Shadows of the Sanctuary
866 Words
The distant thundering of war drums echoed through the mountain gaps, signaling the Blood Moon’s ferocious assault on the Silver Fang’s second border fortress. The main garrison had marched out, leaving the base camp unusually quiet under the shadow of the tall pines.
Inside her tent, Natalia sat quietly, but her senses were vibrating.
Her ears, newly attuned to the subtle rustle of the wind, caught a sound that shouldn't be there—the light, hurried crunch of dried pine needles behind the medical tents. It was followed by the sharp, metallic click of a pack gate opening.
Natalia walked out of her tent, pulling her cloak tight.
In the dim light of the Blood Moon, she saw a figure slipping through the shadows near the edge of the ironwood palisade. It was Jack, the pack's assistant healer. He was carrying a leather satchel and clutching a golden message paper in his hand—the sacred paper used to send urgent communications directly to the Central Sanctuary.
Jack was a spy.
Natalia didn't call for Brandon. The guards were scattered, defending the perimeter, and Jack was already slipping into the dark underbrush of the Forbidden Forest. Guided by the faint, lingering scent of dried sulfur on his boots, Natalia followed him silently into the misty woods.
The forest was cold and quiet, the only sound being the gurgle of a nearby mountain creek.
Jack stopped by the stream, turning around. He looked at the shadows behind him, a sneer spreading across his face.
"Show yourself, little rabbit," Jack whispered, his voice dripping with condescension. "I've smelled your sweet scent since we left the gate."
Natalia stepped out from behind a massive pine tree, her lavender eyes cold and steady under the moonlight. "Where are you going, Jack? And what is that paper in your hand?"
Jack let out a harsh laugh, tucking the golden paper into his vest. "I’m going to make myself a rich man, Natalia. Kaelen and the Central Sanctuary will pay a king's ransom for the information I have. A shifted-less trash girl who can heal silver-toxin and grew claws? You are a treasure, Natalia. And I’m going to take you with me."
"I am not going anywhere with you," she said.
"Do you really think you have a choice?" Jack snarled, his eyes turning a wild, hungry yellow.
With a low roar, Jack began to shift. His hands grew thick, covered in coarse brown fur, and his fingernails elongated into jagged claws. His jaw stretched out, exposing long, sharp fangs. He was a mid-tier warrior, and to him, Natalia was still the helpless, shifted-less cripple of the Silver Fang Pack.
He lunged.
His massive, clawed hand swiped through the air, aimed directly at her chest.
Natalia did not panic. The fear that had once paralyzed her on Kaelen’s altar was gone. She stepped to the side, her movements fast and fluid, her senses registering every rustle of his fur.
As Jack stumbled forward, missing his target, Natalia raised her hand. The silver veins beneath the skin of her palm flared with a brilliant, blinding light.
With a sharp, whipping motion, her newly awakened silver claws sliced through the dark.
*Slash.*
It was a sound like tearing silk.
Natalia’s diamond-hard claws ripped through Jack’s leather collar, cutting clean through his throat. The raw, divine energy in her claws cauterized the wound even as it severed the veins. Jack froze, his eyes widening in pure, unadulterated terror as his half-shifted form collapsed onto the wet leaves.
He lay in the mud, clutching his throat, his life slipping away. With his final, desperate breath, he pulled the golden paper from his vest, channeling his remaining spiritual energy into it.
"Go..." Jack whispered.
The golden paper paper-folded itself into a small, glowing bird and shot into the night sky, flying with terrifying speed toward the Central Sanctuary and the Silver Fang territory.
Natalia stared at the gold streak of light disappearing into the clouds. The secret of her bloodline was out.
The heavy padding of paws announced the arrival of the main force.
Caleb walked out of the trees, his armor smeared with the fresh blood of his victory at the second fortress. He looked at the dead spy on the ground, then at Natalia. His gaze fell upon her silver claws, which were dripping with a drop of Jack’s dark blood.
He walked over, his large hand wrapping around hers, gently wiping the blood from her claws with his thumb.
"You killed him," Caleb murmured, a dark, dangerous spark of pride lighting up his eyes.
"He sent the message," Natalia said, pointing toward the gold trail fading in the night sky. "Kaelen and the Sanctuary... they know what I can do now."
Caleb pulled her close, his massive arm locking around her waist, holding her head against his chest. He looked up at the sky, his crimson eyes flashing with a wild, untamed fury.
"Let them know," Caleb growled, his voice carrying the terrifying promise of war. "Let the Sanctuary come. Let Kaelen crawl to our gates. The Blood Moon is rising, Natalia, and we will burn anyone who tries to take you from me."
- Writer
