Under the Moon

The wolf sat, his dark brown eyes boring into her. His tail lazily flicked back and forth. Despite the lack of lip movement, she felt as if he was smiling. He was smiling the way a predator smiles to its prey before the end comes.

And the end was coming soon.

Red forced her hoodie over her head although it was small and protested with each tug. She was hyper aware of the knife laced to her belt. She was afraid to place a delicate hand on the hilt of the blade in fear that the wolf might spring.

Even when his mouth didn’t hang open, the image of its sharp fangs polluted her thoughts.

Red had never been told what to do in these types of situations. Everyone that encountered the wolf died. No one had survived and they both knew it.

The full moon was the only thing that burst through the thick wall of clouds. The stars were all dim bulbs against the black space. The killer before her only struck at night.

He only struck on a full moon.

Her feet were cemented to the rough earth, yet the rest of her being longed to flee. She needed to escape the creature in front of her. Fight or flight instincts rumbled in her head, fighting their own battle.

Red gathered fistfuls of the old red cloth her cloak offered. Her grandmother had made it many years ago and though she had since grown she continued to wear it.

The crickets chirped, their song loud like thunder. They were mocking her. The wind played with the ends of her clothes and seemed to be cackling. Or maybe the wolf was. Not literally, of course, but behind his eyes. He was enjoying the show on her face, as emotions fought like warriors.

In a sudden burst of courage Red whipped her blade out, pointing the tip at the wolf. He didn’t move, didn’t even flinch. In fact, he looked amused; like one petty blade could stop him. Red was shaking in her old, worn boots, but her opponent didn’t seem to notice.

It was the way someone acted when they knew they’d one. The two of them both accepted the fact that Red was going down, although she didn’t want to allow the realization to hit her.

The wolf finally stood, sick of taunting her. She flinched and almost dropped the knife before re-establishing her grip on the hilt.

He stood before her, lifting his head to meet her eyes.

Then he lunged.

The moon gleamed brighter. A crow suddenly squawked. A blood curdling shriek rang from the clearing. In that same clearing, Red lay on her back. The knife protected her face, although she was shaking too much to do much damage.

A flash of white teeth. A trickle of saliva dripping on her face. A snippet of a wolf’s version of chuckling. Brown eyes smiling down on her. Warm, fresh blood dripping from where the wolf’s claws pierced her flesh.

Her tears blurred her vision, making it an even more horrifying image. The icy hand of death seemed to take hold of her soul and her mind. The cold night air seeped through her protective cloak. She wasn’t sure if she was shivering because of it or from fear.

The wolf leaned in, its rank breath causing her to wrinkle her nose without thinking. She could see it gathering its energy…

And exploding.

Its jaws snapped inches away from her pale white neck. Fresh, crimson blood made passage down the blade of her knife, its origins the wolf’s flesh. It was warm against her skin, sticky in her hand. The metallic smell of blood filled the air.

She still shook against the knife. The wolf paused for a long moment, then collapsed on top of her. Crying, she pushed with all her might, heaving the heavy body off her.

She stood, unable to stop vibrating. Flight, her second option seized her body. She couldn’t stop running in the direction of her home.

Her friend Forest stood before her. The sun was going down and a new full moon was taking over the sky. It still made Red shiver, thinking about the incident that was only a short month ago. The woods never looked the same, blood-stained and full of creatures waiting to pounce.

Forest's brown eyes studied her intently. A sly grin that Red only saw as sweet, conquered his face.

“Red, would you join me for a midnight walk?”