Healer touch

The very air crackled with chaotic energy in the village. We walked into the healer's house with the strong scent of herbs permeating the air mixed with the warmth of flickering candlelight. I placed Lorenzo on a wooden table in the middle of the room as my heart raced, panic coursing through my veins.

"He has to be helped!" I begged, trembling in fear. "Please, he's losing so much blood!"

The healer, with kind eyes and silver hair, stepped forward. Her expression went from calm to urgent in seconds. "Get him water and clean cloths," she ordered in a commanding tone. She began quick examinations of Lorenzo's injuries while I scrambled for anything she wanted.

"Clark, stay by his side," the healer told me, her hands working nimbly over my son. "You need to be strong for him."

I nodded, my heart breaking as I watched the healer applying pressure to Lorenzo's throat, her hands deftly trained. "He is going to be fine, right?" I said, my voice growing desperate.

The healer looked up. "He is a strong boy, but we need to move fast. Keep him calm."

Lucian was shifting anxiously at the edge of the room. "What can we do?" The concern was etched on his face.

She cast a glance at him, her voice firm. ''I have got to get him out of this nuisance. The Silver Fang Pack is very treacherous, and they will come for him again; hide him somewhere safe. ''

"I can't leave!" I shouted as my voice got louder. "I need to stay with him!"

"Clark," Lucian said, stepping in closer, "We need to regroup; the Silver Fang Pack will not stop until they have what they want. I will make sure Lorenzo is safe, and you will stay here and protect the village."

The tears welled as I looked over at my son, pale and frail, sprawled out on the table. "But I can't just let you go! I need to be with you."

"The healer can tend to his needs," said Lucian. "Trust me, I'll keep him safe. But you have to help us fight back. We need every warrior we can get."

I could feel a rise of determination surging within me. "I'm going with you. But first, I have to search for that herb for your mother. We cannot afford to waste any time.''

"Clark," Lucian said, his voice low and serious. "I can't let you go alone. It's too dangerous."

"I'll be fine!" I said, my heart racing at the thrill of what lay ahead. "I have to get that herb to help Lorenzo heal faster. And find James. I want revenge."

Lucian hesitated, tortured. "We can't split up. I will take some warriors with me, and we find the herb together.”

"Go," I said, my sudden resolve solidifying. "You need to protect Lorenzo. I'll do this by myself."

Lucian, after a reluctant nod, turned toward the warriors gathered at the door. "Beta and Omega, you'll stay with Clark. Keep her safe while I am gone. Protect the village."

With grave expressions, the warriors nodded and took up position around me. Internal gratitude mixed with frustration. I was ready to fight; at the same time, I knew I had to stay by Lorenzo's side.

I inhaled, the tension caused by crashing thoughts as Lucian and the others geared up to leave. There was power awakening within me, a sort of energy I had never known how to use. I would not be the weak werewolf they remembered.

"I will come back," Lucian said, taking one last long look at me before disappearing into the night with the warriors. The door shut behind him, and I was left in flickering candlelight, the healer's hands moving with lightning speed over Lorenzo.

"Clark," the healer said, an unyielding cadence in her voice. "You have to channel your energy. Your son needs you strong."

I nodded, feeling the bolt of power go through me. I sensed the movement of the wolf in me, an ancient command to free itself. There came my decision.

"Get back," I said to the warriors, my voice low and authoritative. They looked at each other with confusion written all over their faces but complied.

When I closed my eyes and focused, the change began. I felt it rolling through me and into the wolf, as everything began to shift within my body, muscles rippling just beneath the skin. The world faded, and only the instinctual call of the wild remained.

Somewhere above me, thunder ripped across the air, washing away the darkness of the night. It was my howl, and it shook the very ground of the nearby villages; with it, I carried the deep message that I had power and purpose.

The warriors stood stunned, their wide eyes watching the scene. "Clark?" in breathless tones of disbelief, one gave voice to his thoughts. "Is that really you?"

I felt the pulse of power within me; the strength of the wolf coursed through me like a tidal wave. "Stay here!" I barked in a voice deeper and more primal than I had ever experienced. "I will deal with this!"

Not waiting for a response, I burst out of the healer's home and into the calling night. James and the Silver Fang Pack had to be found. I would make them pay dearly for their sins.

The moon rode high overhead, sending its luminous rays slanting through the trees ahead of me. I ran guided by instinct, fierce in remembering when alive and powerful, ready to unleash my wrath on all those who dared threaten my family.

As I crossed into the outskirts of the village, bitter cries of silver fang warriors filled the air, mixing blood with fear-a smell that licked my rage. I could hear distant voices, a low rumble of mocking laughter and insults ringing through the night.

I crashed into their camp like a whirlwind and stared down the warriors standing before me in shock. "You dare threaten my family?" I growled, my voice deepening into a menacing snarl.

Before they even had a chance to react, I sprang at the nearest warrior, my claws slicing through the air with deadly accuracy. The astonishment in their eyes faded almost instantaneously into sheer terror as I ripped into them, overpowering them by far with my strength.

One by one, I sent them to their ends, fury pulsing through my veins like adrenaline. I hunted for James in my heart, where revenge burned hot. “Where are you, James?” I howled, the echo lingering amidst chaos.

The warriors had retreated for a moment, confusion settling upon them as they beheld the very wrath I now commanded. They had always thought me weak, but that day, I was power unleashed, a storm wreaking vengeance.

At last, I caught sight of the retreating figure of someone I knew. “There you are!” I hissed.

But James moved nimbly, darting into the protective shadows of the trees. “You’ll never catch me!” he jeered, the sound of his laughter taunting my ears.

I sped after him, weaving among the trees and urging my body to its limits. I felt the calling of the Moonstone, the unrelenting urge to give up all restraints and let my true power be known.

Something moved some distance away. Snapping back into focus at the scent of herbs, I followed it, knowing I'd find what I needed to assist Lorenzo in healing. The forest seemed to buzz with life sounds, but I focused on my job.

At last, I found a cluster of luminescent herbs glowing in the undergrowth. “That’s it,” I thought, hope surging through me. I gathered them quickly, knowing full well that they would aid in Lorenzo's recuperation.

Herbs secured, I turned back to the camp, fury still burning through my heart. The warriors were still reeling from my onslaught, confusion and fright etched across their faces.

Shot back into the fray, determined to complete what I've started. I fought with a rage that even shocked me, fury of a wolf guiding my every move.

As the very last of the Silver Fang warriors fell, I stood among the wreckage, gasping, triumphant. I had claimed my power and fought for my family. The echoes of my howl haunted the forest, heralding my change.

Holding the herbs in my mouth, I turned and ran in the direction of the village, my heart beating with determination. I would save Lorenzo, and side by side, we would take back our lives.