Asteria

The stars dimmed against the black of the night sky, the moon casting a fierce glow to the world below. The night was hushed into a deadly silence, the cold wind hissing as if confessing a forbidden knowledge sworn to secrecy. It was cold and suffocating, as if in anticipation of what is yet to come. It was ghost-quiet and yet fear and terror were loud as they were silent. The creature advanced slowly on all fours, its footsteps hushed and heavy as if the pavement were a carpeted floor. Its breathing was hitched by a suppressed growl, its eyes two deep pools of green and copper piercing through a small body at a distance. The body was crouched on the ground, trembling in silent prayer. It was the longest moment of her life, the anticipation of death worse than death itself. The gray wolf growled, its fangs sharp and reeked of poison, sending shivers down to her spine. She felt its presence behind her ears, the liquid from its fangs burning her shoulders. She squeezed her eyes shut, her lips pursed, her whole body still in anticipation. Nothing happened. "At long last," came a feminine yet imperious voice. She slowly opened her eyes and saw two pale feet on her periphery, its pallor ruthlessly inked by a symbol she thought she would never see. Slowly, she lifted her head—and froze. In front of her was a face she had been familiar with, but where the white of her eyes should have been, two black pools slit at the center with a gold crescent stared back at her. Her lips were slit into a permanent smile, blood trickling towards her bare skin. She could not believe it. She didn't want to. She reached on her lips and felt the thick wetness of blood as it pooled on the ground, rippling the small pool of rainwater below. Everything fell silent. She did not hear the growling of the gray wolf behind her, nor the hissing of the lady by her side. She did not hear the thunder as lightning struck the tree just a few feet across where she was. She did not hear the manic laughter forming on her perpetrator's lips. The monster in front of her was a reflection of herself, now blurred by the blood that stained the rainwater. The moment has arrived. She had changed. As if the heavens heard her silent cry, a web of green lightning etched the sky as she screamed.