Thunder crackled across the sky, sweeping the atmosphere with electricity. Its veiny, illuminated limbs flashed in the dark, desperately reaching to steal the life from the souls below. Black clouds swirled around in the air, bursting forth with droplets of rain that drenched the ground below.
In the eyes of Kyros, the reflection of the storm played. He was sitting in front of the big window in the living room that displayed the pulchritudinous view of the wilderness and the mountains behind it.
Thunder and lightning united together in a harmonious dance that refused to cease. His eyes glittered as he watched the dark scene perform for him. Nature was haunting in its ways, yet bewitching all the same. He studied the way the brief flash of lightning traced the outline of the pine trees before disappearing altogether, being sucked into the dark void the starless, stormy sky brings.
His wolf ached beneath his skin to be let out once more. To be free.
He rubbed at his arms, where clawed fingers desperately scratched at his skin in search of freedom. Asheria was asleep, and her wolf was tucked away inside of her in rest. He glanced back at her still form wrapped in the blankets, and padded over to her until his knees hit the edge of the bed.
Reuben, Kia, and Asheria's other friends and acquaintances had all celebrated with Kyros after the ceremony, and ever since Asheria had drunk the wine Reuben had brought, she had been tired.
His eyebrows furrowed in thought as he looked back at the details. Asheria had become tipsy before, but not like this.
Sighing, he rubbed his eyes and tried to shake any ill thoughts from his mind.
Leaning down, he pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek before turning and leaving the room quietly.
Little did he know that that would be the last time he would see Asheria until fate said otherwise.
* * *
The forest was dark. Eerie. The earth smelled of rain, the ground beneath his furry paws was moist and soggy.
Treed acres of shadowed pastel greens dotted his vision as he trotted along the sandy bed of a flowing, crystal clear creek. His nose was pressed to the ground, twitching and wriggling as his wolf scented the earth below. A vast range of smells wafted through him. Wildlife, fauna, and even Asheria.
But something different as well. Something unfamiliar yet familiar all at once.
His ears perked up, forming into perfect triangles on the top of his head. The muscled legs of his wolf thundered against the ground, pushing him forwards to the source that was emitting the scent.
Deeper and further into the forest he drove himself.
And then he froze.
A dark figure lay encased in the shadows of the blades of grass.
For several moments, he stood still. Completely in focus on the figure, and didn't dare to venture too close.
Were his eyes deceiving him?
His wolf slowly walked forward, cautiously sniffing the area around the figure.
Closer and closer he drew until he finally could make out what - or who, it was.
A girl lay in the shadows.
Her hair was ragged, strewn about, and stringy with the volume of water that drenched the strands. Her eyes were open in death, her skin pale and akin to ice. Blue veins pressed against the surface of her thin skin, and were littered across her forehead, the tops of her hands, and the length of her arms.
A torn, raggedy white dress she wore, and it flowed down the length of her legs. Her feet were bare, revealing blackened toes.
Perhaps the most startling feature was her mouth. Her jaw was slackened, so it gaped wide open. But where there was supposed to be a tongue and teeth, was nothing. Just a gaping, black hole.
A furry, black leg of a spider seemed to be sticking out of it. Kyros took a step back, bothered by the scene before him.
"Candie?" He thought in disbelief. This woman looked like Candie.
There's no way.
And then she moved.
Her head turned towards him, ever so slightly.
His breath caught in his throat, and the presence of his wolf caused his fur to rise on end.
A flash of lightning shattered the sky above, and he noticed that the brief flash sparkled in her eyes. Small droplets of rain splashed onto her cheeks, running down her face and dripping off the curve of her jaw.
Laughter tore through the forest, and the sound heightened his senses. It was drowned out from the rain and thunder, but it was ever so present like a haunting wraith that hung in the shadows.
His head shot up and looked around the forest frantically. His wolf growled viciously inside of his human soul, and his eyes darkened yet emanated a strange glow. They searched for the source of the sound.
But his eyes met with nothing.
His eyes drifted back to the ground, where the girl was laying.
But she was no longer there.
Erratic heartbeats thrummed in his chest, and he started to breathe rapidly. He turned around and saw the dark shadow of what appeared to be the girl hiding behind a tree. The eyes of the being were alit with a red glow.
"You're not Candie." His thoughts sounded loudly in his mind.
His wolf was on edge, growling viciously. An eerie silence ensued, and his adrenaline pulsed inside of him. The primal urge to fight was latching onto his instincts. Fight and kill.
When the lightning lit up the sky again, the place that once held the shadow of the girl was gone.
Out of the darkness, another figure appeared. This time, he recognized the person.
It was Reuben.
A smile stretched his lips.
Something was off about him. His eyes were dark, very dark. Cold and void.
"Welcome, my king." He mocked and even bowed before him.
Kyro's lips pulled into a snarl, his wolf not liking the disrespect and the fact that Reuben was not behaving in a familiar way.
