Moonlit Refuge

Kaidaira’s point of view.

The darkness of the forest writhed and twisted around me, living darkness taking menacing forms. Trees loomed; their branches grasped at me, skeletal fingers. I crawled, my body screaming in protest with the movements-a death knell echoing through my bones. I was still reeling from the aftershocks of the transformation.

But then, as if the moon itself took pity on me, its silvery light burst forth. The whole forest was transformed; bathed in an unearthly light, the leaves shone dew-kissed and diamond-like, and the trees were motionless, their branches etched against the sky like fine pen and ink drawings.

An uneasy silence fell with the notion that night creatures had vanished. The air was heavy with anticipation, save for the soft rustling of leaves and some distant mournful hooting of an owl.

Hours, it seemed, or even days were passing-the only small notion of time in that wide desolation. My pain gave place to thirst: the drying parching of the throat, the cracking of lips, the mouth as arid as the most arid desert.

The sound of running water beckoned-a siren's call-drawing me forward. I stumbled to my feet, legs trembling like a newborn fawn, knees threatening to buckle. The earth spun around me-a dizzying vortex.

Before me, a crystal stream flowed, its soft gurgle soothing my arid throat. I knelt down, cupping my hands to drink, feeling the cool water revive my senses. The sweetness exploded on my tongue, satisfying my thirst.

As I drank, the woods came alive-crickets chirping, frogs croaking, and farther away, the howl of a wolf. The symphony enveloped me, a soothing balm.

Voices came carried upon the breeze-soft and melodious, almost as if in chorus, angelically. Women chattered, laughing, as they returned from fetching water. Infectious, at least for a moment, to lift my spirits.

I followed at a distance, senses high, as the territory of the pack unfolded before me: rustic homes, a bustling town square-a far cry from the gold-decorated fortress that was the king's.

On the outskirts of town, there was an abandoned house with boarded-up windows and a crooked door that hung off its hinges like some broken tooth. I slipped inside, my eyes adjusting to the darkness to find any signs of occupation.

The smell of an alpha was thick upon the air-heavy and unmistakable-the base warning running shivers down my spine.

I knew my capture would only be a matter of time.

The alpha's presence seeped deep into my bones, stirring my inner wolf.

I had to keep going.

But for now, weariness overcame me.

I fell onto the dusty floor, my eyes shutting in defeat as the world around me grew dark.

Agony awakened me. It felt as if my head had been latched onto by the hammer of a blacksmith and was now beating out some impacable rhythm. Every beat echoed in my skull, unstoppable. Every muscle shrieked protest as I shifted. Bruises wrapped my body, tender to touch. The dusty floor seemed to gyrate under me. I clung to the floorboards, desperate for stability, the nails clawing on wood.

Memories flooded my mind: the escape, the transformation, the alpha's scent that lingered in my nostrils like a ghostly presence. My wolf, where was my wolf? Panic laced around my chest, accelerating my heartbeat. I strained to feel its presence, but there was only silence, a hollow void inside me.

Gnawing hunger, like some beast, growled and snarled inside my belly. My protesting belly contracted into painful cramps because of the dearth inside it. I crawled into the forest in search of a quick snack, leaves crunching beneath my hands and knees-releasing earthy scents: damp soil, decaying leaves, and wild mushrooms.

Trees blurred around me, their branches tangling together like skeletal fingers, casting eerie shadows on the floor of the forest. Sunlight filtered through, casting dappled patterns, warming my skin. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, whispering secrets in my ear.

In an instant, a knife-sharp pain clutched my abdomen, as if someone or something had plunged a knife deep inside my body and turned it around. I yelled, dropping myself on the ground of the forest, and my sight blurred. The bitter smell of earth filled my nostrils, mixed with the coppery and acrid taste of blood.

Nobody heard me. Nobody came. I contorted, devoured by agonizing pain. My sweat drenched my body. My life ebbed away, slipping between my fingers like sand, each grain irretrievably lost.

My vision blurred, colors bleeding into one another-greens and browns and tans swirling in a maddening vortex. I caught the faint rustle of trees-leaves and twigs and the soft crunch of footsteps. Heavy. Deliberate. Coming closer.

Those footsteps finally stopped beside me. A shadow loomed, casting me in darkness as it blotted out the sun. A figure knelt, its presence lending the scent of leather and woodsmoke and something else-something wild.

A warm, gentle hand touched my forehead, sending shivers running down my back. "Kaidaira?" The voice was a familiar one, concern etched in every syllable, soft as the summer breeze, with a soothing quality.

"Please.don't leave me." My voice turned out to be a whispered sigh, hardly audible, my lips parched and cracked.

Above me, her face was blurry, all features indistinct except for the eyes-an unblemished blue, like a cloudless summer sky-but they seemed to see right through me.

I shut my eyes and let the darkness swallow me whole. The world just disappeared around me.

I awoke with a start, gasping for air, as my heart raced in my chest. Everything around was milling, and I found myself clutching at the bed, confused.

Where did I find myself?

Slowly, it registered-my room, my bed, my curtains.

Another nightmare!

Something stirred from within me, causing me to say a desperate prayer.

My child.

I rubbed my swollen belly, feeling a flutter within.

This wasn’t a good sign..