The Timber Effect

by Jacklyn Reynolds

  When she finished, she sat down on the AstroTurf in the football field and stretched her legs. She could feel herself starting to shake and that was never a good sign. She went and grabbed her bag and pulled out the container that she had put the meat in for Henry and pulled out her slice of rare meat. Timber had wrapped it up in a tortilla so no one could see what she was eating. Several times over the last few years teachers had tried to give her detention for eating during class but Timber had a note saying that she was anemic and she needed to eat after a long run while on her period. This was all a lie of course. Timber didn't have anemia, but she needed to have the protein when her body became tired or sore so she didn't Turn.

  She finished eating and put the container back in her backpack and stretched one more time before the teacher said that it was time to go to the locker rooms. Timber changed as quickly as she could and crossed the campus to Henry's classroom. When she walked in, she saw Henry sitting behind his desk instead of standing beside it like usual. She smiled at him and then took her seat beside Xianna who grinned at her.

  "Today's lesson is going to be a real challenge for you," said Henry. He got to his feet and grabbed his cane and a small stack of papers. "Last week we began to get into politics and the major different parties involved. I looked over your checklists I gave you last week for homework and you will notice that I have stapled a sheet of paper to those checklists. The papers are the political party that you as an individual fit best into, and that parties most prominent beliefs."

  Henry finished passing back last week's homework and Timber found a small note on hers.

  It seems we have many of the same political views.

  Timber smiled and showed Xianna. She grinned up at Timber and whispered loudly, "That's a good thing to have in common."

  "Xianna? Is there something you would like to share with the class?" asked Henry.

  "I was telling my best friend how gorgeous you look today Mr. Santelli," announced Xianna.

  The classroom burst into a fit of laughter. Timber punched Xianna lightly on the arm and gave her a pointed look. Xianna smiled and rolled her eyes, and then gave Timber a sarcastically apologetic expression. When the class settled down, Henry looked at Xianna.

  "I suppose you would be attempting to get yourself in detention with me?" said Henry.

  "Is it working?" asked Xianna hopefully.

  "I think I should give you detention Xianna," said Henry with amusement in his eyes. Timber looked at him in astonishment. "I think I'll give you detention with Mrs. Gregson."

  "What? No!"

  "Then I suggest you filter your mouth," said Henry. "Or I will give you detention with Mrs. Gregson. Am I clear?"

  "Very," said Xianna.

  Timber looked at her with a triumphant grin and Xianna laughed.

  "As I was saying," said Henry, getting the class back on track. "Your assignment today is to write two paragraphs about why you believe what you believe. I want you to analyze yourself and see if you believe what you believe because of your parents or your friends or if it's your own choice."

  "Mr. Santelli, my father is not going to like this," said a girl two rows over from Timber. "He's a city politician."

  "I know some of your parents may not be happy with me and that's alright. My job is to help you become your own person and to give you the ability to think for yourselves. I want your paragraphs by the end of the period."

  Timber thought hard about why she believed what she believed. Her uncle and aunt were on opposite sides but they agreed on a few things. Timber and Emily were both raised to think for themselves. She wrote down her thoughts as well as a side note to avoid talking about politics with her uncle. Timber handed hers in first and watched him read it. He hid a small grin when he read her note and Timber went to sit down again. For the next fifteen minutes, Timber drew a picture of two wolves howling at the moon on a sheet of binder paper. As soon as the bell rang, the class left, talking amongst themselves about their political parties. Timber motioned to Xianna that she was staying behind. She grinned at Timber and left. Timber immediately became serious as she stepped around the desk and stood in front of Henry.

  "Have you heard about the writing in the main quad yet?" asked Timber.

  "No, what happened?"

  "The Blue Lady left a message," said Timber.

  "Isn't the Blue Lady just a story?" asked Henry skeptically.

  "No," said Timber. She pushed back her sleeve and showed him the mark on her wrist from where the Blue Lady grabbed her. It was fading but it was still clear. "I've seen her and she's quite lovely and very kind. Today, I went to see the message and when I touched it, she spoke to me. I think she knew my ears could hear her. She's frightened Henry which means something bad is coming."

  "What did she say?"

  "She said that everyone needs to abandon the school," said Timber. "She said 'he is coming.' What could scare a ghost?"

  "A demon," said Henry as his face lost what color it had left. "More specifically, a Lyndrath."

  Timber stared. She didn't know what a Lyndrath was but if it was something like a demon it could not be good news.

  "You're serious? Henry, what are we supposed to do?"

  "We can't evacuate because no one would believe us," said Henry. "Can you please talk to the Blue Lady? Tonight? I'll come with you. We need to find out what is happening and how much time we have. I may be able to do something to close the school temporarily."

  "We can't just -" The bell cut her off.

  "We'll finish this after school," said Henry. "You need to get to class."

