Kingdom of the Nine: The Princes (II)

Chapter 2

Pinecrest Outskirts

———Red———
I follow the trail of blood as best I can in the dim light of the moon. It's faint, winding through the trees, over moss-covered rocks, and past ferns. My broken bow hangs loosely in my left hand, useless for now, but I keep it close out of habit. Every now and then, the scent of blood mixes with the fresh night air.

"Alyse is going to kill me if I come back empty-handed," I mutter, my voice low against the stillness of the forest.

I pause briefly, pulling out a worn cloth from my pocket. With fumbling hands, I tie the pieces of the shattered bow together. It's weak, barely holding, but it'll have to do. At least it's something.

The blood trail leads me into a cave, dark, cold, and damp. I light my torch and step inside, the flames casting flickering shadows on the stone walls. The deeper I go, the more the blood seems to fade, but the metallic scent grows stronger. I slow down, my heartbeat quickening as I reach the end of the trail.

There it is, the elk, lying motionless on the cave floor, but something's horribly wrong. Its body is torn apart, mangled and ravaged. Blood pools around it in a sickening display, and yet, somehow, it's still alive. Its eyes blink slowly, glassy with pain, and its body shudders in spasms.

"What the hell? You're still alive?" I whisper, my stomach churning.

Its legs are gone, torn clean off, and its insides spill onto the stone. It should be dead. I take a cautious step closer, but something catches my eye, a glint of silver. I lower the torch and see a silver axe lying beside the elk, smeared with blood. My heart skips a beat as I notice more scattered weapons, broken swords, rusted blades, all around the cave.

I whirl around, torch in hand, and it falls from my grasp. It hits the ground with a dull thud and rolls, casting light across the cave floor. The glow reveals what I missed, a sea of bones and shredded clothing. Hundreds of them, piled high, like a graveyard hidden beneath the earth.

"Shit."

A low growl rumbles from the darkness behind me, deep and menacing. I freeze as glowing eyes emerge from the shadows, towering over me. The creature is massive, easily four times my size. Its eyes burn with an unnatural light, and its breath huffs in thick, heavy puffs. I grab an arrow from my quiver, nock it quickly, and fire at its front leg. The arrow flies but misses, clattering uselessly against the cave floor.

It snarls, the sound vibrating through my chest, and begins to advance. Panic grips me. I turn and bolt for the cave entrance, sprinting as fast as my legs can carry me. The forest rushes past in a blur of black and green. My lungs burn, my legs ache, but I can't stop. I hear it crashing behind me, its footsteps heavy and unrelenting.

I dive behind a tree, glancing out just in time to see it sniffing the ground, searching for me. Its shape is grotesque, too big for a bear, too lean. Its narrow head, sharp teeth bared in the dim light, confirms my worst fear.

I whisper to myself, "I've never seen an animal like you before. You're no bear... too big... too narrow."

Then it howls, a long, blood-chilling cry that echoes through the forest.

"Damn it... werewolf," I breathe.

I pull an arrow from my quiver and take aim. I step out from behind the tree and release. The arrow flies straight and true, hitting its side but the beast doesn't even flinch. It locks eyes with me, its growl growing louder.

"You're shitting me, right?"

It charges, faster than I expected, a blur of muscle and rage. I don't wait to see if it stops. I turn and run, heart pounding, breath ragged, the creature gaining ground behind me. The trees blur as I sprint, my legs screaming in protest. The gates of Pinecrest come into view, and I scream for the guards.