Shadow of the Wolf

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Raising her eyes upward, she could see a large creature flying in the night sky above. Its wingspan alone was at least three feet. From what she could tell it wasn’t like any kind of bird or creature she had seen in the past. Squinting she caught the flicker of talons along what looked to be arms. Her breathe held tight in her lungs.

“It can’t be.” She’d never seen one of these alive. Books had written about them, talked about the danger they presented, but last recorded sight had been centuries ago. “Where did you come from?”

From what she could tell, it had not noticed her yet. Looking at the damage to the body next to her she now knew how it had come to being alone in the field with no footprints leading to or from it. The poor man had ended up a meal for the monster flying above. Searching the area, she needed to find a place to hide before the creature noticed her presence. Certain it was still high off of the kill, she prayed it remained distracted enough for her to find a place to hide.

Spotting a large fallen oak at the nearest entry to the forest, Saleene began to run. Keeping her body close to the ground, she made sure her movements didn’t draw unwanted attention. Step by step she got closer to the trunk, the sounds of the beast above fading behind her. As she made it to safety, she crawled around the side of the trunk to hide. Looking back at where she’d come from, she could still see the wings flapping above the dead man. Her heart continued to beat hard in her chest.

“Why are you here,” she asked quietly. There was an answer, one she did not want to face, but she knew was true. Another creature had been released by the evil. It was the only answer that made sense and it was one she knew would mean more would die.

In the distance, she could hear the footfalls of men approaching the open field. She needed to move. There was nothing more she could do for the man. From the sounds of the group approaching, she could tell they were well armed. More than enough to deal with the creature above if it came to it. Perhaps at least one of the creatures that had been released could be sent back to the hell it came from. It was just unfortunate that it had cost the life of another person. Turning around she quietly made her way back out from under the log. Keeping low to the ground she made sure not to make any noise that might alert the beast to her whereabouts. 

The moment her feet hit the interior of the forest she picked up her pace to increase her distance from the edge of the grove. Lifting her face to the wind, she breathed in the scents of the forest, looking for any telltale signs of danger. She needed information from the animals on where she could find shelter. As always the forest provided the answer she needed. Turning to the right she took off in an even paced run. Through trees and underbrush she moved, nothing slowing her down. Allowing her gaze to drift upward she took in the canopy of trees that shrouded the forest from the sky. Flickers of moonlight were able to filter through the branches, the small rays of moonbeam lighting her way. 

 “How beautiful, don’t you think?” Her eyes lowered to the wolf that padded next to her. “I see you didn’t take my advice from earlier.” For as far back as she could remember, she had always preferred the company and especially the wolves that roamed wild.

Everything around her felt calm. From what she could tell, the evil had left, at least for a little while. The woodland creatures had begun to sing songs into the night once more. The music helped to ease the stress of the day.

Saleene focused her attention back to the wolf, his stance not faltering. “You really must go my friend. There are evil things happening and I do not know if I can keep you safe.” As much as she enjoyed his company, she needed him to understand. “I’ll find you later. Now it’s time you went home to your family.” The wolf licked her hand before taking off into the darkness of the woods.