I delivered a sharp kick to Hunter's zipper, watching as he finally zipped it up.
"Mummy!" he cried I delivered a sharp kick to Hunter's zipper, watching as he yelped in pain.
"Mummy!" he cried out. "Daddy!" he screeched, sinking to his knees.
"How could you leave me all alone in that massive mansion out in the woods? Who knows what kind of creatures visit Alpha at midnight?" I vented, gazing down at Hunter, who was still wailing in pain.
"Enough with the bickering," Alpha commanded, his ears perked for any sound. He hadn't moved an inch since I arrived.
Out of nowhere, he crouched down, focusing his gaze on the ground. "He overcame it," he stated.
Hunter halted his howling, turning his attention to Alpha. "He overcame what? Your command?"
Alpha simply nodded, silent.
Hunter stood up, brushing his hair away from his face, and said with a grin, "Well, he's still here, just not in a physical form." He smirked and pointed with two fingers, one hand covering his eye.
"I spy with my little eye, something dead."
Alpha spun around suddenly, his expression a mix of concern and curiosity. "Did he take his own life?" he inquired, positioning himself behind Hunter in an effort to get a better view of the situation.
"I—" Hunter began, but then his words trailed off. With a bright grin, he turned to Alpha. "Well there's bad news, man. His corpse just vanished! Now I'm left here watching his dancing ghost".
Alpha's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "What—what do you mean?"
He let out an exasperated sigh as he rummaged through his pockets, pulling out a couple of earpieces. He swiftly slipped one into Hunter's ear and offered me the other.
"Pop this in and hang tight, we'll go investigate this matter. Just let us know if anything comes up," Alpha instructed me, finding another earpiece for himself and putting it in.
"So, let's say I do run into 'something'. My fate relies on two guys who are considering whether to save me or check out a dancing spirit?" I shot back, my tone laced with disbelief.
Hunter chuckled and nodded. "Pretty much! Or you could take it head-on, that would be funny!" His laughter, punctuated by a snort, only fueled my mounting anxieties.
"Gee thanks, Mentor. Shows how much you care about me", I sighed and walked to a corner, leaning on a tree. Hunter gave me a salute sign and walked away with Alpha.
"There are no monsters out here, trust me. Ischgein's truth."
And they fled on their journey.
It had been 2 years.
Or 2 minutes, depending on how you look at it.
I kicked a stone to the side, wondering if the floor was advisable to sit on. Nothing was ever normal in the fallen woods.
A blue light glowed at the far end of the forest, bright enough for me to see it from such a distance. It kept getting closer and closer as I stood upright, adjusting the earpiece.
"Good puppy, go further now".
As I glanced around, confusion washed over me. What was going on? Who had just spoken? My gaze fixated on the blue light that edged closer, feeling almost like it was inches away.
The voice seemed to emanate from that very spot, and though I questioned my sanity, I couldn't shake the sensation that I had...
I had seen the light speak.
"Good puppy, just a bit further now" it said.
The wind whispered sweetly, and the bushes swayed in rhythm, but then the low growl of a nearby animal drowned everything out. I instinctively covered my ears, bracing myself to alert Hunter and Alpha. Just then, I caught sight of a familiar cascade of curly hair and a flash of vibrant red lipstick.
That enchanting hair that sent boys into a tizzy and lipstick that glimmered in the sunlight—I had never encountered such a combination in this town, except on one girl.
"Chanel?" I called out, taking a step closer. "Please tell me it's really you, please tell me you're here for me."
I kept my distance, scrutinising her closely to determine if it was indeed Chanel or some clever impersonator. No matter what, I tried to stay sharp and vigilant.
But that was the word I hated most, 'Try'.
"Dove, " the animal cried, stepping closer. " It's me, it's me, Chanel. It's, it's..." It bore its fangs at me, saliva dripping from its mouth. Its eyes red with hunger, with claws for vengeance.
That was not Chanel.
I stepped back, my heart beating in confusion. What was this, and why did it look so much like her?
The animal stepped closer, its hands reaching out to me till it found my arms, and I froze in place.
"It's me, Chanel. Can't you remember me?"
My blue dress danced with the rhythm of the wind, while my eyes darted around, gripped by fear. This had to be a dream, right? It couldn't possibly be real—after all, bizarre situations like this only manifest in dreams, correct? Especially mine. So why couldn't I just wake up? Someone, please, wake me up. My dreams never come true anyway, so this—this—this...
'THIS HAS TO BE A DREAM!' I struck out with my fists, trying to break free from its grasp, and the pain gave me a brief moment of respite.
The creature's fury surged, and my chances of escape dwindled, prompting me to click my earpiece and send out an urgent message: 'I've run into something serious. No time to explain, hurry!'
All I could do was hope I wouldn't be a rotting corpse by the time they arrived.
Just then, I felt a hand grip my shoulders, and I was taken aback, how could they have reached me so quickly?
Before I could even turn to see who it was, the hands that clasped mine weren't those of Alpha's pale touch or Hunter's rough, bread-like grip.
This was the hand of a shadow.
"Before you scream, " it started. "Look at the animal before you, and ask yourself if it's truly your time to die".
"What are you, and where did you come from?", I asked, sweat streaming down my body. Firstly, there's an animal that looks like Chanel, and now there's a shadow caressing my hand.
It was all too much...and too fast.
"We're running out of time, Dove. That creature is gearing up for its final assault, the ultimate blow. But I recognise you don't want to meet your end just yet," the shadow murmured softly.
I drew in deep breaths, attempting to convince myself it was just a figment of my imagination. If I didn't confront this, I might lose it.
The shadow gently elevated my hands, holding them tightly, almost lovingly. "You can make it through this, Dove. Just surrender to me—your body, your soul." It guided my hand to my chest, whispering, "Your heart."
I swallowed hard as I met the gaze of the beast, saliva dripping ominously from its maw, but its crimson eyes shone gloriously in the night.
With a sudden burst, it leapt into the air, its fangs elongated, its claws razor-sharp. The shadow tilted my head, revealing the scene that would be my last. The creature swooped down upon me from above, malice ablaze in its eyes.
In that instant, realisation struck. This was Chanel; no one else could seem so magnificent in the moonlight, even in this fierce wolf form.
"Is this really how it all ends?" the shadow asked. "Let me in, Dove. I'll fulfil more wishes than you can make".
"Your whispers", I replied, the claws now almost on my face. "They're revolting".
And he stopped smiling.
I never accepted, I never embraced his efforts, his whispers, I didn't even know what he was, what he wanted.
Yet I felt my soul being torn away from me.
I felt something else in me, like a whole different person, like my soul had been thrown in the trash, and I waved goodbye.
Forever.
I grabbed the animal instinctively as it tried to attack, throwing it down without a sweat. I stared at the hand that had just done the deed, it looked like mine...But I knew it wasn't.
The animal got up again, greatly injured now. Blood dripped from its knee and mouth, my heart breaking at the sight.
"Chanel!", I wanted to scream, but the shadow inside me fought back. "Hush little girl, let me take the lead".
The shadow crossed my legs, as I coughed out blood, my body not accepting him.
"Perfect, " he said, collecting my blood like an ornament shaping it into a bow and arrow. "It's beautiful, it's art."
I raised the bow and arrow pointing it towards the barely standing animal, preparing for attack.
"Die".
"Die", I repeated, not in control of my own words anymore, with only my tears to tell the true story.
I shot the arrow, deciding the fate of my sister forever.
Then a pale hand clasped my mouth. It was sudden, it was stupid, and I was tired of whatever was going on in this forest.
Till it whispered sofly in my ear.
"Sleep".