The Wolf Wars Saga

Ellie

I was running hard, not daring to glance back. Maybe the ordinary folks morphed into monsters when the sun went down. Maybe they lived among us, hiding in plain sight. I didn’t have a clue.

I wondered if the people in charge, the ones who taught us the rules, even knew. If they did, they kept it to themselves. They gave us just enough information to scare us. Talk about curiosity being a death sentence. This was going to be my downfall.

As I neared the border, I came to a halt. I could hear the guards and their shouts. They must have heard the howls too. If I turned back now, I’d be a goner. If I stayed put, I’d meet the same fate.

The loud bang of a gunshot and a sharp sting in my arm made the decision for me. I clutched my arm and ran away from the border, feeling a warm liquid trickling down my arm.

I was grateful that the only monsters I could see were the ones with guns. I did the only thing I could think of—I headed back into werewolf territory. I just had to find a safe place to hide.

I quickly scanned the horizon. Beyond the crop fields and the barn, there were some woods. That’s where I’d hide until morning.

When I was far enough from the border to be out of bullet range, I examined my arm. It wasn’t a pretty sight. My hand had done little to stop the bleeding.

I tore off some fabric from the vest I was wearing and wrapped it around my arm. I tied it as tight as I could, hoping to stop the bleeding.

By the time I reached the edge of the woods, I was starting to feel dizzy.

It was eerily silent. The moonlight filtered through the tree canopy, casting an eerie glow on the ground.

I sat down and slipped off my backpack. Leaning against a tree, I closed my eyes for a moment.

My eyes flew open when I heard the sound of a twig snapping.

A man stood before me. Well, more like a giant.

He glanced at the backpack, then at me. His eyes narrowed.

“What are you doing here, human?”

My heart started to race, and my mouth went dry.

“I...I...” I stuttered.

He took a step closer. I pressed myself further against the tree. It didn’t help much, but I couldn’t run. My legs felt like jelly.

“You’re hurt,” he stated.

I looked down at my arm. The makeshift bandage was already soaked with blood.

This was it. I was either going to bleed to death, or the man—or monster—in front of me was going to kill me.

Was he the monster they had warned us about? The way he referred to me as human made me think he was a werewolf. But why didn’t he look that different from us? Granted, he was enormous.

Not just tall, but muscular.

He had light, shaggy hair that fell to his shoulders, and a neatly trimmed beard of the same color.

I watched in silence as he knelt down next to me. He took hold of my arm, gently but firmly, and began to unwrap the makeshift bandage.

He frowned, then looked at me.

“Your own people shot you!” he exclaimed.

I nodded. Tears welled up in my eyes as I realized I could never go back. Not unless I wanted to die. I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to cry.

I had to appear strong, even if I didn’t feel it.

I clenched my jaw and took a deep breath.

When I opened my eyes again, the man was taking off his T-shirt.

“This may hurt a little, pup,” he said.

He tore the T-shirt and began to bind my arm.

I tried to stifle a cry, which came out as a whimper when he tied off the makeshift bandage.

His eyes then landed on my backpack. I tried to grab it, but he was too quick and snatched it away.

When he opened it, his face twisted in disgust.

“Why are you stealing rotten food?” he demanded.

I frowned, “it’s better than what we have.”

He stared at me and shook his head as he stood up, towering over me.

“Can you stand?” he asked.

I nodded and pushed against the tree behind me. Once I was standing, I realized how shaky I felt. Had I really lost that much blood?

He glanced at the backpack and tossed it aside. Then he took a step towards me. Before I knew what was happening, he had picked me up like a small child, settling me on his hip.

“Hey!” I protested.

I thought about hitting him, but then decided against it.

“If I let you walk, pup, we won’t make it back until dawn, and that arm needs looking at,” he grumbled.

I sighed. He wasn’t wrong, but where was he taking me, and more importantly, what would happen when we got there?

I rested my hand on his shoulder. Was it my imagination, or did his skin feel hot?

He smirked.

“Our body temperature is naturally higher than yours. I bet your human leaders didn’t tell you that, pup?”

I shook my head, “they didn’t tell us much, except that you were monsters.”

He glared at me. Shit, I shouldn’t have said that. He could probably snap me in two without even thinking, and I was the enemy, after all.

His expression softened slightly.

“Don’t worry, we don’t hurt pups, it’s not in our nature. Maybe you should think about that when you consider who the monsters are,” he chided.

I lowered my eyes.

“Sorry,” I mumbled.

He had a point. I’d just been shot by my own kind, and saved by the enemy. Saved for now, anyway.

He smiled, then gently brushed a strand of hair from my face.

“What’s your name, pup?”

“E...Ellie,” I stuttered.

“Well, little Ellie, you better hold tight and close your eyes. I’m going to run, and it might make you feel a bit sick if you keep your eyes open.

“The last thing I need is for you to vomit down my back.”

I put my hands on his shoulders, and I felt his hand on my back, holding me in place.

He suggested I close my eyes, and I did. I didn’t want to risk throwing up on him.

I couldn’t tell how fast he was running, but the wind was whipping through my hair, and it felt like my breath was being sucked right out of me.

He stopped running after about ten minutes.

I heard a chuckle escape from him.

“Open your eyes, pup.”

I slowly lifted my eyelids. When I saw where we were, I couldn’t help but gasp.

We were far from where we’d started. I looked around, but there was no sign of the border. Instead, a huge house stood before me.

It was enormous, at least three stories high. There were other smaller buildings scattered around, but no people or werewolves in sight. Then it hit me—it was the middle of the night.

I turned to look at him, and his eyes flashed black. They weren’t their usual color. I gasped and tensed up. Was he about to transform into some kind of monster?

My face went pale, and my heart pounded like it was trying to break free from my chest.

A moment later, his eyes were back to normal.

He must have noticed my reaction because he started to gently rub my back.

“Don’t worry, pup. It’s okay.”

I bit my lower lip.

“Y...Your eyes...” I stuttered out.