Howl against Hunt

The night smelled wrong. Lyra could tell even before she crossed the boundary of the pack’s territory. The wind shifted, subtly at first. Something lingering beneath the familiar damp scents of the forest. But it was there…wrong. She stopped at the edge of the clearing, bare feet pressed into the damp soil. The forest felt…off. It normally felt like home. Something was wrong. Lyra tried to shake the feeling. It didn’t go. She should head back. …Yeah..she wasn’t going back. She kept moving, then… she heard it. The sound of a thing snapping not too far from her. Before she could register it, she was surrounded. Hunters. Great. Just what she needed tonight. She took a step back. Suddenly her father’s voice rang inside her head. You don’t go beyond the marked border alone. Not at night and never during a full moon. Shit. It just dawned on her that she’s screwed. Her jaw tightened and she took on a defensive stance. They weren’t meant to be this close. Not to the inner territory. The border that her father had reinforced himself. Her heart rate quickened, but her face remained calm. She was calculating her escape. Hunters were trained to move like ghosts. So far none of them had made any move to attack her. She comforted herself with this thought, but it didn’t make her all the less wary of them. She heard footsteps approaching. The ring of hunters surrounding her gave way for someone. She knew that someone all too well. He slowly came into her view. It was none other than Rowan, infamous for the sheer number of her kind he had relentlessly killed. Seeing him in person ignited a primal fury within her. And beneath that…something else, something deeper. Her brows furrowed. Something wasn’t normal. Her wolf reacted instantly. The air was heavier. She clutched her chest as a violent sensation spread through it. And just as quickly as it came, it had vanished. “What?” Lyra was confused. That had never happened before. She looked up at Rowan, half expecting him to kill her while she was vulnerable. But instead Rowan stood seemingly frozen in shock. Weird. This whole night was weird. She could easily kill them all and escape. Report the incident to her father. That was what was expected. That was what she was trained to do. Instead, her feet remained cemented to the ground. There was something keeping her there…a pull. It wasn’t physical, neither was it something she could explain. It was in her chest, tugging gently but insistently. ‘I should have gone back when I had the chance.’ She thought to herself. “Commander, should we strike?” said one of Rowan’s subordinates who was confused on why they hadn’t already killed me. Silence followed. All turned to Rowan for a go ahead. Instead he just stared at me. Confusion ensued. His subordinates began murmuring. And just when one moved forward to strike.. “Stand down.” Rowan said, finally breaking the silence. Everyone looked at him in confusion and utter disbelief. “Are you deaf? He said, "Stand down.” Rowan said, raising his voice slightly. His subordinates visibly flinched and backed off. He stepped closer. She stepped back, my guard up. But her wolf was restless. She was confused. She held it back. Barely. As he took another step toward her. The more distance he closed between them the more violently her wolf surged. “Hunter.” She said under her breath. The world felt different now. Heavier. Closer. The air shifted again. Not danger…something else. And everyone could feel it. Her chest began to tighten more than she could understand. The pull was stronger than ever now. ‘I might be losing my mind right now’ she thought to herself. “What is this…” she whispered. “You can feel it too?” Rowan asked. ‘He could feel it? It doesn’t look like it tho’ she thought and rolled her eyes. Before she knew it, Rowan had closed the distance between them completely. He violently grabbed her neck and raised her up. She couldn’t breathe. She was completely caught off guard. “What the f**k are you doing to me you damned mutt.” He growled. Lyra was stunned. He was accusing her? She’s a victim too. “I don’t know what you’re on you brain dead human, but I am not responsible for what is happening to us. I’m literally a victim of this too.” She said through gritted teeth as she struggled to breathe. He suddenly let go of her and she dropped to the floor. She landed on the he gasping for air. “You prick.” She said through gritted teeth. Then she realized something…neither of them had attacked the other. Well apart from his attempt to strangle her. She stood up and faced him. The moonlight shifted. And for a split second, it felt like the whole world had narrowed to just the two of them. She swallowed. “Leave.” She said, her voice sharper now. A warning. A command. But he didn’t move an inch. Neither did he reach for a weapon. Didn’t take another step. He just stood there. Looking at her. Almost like… he couldn’t move either. Like something had stopped him. Her heart slammed harder against her ribs. The pull surged… Violent this time. Lyra gasped, her hand pressing against her chest as something unseen tightened around her, pulling her forward. Toward him. Her wolf surged in response, not resisting… Answering. Her eyes widened. “No-” It wasn’t right. This wasn’t normal. This wasn’t supposed to happen. The moonlight intensified. The air shifted. And something ancient, waiting…. Stirred. Lyra froze. Because deep down… She knew. Whatever this was… It had already begun.