*Sequel to CREATURES OF THE NIGHT / Cannot be read as a standalone*
It's been three months since Elias' body went missing, and without him, the shifter village is falling apart. Milena, Eric, and Cassia must juggle searching for Elias and protecting...
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THIS IS A VERY ROUGH DRAFT. THIS IS NOT THE FINAL PRODUCT. DO NOT EXPECT A FINAL MANUSCRIPT WITHOUT PLOTHOLES, MISTAKES, AND INCONSISTENCIES.
1.
Growing up in the hollower village, the change of season always incited excitement. Pollen lingered in the air, flowers wove through the vines on the vegetable patches. Sometimes, when the sun was high and the sky was blue, Wilhelm would play his ukulele and kids would dance around the clearing. Spring signalled a new beginning. A clean slate. One year closer to my first hunt.
But things have changed. Spring is different closer to the mountains. The shifter village is still tainted with patches of snow that melt into the dirt and turns a mucky brown. I don't count the days to my next birthday in anticipation for my hunt; I don't steer clear of the forest. Now, I wait for something much more important. Eric gets back tonight.
"Focus, Milena," Bastain says from behind me. "You've been distracted all training."
Mud splatters up my leg as I stomp my foot, twisting to face him. Speckles of brown dot his face, the corner of his shirt torn. With a moments notice, he kicks my legs out from beneath me. I land on the ground with a thud. Rubbing the dirt from my eyes, I push to my feet, ready to attack him again, but from the side, Aliyah claps. "Stop!"
The tension in my muscles releases and I drop my hand, wiping my mouth with the back of my wrist as I turn to face Aliyah. She sits on the tree stump, chin perched in her hand and eyes narrowed in on me. I shift as I wait for her to speak, my breath ragged and beads of sweat gathering at my neck.
"That was better," she says finally. "But not perfect. You still don't have the right form. You're too stiff." Beside me, Bastian snickers. "I don't know what you're laughing about. Milena nearly knocked you right off your feet at the start there."
"Key word—" Bastian turns to smirk at me, "—nearly."
I roll my eyes, dislodging the daggers in the tree Bastian and I were hacking at. "Shall we go again?"
"Tomorrow," Aliyah says. "I'm taking the stage three's out east. They've been nagging me about preparing for their first shifts."
Bastian laughs. "Their first shift? They're 10 years old."
"It's never too early to start preparing." Aliyah looks to me. "Same time tomorrow. In the meantime, work on your form in the mirror, 'cause your hits will be much better once you get that right."
I nod, sliding the daggers into their sheaths and back into the backpack before following Bastian back through the forest. "Aren't you going with her?" I ask.
"Eric's getting back tonight." He holds a branch out of the way for me; the leaves tickle the back of my neck as I pass. "I'm helping Cassia with the monthly report."
