My fate was to be the greatest king my people would ever have. Those were the last words my mother had said to me as she lay in the snow, her blood covering her like a blanket.
I thought of that day as I looked upon the corpse of the girl in the red cape. She was no older than fifteen. Her parents must have told her to wear such a bright color to warn hunters who frequented these woods, so she might not be a target. She attracted the wrong type of hunter.
She lay on her back, her ribs fully exposed. Her arms were torn to ribbons; her legs no better. The color of her skin matched the snow. Most of her blood surrounded her body. I lowered myself beside her, my bloody hand hovering over her face. My fingers brushed her cold eyelids closed so I no longer had to see her lifeless blue eyes. I closed my own eyes, my hands shaking. I had done this.
The tears had long stopped; such accidents had been occurring more frequently. All had been with animals, though. This was my first human victim.
I stood up and scanned the area. Around the girl's body were dozens of paw prints. Further up the trail, the prints were spaced out, accompanied by the girl's as she had tried to dash to safety. They ended where she lay.
I looked up. The sky was gray, its endless blue unseen for days. Although the snow had stopped falling for now, in an hour or so, it would probably start again. I prayed to Aldreina for a blizzard so my tracks might be covered.
I dipped off the trail, ducking into the thick woods. The trees would provide cover from the wind, but the icy temperature kissed my skin and made me shiver. I took a deep breath, tasting the air. The scent of blood was heavy, but to my relief, there were no other human smells in the area. Running into someone now would be hard to explain—seeing me wandering about in the forest, in the nude, would give the villagers something to talk about. They would label me mad and have Uncle lock me away for good.
I let out a small sigh as I made it to the half-frozen river. It would be easy to cross if I was quick. I splashed the cold water on my face and arms. Still fresh, the blood washed away with ease. I scooped my hands in the icy water, lifted it to my lips, and gulped it down. It quenched my incredible thirst for a moment, but my throat still felt dry. The taste of blood still lingered.
I had to keep moving if I was going to make it back before noon. I tested my bare foot on the icy river, adding more weight until I stood on it fully. I surveyed the gap in the ice on the river's edge, debating whether I could clear it without falling into the water. The ice under my feet groaned, letting out a snap. Taking the chance, I leapt. The impact was absorbed by the fluffy snow on the other side.
What felt like an hour of walking passed by until the small cabin came into view—a one-room structure hidden behind several trees. Large gaps had begun appearing between the boards, and the windows couldn't be seen through the dirt and years of neglect. It was one of ten cabins scattered throughout these woods. Each one was built the same, constructed by my father eighty years ago. He should have lived to see two hundred. He was murdered at one hundred and ten.
I leaned against the wooden door, pressing my ear to its slit surface. None of the hunters ever wandered this far off the trail, but I wanted to assure myself there was no one inside. I opened the latch. My eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness. The small table with two chairs sat in the middle, unmoved, with a fireplace to the left. A cot with my pile of clothes on it was pushed against the far wall. Other than that, the place was empty.
Snatching the clothes, I pulled on my trousers and white shirt, happy they had not been ruined, and yanked socks over my cold feet, followed by the fur boots my mother had made me before she passed.
My eyes dropped to the floor. The cabin was a mere distraction. I dug my fingers under a loose board, followed by several others, until I found the secret entrance to the basement. The cement door led to a room buried in the ground. I groaned as I lifted the heavy door backwards, my fingers having trouble keeping grip, until it finally opened wide. Panting heavily, I paused to catch my breath. Chains rattled, falling silent as they settled.
The darkness bore up at me, releasing the pungent smell of mold. I dropped my feet over the edge and fell into the basement. My fingertips traced the wall, running over the fresh claw marks, each one seeming deeper in the cement as I got closer to the open door above me. I bent over and swiped a rusted key off the floor. Frowning, I jumped and took hold of the edge, and pulled myself out to examine the dangling chain on the hidden door. Still intact, the lock had been clicked open. How was I able to escape for the third time? When I changed, a key and lock were useless to me. I wouldn't be able to pick up the key, let alone undo a lock. I was the only one inside the basement. No one was there to free me.
I grabbed the floorboards and pushed them down on the cement door, wanting to get out of this place as quickly as I could. But I took the time to interlock the boards properly. If the entrance were to be found, too many questions would raise.
I flung the cabin door open and took in a deep breath. If I didn't return soon, Uncle would question why I was late. As soon as the news of the missing girl reached him, he would blame it on me. The wild wolves of the forest wouldn't touch a human.
The snow crunched under my boots as I made my way back to the trail. I made sure I took a long route to be away from the girl. Snowflakes fluttered in scarce numbers, soon picking up as I continued walking. Aldreina was listening after all, it seemed.
I shoved my hands in my pockets, wondering what my excuse would be this time for my miraculous escape. Uncle was growing tired of me and the constant danger I kept putting us through when I changed, and with the last three changes, I was a definite thorn in his side.
