Warrior Luna - Fighting for Survival

Fight Or Die

*WARNING! graphic violence and adult language*

We stayed at the diner until it closed, which was about 11pm. It was nice to finally spend some one on one time with mom, in a way if felt like I was finally getting to know her as a long lost friend.

We walked for a few miles in the forest, until we could no longer see or hear the road. It was peaceful, the rustling of leaves and branches, the soft crunch of underbrush as we walked. It was as though nature was embracing us with its wild smells and sounds, welcoming us home, to freedom.

“I don’t remember loving the forest quite as much as I love it right now.” I confessed in wonder.

“It’s the wolf in you coming out, the wild part of you that wants to… well… ” she laughed “be wild!”

I smiled it was good to see her happy, she smelled like lilies and fresh apples.

I felt a tingle start going down my spine, gentle at first then it turned into cramps and muscle spasms. The cramps then turned into unbearable bone breaking convulsions. I screamed.

“Honey, you’re almost there. I just breathe, exhale the pain.” She soothed.

I tried to do the breathing exercises from training, and breathed deep and slow, letting the cramps roll over my body without focusing on the pain.

Then in a final wave of cramps I felt my bones pop and break. I fell over expecting another wave of pain, but it never came. Slowly I opened my eyes and crawled to my knees, I tried standing up but I couldn’t find my balance.

That’s when the sound of laughter reached my confused ears.

I saw my mother bent over, howling with laughter.

“Oh honey, you’re too much!”

I went to yell a snappy remark at her but all that came out of my mouth was a growl.

 I made it I realized. I was a full blooded werewolf. I also realized she was howling with laughter because I just looked like a dancing circus bear. 

How embarrassing.

Once my mother finally caught her breath and stopped laughing like a kid with a sugar rush she smiled at me, a smile worth more than the most precious of diamonds, a smile of true happiness.

“Let us run together.”

She took off her floral maxi dress and changed into her wolf. 

She made it look easy. She shook out her light brown coat and the burnt caramel highlights gleamed in the moonlight.

‘Ready to run?’ I heard her voice in my head.

I stopped in my tracks. My mother could talk to me in my head! I realized.

I heard some snorts and a grunt coming from my mother’s wolf. 

Was she laughing at me? I thought to myself.

‘Yes I’m laughing! You should see your face! And before you ask yes, I heard everything you just thought. Just think of it like reading a book out loud, that’s what talking out loud as a person is like, when you’re in wolf form it’s like reading silently.’

‘So you can hear me right now?’ I thought, trying to almost throw the words at her.

‘Yes! Now how do you feel about a run?’ she asked, her tail wagging with increased enthusiasm.

I crouched low and torpedoed through the trees thinking to her ‘Catch me if you can!’

I ran as fast as I could, bounding through the forest in huge leaps, my nails tearing up the moss and dead leaves. My tail helping me veer to the side, narrowly missing a collision with a tree trunk. I felt exhilarated.

 I slowed to an easy run, slightly winded from my chase.

‘This is totally awesome!’ I squealed bouncing, my tail was wagging happily.

‘Someone’s got the zoomies.’ My mom cantered up to me and we ran side by side.

‘This is honestly the most amazing feeling, ever.’ 

I inhaled deeply, sharp odor of pine and sap tingling my nostrils, the musky soil, the sweet pollen, a faint scratching of a squirrel’s nails as it scampered up a tree followed by distinct chattering. It felt right somehow. Like I belonged, finally.

We went back to where we left our clothes and got dressed, trying to brush off most of the leaves and pine needles and dirt. Then we slowly made our way home.

The house was dark when we arrived. The porchlight was off but I could still see just as well as if it was daylight. We passed Cole’s silver BMW parked in the driveway and went up the front steps.

Mom opened the front door, instantly the smell hit us. 

We looked at each other, all the happiness and excitement draining from our faces. Cole was home. 

The house reeked of vomit and alcohol. It smelled too potent to be properly distilled vodka, it was most likely someone’s home made moonshine.

My blood ran cold when I saw him sitting slumped in the living room arm chair, waiting.

“I see you made it through your first turning,” Cole rasped “but I see you forgot your promise to me. You LIED to me!” he boomed gripping the overstuffed arms of the chair with enough force to turn his knuckles white. “You lying b***h, we are going to have our own little party in the woods.” He said walking towards me with a menacing sneer.

Mom stepped in front of Cole and pushed me behind her. “You’re not going to touch her or threaten her” she said wagging her finger at him “EVER again.”

His blue eyes darkened and his pupils dilated.

Then my whole world turned upside down.

Cole grabbed my mother by her throat and in a fit of rage slammed her against the living room wall. She slumped to the ground unconscious.

 I was paralyzed with fear. My mind was screaming at me to move, run, and do something! But my body just stood, frozen in place with my mouth gaping open.

“You reek of fear, runt.” He stood in front of me his face so close to mine I could feel his breath on my face. “Get in my car or you’ll be riding in the trunk.”

My body still refused to movie. 

Cole shoved me so hard I stumbled back and hit the front door, then he dragged me outside and stuffed me into the front passenger seat. I was reeling. 

We left the city limits and headed towards the woods bordering the provincial park. The trees blurred together as I cried silently. We pulled onto a gravel road, then after a few minutes we turned onto a bumpy overgrown dirt road. At the end there were two other cars parked sideways, their lights illuminating a clearing. The contrast hurt my tear-filled eyes.

