Succubus

It was a land of endless woods. The densely packed trees loomed high above, but their twigs curled in a distorted way, as the cold and the wind still howled in tempestuous gusts. The forest, dark and foreboding, was bereft of noise, as if every rustle was stolen away in the night. A thick mist floated in the air, as a glimpse of moon and stars could be seen in the cloudy sky. Without any maps to follow and the woodland stretching unbroken for miles, the perpetual dark would disorient more than one. Anyone sane would refuse to step into the forest, so it was usually silent. However, this night, the sound of footsteps could be heard.

A dozen of figures were making their way through the branches and the knotted roots. The group was following nothing else but their senses. In these lands, it was the only way to navigate. Despite the icy breeze flowing around them, they still sank in the thick maze of woodland, seemingly not bothered by the utter blackness of nighttime.

In the darkness, anyone would have mistaken the group for humans. However, they weren't. While their general aspect was the one of a human's, they still had some distinct features. Their eyes were glowing in the night, and instead of having nails, they had claws. On their forearms, there was a nascent fur that went down until their hands. They also had pointy ears, similar to elvish ears, but much shorter. Infamous for being cursed, transforming whenever the full moon crested in the sky, they were werewolves.

"It should be here. Start searching." The cold voice of the one who seemed to be the leader ordered.

Proudly standing in the semi-shadow, he knew no fear. He was on the top of the food chain and he knew it. With the killer instinct of a wolf, but the intelligence of a human, he led his pack to be the strongest. Their kills were always premeditated. They weren't murders, but slaughters. Still, they did not kill randomly. They were not monsters; they were protectors, fighting for their kind's survival.

Immediately complying with the alpha's orders, the group split up. Only one boy stayed behind. Not even older than twelve, he was the splitting image of the leader, in a younger version.

"You should start searching too, Virion." The alpha muttered. "I didn't take you with me so that you could sit there and wait. It is time for you to deserve your place within the pack."

"Father, I…" As his voice died down, the boy fell silent for a few seconds. He wanted to speak up, but he knew that the chief's words were absolute and that it was useless to contest.

He had grown in these hostile lands, so the ominous atmosphere they gave off did not impress him. However, this time was different. The pack didn't know what kind of threat they would be facing off, so the boy couldn't help but feel worried. Still, his father wasn't going to spare him. The young werewolves were taught the hard way, and those who couldn't follow were left behind. Being the Alpha's son wasn't going to help him, he knew that. In order to survive in these lands, the pack needed to be ruthless. Only the strongs were allowed to stay, while the weaks were exiled.

It was a test. The boy knew that if he couldn't do this much, the pack will definitely abandon him, and here, being left alone was equivalent to a death sentence. Putting his fears aside, the boy gathered his courage as a new glimpse of determination could be seen in his eyes.

"Yes, father." He said, before disappearing behind the trees in his turn.

Not even bothering looking behind him, where his son just left, the leader stayed indifferent. As a father, he should have felt some pride seeing his boy wanting to prove himself, or some concern knowing that he would be venturing alone in this dangerous place. Yet, the chief didn't feel any of these, or at least, he didn't manifest it. He had learnt to never show his emotions and stay cold-blooded in all circumstances. Werewolves were known to have anger issues, so they were taught from a young age to control their emotions. As the Alpha, he was even more expected to stay emotionless all the time. Besides, he didn't have the time to worry about his son's safety.

A few days ago, visible from several kilometers around, a huge pillar of light appeared in the sky. It was something that no one had ever seen before. It lasted only for a few seconds, but in that instant, a colossal amount of mana disrupted the atmosphere. It was only a few seconds. Just a few seconds. Yet, it felt as if the sky was shattering. For the first time in his life, the alpha werewolf felt fear. If there was anyone capable of invoking such a magic, then they would make a formidable opponent. A formidable last opponent. The leader knew that the pack had no chance to win against such a powerful entity, still, his pride as a werewolf forbid him to run away. So he led some of his strongest fighters to the place where the pillar of light appeared, prepared to defend the pack and die in honor.

Yet, there was no trace of a potential enemy. As he focused on his senses, he smelled the decomposing leaves and the loam in the earth, and he heard the soft susurration of the branches and his own noisy breath, but no signs of life. Most of animals ran away when the light pillar appeared. Insects returned to the ground, rodents hid in their den and the closest herd was at least five kilometers away. Still, the werewolf alpha kept searching. There had to be something, someone. The light pillar may have appeared from nowhere, but it wasn't without any reason. Besides, everyone saw it. He couldn't have imagined it.

After a few minutes, a sudden howl interrupted the deadly silence of the forest. A rallying call. Someone had found something. As soon as the call reached their ears, pinpointing the origin of the howl, the pack soon gathered again. The alpha was the last one to arrive.

As he approached the group, with a quick glance, he checked the presence of everyone. It was his duty to make sure no one was left behind. Much to his relief, everyone was unharmed and responded the call, including his son.

"Did you find anything?" He asked, going straight to the point.

"Yes, right here." One of the men answered, inviting the alpha to follow him.

As the leader made his way through, the others respectfully stepped back before following him. Reaching the side of the one who spoke, his eyes fell upon an unknown object, only a few meters away. It was something he had never seen before, so he couldn't help but squint at its sight. The object was small, insignificant. Had it been in other circumstances, the pack would have ignored it. However, forming a magic circle, the strange marks on the grounds suggested that the object was not common and that it was indeed the reason behind the appearance of the huge pillar of light.

Driven by an unsettling curiosity, Virion, the alpha's son, stepped forward, trying to take a better look. However, he was suddenly stopped as he felt a hand on his shoulder, preventing him to advance any further. It was his father.

"Don't. We don't know what it is." He muttered.

The boy looked at his father for a few seconds before turning his gaze back on the unknown artifact. "It doesn't look dangerous. Shouldn't we inspect it?" He asked.

"The chief is right, Virion." One of the men said. "Even if it looks harmless, don't forget this is what caused that pillar to appear. By touching it, you could activate a spell. You could also break some kind of seal, who knows?"

Hearing this, the boy widened his eyes. He had a hard time believing that the object, not even bigger than his head, could be activating some kind of deadly spell. However, if it was something similar in power than the light pillar he saw just a few moments ago, then it was definitely not wise to touch it.

"Rufus," the leader called out. "Return to the village and ask the shaman to come. He might be able to tell what it is."

"Yes." The one called Rufus politely bowed before disappearing in the shadow.

Silently waiting, the group focused on the unknown object. No one dared to approach it, so they just looked at it. Trying to take a guess at what it was, each one of them displayed their knowledge in magic. However, werewolves were more famous for their brute strength rather than their magic skills. With no reliable sources, their 'knowledge' in magic was nothing more but baseless rumors. No actual facts. It was also the reason why the alpha requested the presence of the shaman, possibly the only member of the pack with enough magic knowledge to determine the nature of the artifact.

However, after debating for about thirty minutes, they all suddenly took a stance, as they detected someone approaching. Werewolves detect their own kind. What reached their nose wasn't the familiar scent of a comrade, but the scent of an outsider. The hair on their forearms stood up as some of them even started to growl, ready to fight.

" … A female?" Virion spoke, as he recognized the sweet aroma of a female's scent.

"Do not let your guard down," his father ordered. "That's a succubus."

The boy blinked his eyes several times. He never met one, but he had heard of succubus before; a female demon seducing men to steal their life force. Since he was entering his teenage years, where the pheromones reached their peak, he had been warned more than once to be careful of succubus and not to succumb to their advances. Tensing up, he imitated his seniors, taking a stance.