Bloodmoon Oath

Chapter Two

The Wolf Attack

The invitation to the camping trip had been a spur-of-the-moment thing, and Raven Carter had almost said no. Almost. It was Leo who had convinced her with his wide, hopeful eyes and his soft-spoken plea. “Come on, Raven,” he had said. “You need a break from this place. We all do.”

So here she was, trudging through the dense woods with a group of Silver Ridge locals she barely tolerated. The cool air smelled like earth and pine, and the late afternoon sunlight dappled the forest floor with golden light. They had hiked for hours to reach their campsite, a small clearing nestled deep in the woods, far from the prying eyes of town.

Raven adjusted the strap of her backpack and sighed, trying to ignore the grating chatter of the others. Her brother Leo and his best friend, Jake, were ahead of her, their voices carrying on the breeze.

“This place is creepy,” said Lauren, a tall, willowy girl with perfectly straight hair and an insufferable attitude. She glanced around nervously as if the trees might reach out and grab her.

“It’s just trees,” Raven muttered under her breath.

Jake turned and grinned. “What’s the matter, Lauren? Afraid the forest monsters will get you?”

Lauren rolled her eyes. “I’m more afraid of the bears.”

“Or wolves,” Leo added with a smirk. “You’ve heard the stories about this place, right?”

Raven sighed. “Not this again.”

Silver Ridge was full of stories about strange things lurking in the woods—disappearances, sightings of shadowy figures, and, of course, the infamous wolf legends. According to local lore, the forest had always been home to more than just ordinary wildlife. But Raven had never believed in any of it. Superstitions were just a convenient way for the townspeople to explain away things they didn’t understand.

By the time they reached the clearing, the sun was sinking behind the horizon, casting the sky in shades of orange and purple. The group set up their tents quickly, chatting and laughing as the temperature began to drop. A fire crackled in the center of the camp, casting flickering light across their faces.

Raven sat on a log near the fire, poking at the flames with a stick. The scent of burning wood filled the air, mingling with the faint aroma of the hot dogs they had roasted earlier. She felt restless, as if the forest itself were holding its breath. The quiet was almost oppressive, broken only by the occasional hoot of an owl.

Lauren, still looking uneasy, wrapped a blanket around her shoulders. “I swear I heard something out there.”

Jake laughed. “Relax, it’s probably just a squirrel.”

But Raven couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched. The forest seemed darker here, the trees pressing in like silent sentinels. She stood and stretched. “I’m going to take a walk.”

Leo frowned. “Alone? It’s getting dark.”

“I’ll be fine,” Raven said, waving him off. “I need some air.”

Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed her flashlight and walked toward the edge of the clearing. The cold night air prickled her skin as she moved deeper into the woods. The sounds of the campfire faded behind her, replaced by the soft rustle of leaves and the distant call of a night bird.

She didn’t know how far she had walked when she stopped and turned off her flashlight, letting the darkness envelop her. For a moment, she stood still, listening to the forest. It was peaceful, almost soothing. The tension that had been building in her chest all day began to ease.

And then she heard it.

A low growl, so faint she almost thought she imagined it.

Raven froze, her heart pounding. She swept her flashlight across the trees, the beam cutting through the darkness. Nothing. Just trees and shadows. But the growl came again, deeper and closer this time.

She took a cautious step back, her breath quickening. “Hello?” she called, her voice barely audible.

The response came in the form of a flash of movement—a dark shape hurtling through the underbrush. Raven barely had time to react before it lunged at her, knocking her to the ground. The flashlight flew from her hand, the beam flickering wildly as it hit the ground.

Pain exploded in her side as sharp claws raked across her ribs. She gasped, struggling to breathe as the weight of the creature pressed down on her. It was a wolf, massive and wild, with eyes that glowed like molten amber. Its teeth gleamed in the darkness as it snarled, inches from her face.

Raven thrashed, her hands scrabbling for anything she could use as a weapon. Her fingers closed around a jagged rock, and she swung it with all her strength, striking the wolf on the side of its head. The wolf yelped and recoiled, giving her just enough time to scramble to her feet.

She ran.

Branches whipped at her face as she tore through the forest, her breath coming in ragged gasps. The wolf’s snarls echoed behind her, growing louder with each passing second. She could feel it closing in, could hear the snap of twigs as it pursued her.

Her foot caught on a root, and she fell hard, the impact driving the air from her lungs. She rolled onto her back, expecting the wolf to pounce. But it stood a few feet away, its eyes locked on hers. There was something almost human in its gaze—something that made her blood run cold.

For a moment, they stared at each other, the world narrowing to just the two of them. Then, without warning, the wolf turned and vanished into the shadows, as if it had never been there.

Raven lay on the ground, her chest heaving, as the silence of the forest pressed in around her. Her side throbbed where the wolf had clawed her, and she could feel the warm trickle of blood soaking through her shirt.

Slowly, she got to her feet, her legs shaking beneath her. She stumbled back toward the campsite, her mind reeling. What had just happened? And why had the wolf let her go?

When she finally reached the clearing, the others were still gathered around the fire, laughing and talking as if nothing had happened.

Leo’s eyes widened when he saw her. “Raven! What happened?”

She collapsed onto the log, clutching her side. “A wolf,” she managed to say. “There was a wolf.”

The laughter died instantly. Jake stood, his face pale. “Are you serious?”

Raven nodded, wincing as pain shot through her ribs. “Yeah. And it wasn’t normal.”

Lauren gasped. “We need to get you to a doctor.”

Raven shook her head. “I’m fine. Just... I need a minute.”

But as she sat there, the flickering firelight casting eerie shadows on her face, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something had changed. The wolf’s eyes haunted her, burning in her mind like an unspoken warning.

Whatever had happened in the woods that night, Raven knew one thing for sure—she would never be the same again.