The Curse Of Moonlit Hollow

CHAPTER 3 The Ancient Prophecy

So Lila sat amidst a clearing with the eerie light of hundreds, thousands of eyes encircling her and beating with her trembling heart. She sensed them hungry and now they moved nearer. Tense, coiled muscles ready to spring into action. Alex settled beside her. She didn't know how he was going to keep all of them away, but she believed in him.

Keep behind me, Alex said softly with calm determination.

Fear and excitement excited her. " Yes. She nodded ". This could not have been further from the life she left behind. Raw and dangerous and alive.

Suddenly, the pack lunged. And then Alex twisted himself in midair, becoming the lean and powerful wolf. The feeling that Alex felt at times - an ineffable urge to get out, violent but brief - felt in those ten seconds as if he were deified; the body of a god: purely functional energy. Lila stared, horrified, as he charged head-first into the pack, fangs and claws glinting.

However, a spark ignited within her. Bite dreams paralysis and everything hit me again. She was becoming warmer, feeling energy begin to spread out uncontrollably from her middle. An instinctual flat yelp flew from her mouth, causing the world around her to tilt.

The wolves paused, unsure of this new force. She felt her body convulse, bones shattering and rejoining, muscles expanding. It hurt like fire and was just as brief, giving way to electricity and focus. Now she was one of them — a werewolf.

She and Alex battled together, a maelstrom of fur and teeth. The pack was dropping, losing its numerical edge. She could see where they would move next, and counter them with effortless finesse. But that felt too natural - as though, for her, she had done this a thousand more times.

As the final wolf slunk away, whining into the darkness, a long shadow moved into the clearing. Mr. Hawthorne, his eyes glowing with a sinister, inhuman light. His clap was slow with a scorn choir lifting them, their tongue strings crossed in mocking entrance.

Impressive, the disdain weighed heavily in his voice. Lila - I knew there was something special about you.

Her human form as her chest heaved. "What do you want?" She snapped, her voice stronger than she meant.

Mr. Hawthorne beamed a broad grin at them. All I desire is what any man who has been cursed for centuries desires — his freedom. You, my darling, are the gatekeeper.

He made a sound deep in his throat, almost a growl, and Alex - who was on all fours still because he had an amulet too - prepared himself to fight. The old man raised a hand, and Alex was flung away by the power of an unseen force, crying out as he hit the ground.

"Stop!" Before Alexandra could cry out, Lila yelled and ran toward her. Huh? I'm the key?! You mean?

Mr. Hawthorne moved in closer and his face grew more sober. The prophecy of the werewolf tells of someone who will be able to cure us or destroy us all. You can end my torment, Lila... you can end the pain of this entire town. But it won't be easy. "

She pulled Alex up and stood, thinking as quickly as she could. "What do you need from me?"

There was a spark of hope and need glinting behind Mr. Hawthorne's eyes. The wizard sighed. There is an ancient artifact buried deep within this wood. They claimed it was the key to ending the curse. However, only that person will be able to acquire it due to the prophecy. That person is you. "

Lila looked at Alex, who gently nodded, his eyes warning her to be careful. "Why should I trust you?" she asked.

"I say you and I are on the same team," Mr. Hawthorne said, "freedom from this curse. If you cooperate with me - nothing harmful will happen to anyone you care for. "

His words lingered, and were thick with insinuation. Lila felt the gravity of that decision pressing against her. Aiding him could break the curse, but it might unleash something worse.

The floor shook beneath her before she could reply. The trees behind her shuddered and roared. At this point, Mr. Hawthorne switched from a self-assured look to one of alarm.

"What's happening?" Lila shouted over the noise.

His face flickered back to its pale color, and he shifted back before reeling on his stool with a furrowed brow. "We need to get out of here. Now."

They began to run, but the earth fissures and an enormous canyon yawned between the pair and the village. Large, fiercer than they'd ever seen before, like predators out of the deep gloom, two glowing eyes came to life.

The beast that emerged, however, was something else — huge with razor-sharp scales and teeth. It roared as loud as thunder, and Lila felt her heart drop when she realized that this was the artifact's intended guardian.

Lila gasped, but before she could make any move toward the fireplace, the guardian was leaping at Mr. Hawthorne, who simply sidestepped out of its path and vanished into darkness across the hall.

"Find the artifact!" And disappeared with the truck instead of voicing his explanation over his shoulder.

Lila and Alex were only just managing to stay ahead of the blows that the guardian rained down on them, its claws slicing through soil and trees like so much paper. Their hearts raced as they sprinted through the forest, down a hill, and reached deeper into the woods where they knew the artifact lay waiting.

Heedless running, a pull of something weird at the base of Lila's spine sent her plunging into the forest after them. "This way!" and with that Alex simply followed.

And they broke into the hidden glade containing an ancient stone altar, worn by time and wind. On top of it all, wedged between the vines and moss, a sparkling amulet. Lila reached out, and when she did, a shock of force burst into life as her fingertips met the cold, smooth surface.

As she held the amulet over her head, the guardian stepped out from the tree, its eyes alight with rage. It roared, quite literally, and the ground trembled beneath them.

Alex grabbed Lila's arm. "We have to go, now!"

However, before they could rush anywhere, a figure stepped out of the shadows, and it was Mrs. Thornfield, the sweet old librarian of the town. They sizzled an unnatural orange and a wicked grin crept up her face.

"Please, you never expected it to be that simple, did you? You bloody ponce," she sneered, every syllable laced with venom.

The artifact is more than just a key to ending the curse; it is also a key to untold power.

Lila's blood ran cold. "Madam Thornfield, what is the meaning of this?

Mrs. Thornfield laughed, a chilling sound that echoed through the glade. "I've waited centuries for this moment. The prophecy spoke of a chosen one, but it didn't say who would wield the power in the end."

With a wave of her hand, she summoned the guardian, who now stood obediently by her side. "Now, give me the amulet, and perhaps I'll spare your lives."

Lila clutched the amulet tighter, feeling its power surge through her. She glanced at Alex, who nodded, ready to fight.

Before she could make a decision, the ground trembled once more, and the sky above them darkened. A rift opened in the sky, and a beam of light shot down, enveloping Lila in a blinding glow.