Good, Evil, and the Gray Area (FIRST DRAFT)

Chapter 36

I laughed nervously, backing slowly away until I hit the trunk of a tree with a thunk. The sound seemed to echo in the silence of the clearing, until the snow muffled it.

The werewolves stared, not moving. They were all in wolf form, colors ranging from black to brown to pale gray. One was even white. The snow dusted their coats, and their lips were pulled back from their teeth in a snarl.

I heard a crunching behind me, and whipped my head around to see a wolf, pacing just inside the woods. Sensing my stare, it looked up and snarled, it's eyes cold and hard.

"Ava?" I asked quietly, turning back around to face the pack.

"What?" She replied, her eyes never leaving the wolves.

"Why do these things always happen to us?"

She let out a strangled laugh, not smiling. I stared at the wolves, taking in their lean, muscled forms and their sharp teeth.

"Ava?"

"What?"

"We're screwed,"

This time a real smile flitted across her face. Then it was gone.

A tall, human form stalked through the wolves. It was a she, moving with a feline grace. In retrospect, it wasn't a feline grace, it was a canine one.

"Who are you?" She asked. I was momentarily shocked, thinking that by now the werewolves would know who I was, what I looked like. And they definetly should know who Ava was, she grew up with them. I paused before speaking. Should I lie? The steely glint in her eye told me that if I lied, and she knew, I wouldn't be long for this world. I opted for the truth.

"I'm Lee, and this is Ava. Ava Rachir," I said, my voice trembling slightly. This woman was powerful, you could tell just from looking at her.

"Well hello Lee, Ava. It's nice to finally meet you," she replied, holding out her hand to shake.

I stared at it, stunned. Ava shook it, meeting the woman's eye and murmering a quiet, "Hello, nice to meet you." Then, she elbowed me. Shocked back to my senses, I grasped her hand. It was hot, but not sweaty, and smooth. Her grip was firm, and she shook my hand once, looking me in the eye. Her eyes were a steely gray, matching her hair. She was one of those women who seem ageless, her hair was gray, but she could've been only thirty.

"Nice to meet you," I managed to whisper.

"We are the ones who disposed of the previous leaders, I'm sorry, Ava, but they were terrible, and thought we would start a democracy, to plant people in the real democracy. You see, all we wanted to do was get rid of the monarchy the werewolves had. The wizards, well, they're trying to take over for their own gain. You know, I could care less if you fought for us or not. I don't think you're all you're cracked up to be. So, you really don't have to decide if you fight with us or not, because you have to stay here regardless. Nancy will show you to your space," The woman stopped abruptly, and turned. After the first few steps, she turned into a steely gray wolf. The color of it's coat matched her hair. You almost didn't notice the transformation.

Watching her walk away, I noticed that she had never told us her name.