On the Dark Side of the Moon

Chapter 3

The market was a horrible, gruesome place.

It was cold, damp and dirty. My body was furthermore caked in mud from the four hour hike and my stomach twisted, and clenched uncomfortably. 

By the time we reached the market, the sun had already begun to set, my cardinal hair darkening in the dawning night. The collar around my neck began to tighten. The skin underneath began to redden and itch irritably. 

The chain attached to the device was yanked, and I stumbled to the floor, my knees drawing blood along the way. I was about to retort to the bulky wolf in front of me when he roughly pulled me up by the collar. His face was inches away from me. 

"I'm only gonna warn you once," His voice was deep, and angry. "The market is no fairytale. You act like anything other than an obedient pup, and you'll have your ass on the whipping pole. Keep your muzzle shut, bitch."

I sent the man a glare, but kept quiet as to obey his heed. I hated him, I hated this situation, and I hated this place, but I couldn't disobey him if I valued my life. And I sure as hell valued my life. I picked myself up off the floor, my legs surprisingly weak.

The building in front of our small group of four wolves was nothing more than a shack. The walls were dirty, and dusted with age. Green vines trailed over the outside sporting little blooms of pink flowers. The door was old, made of medal, but looked sturdy enough. 

The leader of our group stepped up to the shack, and rapped on the door four times. Nothing happened for a moment, and I fully believed we had gone to the wrong location. I mean, if I were an outsider, I would have shrugged off this place as a simple vacant house. Nothing special.

"The sun may set," A deep voice came from behind the door. Must have been a password of sorts.

"And the moon will rise," My wolven capture responded. The man behind the door let out a grunt, and threw open the door. He was huge, probably seven feet tall, and his face was ugly, and distorted by layers of scars. 

"What is your business here?"

"I have a she-wolf with me, Tempest. She has faced the trial by the priest and must watch the moon bleed," The wolf said.

Watch the moon- what?

These passwords were giving me a headache. I justed wanted know where I was going and what was going to happen to me. Was that too much to ask?

"Very well," The large man stated, gesturing to me. "I will take it from here."

The wolf holding my chain pulled me forward and passed my leash to the scarred man. I looked behind me at the trees, the sun, the sky one last time before I was yanked into the darkness of the shack.

For some reason, that motion made my stomach drop. I had a feeling that would be the last time I saw the outside world for a while and it scared me. My heart began to beat frantically in my chest as I tried to memorize the world before the shack door was shut.

"Will that be all?" The man asked the wolves. They all nodded, their faces absent of any emotion and began to walk away. 

The shack door was shut with a loud clang and I was left in complete darkness. I was gently pulled up by the collar. 

"Your name is Tempest correct?"

"Yes," I responded quietly, my voice failing me underneath my fear. I slipped my hair out of its confinement, letting it fall to my shoulders in hopes of sating my ever-progressing headache. 

the air was cold and stale inside the shack.

"It is not often that I am graced with the presence of females," He said." and especially ones with such beautiful red hair." I felt a tug at my cardinal strands, and I may not have been able to see, but I knew exactly what he was doing.