Apex Predator

Violet

The lights we chase,
the nights we steal
The things that we take
to make us feel.

-Brother, Gerard Way

My powers manifested at the zoo.

I was with my mother and twin brother, Hugh, and we were happily skipping along, pointing out all the animals and squealing with delight. I was only six years old and Hugh was three minutes older. "Let's go see the wolves, Mama," Hugh yelped and pointed to a small forested area, surrounded by a fence.

"Okay honey, but don't throw things this time. You nearly got us kicked out last time," Mama said easily and we both sheepishly ducked our heads. It turned out that throwing popcorn at the gorillas wasn't allowed.

"Yes, Mama," we said in unison and she chuckled. She smoothed back my brown hair and tweaked the polka-dot bow that held it up in a loose ponytail.

We walked up to the enclosure and I climbed up the chain-link fence so I could get a better view. Hugh climbed up too but he didn't climb as high as me.

It took me a second to spot the wolves but when I did, I was in awe. One by one, they started appearing out of the forest. There were six of them, in total, and all six were gorgeous with silky fur and muscles that rippled under their skin with every step they took.

"What are their names?" Hugh asked. He had asked that at every enclosure and Mama had always pulled out that nifty brochure of hers and answered him.

Mama opened her book to the 'wolf' page. There were six pictures of the pack on the page that didn't do the wolves any justice. Each wolf had their own little blurb that explained their history and rank in the pack. "The white one is the Alpha and her name is Luna." I didn't know what an 'Alpha' was but I thought it was cool.

Out of the six wolves, four of them were gray, one was white and another was black. Most people would immediately look to the white wolf with the shimmering fur and bright blue eyes but I couldn't take my eyes off the black one. He was one of the biggest, with sleek bluish-black fur and vibrant golden eyes.

His eyes met mine and it was like my whole world stopped. 'Those eyes...'

His lips curled up in a snarl, revealing a row of brilliantly white teeth and healthy gums as pink as a fresh plum. "What's the black ones name, Mama?" I asked.

"Apex," Mama read. She glanced up to see that I was leaning a little too far over the fence, "Violet, don't lean so much, you'll fall over."

But I couldn't take my sight off of Apex. I could see every little detail in his eyes as he stalked closer to me. There was even a sliver of green in his left eye that made his eyes all the more brilliant. He was slowly getting closer, and if only I had arms as long as Mama's then I would have been able to touch him.

So I reached anyway.

Mama let out a bloodcurdling shriek as I toppled into the enclosure, landing on my knees and yelping in pain. The wolf jumped back a little but not a second later, lunged at me.

But a bite never came. Apex stopped dead in front of me, staring at me in confusion and fear. I glanced down to see long black claws coming from my fingers and instead of brown hair surrounding my face, it was silky black.

It was like all my senses went into overdrive. I could smell everything; Mama's perfume, the scent of melted butter in Hugh's bag of popcorn, and even the musky, forest smell of the other wolves. Not only that, but I could smell the fear coming from Apex and Mama.

But the biggest change was the feeling of power. It raced through my blood and made me feel magnificent. It was like the same gold used to make Apex's eyes was now racing through my blood, making everything from my toes to the tips of my fingers tingle.