Chapter 2
As soon as I was in the tunnel I realised the tunnel wasn’t straight but twisted, turned and split into more tunnels.
I followed the tracks as far as I could but even wolf vision can’t see without at least a small source of light. I stopped, I could hear the others somewhere back in the tunnel. I looked around but I couldn’t see a thing.
I think it’s best to shift, my bones start to stretch and soon I’m in my wolf form. I close my eyes focusing on what I feel and start to use the earth sight.
It’s a strange sensation, using the earth sight. I can see everything in my mind and feel where I am in comparison to it. I was feeling the earth and discovered what I was looking for a trail of earth disturbed by feet.
I followed it and focused on everything else as well. I could feel the quarts deep within the stone and the other wolves behind me and in separate tunnels. Eventually something came into my sense.
Approximately 40 metres away down my tunnel on the left hand tunnel there was an opening of flowing of wind. I followed the trail until I finally arrived at this opening. When I opened my eyes I saw not the exit but I was now standing in a cavern.
A lake was at the bottom of this cavern and the water glowed a soft green. I don’t understand why it’s glowing. I can hear someone else coming I turn around to see Chase he is in his wolf form I regard him as he comes forward to look at the lake. “I guess we have to swim down?” said Chase, I looked at him, I think we showed swim across, “there is a source of light down there” he pointed his head to a place deep beneath the surface. I look closer and I see it.
I jump into the water, my coat keeps me warm but the water is clearly cold. I hear Chase jump in just as another two wolves arrive. They look at us then across the lake they jump in and start swimming. I stop just above the light source but it’s so deep you can hardly tell it’s there. Chase joins me. The other two wolves swim past us and are heading for the other side of the lake.
I take a deep breath and dive down, Chase following close behind. I feel my lungs slowly getting painful as I hold my breath longer and longer. Chase overtakes me and soon he is at the light source.
I join him and am surprised to find it’s not a source of light but a panel of ice, through the ice I see a blurry image of a snow covered field and what appears to be the packs. Beneath us is a large pile of snow. I swim backwards and start ramming the ice. Soon Chase is joining in.
I can see more wolves swimming overhead but haven’t noticed us. My lungs are about to burst I paddle upwards frantically my paws and tail propelling me up. I reach the surface just in time but I find myself in the way of a large red wolf. He looks at me puzzlingly but I simply breathe in a huge breath and dive back down. Soon I’m back hammering at the ice, I swim towards the ice as fast as I can and ram my shoulder into the ice. As I was swimming back to hit the ice again, suddenly I feel a movement beside me I see the red wolf. I start swimming towards the ice. He follows and soon all three of us are hitting the ice over and over again. Finally I hear a strange cracking sound, the water made it sound dull.
CRACK. Then the ice broke and water began rushing out. I tried to swim away but the water was too strong and I was sucked out, followed by Chase and the red wolf. I was only aware that I was through the gap the ice had left. I was tumbling halfway between air and water finally, after what seemed an eternity I hit the ground.
The water and snow cushioned my fall. I was flat in my stomach water crashing overhead. I started to get up but suddenly a huge weight landed on top of me followed by another. I whined as my back complained. I crawled out and saw that Chase and the other wolf had fallen the same way as me.
I saw the elders and packs coming towards us. The leader elder looked at us and nodded, as sign of victory. I got up, my fur was soaking wet but that didn’t matter. I ran to my pack and was soon engulfed by the arms of my family.
My father’s hand was the first to pat me. He ruffled the fur on my head, a faint smile on his face. I was surrounded by the pack and soon Chase joined me.
I saw the red wolf get up and shake his fur. He walked over to the English pack and was soon with his own pack. Since me and Chase had finished our pack was allowed to leave. Soon all our pack was walking down the path towards the castle. When I arrived I had to change form but as soon as I changed I was wrapped in a towel as soft as sheep’s wool. I was tired but I only had time to put on my clothes in my room before my parents summoned our pack meeting.
Our pack was all gathered by the time I arrived. Chase was sitting on a chair next to Chloe, who was playing with a teddy bear. Chase was staring at the teddy bear, Chase’s hair was wet and his jeans and t-shirt were wrinkled. I took a seat next to Ruby who was reading a book. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to relax. It had been a busy couple of hours. My parents started speaking so I listened only vaguely aware of what they were saying. I was so tired that soon I felt myself drifting off to sleep.
