swung herself up into the branches of a tree and proceeded with her journey through the treetops.

About thirty minutes later, she left Erisdar and stepped into the safety and comfort of the small area that she had now claimed for herself. She didn't fear the mysterious forest, even though from the outside, it seemed like the wall stretched on through the entire valley, seemingly one solid tree.

Alex, though, had long ago found a way through the wall of trees and discovered the wonders hidden, or rather, as Alex came to believe, protected within. But there were still dangers lurking outside the wall - something was responsible for the disappearances.

Alex had been leaping and climbing about in the trees for quite some time and was now catching her breath in the highest lateral branches of a large white-barked tree that grew in strange twists and turns on the edge of the small hollow. Resting against its trunk was a large stone slab protruding from the soil. The dirt underneath the slab had been scratched and dug away by various animals and now provided more than adequate shelter, and Alex often slept there when she was camping out.

After having rested a good while, Alex decided to descend when her stomach growled in announcement. As she moved deftly along the thin branches, she suddenly turned in her tracks and held perfectly still when she sensed something out of the ordinary.

It was another thing that set her apart from her packmates besides the whispers she sometimes heard. She could sense the living beings around her, especially when she focused. And when she paid close attention, she could see an energy field around them. Their unique auras.

She heard a rustling noise that she was sure wasn't caused by her. The noise sounded like soft footsteps. Something was coming towards the clearing, something large; a stag perhaps. There were two wandering around this side of the valley. After a short while, a large dark coloured beast emerged from the trees. It was sniffing and pawing at the ground as it moved across the clearing.

Leaning forward slightly, Alex was able to get a better view of the creature. It was a wolf, not a stag, and a massive wolf at that. It was nearly twice the size of any werewolf she had seen; its coat was a peculiar metallic grey colour that darkened to black on its tail and long ears and lightened to blue silver on its legs, and it had tiny tufts of white on its shoulders. It was also built much leaner and had longer legs, more athletic, but still very powerful.

As she studied the creature more, her blood ran cold with realisation. One only ever heard talk of these beasts, but the more she stared, the more she realised that they were no myth, for this was most definitely a shadow wolf.

Large, ruthless wolves that were more powerful and ran much faster than any creature known. They melted away into the shadows and travelled undetected. They are more feared than the savage ones.

Parents used them as stories to warn their children into behaving. But this was no children's tale. This was real.

As Alex continued to observe this wolf, she did not doubt that they were lethal. He, as she had realised, moved stealthily and with poise and grace as she had never seen before. The shadow moved up and down the clearing, occasionally scratching at the ground, and she wondered what he was following.

His behaviour seemed that of a fox looking for food, and as she focused, she could see that his aura did not radiate danger, but showed intelligence and wisdom, accompanied by an emptiness that she could not explain. This proved that this was no wild animal, but a being with thoughts and feelings like hers, and for a fleeting moment, she was intrigued.

The shadow moved across the clearing for the fourth time as he followed whatever scent he had picked up. It seemed perplexed and intent on finding something.

Alex grew annoyed and frustrated. Why can't he just move on? She asked herself. Her legs were growing weary from supporting her weight in a half-crouch the entire time.

Slowly and silently, she removed her bow and quiver from her back and started to move back to thicker branches where she could sit and wait for the wolf to leave. She might even be able to quietly string her bow, then she would at least have a weapon should she need it.

With her focus intent on the shadow wolf, Alex did not realise where her footing was going as she moved backwards. She stepped on a patch of weak, dead branches. The branches gave way with a loud crack, making the shadow jump and spin around at the noise.

Her right foot snapped through the mass of twigs. She fell, slamming her thigh hard, then her body pitched sideways. Gravity yanked her down. She hit the ground on her back with a jolt, winded, landing on something jagged and unyielding. Her quiver and bow stayed behind in the branches above.

Alex groaned as the object jabbed into her ribs. She was winded and paralysed from pain. Once she was recovered enough to move, groaning, she slowly rolled herself off whatever was poking her intercostals so ruthlessly. Lying on her back, she took deep breaths, having completely forgotten about the shadow wolf lurking in the small clearing, and when she finally opened her eyes, she was frozen to the spot.

Looming over her was the shadow. Alex was utterly mesmerised by his intense stare. She was lost in the depths of those sapphire blue eyes that spoke of great pain, suffering, loss and much more, and for but a moment, her fear was completely forgotten.

After a long minute, Alex came to her senses and began looking for a way out as the fear slammed back into her. To her right, from the corner of her eye, she could partially see what she landed on when she fell.

Carefully, so as not to alert him, she reached out. Her hands wrapped around the cool, rough surface of a broken branch. She tightened her body and very quickly brought up the branch, hitting the wolf in the head with the pointy part that had jabbed her earlier, earning a small yelp from him as he stumbled sideways. Alex jumped up as fast as she could and slammed the branch onto the side of his neck before kicking him in the throat.

Dazed, the shadow stood there with his head hanging low and hacking while Alex made her escape. She bolted out of the clearing straight for the territory. She had gained a few hundred meters when he had recovered enough to give chase. He zipped through the trees as he followed her. She was very quiet as she ran, and the shadow found it a little difficult at first to catch up, but when he finally caught sight of her dashing through the forest, he sped after her.

How could a measly little werewolf have beaten him? It angered him that she had been able to get a few hits in, and strong ones at that.

Alex could sense him catching up, and she knew she would not make it on the ground, so she took to the trees. Her plan worked. The moment she disappeared into the canopy, the wolf had to stop to spot her again. He ran after her much slower than before, with his head tilted upward the entire time, stopping now and then when he lost sight of her.

The shadow wolf had been chasing her from the ground for an hour as she fled through the trees, and its neck was sore by now. They had been out of Erisdar and on Boronduin territory for a while now, but he was still following her. He wasn't afraid of getting caught by patrols, for he never had before. Alex suddenly sped up and disappeared out of sight again, causing him to stop. A few seconds later, he spotted her far ahead and sped away after her, but as he came closer, he noticed that she was no longer in the trees but running ahead in the open field.

The shadow skidded to a stop at the edge of the trees, unable to follow further, and he could not believe that this peculiar little wolf, who had captivated him so, had evaded him.