Epsilon [Werewolf]

Chapter 7 (✓)

I never understood the concept of freedom.

To me, freedom had been the spare time between my studies, the feeling that came with running around the block, or the thrill of sneaking around under my mothers scrutiny. Things I did so little of and cherished as a result.

But running through those woods, wild and unrestrained, I realised I'd been wrong. So wrong.

This was freedom. The freedom of my body, lean and lithe, winding by tight corners and groves with a kind of dexterity I could never hope to achieve in a human body. The sensation that came with leaping over logs and streams, graceful, my body suspended in the air as though I were taking flight. The feel of wind ruffling my fur, its cool kiss a tantalising relief to the heat of my skin, cooling the muted aches that were so insignificant now. 

Frogs and insects alike trilled in my ears, and then it struck me. With my human ears, those clicks and croaks had been nothing more than a cacophony of sounds. Now, they formed melodies, calm and flowing, weaving together in ways I could never imagine before dispersing again. It sounded so alive, as though the music itself had a heartbeat.

Smells of every kind met my nostrils, and to my surprise, I could distinguish each one -- wild tulips, bluebells, irises. There were other smells, too, ones that reminded me of flesh and blood. They weren't cloying like the scent of a carcass, or even metallic like the tang of a wound. No, they smelled alive, beating heart and all. I could smell life.

But nothing tantalised me more than the moon. Everywhere I went, be it leaping over rocks or squeezing under fallen logs, I was always acutely aware of its glaring presence above me. Its silver light tinted everything in the woods. Even in all those looming shadows, the hint of lightest silver could be found. I felt its power beating away in my heart, flowing in my blood, filling up in my lungs as one would breath air.

I ran for what seemed like hours, or even eternities, and it was only once my legs burned and my lungs verged on collapse did I stop. My tongue whipped around as I panted, sucking in the cold air with hunger. I could still feel the moon's presence. It called to me, perhaps as a mother would call to a child, and I answered. Tilting my head, I opened my maw and released the sound that had been dying to get out.

A howl.

It rumbled out of me like an earthquake, shaking the ground as it shook my soul. For a moment, that strange connection between me and the moon strengthened, as though I had established some sort of rapport. That feeling stayed long after I fell silent, when the sounds of trilling crickets and croaking frogs filled the forest again. 

A million thoughts raced through my head. My mind was quick, efficient, and even in my overly-stimulated state, I was able to acknowledge every one of them. The quiet steps of a mouse, the taste of white tulip on my tongue, the foreign scents drifting on the wind. It was as though I'd been blessed with clarity, looking at the world through a clear lens for the first time. 

I sniffed the air again. Something in my stomach clenched as I caught a scent on the wind, one I couldn't quite categorize like the others. It held a strange tang, one that smelt so familiar yet so foreign. Almost like my own scent, but different, somehow. That's the only way I could describe it: different. 

I glanced around, alert for any movement in the undergrowth. The wet soil was cool under my pads, calming the slight apprehension that had knotted within me. I sniffed the air again, heart skipping a beat when I realised the scent had only grown stronger. But that wasn't all. What had once seemed to be one hodgepodge of scent differentiated into several other smells, like a collective of individuals stemming from the same family.

Realisation washed over me in a moment of clarity. I was in a forest, alone. Worse yet, if my logic proved correct, then things were approaching me. Creatures like me... whatever I was. Without another thought I sprung into action, my paws slapping the sodden earth as I launched into a hasty run. I heard something, then. Over the slapping of my own feet rose a distant thump of paws. Many paws. My heart crawled to my throat, urging me to run faster.

I ran for what felt like ages, keeping distance between me and the strangers. Sometimes, they would disappear from my radar entirely, and I would slow down convinced I outran them. But then they'd appear again, seemingly closer than they had been before. It was almost as though they were masking their presence. Eventually I gave up on stopping entirely, even when nothing told of their presence. I just kept running, despite the painful protests of my body. 

But not even my top-tier stamina could save me. Before long my muscles were on fire, lungs verging on collapse. There was nothing I could do as my pace slowed, my muscles cramping as the rush of adrenalin ceased. Sheets of ice threaded over my skin as the strangers neared, their sounds and smells almost overwhelming amidst my tiredness. I was searching for a place to hide when soft snarls and warning growths rippled out from my surroundings. 

I whirled, blood icing over as my eyes frantically darted about the undergrowth. The smells and sounds came from every angle, and it took me a long moment of terror to realise I'd been surrounded. Black fear swallowed me whole. These people -- whoever they were -- had planned this very moment ahead of time. While I was trying to lose them, they were putting their plans into action. I'd walked right into their trap.

A jarring snarl to the right stole my attention. I whirled, my heart stuttering as a pair of golden eyes glared back at me. The eyes belonged the the body of a large beast, its wolfish figure similar to the one that had attacked me earlier that night. Similar to me, I realised, glancing down at my thick paws, covered in black fur and splayed liked fingers. 

I held the beast's gaze. As he emerged from the shadows, silver light glinted upon his fur, the colour of burnt sienna. His eyes did not stray from mine.

My mind raced for a way out. In a moment of desperation, I pulled back my lips and displayed my rows of sharpened canines. I snarled, but no amount of threats could take away from the fact that I was hopelessly outnumbered. I could see the other sets of eyes glowing my peripheral -- unnatural blues, emerald greens, reds. I could have sworn the beast before me smirked, as though he knew that fact, too. 

Even so, I stood my ground, keeping my gaze level with the creature before me. His body was wholly still. I stared at him, waiting for a sign of movement, of attack, but the longer I stared, the more dread that formed in my gut. It occurred to me that I hadn't bothered to check on the beasts in my peripheral.

I whirled, but it was too late. Within seconds a barrage of furry bodies bombarded me. My world doubled as something hard hit me in the temple, and then in the back of the head. I hit the floor with a thud, my sensitive joints barking in pain as several weighs pressed down on me. The last thing I saw was the unnatural glow of those eyes as my vision dwindled, the darkness swallowing me whole.