"Shift, so we can talk, yes?" Reuben asked.
Kyros didn't want to shift, he was stronger in his wolf form. But he did want to talk to Reuben, and there was only one way to do that. And, he could always shift back immediately.
Echoes of snapping bones and tearing skin permeated the air. Surges of adrenaline coursed through his veins as his muscles tore in a brutal fashion, the pain being present but not overbearing.
"Speak," Kyros demanded, sitting hunched over on the ground, "What was that thing?"
Reuben chuckled, his cackling filling the air like the reaper's call of death.
And then he spoke.
"That thing was the work of witches. To get your attention. I can take the form of anything and anyone with power that is not mine."
Kyros was stunned, but he hid his emotions.
"I have a revelation for you," Reuben said, changing the subject.
"Oh? And what would that be?" Kyros asked.
Moments ticked by. Silence filled the air, and it was loud in Kyros' ears. Impatience was eating away at his bones.
But the following words that filled the void stunned him.
"Candie is my mate."
"And what of it?" Kyros questioned, eyes widened in surprise. Again, he concealed his expression.
"I want you to free her," Reuben replied as he started to circle Kyros, "Let her go. You're the king now, so advocate for me."
Kyros lifted his head, revealing his eyes which were burning like fire. "And what makes you think that I would ever do such a thing?"
"I thought you'd say something like that. But no worries, I have other plans in place. I'm sure Asheria is sleeping quite well at the moment."
Kyros stood up, muscle bunching and ready to fight, teeth clenched. "What did you do to her?"
No answer.
In a flash, Kyros had his hands wrapped around Reuben's neck. "I said, what did you do to her?"
"Your mate is fine. She's just inhibited at the moment. She shall awake with time. I mean, I couldn't have her alerting the kingdom and ruining my plans, could I?"
Kyros picked Reuben up by the neck and hurled his body against a nearby tree. His wolf was seething, wrath taking over him quickly. Reuben dared to drug Asheria? His breath was ragged with rage as he approached Reuben, who stumbled and pathetically tried to get up off the ground.
"Plans?" Kyros asked, kicking Reuben down and pressing his foot against his neck.
"Y-yeah," Reuben coughed, "She and her w-wolf had to be unconscious so she wouldn't sense this."
Suddenly, the forest seemed to light up with a thousand eyes, like embers of orange flames that speckled the night sky during a fire. Kyros' eyes widened, fists clenching as his wolf switched on to fight mode.
He stepped away from Reuben, ready to shift and kill.
"Take him!" Reuben screamed from behind him.
At once, Kyros shifted. His bare skin turned to fur, tearing and shredding into the animalistic form of his soul. The sound reverberated through the ears of those charging themselves at him. They were dressed in silver armor, wielding thick chains and arrows that dripped with small amounts of black liquid.
Kyros was all too familiar with such a thing. Only royals had access to that dark poison that has the power to kill in large amounts, but in small amounts, it only paralyzes or puts the victim to sleep.
He was vastly outnumbered.
He tore through several of them, injuring and mangling some, and killing a few of them. The tangy, irony taste of blood coated his teeth, and droplets of scarlet glistened on his muzzle. But he needed to run. Run back to the kingdom so he could alert them. There were too many and he knew he had a better chance at trying to run back.
But he was very deep into the forest.
He'd never make it in time.
Running, he weaved between the trees, dodging arrows. He bolted through the air, his wolf panting and pushing his legs to run faster. The sharp nails of his paws gripped the ground, and his muscles caused him to surge forward at an unmatched pace.
The crisp air wove itself through the strands of fur coating his body. Whooshing sounds of arrows flying above and around him tore through his ears. Some arrows buried themselves into the ground at his feet, others struck trees. Dirt flew in his face from the impact the arrows made onto the ground.
The trees moved in a blur, the colors of the forest were smeared in his vision due to the speed at which he was running.
But he could only run for so long before luck finally ran out. He felt the sharp tinge of pain as an arrow lodged itself on the thick part of his shoulder. Blood spattered across the dirt below him, but he still did not fall.
His wolf pushed on, carrying him where he needed to go. His pace barely even slowed, but it was only when a second arrow struck him in his rear leg did he stumble.
Don't stop. He commanded his wolf, despite his eyes starting to feel heavy.
A third arrow buried itself in his tail, and finally, he fell. He felt weak, and the pain was burning his body. The eyes of his wolf started to water, and for a moment, Kyros felt hopeless. He dragged his body towards the castle, wanting to evade his captors.
But by doing so, he also purposely left his blood trail and scent all over the forest floor.
Footsteps thundered behind him, and he turned his head to see the glint of silver chains in calloused hands that would soon adorn him.
Never give up.
A wolf's howl can be heard as far as ten miles away and is used to communicate with pack members about their location.
In a last-ditch effort to warn his kingdom, his wolf threw his head back, filling the air with a haunting cry that shattered the serenity of the forest.
His howl of despair carried through the bruised sky.