CHAPTER TWO
1586 Words
The event of the previous night felt unusual, a dream woven with threads of fear and fascinating.
Henry's words resound in her mind: This must remain a secret between the both of us.
She opened the door, the bell rang softly, and stepped into the close scent of brewed coffee and old papers. The sanity of her coffee shop was a comforting zone, a sharp difference to the wild, wild world she had sight in Basswood forest.
Yet, even before the familiar and the gentle buzz of the coffee machine, the pictures of silver eyes and moon light hair remain, refusing to go away. Luna found herself drawn again to the drained leather book “Legends of Basswood,” its script whispering the secret she was desperate to reveal.
She spent the morning wondering in thoughts, her mind captivating the stories of the Eldora Pack, the history of the forest and the prophecy of Luna. The more she read, the more she felt an unusual connection to the stories, a sense of recollection that trembles down her spine.
As the day arose, through the coffee shop windows, a familiar voice penetrated through her. “Luna? You alright? You seem off.”
Emma, Luna's best friend and the town's beauty of sunshine, stood at the counter, her brow screwed up with thought.
“Just lost in a good book,” Luna replied, with a fake smile.
Emma, literally, wasn't convinced “ you have been acting weird lately,” she said, her eyes widened. “Like you're hiding something from me.”
Luna delayed, the pressure of Henry's warning pressing down on her. How could she explain the existence of werewolves, of hidden worlds and ancient prophecies, without sounding completely insane?
“It's nothing, Emma,” she said, her voice stammered. “Just a lot on my mind.”
Emma, observing Luna's unwillingness, didn't push. “ Alright,” she said, speaking softly.
“But if you need to talk, you know I'm here.”
As Emma left, Luna felt a pain of guilt. She hates to keep secrets from her best friend, but she knew that revealing the truth would put her best friend in danger.
That night, Luna found herself drawn back to the beginning of Basswood forest. The moon, now a half moon silver, casting a long shadow over the winding pathway. She delayed, her heart beating in her chest, but the pull of the forest was really strong to resist.
As she went deeper into the trees, she had a feeling of unusual circumstances. The air cracked with a concealed energy, and the calmness was broken by the sigh of leaves.
Eventually, a rare pair of silver eyes glanced in the darkness, their strength sending a knock of fear and emotion through her. Henry stepped out of the shadow, his appearance crucial.
“You should not be here,” he said, “it is not safe for you here.”
“I always needed to see you,” Luna replied, her voice trembling. “I have so many questions.”
Henry breathes out, his look becomes relieved. “I know,” he said. “But we can't talk here. It's too risky.”
He directs her into the forest, into a hidden space in moonlight. The cleared path was surrounded with tall trees, their branches making a natural barrier.
“This is a safe place, Henry said, his voice barely speaking. “We can relate here.”
Luna took a heavy breath, her mind running with questions. “Tell me about the Eldora Pack,” she said. “Tell me about the prophecy.”
Henry nodded, looking at her. “The Eldora Pack has protected this forest for decades,” he began, his voice low. “We are guardians, bound to this land, shifting into wolves to protect it from darkness.”
He told her things about the past, the legend of a Luna, a woman with a special bloodline, bound to cross the path between humans and werewolves. He explained that her arrival had been told a long time ago, that she was the key to saving the world or destroying it.
Luna listened, her mind stumbled with the intimidation of his words. “But why me?” she asked, her voice stammered. “I'm only an ordinary woman.”
“You are not ordinary, Luna,” Henry said, his voice filled with judgement. “you have a power in you, a interconnection to this forest, that you're beginning to understand.”
He reached out to her, his hand calming her cheek. “You're the Luna,” he said, his voice softening. “And you're bound for greatness.”
As his words tremble through the clearing, a sudden bark shattered the silence, a sorrowful cry that sent a cold down Luna's spine. Henry's eyes broaden, his appearance shifting from affection.
“They've found us,” he said, his voice crucial. “We need to go.”
He dragged her to her feet, holding her tightly. “Come on,” he said. “We need to head back to the pack.”
“Who was that?” Luna breathes hard as she managed to keep up with Henry's long pace.
“Storm Riders,” Henry’s said in anger. “They're getting courageous.”
Storm Riders. The name sent a signal down Luna's spine. Henry had briefly mentioned them the other night. A rival pack that is a threat to the Eldora Pack and the delicate balance of Basswood forest.
They burst into another space, this one smaller and covered with deeper shadows.
Henry pulled Luna behind a thick tree, his hand pressed towards her mouth to close any sound.
A low growl roar through the trees, sending a wield of fear looking after Luna. A figure appeared from the darkness, it's eyes glowing with red light. It was a wolf, but unlike any she had never seen before.
It wool was a dark, grey, it's fangs uncover in a growl, and it's eyes burned with a malicious power.
More figures appeared from the shadows, each one a frightened image of hunting power. They circled the space, their growls resounding through the trees, their eyes searching for any sign of their prey.
Henry hold Luna's hand tightly, his body diffusing a protective warmth. He goes closer to her. “Don't move”, he whispered, his voice softening. “no matter what happens.”
Luna nodded, her throat was too tight to speak. She hold onto Henry, her senses overcome by the fear and the excitement of the moment. She had never felt endanger, yet so strangely alive.
They wolves continued to surround them, their growls growing louder, their presence closing in. Luna felt a rise of her heart beating faster, her instincts telling her to run, to hide, to do anything to escape the danger ahead.
But Henry's presence besides her was a steady harbour, hid strength a assuring shield. She closed her eyes focusing on his warmth and smell.
Suddenly, high frequency whistle cut the silence, cutting through the stress like a knife. The wolves froze, their heads cracking up, their eyes searching for were the sound is coming from.
A figure appeared from the trees, tall and eye-catching. It's shape bathed in moonlight.
It was a woman, her features unclear by the shadows, but her presence cast an air of command.
“Storm Riders,” she called out, her voice authoritative. “Retreats.”
They wolves delayed, their growls fading into low groan. Then, one by one, they turned and went back into the darkness, their eyes disappearing into the shadows.
The woman stepped into the space, her shape now visible in the moonlight. She was beautiful, with long, flowing black hair and piercing green eyes. But her beauty was ruined by a cruel twist of her lips, a hunting blink in her eyes.
“Henry,” she said, her voice dripping with disrespect. “dream for meeting you here.”
Henry stepped out from behind the tree, his hand tightly in Luna's. He faced the woman, his countenance a masked of iced anger.
“Ava,” he yapped, his voice dripping with warning. “What are you doing here?”
Ava smlied, a dubious, mocking smile that shivers down Luna's spine. “Just paying a visit to my special neighbor ,” she talked softly.
“And his guest.”
Her eyes wink to Luna, their fixed look sharp and analyse. Luna felt a sign of unusual watch over her, a sense of being exposed.
“This doesn't concern you, Ava,” Henry said, his voice dangerous low-key. “Leave now, and they'll be no trouble.”
Ava laughed, a cruel, annoying sound that echo from the space. “Oh, Henry,” she said, her voice dripping with rudeness.
“Always the protector. But you can't protect her for eternity.”
She took a step closer, her eyes set on Luna. “She is the one, isn't she?” she said, her voice low and feeling endangered. “The Luna.”
Luna felt a sudden increase of fear in her, her breathe catching in her throat. Ava’s words confirm her worst fears. She feels she was no longer the ordinary woman she claims to be caught in a strange and dangerous world. She was a target, a pawn in a game she didn't understand.
And as Ava's hunting eye pierced into her, Luna knew that her life would never be the same.
- Writer