Cole cut the engine and got out of the car. 

As I wiped my tears away, I heard cheers and greetings erupt from a few guys leaning against the cars. I realized I knew some of them from the training sessions. Then one of them walked up to Cole and my heart started beating out of my chest at the sight of him.

I watched in horror as Evan hugged my brother with one arm. Cole pointed in my direction. Then Evan looked at me and grinned, I thought I imagined it but his teeth seemed somehow sharper.

Cole dragged me out of the car, ignoring my protests and weak attempts of elbowing him away.

“Oh Andy, come on you can do better than that.” Evan mocked, as his friends looked on and laughed. He then turned to Cole and held up a hand. “Wait buddy, I’ll tell you what. I got a better idea. Screw our earlier deal, here is a better one. You, kill her. And I will make you a delta.”

Silence came over the group, only the distant sounds of wildlife could be heard as everyone watched Cole with interest. He hesitated, and his complexion visibly paled.

“What did you DO.” I turned to Evan, who only grinned wider, showing his sharp wolf-like canines.

“I gave him what he wanted most. A family and a place in the pack that your w***e mother took from him.” He spat at me then turned to Cole, “Do it or you both die.”

One of the other guys opened their car door, brought out a double barrel shotgun and loaded it. 

The closing of the barrel snapped Cole out of his dazed state.

“I hate you.” Cole seethed with venom, at whom I wasn't sure.

I wrenched my arm out of Cole’s grip and ran in the direction of the tree line. I managed to take two strides, before the shotgun boomed and the ground in front of me exploded.

“You try that again and we’ll put you down like the mutt that you are!” Evan’s friend wielding the gun yelled.

I turned to face them and saw a big light colored wolf running right at me. Cole.

He knocked me down, the back of my head hitting the grass painfully. My world slowed down into an almost slow-motion speed. The cheering from Evan’s group for my brother to kill me. My brother’s wolf baring his huge teeth and growling as he stood over me. His saliva dripping onto my face. His glazed over eyes and huge pupils. His fur rippling over his neck and shoulder as he went to bite me. Kill me.

A thought came to me then ‘I wish I could bite you in your jugular.’

Next thing I knew he yelped and howled and shrieked.

I tasted blood and my teeth were firmly imbedded in his neck. I was a wolf now, but he was still a bit bigger than me. He reared back with effort and dragged me with him. I refused to let go. 

He clawed at my shoulder and side, wriggling and rolling with his whole body weight.

My jaws stayed shut, teeth imbedded deep.

His flesh tore.

The blond wolf stumbled away. A flap of bloody skin and matted fur dangled from his neck as his blood pooled on the ground.

‘I missed.’ I thought my lips curling into an angry snarl.

‘Yeah you did. Bitch.’ Came Cole’s growl.

Shouts of “Finish her! What are you waiting for!?” erupted from the onlookers.

‘Are you going to be a good dog and do what they say?’ I baited him.

He snarled and bounded at me, I side stepped narrowly missing his front paws. I lunged for his throat again just below his jaw, but his teeth snapped right next to my ear as he turned. 

His massive paw hit me between the shoulders as he tried to bite my neck from above.

I nipped him in the jaw.

He backed off protecting his neck.

We circled each other.

I felt his teeth on my back right leg. 

I turned to bite him. Big mistake.

His teeth clamped down on my windpipe crushing it. His paw crushing my lungs as he stood on me. I clawed at him aiming for his neck wound, stomach, chest. 

I saw black spots creeping into my vision.

I finally got my paw high enough and tore at the flap of skin tearing it further. 

He reared back, giving me just enough time to roll over and leap away.

His bite caught me on the ribs just behind the shoulder. He clawed and bit over and over not letting me escape.

I thought I heard the shouting from Evan and his horde subside.  Some headlights flashed. But I couldn’t get distracted now. It would be the end of me.

I turned to face Cole’s wolf and ducked low, he leapt to the left side. I pushed off to chase him, but my right front paw gave away from his vicious mauling at my shoulder and ribs. I felt flat.

He was on me, bounding, snarling, striking. Ready to end me.

I rolled onto my side and stuck a hand out, or a paw rather.

I felt his teeth. My foreleg was crushed in his jaws.

 I pushed off with what felt like sheer willpower and bit him in the exposed bloody hole in his neck. 

My teeth sunk in deep. There was no fat or skin to stretch this time.

The flesh tore and ripped, and his blood flooded my mouth. I pushed deeper and bit again.

I ripped, chewed and gnawed until I felt his resistance dissipate. Then nothing.

Silence enveloped me.

Cole was no longer attacking me. The blond wolf was motionless.

I sat and stared at his body, emotions and memories rushing through me.

I thought of my childhood, how my brother protected me from Dan. When he walked me home from school. How we played in the backyard. When he started training with coach and how we drifted apart. 

How he got drunk and angry. How mean he got after he turned. The swearing, the yelling, the beating. And then finally how on my 18th birthday he tried to kill me.

My human thoughts must have turned me back because it was my human hand that went to wipe away the tears mixed with blood. 

Sobs and wails shook my body as I cried, exhausted and horrified.

Eventually I fell over in the pool of Cole’s and my lifeblood.

I did not have the strength to get up.