The Abyssal Wolf

The morning sun shined brightly through the window into the young wolfs eyes. She blinked sleepily, letting out a small whine as she yawned and stretched out her front paws. A warm breeze swept through the cracks of the abandoned house, that she chose to accommodate for the night. Her fur still felt damp from the wind and rain from the previous day. Taking a glance around the small room, she realised what a mess it was. There was a table overturned with two broken legs, two chairs or what looked like the remains of chairs laying on top of it. The walls were poorly built with cracks here there and everywhere. From the smell of the fireplace it had been a month since it had been lit, ‘humans must use this as a shelter too,’ she thought to herself. There was a double bed in left corner to the fire place, there were mouldy sheets laying rigid as if to cover something. Standing up sniffing the air, the smell of rot stung her nose. How had she not smelt this last night, her senses were not comparable to anything in this world. The rain must have heavily masked the scent, that and being exhausted from the journey she had undertaken. The smell was of rot, blood and death. Not a smell she particularly enjoyed.   Gripping the blanket with her sharp canine teeth she carefully pulled off the sheets, there laid a slim young girl, no more than 18 years old. Her brown hair stuck to the pillow where the blood had spilled from her neck, her eyes were wide open in shock and you could still see the pain that she must have endured. Pulling off the sheets revealed a new smell. A smell she was all too well familiar with. Vampire. Letting out a low growl she pulled the blanket back over her. Sitting down she leaned her head back and let out a loud low howl, her howl almost sounded musical but it was full of sorrow and sadness. She may not have known the girl but as a wolf, they were sworn protectors of humans. They were here to defend them from the things that are called vampires. Since being a pup, Wolves are trained to hunt vampires, how to destroy them and to track their scent especially when they murder a human out of bloodlust. This smell didn’t smell of a vampire family that she knew of, it must have been a vampire of dirty blood. A rogue with no control that had to be destroyed as soon as possible.  We need to bury her. The voice echoed around her head as the wolf side of her spoke.  I know, just give me a minute. Amelia replied. She nuzzled her face into her paws rubbing the tears that had welled up in her eyes. She focused her mind on the image of herself, imagining the fur on her skin sinking back into their pores. Her claws retracting back into her hand and her teeth looking more human. She stood over the girl, she hated seeing death, anger was building up and she clenched her fists getting ready to punch anything. She looked around the room looking for a shovel and caught herself in a mirror hanging over the fireplace. Her bright soft blue eyes stared back at her, her white hair hung below her chest a fringe sweeping across her brow. She felt vulnerable in her human state, she saw herself as weak and incapable, it was very rare she was in her human form.  You are strong remember Amelia. Stronger than most. The voice piped up, a small smile swept across her lips, but didn’t stay long as she grabbed the shovel and went outside to dig a shallow grave.   *   Two men walked through the trees, both in black robes. They walked silently in sync, the wet grass and mud squelching beneath their boots. Mud splattered up their robes but neither of them flinched until the heard a wolf howling from the direction they were headed.  “Candide hold up,” one of the hooded figures said stopping in his path. “Did you hear that howl?”  “Yes, I heard it Adam, who wouldn’t hear that,” Candide retorted, his voice sounded annoyed and short of temper. He picked up the pace towards the abandoned house that they were heading to. The house just lay 1km through the trees ahead of them.  “Candide, they already found the body, we must turn back, we can’t take on a pack of wolves!” he pleaded. Adam was a new-born vampire and been having difficulty adapting to his new way of life. He couldn’t control his bloodlust and it was he who had killed the young women but never covered up the evidence, he had just fled from the scene.  “Do you not listen? There was only one howl, this is just one wolf. Besides this is your mess, it is your responsibility to clean up your mistakes,” Candide hissed at him.  “That wolf will kill me!” He cried out. Candide strode off towards the house, Adam tried to keep up but had to do a gentle jog every so often to keep up pace. “Please Candide!” Adam grabbed hold of Candides sleeve to stop him. Candide whipped round, grabbed Adam by the throat and held him up off the ground. Adam’s hood fell from off his head and dropped along his shoulders. Glossy black hair covered his head and hung just over his ears. His bright red eyes, flew open in shock.  “You’d be lucky if the wolf killed you, it’d be a quick death. If you whinge one more time, well… you won’t like it the way I kill people. I make them suffer first, I like them to beg for me to kill them,” Candide hissed from under this hood. Adam could only just make out he was smiling, his purple eyes gleamed as he spoke in excitement over killing. Candide was of a vampire family bloodline, the Valentines. Adam was still learning about the different families, but he knew the Valentines well because Candide was made to be his master. Adam was just a rogue, left for dead after another vampire had finished feeding but never fully finished him off. He was left alive enough to survive the transition into becoming a vampire.   “I’m sorry Master Candide,” Adam mumbled, he struggled against Candide’s grip. He felt vulnerable in the daylight with his hood down, he just wanted to be sheltered once more. The trees gave them enough darkness, but he would never truly feel safe.  “Now shut up and get a move on, I want to be home by nightfall,” Candide growled as he threw him onto the floor. What a pathetic weak new-born, Candide thought to himself. Why did he have to get involved with him? This was unusual protocol, he was expecting to become a trainer to another apprentice from one of the vampire families. Valentines are getting pushed out more and more every decade. No one ever fully understood the Valentines, but this was starting to cross a line that they were being made to feel like outsiders. Adam got back up off the ground pulling his hood back over his head and followed Candide who was heading towards where the howl had come from.   *   Amelia had found the perfect spot in the meadow behind the house, it was full of poppies and daisies so the girl would be showered in flowers, and would lay undisturbed due to the location in the woods. A large oak tree was sat in the centre of the field with roots that were somewhat raised out of the ground, the bottom of the trunk was shaped as if to wanted to be cuddling something. It was a perfect spot. She began to dig her way into the ground, making the hole deep enough for the girl to lay peacefully in. She threw the shovel to side of the grave as she climbed out the hole to go collect the young girl. As she entered the house, sadness overwhelmed her again as she saw the girl lying there dead still almost peaceful. Amelia wrapped the girl in the mouldy blanket, she deserved so much more than this. Amelia carried her over her shoulder towards the grave. Being a wolf meant she was incredibly strong in her human form but stronger in her wolf form. Laying the girl gently down in the hole, Amelia whispered a small goodbye and for her to rest in peace. As she started to shower the body with the soil to bury the girl the smell of heavy rot appeared in the air from within the trees. The smell was rancid and made Amelia’s throat dry, vampires were rapidly approaching. The hole quickly filled, and she scratched RIP onto the tree just above the grave.   The two vampires emerged from the treeline staying within the shadows. Without hesitation, Amelia imagined herself turning back into the wolf, white fur protruded from her skin and a tail sprouted from her spine. Her teeth grew out and a muzzle formed to contain them. She was a wolf within 10 seconds of them appearing.  “Candide lets go, the wolf has dealt with it!” Adam said in a panic. He took a step back attempting to run back into the trees, but Candide grabbed him before he could.  “What the f**k did I say Adam?” Candide snapped at him. Amelia peeled back her top lip, letting out a growl as she stepped closer towards the two figures in black. Her hackles raised up on her back, drool dripped from her mouth as she bared her teeth at them a loud deep growl erupted from the back of her throat.  It’s the red eyed one that killed the human, the stench is the same. The wolf piped up in Amelia’s head. Her white snow coloured fur stood on end as every cry in body told her to pounce on the red eyed vampire.  “Calm it girl,” Candide, said. His voice sounded calm and unthreatening. The voice was almost recognisable to Amelia but she couldn’t place it. She knew not to trust him still, as long as she stayed in the sunlight, they couldn’t touch her, the sunlight set them on fire and caused them unimaginable pain.  “She’s going to kill me! We have to run Candide!” Adam cried out pulling on Candides sleeve like a toddler. Candide barely moved a muscle when he pushed Adam to the ground. Instead he had his eyes fully trained on the large wolf in front of him. Candide pulled the hood from over his head revealing his golden-brown hair, his purple eyes shone and twinkled as he smiled towards Amelia.  “I won’t fight you wolf,” Candide said softly, he swiped his long fringe from out of his eyes and the wind swept his longish hair making it look like he just woke up, he looked somewhat rough considering vampires normally always looked perfect. Amelia recognized the colour of his eyes as the house of Valentine. There were rumours of the being able to control the Abyssal realm and were the outcasts of the vampire race. His voice and eyes were recognizable and it somehow warmed Amelia’s heart. She didn’t let it show though, side stepping away from the grave she edged closer to the vampires, baring her teeth more, warning them to stay away.  “Calm it wolfie,” Candide grinned, “Not here to harm you, we just wanted to fix his mess.” He took a step closer to her, Amelia howled and barked trying to warn him off. “I can see you have already buried the young girl that this stupid vampire made a mess of.”  “Made a mess of? Her murdered her, her head was barely attached still,” I growled, I was one of the few wolves who could actually talk in the wolf form. In fact, I was thrown out of my pack because they didn’t see it as normal. There was a few things I could actually do that a normal werewolf couldn’t do. Adam took a step back as Amelia spoke, he was shocked at the words tumbling out of the wolf’s mouth.  “Sh... Sh... She can talk?” Adam stuttered, his eyes were wide with fear. Candide didn’t look phased at the she-wolf talking, he was curious.  “What is your name young-wolf?” Candide asked, he took a step forward reaching a hand out to Amelia.  “None of your business vampire,” she growled back at him.  “Ah but I believe it is every bit of my business, you’re on your own, I believe you are an Omega? An outcast, just like me.”  “Ha! I may be an omega, a lone wolf You’d never catch me helping a vampire, I would never go against pack rules,” she sniped at him.  “Now, now. We’re not all bad ya’know. I only feed on thralls who have given themselves willing to us,” Candide explained, Amelia was getting frustrated. She had heard of all the good deeds that Valentines did do for the humans, but she had also heard of the craziness that they suffer from with the abyssal magick that they use.  “You use abyssal magick, you’re going to become crazy eventually,” I growled at him. He looked a bit taken back by my words; he was shocked that he knew of his family. Adam was shaking with fear, unsure on what to do, he just wanted to leave and get back to the coven.  “You know who I am?”  “I know of your family, during pack training we learn of the main families, the ones to be wary of. Yours is the one we should be wary of the most,” Amelia was blunt and wouldn’t keep her eyes off of Adam, she wanted to rip his head off for what she did.  “Tell me who you are, and you can have him, he’s nothing to me or the coven. Just a rogue who we took in,” Candide shrugged. Amelia was taken back by his words, vampires usually took after their own, or so she thought.  “What!? You’re supposed to be my master! Teach me how to be my master, teach me how to be a vampire? How to control myself and all the other stuff?” Adam screamed.  “Yeah well, you aren’t worth my time, the coven doesn’t care about me, so I don’t care about you,” Candide shrugged. Amelia just stood there fazed, she turned her attention back to Candide, she looked at his eyes again. Where the hell had she seen them eyes before!? She was certain she had seen them in her past.  “Before I tell you my name, have we met before?” Amelia asked?  “What?” Candide was taken back.  “I feel like I’ve seen you eyes before, in my past,” Amelia explained. She looked back at Adam and anger brewed back up in her Belly.  He needs to die Amelia. Amelia agreed.  “What do you want to do with Adam first?”  “Kill him, he doesn’t deserve to live. That girl deserved to live. A life for a life.” Fear filled Adams eyes, he took a step back after he realised what was about to happen. Amelia took a step forward.  “My name is Amelia. I want you to know your name before you go to purgatory.” Amelia’s eyes gleamed with pride, and joy as she pounced forward with such speed before Adam could even run. Her canines ripped into his throat and her claws dug deep into his chest, before he could retaliate his heart was ripped out of his chest and his was ripped clean off his shoulders. She chewed down on Adams heart and it squelched between her canines. She swallowed it whole and licked her lips. Blood stained Amelia’s jaw, and parts of her chest, her revenge was satisfied. The wolf inside of her was satisfied too.  That was so satisfying. She turned round to face Candide, he didn’t look phased at all at the scene he just saw.