Woken

Chapter 5

Zen stopped suddenly as she heard the howl of a beast from far off. She crouched down in the white snow and let her instinct take over.

The howl sounded haunting to her. Wounded. Hurtful. Calling for help. 

Easy prey.

She sniffed the air delicately, letting the scent flow through her nostrils. She smelled blood. Her assumption of the howls had been right. The poor beast that was about to become her prey, was wounded.

Probably a wolf caught in a Icelander's trap, she thought. She had never agreed to the trapping of animals. Traps rarely killed large beasts such as deer or wolf, it was meant for the petite critters, such as snow hares, perhaps small ice foxes. But if a wolf or poor deer were to stumble upon one of the human's traps, it would surely bleed to death. It was a cruelty to her she could never forgive a human for. She loved animals.

But then again, she knew she couldn't love them that much. SInce this one was about to become her meal.

Everything has to live.

Everything has to live. She pondered this in her mind as she moved forward, following the piercing howls of pain.

Everything should live. That was how the world was originally made. Until the war. Such a bloody war. The one that split her world and many other's world in half. Between night and day.

Only luck had brought her into the World of Day. 

But what brought the other nightwalkers here? 

She had captured, tortured, and brutally murdered her own kind many times over. It was her only way to remain here. In the human's part of the world. She had done this many times over, to gain her place, but never once had any of them said what brought them here. They would die before even daring speaking to her.

She already knew why.

She already knew it was something she could never change or be forgiven for.

Everything has to live...

I live to the best of my abilities. She thought to herself quietly, deep in the back of her mind.

That was her excuse for what she did against her kind. Why she had made that last report to Corra of the nightwalker she knew was in the area. But the report had filled her with guilt, and shame. She supposed it was just a young kid. A very very young nightwalker.

Woken up out of a nightmare into a new one.

She knew it was a young one. No experienced or elder nightwalker would ever venture into the Icelands during the sun's season.

Even she was very careful during this time too far north. It could damage her, or cause her problems she didnt need. If she became too damaged she probably wouldnt be able to track anymore, and then her clever way of survival would be over.

Another long, shivering howl pierced her ears.

She quickly picked up her pace and crouched down behind a tree in front of a small clearing.

In the middle of the soft snow lay a wolf whimpering in pain, a trap snarled onto both its hind legs.

Zen crouched there, watching the poor beast's stomach rise up and down as it took out short breaths of icey air. Something was wrong, she felt it. She could feel something weird in the air. Sadness, mixed with fear and anticipation.

Quiet as a mouse she unhooked her bow from her shoulder and grasped one of fine hand made aarows, ready to let it fly through anything that moved.

She waited.

She strung her arrow and squinted her cold black eyes, ready to strike. Something was moving through the trees.

Something big.

'No..Something small...' She whispered to herself.

'Yip yip yip yip yip.' 

Zen relaxed, her hand shaking she dropped the bow and arrow in the chilly snow.

Four small wolf pups raced into the clearing, jumping from end to end, around, below, and near their wounded mother. All of them had black fur, as shiny as night itself, except for the smallest, whose fur was whiter than paper. It had bright blue eyes Zen noticed.

'yip yip yip.'

Zen sighed and gathered her bow and arrow then walked into the clearing.

'Its okay, your fine little babies.' She cooed softly as she walked towards the mother, hand outstretched.

The mother wolf snarled, which only made Zen determined more. 

She wasn't afraid of a wounded animal. Not even a full grown wolf could scare her.

Gently she touched the mother's fur. It was warm, bristly, and wet with sweat and blood. She felt the animal shiver from her touch and gently began to pat her on its back and stomach.

Zen cooed to the mother and slowly took out a fresh herb to place on the wound. It would take away the pain and help dry out the blood.

As she patted it lightly on the wound she undid the trap carefully, that way she would not hurt the poor mother more. While she did this the pups circled, came as close to Zen as they dared, then ran away again, yipping and bumping each other in play.

'There.' Zen said as she stood up, taking the old trap with her.

The mother wolf stood up gingerly and shook herself. A pool of dried blood lay where she had just been trapped.

The dark wolf then bowed her head towards Zen, and trotted away through the trees, slightly limping. Her four pups followed as close behind as possible, the white one being the last.

Zen let out a huff of air and watched as it turned into a steamy fog, then flew away with the wind.

There goes my meal, she thought. But she knew deep down she could have never killed a mother. Even though she had killed her own kinds kids, mothers, and fathers, before.

She bit her lip. Hard. Until she tasted blood between her sharp teeth. It tasted good.

She tasted good.

She licked her lips then wiped them with the sleeve of her leather coat dryily.

The wolf would live and take care of her pups. It would survive and take care of more than just herself, which was better than anything Zen would ever do. All she did was survive and kill. Kill and survive.

'Everything has to live.' She said as she trudged through the wet snow.

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Author Note:

NOW you get to know a little bit about ZEN :D 

shes probably one of my favourite characters....JUST saying....im glad i didnt make it so she killed the pups. I almost did. But NO. She has a heart. :D