I was stuck in a dream, it was night and I was walking towards the creek. When I arrived I saw a rope on a tree and from it hung a boy, his skin was pasty with death. I stepped backwards in hit something and there stood Chase. Even though it looked like Chase this Chase had blood red eyes and in his hand was a length of rope. I ran but I couldn’t move. I was then underwater and ice surrounded me, I couldn’t find air, I was lost, freezing and alone. I was alone a wolf’s worst fear.
I woke, a cold sweat had engulfed me and I was shaking. I sat up and buried my face into my hands. I looked around and found I was in my bed. The curtains on the window were open revealing a full silver moon.
Chase was sleeping quietly the only sound was my heavy breathing. I shook my head and got up out of bed.
As soon as I stood up I felt my legs go numb and I felt myself falling. I managed to get my arms out to stop my fall from hurting me I landed with a thud. Chase woke up the second I hit the floor. He got up groggily his eyes half closed, as soon as he saw me on the ground he was by my side.
“Easy there, you’re sick, it’s the moon waking”. I felt horrible, it felt like I was freezing but a sweat covered me.
Moon waking, the name sounded familiar but my head felt like it was about to split in two. Chase picked me up and I lay my head against his chest, letting the heat from him warm me. He set me down on my bed, even as he lay me down my arms were barely managing to hold onto his neck. His brown eyes looked down on me, they showed his concern.
Chase let me go and pulled my covers over me. As he turned around I reached out and grabbed his hand, I had no idea what I was doing but right now the moon waking was making me do weird things.
He looked at me puzzled. I pulled his hand towards me causing him to come back. Chase sat down on the bed as I laced his fingers into mine. “You should really rest” whispered Chase; I felt the pain in my head throb as the sound of his voice hit my ears. I felt my eyes start to drop and I faintly felt Chase let go of my hand.
When I finally wake my head is hurting and the only person in the room was my mother.
She sat on Chase’s bed reading the pack book. The pack book was a decade old book holding all of the packs knowledge on us werewolves. My mother looked up from her reading and met my eyes. She gave a faint smile and set the book down. “How are you doing my little moon” she said softly, I sighed and shook my head.
Even though I barely had enough focus to stay awake at the moment the name little moon stirred feelings in me, when I was a pup my mother always called me her little moon but that was when I was a small girl obsessed with being just like my mother.
Things had changed. She looked at me in a way that seemed loving and gentle. I haven’t seen that look since I was ten. My mother had once loved me more than life itself, she would hug me and take me everywhere with her. The day she stopped loving me was when I showed my full wolf. It had been a spring night in Queensland. We were out hunting (at that time I started going into puberty) that was when I first killed. I had always seen the other wolves kill prey but my mother wanted me to avoid it for as long as possible. We had been running through the forest when I smelt human. I stopped.
At that time we avoided places where we might encounter humans, so I had never seen, smelt, or heard a human while in wolf form. I watched as the human came into sight, through my wolf eyes the human looked strange. I didn’t know what was happening when the man raised his gun until the bullet hit my shoulder. Somehow while in pain my animal instincts had taken over and I killed the man.
My mother was furious and eventually she somehow stopped loving me. I had been very confused when she stopped loving me but now I resented her as much as she did me. I missed the loving mother and hated the person the she had become.
“Do you know what’s wrong with you” she said, I shook my head slightly. “The moon waking occurs to a wolf when they become stronger and unlock a piece of themselves that will make them stronger” she paused for a second too let me absorb what she had said and then continued “your father and I believed since you were always such a strong wolf, you wouldn’t have a waking like some few wolves. Some wolves get increased speed, some strength and occasionally some develop a gift”. I stared at her, right now I didn’t care if the moon waking meant I could turn yarn into gold, all I wanted was the pain to end.
She got up with her book in hand and headed for the door, just before she opened the door she turned and said “the elders wish to see you once you are well again” she then opened the door and exited the room.
I spent the rest of my day sleeping and listing to the music on my iPod. I slept for hours and every time I woke up I felt a little bit better. A werewolf from the New Zealand pack was a doctor and gave me multiple medicines to help dull my pain. Because of my illness the elders agreed to postpone the final challenge until I was better.