Cage

Chapter 14: Battle Wounds

Chapter 14: Battle Wounds

            My heart hammered so wildly in my chest that my entire upper body felt sore and tattered. Sweat continued to bead across my forehead as I held my ground and continued to grip for some unreachable force inside of me. I wasn’t sure where to go from here, or what sort of emotion to hold on to.

            “Will, I-I don’t know how to do this. I can’t go back to that moment, no matter how hard I try. Nothing is triggering the change,” I sighed, dropping my hands to my thighs and leaning over to take deep breaths.

            “I know Cass, it’s okay. This is all part of becoming a wolf. You need to harness what drives your inner wolf. Everyone is different,” Will replied gently, rubbing his hand down my shaking back. “Maybe we should stop for tonight,” he proposed quietly. I let out a harsh sigh and straightened, shaking my head.

            “I can’t yet,” I replied, frustrated with myself.

            “Then maybe instead of thinking about the night you changed in order to save us… think about another dark moment – one where you felt the same vulnerability,” Will proposed, stepping back to lean against the closest tree. He and I decided the best place to start our first training session was deep within the Ice Wolf forest. So, within the shadowy darkness and under the silver moon, I closed my eyes and searched my memory for a powerful trigger. Will had said it himself; every wolf has their own distinct source to which they draw the need and hunger to change from.

            After a few long minutes, I felt my heart contract as I thought about one memory in particular that had been shoved to the furthest depths of my mind. I had almost forgotten the small moment. However, once finding it again, it was all I could bear to think about.

            It was one of the very first moments that I had laid eyes on Hayden, the relentless cage fighter. I could see his impressively strong wolf so clearly in my mind as it circled the imaginary cage manifested in my memory. His opponent, nothing but a faded thought but still present as he bashed Hayden violently to the ground. Thinking back, I knew Hayden had only been faking his injury in order to gain the upper hand. Though, in that very moment, I had never felt such a strong, unexplainable pull before.

            I wanted more than anything to protect Hayden as I mindlessly pushed through the crowds of burley, faceless men and toward the very front of the caged arena. Then the world slowed to a crawl-like state as I remembered seeing Hayden’s wolfy, grey gaze flash open and meet mine with unbelievable intensity. It was all over then. Even though I did not know it in that second, I can now state that those few moments were the ones that had marked the start of my new life.

            My heart clamped down then, sending my body into a state of quivering shocks. I was so wrapped up in my own mind that I could hardly hear Will’s encouraging words. The heat then came, spreading like wildfire across my skin and especially at the tips of my ears. Just before the warmth could push me to the point of fainting, I exploded through an outer-body experience.

            At first, I felt a little queasy as I pushed myself to adjust to the overwhelming senses. Even though everything was heightened in human form, it was nothing compared to being a wolf. The world around me was sharper and clearer, even in the dead of night. Also, astoundingly, I could hear everything… even Will’s steady heart beat and the once silent breaths flowing through his lips.

            “That was incredible Cass,” Will smiled, moving slowly toward me. For a second I felt my lips draw back over my canines before I quickly reminded myself that Will was not a threat.