Valerie

Chapter 7

The red moon has reached its peak. Nia lay unconscious from the wolfbane I'd injected myself with, and yet my skin prickled with unease. I wandered the corridors of this massive castle, running my fingers along the gold stitching embedded into the wall.

I listened to the harmony of the wolves, their feet pounding into the dirt as they ran through the forest. It felt like an earthquake. An unfamiliar yearning embraced my soul, knowing we could never be one of them. We could never run with them for we will always be outsiders.

Contrary to the forest, this castle fell strangely silent. I expected to run into Sophia, maybe even Dylan, but in my current state, I wouldn't be able to protect myself, given the poison has mentally weakened me. I'm surprised I have the strength to walk, but it's only on nights of the full moon that my body is more potent than average, and it can fight off the wolfsbane to not leave any long-term effects on Nia or myself.

Floating down the stairs, I'm quick to leave the silence this castle protruded. Cold, thick mud engulfed my naked feet. Rain softly poured onto my hot body and slowly cooled down the heat which pricked my skin. Not even wolfsbane is strong enough to completely devour a wolf's burning urge to turn on this joyous occasion we call a full moon.

We creatures on Eldora are an abomination of nature. We live to destroy. We seek blood, fear, and pain; it's what we are. We are the darkness; we are chaos. But on nights like these, when Eldora's crimson moon shines down on us all, declaring its power, we are all under its control. We are one.

My body floated through the darkness of the forest, the cool night air brushed softly past my body, and the rain patted against my naked arms and drenched my clothes. My hands brushed through the long, knee-length grass as I grew closer and closer to my destination.

I always find myself here, beside this lake, watching the spirit fish dance circles around the reflection of the red moon. They seem so free, so inexplicably calm on a night that only breeds destruction and chaos.

I wonder- do they hear it? Do they hear the howls? The screams? The sounds of limbs being ripped to shreds? Or does the water drown it all out?

Do they smell it? The air that's so thick with blood, of rotten corpses, or do they dance around that too?

Can they feel it? In the magic that weaves the thread of our universe, the magic they dance to. Is it crying? Are they weeping as they watch all this cruelty, this pain, this suffering?

Are you, mother?

I watch my reflection in the clear, translucent depths as the spirit fish dance. My image grows more and more distorted. "You aren't planning to jump in again, right?"

I allow my eyes to drift at the sound of his voice. I can hear sarcasm woven into his words as he speaks slowly. I wonder if he feels sarcastic or if he wants to feel it. "No. Just watching." I smile softly, keeping my eyes trained on the fish. The sounds of his footsteps grow closer. His warmth slowly creeps around me before he takes a seat beside me, and I couldn't help but give in to the urge of meeting his eyes.

So, so pale.

One leg bent, his knee pointing directly to the sky as the other lay on Eldora in a half cross. My eyes traced his naked upper half slowly. His leather pants were hung so low on his hips that I could see a little pubic hair peeking out. His well-defined muscles that carved a perfect 'V' suddenly grew a dangerous urge to feel every curve and dip of his pecs under my fingers.

"Nieve..." when he speaks that name, knowing it's only for me, awakened desires I didn't think I had. "How perfect we are for the other." he growls, bearing his weight on one, large, muscle defined arm and using the other to brush my long, naturally silver hair behind my ear. Pale eyes boring into purple ones.