Edge of extinction

ChapterThree

The world is quiet before the killing starts.

The sun rises as the Blood Moon fades. I smell frost and fear. My hands are free from the chains but the marks are still there. The guards shove me towards the edge of the forest.

The Hunt Forest.

The forest is vast and endless, thick and black. The trees could almost touch the sky. I feel like something inside is watching me or perhaps waiting for me.

“Aria of no pack,” Elder Maelis’s voice booms across the gathered wolves. “You are hereby sentenced to the Hunt. You’re free to leave if you survive.”

I bite my lips—not letting out the smile. For a moment, I feel free even though I don’t know what awaits me in the forest.

About twelve warriors stand at a distance— weapons in hand. They’ll be my executioners, hunting me for sport. I draft a plan in my head.

Lyra stands beside Maelis, her dress gleaming as usual. Veyron stands at the other side, jaw clenched so hard I can almost hear it. He doesn’t look at me.

Good. I don’t want him to.

I stand ready for the challenge, blood still dripping down my side and wrist.

“Run!” Maelis shouts.

I stand still.

Then the horn sounds.

My instinct yells at me—Run, now!

I bolt into the forest.

The ground is cold and soft beneath my bare feet. My face receives several slaps from branches, and some trees with pines tear through my skin. I hear wolves howling behind me, not so far away.

The hunt has begun.

I just focus on running, the rhythm of my breath, and the pounding of my heart. My lungs are failing me already, but I keep running. I jump over a log and lunge into a stream. My wounds pulsate from the touch of the icy water, but it hides my scent.

For a moment, there’s silence.

I hear a branch break to my right. I turn right in time to see someone coming at me at speed.

I throw myself to the side, rolling across the mud. His claw tears the flesh on my shoulder. I grab a log and smash his face. The wolf stumbles. I take to my heels again.

My torn sleeve is soaked with blood dripping from my shoulder. The world becomes blurred. I stumble over roots and bury my face in mud.

“You can run but you can’t hide, rogue!” someone shouts behind me. A hunter's voice, mocking.

I ran deeper into the forest. Mist covers the ground. My heart is about to explode. I place my hand on my shoulder and I feel a clot of blood from the wound.

I have to keep moving. I don’t have to stop.

“Keep moving,” I whisper to myself. “Don’t stop.”

Two wolves growl from the bushes behind me, I turn back.

I am trapped. I grab a broken branch. One jumps towards me, and I meet his throat with the stick, running it through to the back of his neck. He staggers, the other wolf leaps at me, and I fall backward to the ground. He falls on me, I move my head just in time to escape him burying his teeth into my neck.

A growl snaps me back. Two wolves burst from the brush, eyes glowing.

I use all my strength to shove him off me. I grab a handful of dirt and throw it into my eyes. He is blinded, but I don’t wait. I run again. The more I run, the more my vision blurs.

I find myself on a hill, rocky and slick. I climb, my shoulder gives in, but I manage to get to the top. I can see how the forest stretches but never ends. I watch as shadows emerge from the trees—hunters, searching.

My legs tremble, my knees hit the ground and my hands shake. The wound on my shoulder pulsates. I feel the cold earth beneath my palm.

“I’m not going to die here,” my voice shakes as I let the words out. I’m not sure if I believe it.

A low hum from the ground itself meets my ear. Strange. Air hovers around me and the trees seem to lean closer. “What’s this”? I ask.

Dim light shines under my palm. My pulse surges.

A sharp pain runs through me. I try to run away, but the ground somehow holds me in place. It’s as if the ground is alive. The humming becomes louder. I see nothing but plain white earth.

Pain bites my body again, it feels electric this time. My veins are about to explode. My skin feels too tight, my breath too shallow.

I let out a roar.

The sound echoes through the forest. I hear the birds in the trees take to the sky.

I hug a tree, and my legs stop shaking. The light dims, but I feel something hiding inside me, it feels like a trigger.

I have a stronger, heavier, and a more stable pulse now. I hear every sound in the forest from far and near. The flap of wings, the heartbeats of creatures far away, the sound of leaves sweeping the air. My vision is clearer. I see everything with extreme clarity.

My hands tremble but not from weakness. The wound on my shoulder is almost healed. The pain dulls.

“What am I?” I whisper to myself.

Far away and below, I hear the sound of the horn. I think the hunters have found a trail that leads to me. The feeling of fear is no longer within me.

I stand firm, I don’t stagger anymore. I feel energy surging through my blood, bones, and flesh. I scent the wolves getting nearer.

“Come on then,” I whisper. “Let’s see who hunts who.”

I run towards the sound of the trumpet. I have never felt speed like this before. I don’t feel my legs touching the ground— I think I am flying.

The Hunt isn’t over.

It’s only just begun.