My territory

“Runaway, I will treat them!”

No, Daddy don’t leave please, don't do that...I can't be alone.

“I’m going with him, you hiding until we come back.”

No, Mom…please don't make me lonely...I can't bear it.

“Run-away Sky!”

My older sister too...I turn around and see my family in a lake of blood. Red eyes staring at me then only I heard “We love you.”

……….

It was a dream, again, now every night, I relive that moment. Twelve years have passed since the extermination of my family.

I’m Nicolette Gary, and I’m 18. I’m a lone wolf, mostly the legend of the big bad wolf who lives in the woods, as I have lived here since I was alone and in the neighbouring town parents tell their children that the big wolf loves to eat the tender meat of children, sorry for not making them becoming adventurers.

I enjoy seeing when I meet children or adults in the forest, and they run away screaming, leaving what they were carrying.

I don’t go to human civilization very often; I love mountains and solitude. I live in a wooden house hidden on a hill, on the top of a hill surrounded by trees, so that no one can find me. I only come here to wash, sleep and cook when I feel like it. Otherwise, I eat what I find in the forest.

“Well, I fixed the house, now I can go to the temple.”

On the bank of the river where I left my family's bodies, I built a small temple to pray; among us wolves, these places are sacred, and there is a ban on fighting. If only someone dared to stain that soil with blood, I would personally eliminate him, even if he is one of my own kind. In these years, I have developed my skills, I have trained hard to become stronger.

Since I was seven, my black hair has stretched all the way down to my pelvis, and my body is that of a mature woman with long legs and curves at the right point. My eyes are special; to the human green has been added some red veins.

I’m running late, better if I change. I feel my bones breaking, the fur growing and the muzzle getting lengthen. If a foreign wolf sees me, they will mistake me for an Alpha, being larger than other wolves, I am fearful.

I start to run, fast as the wind and the only way to make me relax, except to kill some cold ones when they invade my territory. They are the thing I hate most in the world, but I'm not even on the side of the Moon Stone Clan.

In the distance, I hear the cries and movements of animals in the woods, I can see farther than a normal wolf, and what I observe right now I don't like.

A cold one has dragged a human woman into the woods, probably seduced her, and now wants to feed on her. I can’t blame the human females as werewolves, and cold ones are creatures of beauty that attract but can lead to death.

“No stop Josh, don’t come here to my house!” The human woman said with her smile.

“I’m sorry babe but I don’t want anyone to see me.”

“Why? I have a free house tonight...” She said with a smile on her lips again.

Naive human, I thought.

“I have but I want to suck your precious blood.”

“Come on Josh don’t joke!”

“But I’m not kidding about food.” Josh said, and the girl pulls away in time; noticing the boy's teeth and eyes, she lets out a cry of terror and starts to run.

“Do you really think you can escape me? Stupid Girl!” The vampire said, is about to catch her now that she has tripped to the ground. “You are mine now!”

I cannot stay on the sidelines... I sling myself at the vampire throwing him against a tree. The girl looks at me terrified, maybe because of the legend of the bad wolf .... who knows! I growl at her as if to tell her to leave. She gets receive the message as if I want to eat her but runs away anyway.

“Why did you ruin my bad dog meal!” Josh, a vampire, looked at me with angry eyes.

I HATE VAMPIRES! Mentally I talk to him.

“Nothing personal corpse, but in my territory, you can’t hunt...you can’t hunt,” I said normally and proceeded to go the other way.

“In your territory? Are you by any chance a Moon Stone?”

“No! I have nothing to do with them, this is Nicolette Gary’s land and they’re worse than those fleabags!”

“Ahahahah, really funny, there is no Nicolette pack!”

“Indeed, I am the red-eyed lone wolf who with her jaws killed everyone of your kind who dared to come here!”

“So, you’re the one who kills my people! Well, now I have one more reason to kill you damn!” He starts coming towards me with a hateful look.

“I really want to see if you can!” I’m no less, I sling on him at high speed.

He’s trying to break my rib, but I kick him to the ground with one paw, hearing the sound of his bones breaking. He doesn’t give up and charges back, but it doesn’t matter that I’m faster, so I jump on him, immobilizing him under my mighty paws.

"What are your last words..."

“If I die others will come to kill you, lone wolf, you are not immortal at all!”

“Try to kill me, but it won’t be easy!” Having said that, I took a bite off his head and left his corpse there as a warning to others to come.

This has been going on for years, ever since the Moon Stone declared war on the vampires in the area, tired of seeing their fellows die under their canines. They don’t know about my existence as they think I died along with my family, and that’s okay with me.

Finally, I reach the sacred temple of my family, light the incense and close myself in prayer, kneeling in front of an altar with three cut-out wolves. 'I hope they are fine and don’t worry about me, I miss them a lot and I will never leave the past behind.'

When I see that the sun is high in the sky, I understand that it is time for lunch. I set off into the forest with the human form. I arrive above the waterfall where I can enjoy a breathtaking show every hour of the day in my life.

“Come on Dylan if you don’t move, we’ll leave you behind!”

“Don’t be like that, I’m the youngest among you, you have a little pity for me!”

“Move, baby!”

A handful of young werewolves are passing the river of the waterfall, and I just hope they don’t steal my prey! I look around and notice a cougar chasing a deer. I found my lunch!

“Robert, take look, we found a snack. Whoever gets it eats it!”

The wolves are starting to chase my hold, but haven’t they yet realized that no one has ever stolen lunch from me? I turn into my wolf and begin to descend the mountain! Those fleabags aren’t bad for young, and they’re fast, but not fast enough.

“I got it!”

With my best awe-inspiring voice, I shout, “it’s mine!”

When they turn in my direction, I swiftly step between them and land the cougar below me; it tries to wriggle, but one bite, and it’s dead. Not bad for lunch, if it weren’t for a few too many eyes watching me from behind.

The newbies begin to growl at me, “Who are you? You are not of our clan what are you doing in the land of the Moon Stone?”

After having satiated, I turn towards them and fix them with my blood-colored eyes; I approach them in all my majesty because compared to me, they look like children, and already with a growl, I make them lower their heads!

“It doesn’t matter who I am, but don’t you dare claim my territory as that of your clan. I live here before you! When you talk to me don’t use that tone and most importantly don’t hunt my prey!”

Now they are all with their noses on the ground and look at me in fear, but I do not regret it. I do not want to have anything to do with the rest of the world.

In a flash, before they raised their heads, I had started running back to my shelter. I had had a stressful day, first the vampire, then the werewolves as if they had agreed. I return to my human form, take a hot shower to relax, wear shorts and a tank top, and sling into my bed, not before kissing my family photo good night.

Hopefully, I will be able to sleep tonight and dream of the happy moments I spent with them. I fall asleep looking out the window at the Goddess Moon.