He Who Flew Too Close

Chapter 5

It's a perfect night for the hellhounds to play. The air is crisp and the full moon is bright, glaring down as a glowing saucer. It paints the open field with an almost fluorescent light; grass streaked with white gently quivers in the breeze. Lupine heal twice as fast under the full moon – it's probably why Rex has asked us out here tonight. They are in their element and I am out of mine, ready to prepare for the taking of a life.

Brittle grass crunches beneath my feet as I make my way to the shooting range. In the distance, Miranda's blonde hair ripples like a silver flame whilst Rex's brown trench coat billows. My features harden as I see them; I have to get my head in the game. At the very least, I can pretend to not be blown apart with anxiety right now. My destiny as the Luminous One depends on my ability to shoot these guns. I have to get this right!

Suddenly, a stone jitters beneath my feet. I pause. The earth starts to tremble. My eyes dart to the side and my heart plummets to the pits of my stomach; something humongous is approaching me. Fast. I catch the glisten of something black. A pair of demonic yellow eyes appear to blaze amidst a storm cloud. They petrify me; all the oxygen rasps from my lungs – I need to run, but I am frozen. There is a hellhound chasing me down. Terror has seized me whole. I can't move. I can't move, I can't move!

I am sent soaring. The ground rumbles beneath me as it slams its paws into my shoulders. I clench my eyes shut and attempt to curl up like a hedgehog with a nightmarish scream. This is it. I always knew I'd meet my end like this!

However, no pain comes. Something wet slobbers across my cheeks. I open my eyes. A long, pink tongue slicks across me. I can barely process what is happening; a great black wolf excitedly pounds his paws above my shoulders, its eyes large and pupils dilated. Somehow, I am alive.

"And dead," Rex states flatly.

"That was hardly fair!" Miranda snaps. Her voice sounds exasperated.

"That's how it is," Rex snaps back. "In the wild wolves won't wait for you to realise they're hunting you down."

The ability to breathe returns to me. Thankfully, it's just Ic, but if we were in the wild, I'd be done for. It's really starting to get real now; I will be duelling with these vicious animals. A sickly sensation prickles through my stomach. One time, it won't be a practice. I really am likely to lose my life here.

Ic's tail vibrates. He licks me on repeat and I can hardly stand it. I shove him away, sickened. I know for a fact that this isn't normal. Lupine don't behave like damn dogs. This is the first time I've ever seen one of these beasts in their wolf form before. The creature is more horrendously enormous than I could have ever imagined.

Ic recoils and his ears droop. He releases me with his tail stuck between his legs. I glower; a nauseating chill prickles down my spine. He had concealed it to stalk me, but now dazzling white light ripples from his fur. It makes his coat glisten like dusty stars twinkling in the night sky. The glimmering light illuminates the sickened expression on my face – it's impressive how something so ghastly could look so beautiful. However, that dazzling light is but a deceit. He may shine like an angel but this is nothing but a sheer devil in disguise.

I get to my feet. My knees buckle beneath me when I realise I have my full body to put its size into perspective. This magnificently evil beast comes up to my eyes on all fours; I shudder to think what it would look like on its hind legs. I stagger backwards, almost sending my behind clamouring into the earth again. Ic whimpers.

Rex catches me staring at him and rolls his eyes. "Okay, first thing first. Pet the dog," he says.

"Why?" I demand. I don't even want to look at it, much less touch it!