The Wolves' Witch: Coming of Age, Book 1

Chapter 1

Their bare feet flew over the moss-covered logs lying on the forest floor as they ran from their pursuer. He was close enough that they could hear his breathing and stride on the soft forest floor. He had stalked them in the woods, where they had been playing in a brook together.

"Run, Cinder! He is gaining on us!" shouted Garret, her childhood friend. The wolf was indeed gaining on them, his hunting instincts and sure-footedness giving him the advantage in the chase.

Looking up ahead, they could see Garret's cabin in the near distance. They were almost there, where they could lock themselves in to escape. Cinder pushed her legs to run faster, but she was no match for Garrett. His longer legs ate up the distance easier. Her heart was pounding as they jumped over logs and ducked under branches. A bush scraped her leg as she ran past, cutting her. The cabin was now very close, but the wolf was even closer. Garrett pulled ahead, pumping his arms as he ran. Cinder chanced a glance behind her at their pursuer. The black wolf's yellow eyes connected with hers and then narrowed as he picked up speed, his head bobbing up and down with his quickened pace. Gasping, Cinder turned to look where she was running.

They were to the edge of the trees, almost to the cabin, when a hidden branch caught her foot, sending her stumbling to regain her footing. The break in stride cost her, and the wolf began closing the gap between them. He was now only a few strides behind. Garrett was in the lead, and he leaped out of the trees, across the lawn in three sailing strides, and up into the house. The moment he looked behind him for Cinder, he saw the wolf leap onto Cinder's back. With a look of terror, he slammed the door shut and barred it.

The black wolf pounded into Cinder's back from behind, sending both rolling down a small hill into the grasses and wildflowers, out of view from the cabin. The wolf recovered quicker and rose up on all four to come and stand over his prize. Cinder's face was in the grass still, and her dizziness was quickly fading when she felt the wolf over her. She looked up at the wolf with her violet eyes, and he stared back, looking deep into them. A low growl escaped his muzzle as he waited for her next move.

With a sigh of defeat, she whispered, "Fine, I give up. You caught me. You won. Are you happy?" The wolf stopped growling and took on a rather smug expression.

"Looks like Garret abandoned you once again," the wolf thought in his mind for Cinder to hear.

"Yes, he always has been more afraid of you in your wolf form, you know. He is still superstitious that even a young werewolf can pass along the curse of the moon before his Coming of Age," she thought back. She felt his amusement as her reply entered his mind, followed by a tinge of sadness that even his other closest friend still had a fear of him, to some degree.

The wolf sighed and stepped to her side, allowing her to roll over on her back, then laid down next to her in the grass. His soft black fur brushed her arm and face as she turned her head to look at him.

He looked back at her with his liquid gold eyes thinking, "Let him hide in the house then. It at least buys me more time with only you. I miss our special times in the woods, just you and I. The Gnomes are asking about you again." He looked down at her leg, which the brush had scratched. It was bleeding a little.

Cinder followed his gaze, thinking, "I'm sorry, Sebastian; Sybil has been training with me even more, so I am ready to join the others for our 'Coming of Age' classes. I haven't had as much free time by myself anymore." His feelings of regret rang out strongly to her.

"You should heal your leg, Cinder."

"Well, here goes," she said, concentrating on her leg.

The minor scrapes slowly pulled together, faded, and then were gone. Only the blood on the surface remained.

The wolf smiled at her with his golden eyes, thinking, "You really are improving, you know. Want me to clean that for you? "