The Dark Ages of Wolves

Fire

Jade:

I lay wide awake in bed, unable to sleep. The sounds of the night are haunting me again. The typical occasional owl hooting, the clicking and shuffling of a horse, and the yelling about around the city streets. The growling of one of the wolf Guardians on patrol must be passing by. I've listened to their growling and the screams that follow alone for years. I take a deep breath. You never get used to it. Being alone doesn't help much, either. I close my eyes and pull the covers over my head to hide from the night's horrors.

Sunshine shines through the dreary clouds onto my dark brown hair. I blend with the light grays and faded grays of village traffic. Guardians patrol the streets. I veer out of the way of someone behind shoved backward. The last thing I need is a run-in with one of the beasts. The savage brutes have been running to town for so long, yet they still feel the need to throw their weight around. As if we weren't scared enough. They're always bullying someone. All I need today are a few things from the market. It'd be nice to pick up some pickled fish and freshwater.

"Stop him!" a voice roars, followed by a loud howling. Heavy panting, snarling and barking like that of a pack of dogs race this way. I whirl around wide-eyed.

"Move it," a gruff, haggard voice grumbles. Someone throws me aside straight into a wall. I stumble, falling to the dirt dizzy. Meanwhile, trouble goes roaring by. I watch the town guards zoom past me; their pointed ears, ugly thick white claws lashing out, and teeth snapping at the air. I sit their paralyzed, the world spinning.

"Watch where you're going," growls a voice. The black and blue dots dancing in my eyes disappear, finally allowing me to see the man in the long, fiery red cloak. With my arm in a vice, they yank me upright. The face of a young man; looking to be about my age, with green eyes and brown hair stares down at me, growling in frustration.

"What's your name?" he demands to know. Again, my lips tremble, but I'm wordless. He yanks me to my feet and shoves me backward. Some people scatter, and others watch. They all know what's to happen. The same fate that befalls any other weak human that runs into bad luck with a Guardian. My breathing hitches up, and my eyes dart about left and right for help. Eyes dodge me. Even as I blink and breathe right now, I am dead to them now.

"Ja-" I breathe. His fist hits the wall making me immediately scrunch up. I drop my eyes, holding my breath from his wolfish eyes. I risk a glance up, catching sight 0of his wolfish teeth. He pulls me forward and throws me back. My hood falls around my shoulders. What's he waiting for?

"What's... what's your name?" the Guardian asks again, glaring down at me. He lifts my chin, his wolf-like eyes burning into mine. My eyes water and I fight to blink back my tears. Answer him, you yutz, and maybe you'll walk away from this.

"J-J- Jade," I stutter. The corners of his lips twitch into a subtle smile. Another guardian is coming up to his side, claws out, and canines protruding. He wears a matching red cloak.

"Need any help, Hunter? The humans have been quite troublesome lately," offers a tall blonde-haired boy coming this way. His hair is rather messy, and his eyes are light brown, like a chestnut.

"No, I can handle any human, Eric," Hunter complains sourly. His yellow eyes narrow, and I feel his grip on my neck tighten up. Hunter growls sharply, rushing at me. I scream, scrambling backward toward a stack of crates and boxes away from the monsters. "I'm letting her go," Hunter finally decides, his eyes veer away, "We have more concerns to worry about. Like the barbarians,"

"Yes, sir," Eric answers. I watch them walk off, not only leaving me behind but also alive. Guardians never leave humans they encounter live. They slaughter them, throw their innards about, and eat them. Yet here I am still alive, just so confused. My thoughts race, throbbing painfully. It's just- I should be dead. My body shouldn't be walking, my heart shouldn't be beating. It should be cold, and my soul moving on. I collect my wits, still stunned, and run from the area. Why was I spared? Perhaps this is some trick?

"Hello, Jade- Jade," my friend calls to me. I find her blue eyes staring with minor concern for me.

"Oh, good afternoon Abbey," I greet her, offering an apologetic smile for reassurance. Honestly, besides my rattled nerves, the two hadn't really hurt me.

"What happened back there? Are you all alright? Did they hurt you?" Abbey wonders.

