silver & stardust

emerald eyes

It was more of a snapping of jaws than a rumble. I looked at the source - a sleek, dark wolf with glittering emerald eyes was staring at me.

No, it was looking right past me. I dared to look behind me - and was faced by the sight of a mud-brown wolf with ravenous, golden eyes. The green-eyed wolf snarled in warning, its jaws biting down viciously. The brown wolf didn't seem bothered by the challenge, if anything, it was amused.

My heart was no longer a punch against my chest - it was in one-handed fistfight with bone now, telling me to run the hell away. But I wouldn't outrun one, let alone two grown wolves. Especially when I didn't know my way back. I backed away, slowly, carefully - watching the reactions of the two predators. They barely registered my presence, their glares fixed on the other.

The emerald-eyed wolf glanced at the thinning moon, and a night breeze sidled against the nape of my neck. I continued taking careful steps back, my eyes never leaving the two wolves. Dread filled my throat, leaving my breath shaky. There seemed to be some kind of silent communication between the two wolves, through their eyes and snarls. I kept padding backwards, sweat now making my shirt stick to my back.

But the twig I stepped on next made those molten, hungry eyes land on me now and even I couldn't stop the scream that ripped out of my throat when it lunged, claws outstretched to kill.

But the blow never came because the green-eyed wolf intervened, tackling the brown one to the ground. Claws slashed, jaws snapped and a whine filled the air - but I was running for my life, not caring to look back as reaching branches scraped my skin and my lungs burned with effort. It felt like all the oxygen was being pulled out of my lungs, out of my body but I had no choice; it was either death or a chance of getting out.

I kept turning sharply, trying to remember the way back but I couldn't tell if I was going deeper into the woods or out of it. I didn't dare to use the flashlight on my phone. I stopped eventually when I thought I'd gotten far enough, leaning against a tree as I took in gulps of air. My legs shook from the sprint, and my heart was still going ham against my ribs.

And the growling was back, almost mocking from behind me. I went ramrod straight, my spine pressed against the bark; my hand covered my mouth to smother any escaping gasps.

This was it - I was going to die here. I thought at least I'd have some epic death or a peaceful one when I had a face full of wrinkles. Not cowering behind a tree from a goddamn wolf.

A want to fight filled my veins, to survive. I moved stealthily behind another tree, and then another - staying light on my toes. I could see the beginnings of the light from the house - I was getting closer -

But this had all been a game, I'd realized as the rumbling snarl was closer than ever. This was a dance, an amusing game, this whole time. My every move had been tracked. I definitely wasn't as sneaky as a I thought. I swear I heard a wolfy laugh in that darkness around me.

"You really think you can escape?" It was talking now and a new kind of fear seeped into my bones. "You're not getting out of here alive or human. I'm under strict orders to do so. You see my boss needs some more warriors but sometimes I forget when to stop."

I willed myself to calm down, to not let myself be filled with fear. I kept moving, at least trying for some chance to get out, but the s***h of claws against my side stopped me from another step. Agony lanced up my side, my shirt was sticky with blood.

"I can smell your fear. Your weasley human fear," the voice snarled with disgust.

Golden eyes bore into mine now, my blood covering its fur and paws. I refused to fall to my knees, no matter how difficult it was to stay standing, the pain clouding my mind like a drug.

"Your kind are too weak." There was a sound of disgust. "You break easy."

Close your eyes, it whispered, wrapping its dark, poisonous tendrils around my mind. I resisted, my eyes pinned on the wolf. It met my own, as if to say I already won. Give up.

An otherworldly force seemed to take control of me as an earth-shattering pain lanced through my body. My bones seemed to shake as they melded together - sharp ends poked through my gums and my spine arched and bent into another shape.

My vision sharped, catching every angle, every movement. It focused on the golden-eyed wolf in front of me - but the world turned into a black and white film. There was naked shock all over the other wolf's face; if she'd been a human, she'd be gaping. She was on her hind legs, ready to pounce.

I looked down at myself, seeing paws and deadly claws. A primal instinct to fight, to protect speared through and came to life as a fierce roar that shook the trees. I felt a ferality I'd never known fill my chest as I stared down the figure in front of me.

Anger sparked in the wolf's eyes and she finally lunged. In this new body, I managed to side step her, almost knocking into the tree next to me. But she'd gotten me with a quick flick of a paw, her claw scraping into my shoulder. I yelped in pain, the dizziness getting even more intense.

I snapped my jaws at her, furious. She retaliated again, not checking her vulnerable underbelly in her rage and I barely raked my claws in. She roared in pain and got my other shoulder.

My vision was swimming now, a watery mess of trees and the ground. I had been poisoned, I realized, it wasn't just blood loss. A fresh wave of nausea washed over me. I fought it, I fought it with everything I had - and she looked at me with an expression I couldn't understand.

She backed away for a second before getting ready to pounce again.

My mind was losing its clarity, starting to blank. And she noticed this as I toppled over from the blood loss, the poison, launching herself at me with wide jaws as I was swept away into darkness.

. . .

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I changed the ending! Shirin was not turned by the (unnamed for now) wolf - she was always a werewolf but it was dormant. Question now, who'd she get the gene from (;