  Timber nodded and hurried out of the room and down the hall thankful that she didn't have to go outside, as it had started raining. She was expecting another day of discussing the book they were reading in her English class but she was met with a pleasant surprise. Mrs. Marvel was gone and Mrs. Oxford was in her place. Everyone loved it when Mrs. Oxford substituted. It meant they weren't doing work. She usually brought in a Disney movie for them to watch and they got to hang out and chat. She was also informal and let her students call her Beth.

  Halfway through the class Timber was overwhelmed with a sinking feeling. Her instinct was screaming. Something was wrong and she didn't like it. There was a loud screech that sent cold chills down Timber's spine. Everyone stopped moving and fell silent. When it happened again, the power went out all over campus, plunging the rooms into semi-darkness. Screaming could be heard up the hall and Timber could hear the sound of things crashing. Her heart almost stopped beating, and her stomach turned to ice as she tried desperately not to Turn. Terror held her in a vice-like grip. Without warning, books flew off of the shelves in every direction and landed across the room. Students ducked and ran out into the hall. Timber's eyes caught a glimpse of a colorless man dressed in old-fashioned clothes going through the wall to the next room.

  Timber needed to do something. She ran out of the classroom and went outside with everyone else. What she saw made her blood freeze. The man she saw in the classroom went into the concrete right where the writing was. She ran directly to Henry who was standing outside of the door watching the chaos with panic across his face. He was gripping his cane so tightly his knuckles were white.

  "Did you see him?" asked Timber.

  "Yes and I know who he is," said Henry with a worried tone. "He's known as the Vanquisher. He's a Lyndrath and he's one of the worst. I don't know what he's doing here. He's not supposed to be able to leave Haven. He's not even supposed to be out of his enclosure."

  "Haven has more than werewolves?" asked Timber. Henry looked down at her and nodded. "How come it seems like we're the only ones who can see him?"

  "That's because we are," said Henry. "People like you and me can see all creatures from Haven who are otherwise invisible to humans."

  "Henry, the ground is shaking," said Timber suddenly looking at her feet. Her instincts were telling her to Turn and she had to listen. "Is your room empty?"

  "Yes," sa
id Henry. Timber didn't wait to explain. She ran inside and crouched behind the desk and Turned. She ran out of the room on all four legs and stopped at Henry's side. "Timber, what are you doing?"

  Suddenly chaos took hold of the crowd as the Blue Lady emerged from the ground. Timber saw something was wrong immediately. Her dress was covered in bright red blood and she was not as transparent as she should have been. She looked almost solid, but her faint blue glow was still visible. Where light blue eyes once shined bright, were instead dead, hollow sockets. Her smooth blue skin was now gray, rotting flesh. Her appearance was so terrifying; many students covered their eyes and began weeping. A ghastly whiteness spread over her face. Her face was frozen in a glassy stare and Timber stared at the corpse with a grim and shuddering fascination.

  "The Vanquisher took her," said Henry sounding panicked. "We have to leave. There's no stopping this."

  Suddenly students backed up against the walls of the school and those who had been in the middle of the quad were screaming in pure terror. Timber saw what was wrong immediately. Blood was coming up from underneath the ground and flooding the entire area and rising to the depth of a foot and a half. Timber scanned the quad with her ears and she could hear the sound of hundreds of souls crying from underneath the ground.

  "Such a beautiful sight," said the Vanquisher. "Blood and fear everywhere; a dream come true. All we need now are dead bodies." Like the cold breath of a grave, his words seemed to cut Timber's very soul.

  Timber took off toward the form as the Vanquisher landed. The ground was covered in such a deep pool of blood, that Timber was splashing herself with it as she ran. She heard Henry calling her to come back but she didn't listen to him. She was listening to her instincts and her instincts were telling her to fight. She stopped in front of the form and growled menacingly. Her triangular ears were flat and her fur was standing on end. The form laughed with a cold high voice.

  "Pretty puppy," he teased. "I was hoping to see you."

  He approached her with malice and Timber attacked without hesitation. She jumped up ripped his face open with her claws, then leaped back. In her wolf form, Timber was more than a match for the Vanquisher. She was two hundred pounds of pure muscle. He attacked her and attempted to bite her with long razor-like teeth that appeared in his mouth. The two fought so ferociously, the crowd watched in petrified stillness as the pair tried to literally rip each other to pieces. Blood and rain drenched Timber but she was relentless in her fury. She yelped in pain as the Vanquisher sliced through her shoulder with long nails. Though the cuts were shallow, it still stung.

  She returned the favor and grabbed his upper arm. She clamped down and dislocated his shoulder and then sliced open the side of his head with a swipe of her claw. As she leaped away, he sunk his teeth into her wounded shoulder and she howled in pain. He grinned wickedly, but his moment of pride left him open. Timber took immediate advantage by clamping her teeth around his neck and biting down hard. She shook her head violently and his body flailed like a doll. After a moment, he fell limp and Timber finally let go.

