The Crowolf. When Love Crosses Species

Chapter 8 - DERVEL

Two horizontal light pales cut the forest in half as Bianca drove along the road. The sound of the thud still resonated in her head alongside the view of Victor’s ripped body. Not only that view completely shattered her, but also the smell which back then reached her nose together with steam floating from the still-warm body. She saw and felt it every time she closed her eyes - also there, while she was standing in the darkness among the trees.

Bianca couldn’t believe that nearly on the same day, she met his granddad for the first time and lost him forever.

Then other reflections appeared in Bianca’s head.

Samuel kneeling in front of her and asking for her hand.

The beautiful rings shone in the golden light like fabulous pieces of amber found on the shore of the sea. Now lying next to her, on the passenger seat, closed in the fancy navy blue box with silver initials: B&S.

But the third ring - Crowolf - she didn’t understand what that was supposed to mean.

The green clock on the dashboard was showing 5 minutes to 3. At that time, she even didn’t realise that it didn’t work. Luckily the fuel gauge was not broken - it reflected the actual level of the petrol - the car was filled-up in half.

Bianca still didn’t know how long she would have to drive until she reached the first signs of civilisation. Two nights ago, she was so thrilled that she didn't even look at the passing surroundings. Now everything looked strange to her as if she saw it for the first time.

Suddenly thick tears filled her eyes, and she burst into tears. She slowed down significantly as she couldn’t see the road ahead.

“What am I supposed to do now?”, she cried to herself. “I have nobody in this world. I don’t even know where my mom is. Where have they taken you, mom…”

Bianca couldn’t resist another wave of hot tears coming down her cheeks. Despite the nervous sweating which covered her body, she felt cold.

“And that ridiculous dress. If someone sees me in it… God! What is actually going on? I just want to wake up from this terrible nightmare!”

The road got more difficult as a fresh layer of snow was as slippery as hell. Turn after turn, with hanging branches almost touching the car's roof. She had to drive carefully, not too slow and not too fast. If the vehicle was stuck in the snow, she would be left to the mercy of the wilderness.

Finally, she managed to pull herself together and stopped crying. Her fingers clenched the steering wheel as if she was drowning in the cold ocean, and that was her lifebuoy.

“Bianca! Hold on! Stay strong!”, she repeated to herself, and the steam from her hot mouth turned into drops of water on the windshield. Bianca started wiping the window with her palm, and something unexpected appeared before her.

She braked. The car slipped on the icy ground and finally stopped. Two human hands touched the bonnet of her car. The man with his face covered in the hood stared at her. Bianca froze. She could see his eyes - they sparkled in yellow.

[the grandad's mansion]

Soon Victor inside the snowman was entirely covered with madly falling snow as another blizzard attack reached this place. There was no sign of his hollow eyes or his ripped stomach. A bit longer, and the snowman would lose its shape and turn into one block.

The door to the mansion was open, and a big pile of snow already rose at the doorstep. The lights were off, and the whole building was immersed in complete darkness.

An eerie thud echoed throughout the building, whose source was difficult to locate. Samuel stood in the Column Hall, turning in a circle, ready for a confrontation. He wasn’t sure if the wind was the reason for the noise or if there was a murderer inside.

Suddenly some steps appeared on the stairs which, just a moment ago, Bianca was going down to him. With a loud growl, Samuel shifted into a wolf and jumped towards the stairs. His black iris turned blazing navy blue. The beast inside him wanted blood.

With two quick jumps the wolf reached the third step, but simultaneously, the other beast was already at the top. Samuel didn’t hesitate, although he could rely only on his wild senses in the darkness.

Another second passed - the door to one of the bedrooms upstairs banged - there was no doubt - the intruder was inside Bianca’s room. Samuel saw that the handle of the room was still vibrating. And his nostrils already caught the smell of the murderer. Yet, there was nothing in his veins but the lust for vengeance.

The door cracked in half, unveiling the interior of the room. Bianca’s clothes were all over the floor, shattered into small ripped pieces floating in the air. The window was open, and instead of a fight for life and death, Samuel had to face just cold blows of wind.

The first thing that attracted his attention was a dreadful view of Bianca’s trousers ripped apart, and her jumper chewed like gum by the beast's teeth. Then it dawned on Samuel - it wasn’t about Victor! Bianca was the goal!

She was in danger, but still, he wasn’t sure why.

“Is it about the Crowolf? Is it possible that Victor’s plan has been discovered by someone else?”

A whirlwind of thoughts went through Samuel’s head as if he was at the epicentre of his own doom. However, he managed to pull himself together and take some action. There was no time to lose. He told Bianca to depart this place alone, leaving her at the devil’s mercy.

“I’m such an i***t!”, he growled and was about to leave this place when he suddenly noticed a letter from Victor which Bianca had read before supper. The letter was turned over with Victor’s signature facing the floor.

Six red letters were written with sharp claws: D E R V E L.

Samuel had no doubts - it was Victor’s blood.

In no time, the wolf briskly jumped up to the open window pricking up his ears - to his surprise, loud cracks of broken wood spread across the forest. It made it easy to guess where the beast was moving around. Then, having jumped out of the window like a bullet, Samuel started to chase him with his name ringing: D E R V E L.

“Who are you, scumbag! And what the hell do you want?

If Bianca suffers because of you, I will rip your throat with my own teeth!

I’ll do it anyway… Faster than you think… and… I’ll get you…!”

Thoughts in Samuel’s mind were blazing like lightning tearing the night sky apart.

They resembled sparks coming from under the blacksmith's hammer.

Samuel ran at full speed, passing countless barely visible trees and dodging them at the very last second. Heavy steps were heard a couple of dozen meters ahead of him. He could catch even some panting made by the beast - white clouds of steam hovered over his body like fog above a boiling lake. It made his smell even stronger so that Samuel, being drawn by it like magnets, had no problem following him.

However, there was something suspicious in all that chase. Sometimes Samuel had an impression that Dervel played with him like a kid.

After the smell became stronger, it was suddenly losing its intensity as if the distance between them grew bigger again. Then, it repeated - the smell got more explicit. Samuel fell for it. He allowed himself to be lured to the place where Dervel exactly wanted him to be.

Then, at one point, the smell disappeared completely. Samuel stood frozen, panting like after running a marathon. He turned around madly in disbelief - there was no trace of Dervel.

The werewolf with navy blue eyes growled in a fury and pulled a tuft of hair from his wolf chest. That patch soon started bleeding. Instead of catching the beast, Samuel ended up in the middle of nowhere, leaving Bianca at the mercy of the cruel beast.

[Bianca in the forest]

Two solid male hands put a grip on the bonnet of her car, making it clear that the stranger didn’t want Bianca to move any further. What’s more, all she saw in the headlights were reddish veins that ploughed the stranger’s hands like lava from a volcano crater. She couldn’t see his face, as the man had a hood covering his face.

Bianca felt as if time had stopped - all the worst scenarios were about to be fulfilled, including r**e or even death, which would be a better option for her.

Why couldn’t she press the gas pedal? What was she waiting for?

Instead, Bianca stared at him like hypnotised, clenching the steering wheel with the windscreen wipers moving up and down. The engine kept running, ready to fire up like a jet. Only Bianca’s foot couldn’t move an inch.

Being surrounded by a dark forest in the middle of nowhere, froze just like an icicle.

And then, finally, the stranger moved. His hands caressed the bonnet, heading towards the driver’s door. The handle moved - Bianca was just a few centimetres away from his dirty touch.