FIGHTING FOR SURVIVAL

Chapter 13

Taylor

The sky, an endless expanse of dark blue, was sprinkled with sparkling stars that seemed to quiver as the wind swept by them. The air was filled with the smell that had become as familiar to me as the scent of the flowers in our old garden. I loved the smell of the night. The scent of flowers, honeysuckle and dirt mixed with that of raw meat and blood was so alluring that I wanted to move out of the tight circle and scamper off into the trees on my own.

The forest seemed to stretch out in all directions and I could not see where it ended. The tall oaks seemed to go on forever, their leaves moving slowly in the wind. I could already feel the power of the night pulsing through me, lighting me up from the core. It was amazing how much stronger I felt at night. Then again, it was amazing how I could turn into a wolf every month. I had not gotten used that fact in almost twenty five years.

"We split what we catch," the pack leader was saying. He had a hoarse voice that kind of reminded me of my grandfather. I silently wondered where he would be at that moment. But that thought quickly slipped from my mind when I sensed the moon's presence for the first time.

Large, round and luminous, it hung high in the sly, casting it's ghostly light onto the earth and bathing everything in pale shadow. When I looked at it, I could see lightly traced patterns on its surface but my head hurt if I looked at it for too long. So I bowed it down while Lucas droned on about how we had to learn to stick with the pack in our wolf state. This advice was of no use to me and they all knew that. I hated being part of the group while hunting. I preferred to run around wild and free, and if anyone dared stop me, they would be torn limb from limb. I could tell Lucas was afraid I would challenge him and then overthrow him. He wasn't wrong either: I had plans.

"Ready?" he barked. He was greeted by loud howls and bemused growls from all of us. "Alright. Do it."

And that was all it took. The tension in the air was as thick as butter now, and the raw smell of meet was almost real in my head. I longed to stretch my limbs, reveal my claws, and let lose in the forest of Crescent Hills.

The Crescent Hills' wolf pack tore into the darkening night with the sounds of growls and yelps echoing all around. Wolves of all ages appeared and stretched themselves before belching out a unified howl, raising their two hind legs and gazing rigidly at the cream coloured moon.

I could feel a slight pain somewhere at the back of my neck, but I hardly cared. My paws danced across the soft grass and my cries of delight echoed all round. I was seeing the forest in a whole new and improved way. The tall trees towered above me and I saw dinner opportunities everywhere I looked. I could easily cover the whole forest on my own tonight.

The pack dispersed in groups and pairs and then there was nobody left in the clearing except me. I held one obsidian black paw up to my eyes and scanned it. Last month, it had been bleeding profusely but it had healed completely now. So I darted into the midst of the surrounding trees, growling fiercely and knowing that it was going to be a long night.

My paws brushed soft grass as I went deeper and deeper into the woods, away from clearing in which the pack had transformed. I ran for miles, just enjoying the feel of the cool air on my skin. The hair on my back was standing up and moving gently and my senses were tingling in anticipation.

Four hours later, I found myself lying under the shadow of a tall tree. All four legs of mine were sore from the hunt and one of my left paws was bleeding. The wound was not that deep, considering the fact that I had killed the dog before it could have sunk its teeth deeper into my flesh. My left eye was swollen curtsey of another wolf: a stray, I had assumed.

I had glimpsed Lucas a couple of hours ago. His chestnut brown fur had been wet and there had been blood all over him, but of course, I had not cared. That was just how us werewolves were raised. Moon nights were for hunting and they all knew there was no way I would give up even a fraction of my time to tend to another wolf, especially since I intended to bring him down.

I had joined the Crescent Hills pack a couple of months ago after I ran away from my old one, leaving my parents and twenty years worth of memories behind. The list of reasons for my departure was endless. Nobody had understood me for one thing, not that anyone understood me here. Besides, I had made too many enemies in that pack, including my cousin whom I had fought for the position of pack leader.

The air had grown colder now and the grass I was laying on was damp with dew. I turned my gaze up to the sky and was stunned by its vastness. It was so dark at the moment, and it seemed to be infinite. I could see clusters of stars and could even make out a few of the constellations.

An hour later, the luminous moon was obscured by a couple of clouds and that made a shiver run down my spine. The night would be over soon anyway, I thought. But I knew what was coming before that. Rain. I could feel it in the air. Everyone else had probably sensed it too, I thought to myself. No wonder I hadn't heard a single growl in a while. The moon made us strong, but as soon as our view was blocked, we were not as powerful anymore. Our wolves were weakened and the hunt did not look so tempting anymore.

So I lay there under the oak tree, as the first few drops of rain hit my fur, and then as the rain got heavier, I raised a hand up to touch my soft, sensitive human skin, feeling the swollen bruise under my eye.

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A/N

There you go, guys! You got to know more about the bad guy, or one of the bad guys anyway :) I tried to make it as mysterious as possible too! Please vote and comment on this. I'll update really soon now since I need to end this book soon, before I start the second book in the Crescent Hills series xD