Chapter 26: Terror

The Prophetess had left me awe stricken as I was left staring at her intense demeanor; I could see images flashing very quickly in the white glow of her eye sockets. I saw blood, war, love, humans, canines, felines, reptiles, and flaming birds; glowing skies, shattering grounds, fire and rushing water. It was all so much to take in I did not know how to react to what I was seeing in such a quick moment in just a small part of this creatures' eyes.

Then I saw it…the images that was once racing by suddenly slowed as I saw my mother, lying on the ground with a human's foot on her chest; he had a double-sided axe that he pointed down at her neck and then he raised it above his head and as the movement of the axe went down towards my mother, shock went through my body, and I ran out of the prophetess' cave in a panic.

I treaded as quickly as I could through the white on the ground, it was freezing my paws, yet they felt as if they were burning through, my skin and my muscles began aching. My mind was a mess of everything that was going on towards the west at this very second. It takes about two days to get to the entrance from walking in human form, and half on a rhiadorn; I was running as fast as my feral form could go, adrenaline fueling my body, hoping I could make it there in a day. I silently prayed to the Guardians that I would make it in time to save my mother, or at least she had not engaged in battle yet. That scene kept replaying inside my head; that was not the first time I have seen my mother's death, and why did I have to be shown it; was it because it could be avoided, and I had a chance to save her, because I sure hope so.

The only way I knew where I was going from the south to the west was because I could smell the stench of humans coming from the west; it was sickening and made me gag but I had to inhale the scent that my snout had caught onto for me to find them. The south had thickening trees that almost made it hard to run in a straight path towards my objective. I could hear screeching from infected animals around me, but I blurred it out still running blindly towards the west. All my feral senses were on full alert and all of them were screaming danger, it was all so overwhelming I felt like my mind was going to explode, like my body would just completely give up and I would fall in this white cold powder until I died, but that sweet, sweet adrenaline was pumping through my body and all I wanted to do was make it in time to save my mother. I had already lost my father to the humans I would not lose my mother as well. I should have gone with her, what was I thinking. I could have found out these answers on my own.

As I reached the border to the west I stopped; I saw the smoke rising not too far away as the trees had already began thinning and I was gasping for air, but the air was toxic, and it burnt inside my lungs.

I was standing right at the edge of Lake Yerlon, a rare sight that my people have barely ever seen. It was gorgeous, stunning, and the water was glistening. I stared at the water lapping at the edge of the trees. It looked so untouched and the river leading into the south was the largest I have ever seen. It stank like the valcore, a strange fishy scent, but I shoved my mouth in the water and drank what it had to offer. It was cool, crisp, and clean; I wondered when the human's toxins would reach it.

The sky was settling into darkness, and I heard screeching coming from behind me, I had to find somewhere to rest, and something to eat. I treaded across a short part of the lake where it split into a small river to pass into the West, and that is when I saw a small image moving in the water. It startled me at first and I was prepared to fight, but as I looked closer, I noticed it was a shimmering white fish. I tried gripping it with one of my claws, but it was too fast for me; I had no idea how to fish without a fishing pole, and nor did I have the emotional capacity to concentrate on catching it. I heaved a frustrated sigh after I had tried a few more times and took a branch between my teeth and gathered a few leaves. As I had all the materials in front of me, I sat down and looked at my paws concentrating them to turn into hands.

The air was getting colder and I didn't seem to have time to sit here and stare at my paws doing nothing, so I took the materials and placed the stick in my teeth, gnawed off some wood to make it sharp such as a hook and then I set it in the water with a small worm on it that I had come across.

I took the leaves I had gathered and set them on the damp ground underneath a bush, that's when I remembered I had left my rhiadorn halfway between the south and the east, if I went back for it, it would cut my travel time into the west, but if I left him there, he might get ate alive by whatever vicious creatures are lurking around. I heaved a great sigh and began walking towards his direction. I let out the rhiadorn whistle, it was like an echoing wind sound, a beautiful sound really. I did not have to walk very far when I heard his rough whinny as I saw him trotting towards me. It seemed like he was already on his way to me. I took his muzzle and embraced him in my arms. I hopped on his back and took him back to where I was before. I pulled the rhiadorn underneath the bush with me and I curled myself next to him, hoping we both could stay warm. The fur that came with my feral form helped a great amount, and I was thankful for my werewolf blood for once. My stomach gave a large growl and ached of hunger. I stared at the stick I had stuck in the ground at the edge of the lake until I drifted off into a restless slumber.

***

As I woke to a small light peeking through the bush I was sleeping under, a crisp chill broke through and I could not help but shiver. I noticed my rhiadorn was already up and drinking water not too far from me; I crawled out from underneath the bush that was dripping with water and the ground was damp and a bit muddy. I shook my fur out and noticed it was dirty; I made a slight frown and shivered at the frigid wind. My stomach made an angry roar followed by a not so pleasant cramp. I took a few steps to the trap I had made hoping there would be at least something to put in my belly; the stick had been moved and pulled into the water slightly. At the end of the stick was a small brown trout, with the sharp stick piercing through its skull. I pulled the stick to me and gnawed away the small amount of meat that was available. I choked on a few tiny bones but managed to lick all the meat off cleanly, who knew raw fish could be so delicious. It was fishy and had a toxic after taste, but it satisfied my stomach for now. I sat there for a few moments in front of the water's edge, watching it lap at my claws that were in the mud, my eyes wondering into the crisp water. My mind pondered wildly of what I was to do next, what was I to do once I got to my mother, and would I even be able to kill another being such as myself; then I thought back to when Aiden had attacked Asher, all I wanted to do was kill Aiden for wanting to just hurt Asher, but he almost killed him and he even wanted to and that drove me wild with hatred and anger. My protective instinct as a wolf was powerful and highly active at that time. I was grateful, yet I was not. I only kill to survive, to eat; killing another werewolf or person, is not in me. I could not bear to see someone's eyes empty at my own actions. Having one of my own arrows slice into a man's skin…or worse, my own teeth tasting their blood and having my own claws ripping the limbs off what would be my victim. Slow terror crept into my mind and my heart ached at the thought of such terrible things of which I may be capable of. As a wolf, I was capable of being a killing machine, a monster; yet there were others that had the drive to kill, that is all they lived for. So, if I only killed to protect, would that still make me a monster like them?

I could not help but hesitate, so I heaved a big sigh and lapped up some water, splashing some onto my face; I shook my head trying to clear it of the gruesome bloody thoughts that have taken over. I am not a killer, and I never will be. Yet, I could not help but doubt myself. I whipped my body around and proceeded towards the west; where the trees darkened and turned from the snowy ash to the sad looking willow trees. I gave a small whistle to my rhiadorn and beckoned him over to me. As he was beside me, I hopped on him and looked ahead of me. It was like a marsh land almost between the west and south. It is where Lake Yerlon turned into the swamps of Telaerion; which is somewhere I had never been before. I was slightly terrified of what I was to encounter in such an unfamiliar territory, and I had to be careful and watch where I was going but all I could think about right now was saving my mother from her own death. That vision crossed into my mind once more, of my mother dying, and her body falling on the ground with cold empty eyes… it sent a chill through my body and made me want to sprint to her side to be there fighting beside her knowing she will be safe as long as I was there to protect her. As I looked up into the sky I once always saw as a beautiful rose color, always shining down on me like the world was smiling back at me, but this time, I saw black smoke waiting to suffocate me as I crossed over into the darkness of the west.