A Forbidden Love

Ch 2: Isolde

  The fall from Heaven down to the realm of Earth left me disoriented and shaky, and I do mean fall as they turn your wings into tattoos before you descend. I was trying to fit in with the humans after all. I was thrown out of the skies and into the forests where the murders were taking place, tree branches breaking my fall. My goal was to explore the area, and then to find shelter and blend in with the humans. Luck was not with me this night.

            I landed in the forest, and the creatures continued their routine: bats wheeling and diving for mosquitoes, the soft brush of fur upon bark as animals wandered by. I stood there admiring everything before I made my way to the scene of the last murder. Blood still painted the ground red in places, vegetation dead where the body had lain until discovery a few hours earlier. I found tufts of amber fur in some of the bushes, and a part of me knew this belonged to the rogue werewolf.  I heard voices drawing closer, and I knew I needed to move to a secluded spot, so I turned and walked deeper into the forests. Two cops, a regular cop and a detective, were walking into the clearing still searching for clues as to who had committed this atrocity. I blended into the shadows and watched them, but the detective kept glancing in my direction. The sun began to sink into the west, and I heard the detective talk, “Come on, James. We can continue this tomorrow.” They left, and I was by myself once again. The sun sank too quickly, and I had the feeling that I was being stalked as I started searching for a way out of the forest. A subtle noise was all the warning I had.

            Darkness. All I could see was darkness, the feeling of dread pressing down like a heavy weight. I stood there listening to my heart pounding, straining to hear the creature behind me.  A noise sounded to my left, and I was running. My lungs started to burn, my breathing coming in gasps, and my heart pounding in my chest. All of a sudden, my legs went out from under me, and I stumbled down a hill landing with a splash in ice cold water. I noticed the light shining down and looked around the clearing. It wasn’t bright, but there was just enough light for me to see my surroundings.

            Although I was shivering, I refused to move out of the circle of light. I waited patiently for the monster to find me. Minutes pass by before I hear a sound behind me, and I turn to face it as it comes walking out of the trees. I readied myself as he advanced towards me. His body tensed, and he launched himself at me. I threw myself to the side rolling in the water to stand up and face him. His back facing me, I threw myself on him. He howled out his rage, and I tightened my grip around his neck.  Clawed hands reached back and grabbed my hair; I curled into a ball as I was thrown across the clearing. I hit a tree before landing roughly on the ground, and I forced myself to stand up and face him. Disoriented, I stumbled forward to meet him as he walked forward. His fist swung towards me as I launched myself forward to tackle him. The water splashed and bodies rolled as we fought for dominance. Breaking apart, we stood facing each other. I kicked out, hitting his kneecap and dislocating it. He screamed in rage and started morphing from werewolf to man. He still towered over me by a foot or more, and he was built like a linebacker: solid muscle and broad. My feet weaved in an intricate pattern as I dance to and from him, fist connecting with face, arms connecting with arms, elbow with stomach, feet darting out to kick, and knee connecting with thigh. He’d wince when I connected and then move forward with a blur of speed, blocking and counterattacking.

            He began to show signs of exhaustion, but so was I. Then the biggest mistake of all happened, I was dancing back out of his reach when I tripped over a rock. I screamed out my frustration and stood back up, but he was there. I blocked his punch, the impact jarring my bones, and I was on the defensive now. He seemed to have gained a second wind, and I was exhausted: the descent from Heaven and the fight wearing on my now human body with no wings to fly me out of reach. Running wasn’t an option for two reasons: one, I never give up, and two, he was faster than me in my current state of exhaustion and injury.

            One of his punches collided with my face, and I stumbled back, going down on one knee. He stood there in front of me with an evil gleam upon his face before cocking his arm back. I waited for the impact, but it never came. I heard a growl that sounded a lot like the name “Daniel” as a blur of black tackled him to the ground. I watched as these two creatures, one in man form and the other in wolf form, fought it out. The rogue darted towards me time and time again only to be intercepted by the newcomer. Knowing he was losing, the rogue shifted his hands into claws and launched himself at me, arms outstretched. The newcomer grabbed him and threw him back, but his claws connected with my chest digging deep furrows into the skin and muscle. The rogue turned and darted into the woods. The newcomer stood there, torn between giving chase and helping me. I managed a sharp “GO” before falling back to stare at the sky.