Indra's Heart

TWENTY-ONE

Eventually, I come to a halt, bending at the waist and cupping my knees to catch my breath. I'm deep in the woods now with only a few patches of moonlight shining through the tree branches. Nevertheless, my eyes have easily adjusted to the pitch black majority of my surroundings.

I retrace my steps, heading back towards the road and away from the foul odor that I can't seem to pinpoint. Violence no longer clouds my mind, but the emotional pain is still weighing me down. My wolf never completely surfaced either, peeking at just hairy arms and sharp nails before reverting back to normal. I suppose I should be grateful to not have morphed into a snarling canine in front of the entire school, but a large part of me is curious to experience such a thing.

A decaying deer carcass comes into view on my right with large chunks taken out of its side. The gashes are simply too large and vicious for a common vulture to be the culprit so I pick up my pace, my lip curling up at the stench. A light drizzle falls from the sky, further cooling my already dampened skin and when the sound of civilization grows nearer, my mood is slightly lifted. In a little over an hour, I'll be at home sleeping away today's misfortunes.

With amazing stealth, three figures appear in front of the road, stopping me in my tracks. I recognize Harkul and Qastir immediately, but the third graying, scrawnier werewolf is a stranger. The blood of the deceased deer stains the fur around all of their mouths and in a split decision, I take off in the other direction. They say it isn't wise to run from dogs, but what other choice do I have? Especially without a weapon or a car as a shield.

"Sryx!" I yell, trampling the forest floor and sending the beasts pursuing me into a growling frenzy. Zigzagging is an effective method for now, but it won't last forever. "Sryx, help!"

Thunder booms through the clouds, sending a cold chill down my spine and drowning out my pleas. It's the growing warmth of the elf-eye that pushes me to run harder. If my legs don't give out on me, surely my heart will burst from terror.

I underestimate the hurdle required to pass over the giant log in my path and slam right into it, twisting my ankle and harshly landing in the cold soil. Every attempt to get back onto my feet is met with searing pain, but I'm able to slide over the fallen tree trunk at the last second, pressing my back against it as I arm myself with measly sticks and rocks.

Thick webs of lightening bolts above horrifyingly illuminate the werewolves faces as they close the distance between us and shockingly, the elder animal reaches me first. Nothing about his jagged yellow teeth sets him apart from any other wild creature. No, his appearance is quite regular in comparison to the other two. It's the acrid scent of old spice that alarms me.

Is this...

"Mr. James?" My raised fist encasing the rock wavers and the subtle flicker of emotion in his eyes confirms my suspicions. What the fuck?

His hesitation allows Qastir to swoop in and clamp his mouth around my injury, slinging my torso into an adjacent tree. My ears feel like they're underwater while the rest of my body is consumed by excruciating pain as I struggle to breathe. Mr. James remembers himself and goes for my arm, ripping off the rest of my jacket.

Harkul watches with indifference as his brother presses his large paws onto my chest, saliva dripping onto my face as Qastir lowers his head towards my throat to finish me off. I shut my eyes, weakly accepting defeat. Two gunshots ring through the air and the pressure on my chest is completely alleviated as his large body drops beside me. The sudden warmth of his splattered blood feels foreign on my chilled skin.

"Xorett, help me get him to his feet." Sryx orders. Her slender fingers are wrapped around a silver pistol that gleams unnaturally. A second cloaked elf with an even larger firearm strapped to her back hooks her arms underneath my armpit, and together they hoist me upright. Mr. James is slumped over, the contents of his skull leaking onto the ground next to a fatally wounded Qastir.