A Crescent Moon

A Crescent Moon Ch:2

"Men, we'll set camp here and move out at dawn."

"Yes, sir." chorused five, maybe six stocky men.

A man, at least six feet tall holding a weapon half his height gave the order. From the small moonlight that shone through the forest canopy, I could make out the numerous scars that adorned his rough features. He had a scraggly brown beard and looked like he belonged in my nightmares. The other men were scary looking also, but their leader looked the most intimidating. I was glad for the cover of the trees because if discovered, all six of them could take me down in a heartbeat.

Suddenly, a stench reached my nose. I grimaced when I recognized the putrid smell.

Blood.

A sharp scraping sound of rock hitting metal pierced the air. A man was sharpening his weapon with a rock. I only caught a glimpse, but I noticed the brown crusted stain of blood on the sword.

"Galieith, stop cleaning your sword," A middle aged man strongly voiced. "It's making too much noise. Do you want to be ambushed by the werewolves? They're not as stupid as you think." 

"I want my blade to be clean and sharp. I like a smooth cut."

My heart started pounding. I couldn't stand to listen to their conversation. They kill us. They hunt us down mercilessly with a strong vengeance. But for what? We're like prized trophies to them. The bigger the werewolf brought in, the higher they are paid and the better reason to brag. These are what the humans are now. They're either bred a hunter, or raised to work in the fields. 

All I wanted was to climb down and hurt the hunters so badly, that even the swiftness of their sword wouldn't save them.

The other man, not Galieith, grunted. "They could be watching us right now. Waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike."

Quickly the situation escalated. Galieith jumped into a fighting stance and aimed his half cleaned sword at his fellow hunter. "If you're that concerned, why don't you just get up and leave, Robin?" he chastised. "Better yet, I could end all your worries. Permanently."

The man cautiously took a step back, while keeping a close eye on the weapon trained on him. "I have a family to feed."

Being a werewolf, I can usually effectively analyze emotions. It's like uncovering the hidden meaning behind words. Robin sounded like he didn't exactly enjoy his occupation, but needs a way to provide food for his family. But he is not so innocent at heart, because there are other jobs out there.

"And I have standards to uphold! Now will you two shut up, and save your energy for killing wolves, not each other! Now put away the damn sword!" Ordered their leader.

Galieith respectively backed off. "Yes, sir." he said with obedience, yet he still held a challenging gaze with Robin.

After the heated altercation, everything grew quiet. The group made a a small fire, only big enough  for three people to surround it and gain warmth. One person was assigned as lookout and intermittently, they would switch out.

I sighed. I was always a restless sleeper, but how am I suppose to get any rest when I'm sitting in a tree with dangerous hunters sleeping below? I wanted to rely on luck, and just make a run for it then and there, but there were too many risks involved. There could be traps, their leader could awaken and order an attack on me, or the lookout would somehow, through the darkness, spot me. It wasn't time to act rash.

The only chance I have is to wait. It's something I've mastered by now. Because all my life, I've been sitting, watching, waiting for a life changing opportunity.