LUNA

Chapter Five

The group of werewolf hunters moved silently through the forest, their footsteps pressing against the fallen dried leaves. Each carried weapons specifically made for their prey, curved blades glinting in the moonlight, crossbows armed with silver tipped bolts, shotguns already above their shoulders ready to shoot. The air was filled with tension and smelled of pine. Cyrus Hale, leader of the hunting team, raised a hand to signal a halt. He knelt, touching the earth where clawed footprints were pressed deep into the soil, still fresh. Nolan was right behind his father Cyrus, he was the youngest in the group following in his father's footsteps to take after him just as his dad took after his granddad. Soon a distant howl pierced the stillness, long and mournful. “Spread out “ Cyrus whispered, his voice barely audible. The hunters fanned out moving quietly in different directions.

Nolan moved, he heard the howl again, looking back he was almost blinded by the darkness but he could see a figure moving, he took an arrow slowly from behind his back on to his bow making a quiet stretch about to release before being distracted by another noise from behind. He looked again, the figure had disappeared. Immediately gunshots were heard everywhere, arrows going in different directions aiming for the werewolf that was spotted going through the woods.

The werewolf raced through the woods in its massiveness making it visible as the moon light shone, its powerful limbs tearing through brambles and leaping over fallen logs. Its golden eyes shone in the dark as it made its way through the forest with angry hunters shooting guns and arrows behind it.

Nolan had lost the hunters as they all chased the werewolf to the other side. Making his way slowly as gentle as a lion ready to pounce on its prey through the forest, his crossbow and arrow fixed pointed forward. He was on alert. He noticed a shiny blue light coming from the other end of the forest. “It could be a trap” he thought to himself. He continued slow and steady, not so quiet as his steps crushed dry leaves. He could see what looked like a human from a distance laying sideways, he could tell it was a lady. He paused for a while, looking left and right with his crossbow held tightly.

Just as he was about getting closer to the lady on the ground. Another werewolf attacked him from behind, he fell trying to reach for his crossbow beside him, the werewolf picked him up making a throw at the tree behind them. Nolan was too weak to scream, he could barely see. He saw the werewolf pick up the lady and dashed into the forest.

“Nolan, Nolan” his dad came rushing towards him with other hunters shooting at the empty space. There was no wolf, no girl, just Nolan laying weak on the ground.

The werewolf dragged the lady out of the forest, settling inside a little cave covered with bushes. The werewolf was the strange woman from Luna's room the other night. Luna had sleepwalked into the forest, it was one of the first of the signs. She needed help. She needed to be close to the others to be able to understand her wolf side. Immediately Mr Henry came, taking them both out of that spot as quickly as possible before the hunters would find them.

Luna was reported missing the next day by her mother. “ I woke up this morning and couldn't find her “ Freda said amidst tears “help me officer please” she held the hands of one of the officers. “We'd do all the best we can to find your daughter,” he replied. “Does she have any friends?” the officer asked, picking up a small book and a pen writing down. Uhm yes she does have a friend called Nadia, she's, she's her best friend. After school yesterday they both came back home together but Nadia left about an hour after they came, I didn't really speak much with Luna, I noticed recently she is withdrawn and looks pale sometimes, Freda said. The officer stood there writing, “okay ma’am we're going to wait for twenty four hours if she hasn't returned we'd carry out investigations immediately, you know teenagers run off to have fun, she's probably out there with her boyfriend, we'd keep in touch alright. The officer assured freda. She was stiff for a minute with tears running down her eyes. Her cell phone rang startling her a bit, she searched for the phone in her bag, it was Luna. “Hello” the voice wasn't Luna's, it was a male voice. “He, hello, who is this? Freda's voice shook. “Who are you and where is my baby?” she screamed. “If I were you I'd come rushing home” he hung up. Freda rushed home in a frenzy, slammed the door open making her way straight to Luna's room as she screamed her name, the door was shut. She banged the door with her two hands “Luna, Luna, open up please honey” she ran to kitchen downstairs picking up a knife running back up still screaming Luna's name, just when she was about to hit the door one last time it clicked open, she held her knife tight as she opened the door, slowly making her way in. To her greatest surprise she saw Luna lying flat on her bed asleep like a baby, her room neatly arranged and no sign of forced entry.

Freda knew something was wrong with Luna but she couldn't place it.

Cyrus stood in the dimly lit cabin, his face hardened by years of battle, his eyes sharp and cold. Nolan sat on a wooden chair holding a bandage over a claw mark on his arm. “You call that a fight, you're weak” Cyrus growled pacing back and forth “A single werewolf and you let it get the best of you. You had silver bullets Nolan "" I didn't see it coming dad, i was focused on the lady figure on the ground it came out from nowhere and the lady was gone” Nolan said weakly.

“You're soft,” his father continued.