The Moonlit Curse

Ch 1: One Little Bite

WARNING: This story contains mature content that may not be suitable for some readers.

"Wow. There is nothing out here, is there?"

Kiya's voice was muffled behind the heavy scarf wrapped around her head. The only part of her that was exposed to the frosty elements were her eyes, and they stung from how damn cold it was. It was also dry. Dry as a desert which made her eyes water, and it made the cold so much worse.

"Sure, there is!" Quintin laughed and slapped her back so hard she almost toppled over the side of the low wall. "There are trees, Kiya. Trees as far as the eye can see! I mean, have you ever seen so many trees?"

Kiya glowered up at him and had to bite back the sarcastic remark she was itching to throw at the other soldier. He wanted to rile her up because he was as bored as the rest of them. Because there really was nothing this far north except for the trees and the tiny town they had been deployed to.

When compared to the capital of the Kingdom of Westmora, the settlement known as Silverkeep wasn't even really a town. It was a village. It might even be considered a hamlet. But, seeing as it had a substantial economy for being so far from civilization, they were graced with the designation of town.

Fun facts that she would have, under any other circumstance, been fascinated by. But fun facts didn't keep her warm.

The trees would have kept her warm, or at least sheltered her from the wind. But they were posted at the top of an old watch tower for a reason. It was one of the few places they could see over the trees and react to anything that moved.

"Don't forget the werewolves!" Elise piped up, bright blue eyes glittering with excitement. "We're going to see one tonight! I can feel it in my gut!"

"Better pray to the goddess that we don't, newbie," Red, their squad leader, barked from the other side of the tower. "You know our motto. A successful mission is a mission where we're not needed."

"Is that why they call us the biggest waste of taxpayer gold in the kingdom?" Kiya muttered and rolled her eyes while Quintin snorted another laugh.

"Watch it, Bridges," Red snapped, turning away from the wall just enough to shoot a one-eyed glare towards Kiya.

"Or what?" She shot back without a trace of fear. She'd known Kean Reddings her entire life, and had trained by his side longer than anyone. Underneath his prickly exterior was a soft, ticklish man with a childish love for rune-carving. "Come on, Red. Every story about lycanthrope says they're at their strongest on the first night. So if they were real, we would have seen one by now. We haven't even heard a regular wolf how. The only things out here are us, the villagers, and their yaks. If your definition of a successful mission is us standing around doing nothing, then we are the most successful division in the entire military. And might I remind you that we have been at peace for the last two hundred years?"

There was a shrug and mumble of agreement from Quintin and the other two members of the squad, Rick and Julien, and even Red's best death-glare couldn't quell them. Elise kept looking between all of them, her eyes wide and betraying her heart breaking.

"Well, if that's how you feel," Red's voice was as cold as the air, and he kicked open the trapdoor over the ladder. "Then you won't care spending the rest of the night patrolling in the snow. Take the newbie with you. Maybe she can teach you a thing or two about dedication to the cause."

She knew better than to argue further, but that didn't stop her from rolling her eyes again. Nothing was worse than being stuck with an over-excited newbie up to their eyeballs in research and on the edge of losing their faith. But at least trudging through the snow would keep her warmer than standing still on the top of a tower.