The trail eventually widened and the trees spread out. Small houses peeked out from the woods, appearing more frequently as I walked further. Main Street was a small patch of road with several shops set up in neat rows. After the war had ended, four shops remained open; the rest of the shops owners packed up and left, heading for bigger cities or other countries. I ducked down an alley, taking a shortcut to the other side of the village. Every other day of the month I would have taken the long way, but today, I feared the blood I couldn't scrub out from under my fingernails and the imaginary red flecks on my face.
"Felken!"
My body tensed up at the sound of my name. I didn't want to talk to anyone. Regardless, I turned to face the old man who had called out to me.
A man in his fifties, he often tried to hide his balding head with hats. Tufts of grey hair peeked out on either side. He was short but burly; years of blacksmithing had kept him fit. His son had left for the war, but never returned.
"Where's your jacket, lad? You must be freezing." His thick arms crossed over his chest.
"Nein," I shrugged. "I find walks in this weather to be relaxing. The colder the better."
The man shook his head, chuckling. "Only you would find such a thing to be relaxing. Headed home, are you?"
"Ja," I nodded, tapping my foot. I didn't want to face Uncle, but I didn't want to linger in the village either.
"Might you tell your uncle that a few of us will be headed into the woods in an hour or two? Becker's daughter never came home."
My blood ran icy. I could feel the blood draining from my face and my heart doubling in speed. I tried to relax, but I couldn't.
"She went into the woods?" I asked, doing my best to ensure my voice was steady.
The man nodded. "Ja. Heard her grandmother lives on the other side of the forest. She was supposed to be back at dawn, but never returned." He chuckled once again. "I'm sure the poor girl got lost or will show up at any minute. She has a habit of collecting rocks and odd-looking branches."
I forced a smile, nodding. "I'll let Uncle know, but I'm sure she is fine." I turned away from him, taking off down the road.
Uncle's house was at the edge of the farthest part of town. It used to be the only house in miles of woods, but less than a century ago the area around it started to build up. Creatures from my world often attracted humans without meaning to. In the past two years, many came here to hide from the World War, just as many left after it to rebuild their lives elsewhere.
I sprinted past the iron gates and up the cobblestone pathway heading towards the tall wooden door. I grabbed the handle and pushed it open.
Sunlight seeped in through every window. The red walls seemed to shine; each family portrait hanging on the wall seemed warmer, as if its members were still alive. I left my boots on the mat near the door. Usually I would drop them in the closet, but I had a feeling I would be a part of a search party.
My eyes, like they always did when I returned home, met the painting of my mother and father. I had gotten my brown hair and dark eyes from my mother and my height from my father. If her last words were to ever come true, I would need a lot more than luck with my skinny body.
A shuffle to my left caught my attention. A small pair of arms wrapped around my leg, and I felt a bite through my pants soon after. I looked down at the long, messy brown hair of my cousin.
"Get off, Els!"
Brown eyes looked up, her grip loosening. I bent down and hooked my hands under her arms, picking her up. She was still small for her age; light enough so that even I could hold her weight with one arm.
Her hands pushed my cheeks. "Stinky!"
I laughed, realizing I did stink like a wet dog.
"Did you catch a rabbit last night?"
Elsbeth shook her head. "Nein, nein. Too slow."
I ruffled her hair, grinning. "I'm sure you'll get one soon—"
"Felken. Elsbeth."
My breath caught at the sound of Uncle's voice. I put Elsbeth down on her feet, ignoring her pout. Her attention was directed towards the tall, muscular man standing behind me.
"Daddy!" Elsbeth giggled and ran to him with her short legs.
I turned to face my Uncle, my head hung low. Elsbeth stood at his feet, reaching up to be held by her father. Instead, he knelt to her level.
"Your mother would like to see you, Elsbeth. Go." Elsbeth nodded and ran down the hall soon after.
"Felken."
I hesitated to look up. Every time I'd look into the man in the eyes, all thoughts of standing up to him would disappear in a second. Curling my fingers into a fist, I hoped to hide the blood.
"You've done it again."
I bit my tongue. I said nothing. There was no point in defending myself.
"Felken Adalwulf. I let you continue to live here and raise you as my own despite your parent's passing. And yet you continue to run rampant every time there is a full moon."
"I'm sorry—"
"A girl is dead, Felken. Your mistakes are starting to make the humans suspicious. You will be eighteen soon. You should have learned how to control yourself by now. Do you wish to end up like your mother? Does being shot by hunters and bleeding out in the dead of winter sound appealing to you?"
My nails dug into my palm.
"I gave you freedom to use the cabins for the purpose of keeping yourself contained. For three months you haven't even locked the door."
I had been locking the basement door. I triple checked them each time, but it was always the same. The inside lock and chain were both moved the next day, the key still on the ground, and I spent the night running in the woods. I had protested against his anger in my previous escapes, but to no avail. He didn't believe me.
"It won't happen again, Felken; otherwise you will be a threat that must be removed. Now go. Your punishment is to help look for that poor girl you murdered. Becker was already here begging for help."
"Ja, Uncle."
I turned to leave, exhaling the breath that was burning in my chest.
"One other thing, Felken." I stopped as he placed his hand on my shoulder. "Please do not put such thoughts of hunting into Elsbeth's head. She is too young for that." He paused. "But, at least she maintains conscious thoughts."