"I'm..." I stammer, "I'm okay, I guess. They let me go," I tell. Abbey pauses, her hands on my shoulders while she gives me a once over. Her eyes search for anything but find nothing, not even a scratch.

"Lucky girl, not everyone gets so lucky with those beasts," she notes, thinking of her own family, I'm sure.

"I know, I was scared, and I still am," I admit, "What if they come after me, and they kill me. Or the guards beat me repeatedly until I beg for death?" I ramble on, "I- I'm scared, Abbey, I still am!" I blurt out.

"Stop it! You're going to give yourself and me a headache," Abbey complains, "We're just of a couple of girls going about our own business, Jade. We don't break laws or cause trouble. They won't bother you again. And if they do, run, run away,"

"Oh, I'll never let them take me. I'd rather die by the hands of those monsters," I murmur, "Or those barbaric folks,"

"Hm, I hear the barbarians have been hunting werewolves," Abbey brings them up again.

"That's crazy talk, Abbey, what mere man could stand up to the likes of those monsters. They're too strong," I remind her.

"But it's true. Jade, I'm telling you a revolution is coming that's going to turn the game around on the wolves," Abbey declares, "Just last week those barbarians robbed a local market. They stole all their goods and then robbed the wolf tax collectors," Abbey informs me, earning herself some looks from eavesdroppers. I chuckle, rolling my eyes at her conspiracy theory. Goodness, it's a beautiful dream of hers. Having a friend by my side is more than reassuring. If anything went wrong, I'd have someone by my side to get me through it. The cheap markets are rather smelly with old, preserved meats and picked vegetables. The smell of pickling brines reek. Abbey and I can't get away from it soon enough. I roam about the villages of cottages and withering flowerbeds nearby. Finally, I reach the camp I call home. It's about the size of Abbey's closet, but it's warm and secure. Its wooden walls are full of gaps and cracks in which I've stuffed mud and grasses in to block out drafts. It offers little space, and though nothing but a shack, provides some peace of mind. I turn at the smell of smoke; curiosity guides me to a distant stream of dark smoke. The harsh burning is horrible. All hairs stand on end. Someone, somewhere, is screaming for help. I crouch down in my safe little shack, my arms around myself. It's okay, you're safe. The smoke fills my lungs and scorching my throat. The foul air forces me up and out.

"The barbarians are attacking!" people are screaming. One person bolts pass me. Then another flees. Flaming heat blows down the street. A set of yellow eyes lock in on me. It's that one guy, the first one I encountered. His lips curl up, showing off his teeth. Here he comes. I take off. Tears stream down my face. My lungs expand desperately for air. I don't even know where to go. People are falling left and right. Blood will stain these streets tonight. Why are they doing this? Why now? Someone blocks me, but it's not the wolf boy I'd seen earlier.

"Come on, girly!" a man yells at me, not one of the wolves.

"Triston, after her!" the curly brown-haired man calls. Now I have two of them after me. My head hits the nearest wall. Someone's lying on top of me. Their eyes stare at me, blank and unmoving. Realization sets in, and I scream. I scramble out from under them, leaving them limp on the streets. Run Jade. Keep running for your life! A pain branches across my chest. My feet hurt, but I'm still moving. I haven't a second to spare for a little ache. I turn corners and duck into a barrel. Something wriggling at the bottom squeaks at me, darting somewhere around until I no longer feel them. I force my breathing to slow. Quiet Jade, breathe easy now. Outside my little hiding hole, metal clanks heavily, like chains rattling. I take a deep breath, trying to ease my nerves in the isolated space within the barrel. Claws scrape at my head and yank me up by my hair. I scream bloody murder.

"Let her go!" and I'm dropped at their request. Something crunches behind me, popping with an audible snap. One of them goes down, leaving the other one coming straight for me.

"Let me go! Let me go!" I demand relentlessly. There's a hard knock against my head and dots dance about my vision. I gasp, my jaw hanging open. The world spins, spinning, and ringing in my ears. I struggle to get up again only to flop back down, limp, and dragged along behind them.