Midnight Howls

My First Breath

*chapter two*

[unedited]

-

I woke up, struggling for air, coughing up water as I choked. After a minute of wheezing my breathing slowed. I looked around but I couldn't see anything, I was in complete darkness. My body ached, and shivered violently, it was so cold. I wanted to scream for help, but my throat was so sore, and all that came out was a small squeak. Nothing felt right, something was wrong, and I was scared. But I didn't feel like running or hiding. I felt like attacking. I heard the sounds of stones skittering against the ground and my head whipped to the left. A snarl escaped my lips and surprised me.

"You're awake, finally, it's felt like decades." The voice pauses and lets out a small chuckle, "I'm Phoebe, I found your body along the riverside, I dragged you back here. I knew you were dead, but I wasn't going to leave you out, for the wolves to get to ya," the voice let out a little laugh and continued. "So now you're here." I didn't understand, I thought I had died, she had confirmed that I had died! How was I here? Or alive? As if the voice could read my mind, it answered; "I am a wolf, a very powerful one. There are only a few wolves that have the power as I do. And with that power, we can do very," Phoebe pauses as if determining what words would best suit her response. "Very, interesting things. Like bringing people back to life, and changing their forms. You're now a wolf. A wolf pup. But at least you're alive, as I thought that was better than being dead," she explained.

I didn't know what I was supposed to do. How I was supposed to feel or react. Everything came crashing down on me, all at once. I was overtaken by a mixture of strong scents, overlapping and overpowering me. I could smell the wet soil, the moulding crab apples. The rotting plants, and the dead fish in a swamp nearby. And the sounds, they rang loudly in my ears, the stag stomping around, crushing branches, the flapping of a group of birds wings as they flew around. They all combined, but each sound and scent was separate but I couldn't focus or zone in on one specific thing. There was too much going on, it made me nauseous. It was all too much, it made me stressed. I didn't try to calm down. I had an urgent instinct to run, to get up and flee. My eyes darted back and forth until I noticed a pale light, I got up and sprinted for it.

I ran towards the light and when I reached it I was blinded light. Darkness and immediate light don't mix well. I kept running as my eyes adjusted. It was morning, and it was winter. Snow coated the ground, and icicles hung from pine tree branches. My mind started to race as my feet, no, as my paws pounded against the ground. Pictures flashed in front of my eyes, emotions jerking out of me. Crying, running, pain, darkness, red light, ice, fear, shouting, more fear, ice cracking, screaming, something blue, falling, struggling, fighting, cold, slowing down, tired, colder, frozen, pain, darkness, darkness, nothing. I collapsed. Tears fell as I sobbed quietly.

The memories started to form. I was running, I don't know why. But I fell onto the ice and it broke. I drowned. I died. But Phoebe brought me back. I wasn't human, I was now a wolf pup? I stood up. "No," I whispered. I didn't know what I was supposed to do, so I ran. I craved to feel the cool air shifting through my new fur, the cold air wrapping around me like long, freezing tendrils. I wanted to feel it through my fur. Through my new fur.

I didn't know how long I was running for but it was a long time. My muscles began to ache and I was thirsty so I walked to a small stream that had not yet been frozen and lapped up some water, it was cold and refreshing. I walked alongside the stream until I felt tired. I walked over to a group of trees and was about to lay down when I realized I was atop of a cliff. If I took even one more step, I would fall to my death. I looked around, pine trees surrounded me from all angles, I could see more at the bottom of the cliff. Looking up I was awestruck. Mesmerized by how many stars there were. But the moon was the most intriguing, the moon red.

Something bothered me about it, but my mind grew hazy and I couldn't remember anything. My eyelids drooped low and vision started to grow spotty and black. The colour of it, it was a deep red, like blood, I thought as I dozed off.

I was awoken by the sound of growling, slowly I opened one eye. A group of wolves surrounded me. One wolf stepped forward, snarled and then barked at me. Fear shot through me, I wanted to run but there was nowhere to go, except off the cliff. There were five of them, the one closest to me was larger than the rest, pack leader? I was going to die, I was a pup, with no training, no one to protect me. A whimper resonated from my throat, which was definitely a wrong move. The wolves started to move in, and I knew I was going to die. For a second time within what? Less than twenty-four hours? Phoebe never told me how long I had been dead for before she found me.

The wolves were less than a meter from me. The Alpha snarled, it knew it had won. The wolf howled, for me, it was a call of death, for them, a call of victory. To its surprise, the call was answered with a louder, deeper, howl. It rang in the air, making me shiver, and fear course through my body. The five wolves started to retreat, panic filling their eyes. If they were scared, I knew I was doomed. I knew I had no chance, but it was worth a shot. I made a run for the trees and hid behind a large pine tree. I kept my body low to the ground as I watched.

Phoebe emerged from the trees, growling. The wolves stopped and turned to look at her. She snarled and the Alpha walked towards her, growling. Phoebe showed no fear as she stood her territory, the wolf continued to approach then stopped. It snarled, and Phoebe lunged. Her sharp teeth were bared as she crashed into the wolf, shoving it to the ground. A squeal filled the air as the Alpha was slammed into the snow. They rolled around, biting and scratching until a loud, high pitched yelp filled the air and the Alpha jumped back, covered in a red substance. It limped back and the other wolves rushed over to help. One wolf snarled at Phoebe and she barked, causing the other wolves to yip and retreat quickly. Phoebe glared as she watched them hurry away.

Phoebe shook her head then scanned the area, her eyes locking onto mine. "What in the name of Hades were you thinking?! You're a pup, a defenceless pup, and you ran away!? They would have killed you if I had shown up even a minute later!" Phoebe yelled. I whimpered, how was I supposed to know that it was dangerous...

A/N

Hello! Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! Don't forget to vote and comment what you think! Ciao! -Bailey Mills