Chapter 4

My old home looked well maintained since I had left. No doubt the work of Ruben, he would have found it wrong to let it fall into disrepair. He would have felt that it would not honor my father’s memory. I pulled out the house key that I had used as a kid so many years ago. The lock shifted with a click, and with a deep breath I opened the door. As I stepped inside, I was shocked by what I saw before me. There was no sign of the damage that had occurred that night. Ruben must have spent all these years repairing and replacing everything in the house. I went from room to room to see what had been done. Marveled at the work he had put in to restore my family home.

I made my way to the door of the shop and opened it slowly, the memories of what took place in that room flashing in my memory. The shop was dusty, and untouched. I doubt Ruben would have had the heart to enter this room. The metallic smell of old blood filled the air, and the signs of what had happened that night were still evident in the room. The damage had only been slight, however, only a proper blacksmith would be able to repair this, and neither I nor Ruben had that level of experience. I made note of what would need to be fixed, as well as paid respect to each place where someone lost their life that night. The spot where my father died was the last one, and I was filled with such loss as I did it. As I turned to leave, I noticed red light bleeding through the workshop window.

I knew instantly what that meant, and a nervous fear filled me. I ran back through the shop, through the house, back onto the street. I looked up to the sky to have my fears confirmed. The moon was high in the sky, blood red and full, just like that night. Instinctively, I felt that something awful was going to happen tonight, and I needed to be prepared. I ran back to my house as fast as I could, bumping into people as I went. They, too, were scrambling as I was, only they were heading for the safety of their homes. I, on the other hand, had other plans, I was heading for my weapons. I made it to my house, and ran up the stairs, two at a time. I opened the hidden compartment, collected my bow, arrows and hunting knife. That is when I heard them. The screams, of terror and pain, filling the air. The beast that killed my family and ruined my childhood, the beast of my nightmares, was back!

I hurried to the front of my house, listening to the sounds of terror filling the village. I used the screams to find out where in the village my prey was. The screams seemed to be coming from the western edge of the village. I nocked an arrow, and began to make my way through the village toward the source of the screams. People were still running through the streets, terror on their faces and doubt in their eyes: doubt that they would make it through this night alive. I held the bow to my side, arrow pointing down, so as to not accidentally injure the people rushing by me. Hundreds of thoughts, doubts, and fears passed through my mind. I shook them off. I could not afford to be distracted now, I had spent years preparing for tonight. I walked quickly but carefully, running would risk alerting the beast to my arrival, making it harder to kill. However, taking my time would prove to be dangerous for the villagers, so I broke into a fast run.

I made my way across the town, the screams were getting louder, but I was starting to hear the distinctive sounds of a wolf. Growling and biting, the sound of claws scraping against wood. I had yet to hear the screams lessen or stop altogether. That would mean that no one had been killed yet, but I could easily have been wrong.

As I got closer, I slowed to a brisk jog. Once I was a few feet from the source of the screams, I slowed further to carefully approach. I needed to make sure that they did not hear me, which would give me the best advantage. I knew that I was up-wind, which would keep them from noticing me by scent. As I got near, I heard something that made my heart skip a beat, a distinctive second growl. There was more than one beast attacking the village! I was close enough now, that I could hear the difference in the growls.

Fear began to grow in me. I had not considered that there would be more than one of these beasts. This changed everything. I was not completely sure that I could handle one giant wolf, let alone two or more. I stopped my approach near the edge of a house, taking deep breaths to calm my nerves. If I wanted to survive this encounter, I would need to be extremely careful.

As I steadied my nerves, I leaned towards the edge. I needed to see what I was dealing with, so that I could better my chances of surviving this. I took a quick glance, to see where the wolves were from where I was standing. There were indeed two wolves, not far from where I was standing. I returned to hide back behind the wall and collect myself. I prepared the arrow to fire, setting my aim as I got closer to the edge of the wall. I paused to focus my mind, empty it of everything but the task that was laid out before me.

I turned the corner carefully to ensure that I would attract no unwanted attention and soon I bore witness to my prey. What I saw was worse than I thought: they were larger than a normal wolf, and there were now three of them. I did not see where the third wolf had come from, and I was worried as to how many more there could be. I had not counted on there being more than one wolf. Though I had experience with killing more than one at a time before, these were no ordinary wolves. The wolf on the left was digging at the ground beneath the door, while the wolf at the middle of the group was scratching and bashing the door. The third wolf, on the right, was up on its hind legs, trying to tear off the shutters on the windows. They were frantically trying to get into that house and I could hear a baby crying inside. If left there, I had no doubt they would break through and kill the family in the house in only a few short moments.

I returned to where I was hiding, and thought of how to deal with this. I could not kill all three fast enough to keep them out. Hell, I was not even sure that I could kill one of them, so I had to change my plans. I had been prepared to deal with two, but the third showing up had made that plan useless. I needed to get all three of them away from the house, and keep the family inside from danger. I looked around, and saw the guard just above the back of the house. It looked like the guard wall was situated right next to the house. The guard on the wall walk had his throat ripped out: this must have been where they came in. With a stern resolve, I decided that it would be the way they left the village. However, when they left, they would be chasing a new target. I used the memories of that night to fuel me with rage, and keep me grounded as to what I had to do. I knew what I planned to do would most likely get me killed, and it terrified me.

I aimed the arrow carefully, to ensure it would do the job at hand, and strike where I needed it. I took a deep breath, knowing that this would change everything. The arrow released with a twang, zipping through the air. It struck the door, right where the three wolves were trying to break in. The arrow striking the door startled the beasts. However, unlike regular wolves, they looked at it, and turned to see where it had come from. I was not there, as I had begun to sprint to the wall as soon as the arrow had been released. It took them a few moments to realize where I was. By that time, I had already reached the wall-walk. The largest of the three wolves howled with frustration, and the three of them started after me. I stood there long enough to make sure they were chasing after me - as soon as they began to move, I leaped over the wall, down onto ground below.

I landed with a thump, spreading my legs wide and using my free hand to brace the fall. I did not look back to see if they were coming, I knew they were, and any delay would get me killed. I burst into a full run, heading north into the deep forest, putting as much distance between me and the town as possible. I could hear the wolves behind me. I had a sizable lead, but they would make that up quickly. I did not risk turning to look where they were, I could hear them moving and growling, getting closer and closer to me.

As I ran, I caught sight of the tree Violet and I carved our names into it so many years ago. I was right where I needed to be, and I pushed myself as hard as I could run. I leaped into the air and grabbed one of the high branches of a nearby tree. Climbing as fast as I could, I made my way higher and higher up the tree. I could hear the wolves approaching, I only had a few minutes to put my plan into motion.

I made it fifty feet up the tree, where I could see limbs of an adjacent tree overlap the ones of this tree. I had been hoping for this opportunity and made my way to the overlapping limbs. Quickly, I made my way onto the branches of the adjacent tree, cutting across them to the opposite branch. I repeated the same process to get to another tree, and began to search for an acceptable perch. I noticed one about twenty-five feet above the ground, and two trees over. I made my way there as quickly as I was able, without making too much noise, as I did not want the wolves to hear me. I got to the branch, and planned my line of sight from the tree to where I expected the wolves to stop. I had a clear view, giving me a good vantage point when the wolves arrived. I was barely in position when they reached the end of my scent trail, I did my best not to make any sound that would give my position away.