  A large puff of smoke came from the horrific figure with a hiss like a steaming teapot and then vanished. The Blue Lady's transparent body slowly faded until she too disappeared. Timber hesitated, then limped painfully through the blood that went passed her knees, up the steps, and over to Henry who was soaking wet from trying to evacuate as many students as he could. She was breathing heavily from exhaustion. He sat down on the ground and she lay down beside him and rested her blood-soaked head in his lap, panting loudly.

  Soon parents were coming to pick up their kids and bring them home with the announcement that school was going to be canceled for the rest of the week and free counseling would be available to those who wanted it. Chad called and Henry said he would take Timber home. Henry got up and went inside to lock his classroom door before taking Timber into the locker rooms. They went into the boy's locker room but Timber didn't care. She was tired, weak, and covered with blood from head to toe, though, the rain washed some of it away.

  Henry turned on the shower and Timber stepped under the water. She yelped in pain as the water ran over her left shoulder. She sat still while the blood ran off of her fur. Henry washed it away from her eyes, and Timber thanked him by licking his hand. When all the blood had been cleaned out of her fur, and the water ran clear, Henry turned off the showerhead and stepped away so Timber could shake off as much water as she could. They left the locker rooms and walked out to the front of the school. The blood was gone and Timber could no longer hear the voices. She was still unable to take her human form so she limped home slowly beside Henry as a wolf, leaving her backpack at the school as many of the other students had done.

  Henry and Timber walked into her home after Timber shook off as much rainwater as she could. When they were inside, Timber pointed to the recliner with her paw and Henry got the hint and sat. He put his cane aside and put his feet up. Timber jumped up on his lap and curled into a wet ball and Henry rested his hand on her shoulders. After several minutes, Henry and Timber were both fast asleep.

  "Timber, Honey," said a soft voice. "Time to get up." Timber opened her eyes to find herself still curled up on Henry's lap in wolf form and her Aunt Grace standing over her. "Are you hungry? I have a rare beef steak for you. Can you eat while I patch you up?"

  Timber nodded and Grace pointed to a plate of precut rare meat on the floor close to a crackling fire. Timber jumped down carefully so she didn't hurt Henry, and attacked the meat feverishly. Grace stitched up her wounded shoulder as she ate. She inhaled it quickly and smiled as thick chunks of meat slid down her throat and the warmth dried her fur. When she finished, she licked her lips, stretched and transformed back into her human body. She looked at Henry who was still asleep in the recliner.

  She looked at her shoulder and groaned.

  "This was my favorite sweater," she said to herself.

  She took off the ripped and bloodsoaked cashmere sweater. Her tank top underneath was covered with blood too but Timber didn't mind as much.

  "I will replace your sweater. Don't worry. The school called and told me what happened. Well, in a way. They explained there was an attack at the school that was stopped by a large wolf. Though, they didn't know that you were the one who attacked," said Grace. "All of the schools are let out for the rest of the week so Emily will be home this week too. I need you both to stay home. I know you don't like stayin' inside, but please..."

  "Actually, I need to talk to the Blue Lady," said Timber.

  "You can't." Timber turned to see Henry waking up and stretching in his seat.

  "What do you mean?"

  "She's gone. Forever," said Henry. "That's what the Vanquisher does. He possesses spirits and destroys them."

  "What is he?" asked Grace.

  "A Lyndrath," said Henry. "The shadow of a vanquished demon. That means that a demon has been slain but part of them remains and feeds off the energy of the dead spirits. That's what those voices were. I heard them too."

  "So what happened to it?" asked Grace. Fear echoed through her voice as she looked at Henry.

  "Timber killed it," said Henry.

  "But if it's a demon spirit...."

  "Lyndraths never come out on the full moon because they are afraid of werewolves," said Henry. "Our venom is lethal to them which means that Timber must possess a small amount of werewolf venom."

  "But I'm just a timber wolf," said Timber. "I'm not a werewolf."

  "It is my belief that you may have been bitten as a child," said Henry. "Being you, it had no lasting effect on you but it may have remained in your system."

  "I can test that," said Grace, looking a little concerned. "Timber, could you Turn, please?" Timber Turned into a wolf and sat still. "Open your mouth." Timber obliged and Grace pulled a vial out of her pocket. "This is why I always have a vial handy." She pierced the lid with Timber's fang and a light yellow liquid emerged in a large quantity.

  "That's definitely
werewolf venom," said Henry. He looked confused about something but Timber did not want to ask.

  "Timber you can Turn back now, Honey," said Grace and Timber obliged. "How come it hasn't gone yet if she was bitten as a child?"

  "I could be wrong but I am going to assume that it's because she keeps ingesting it. Whenever she Turns and eats meat it gets injected into the meat she swallows. She's toxic so biting humans would do nothing. There's a specific protein in our venom that's deadly to them but harmless to humans. All werewolves have it. It's the other proteins and enzymes that make our venom so dangerous."

  Timber thought about it and it made sense to her though she couldn't think why anyone would want to attempt to kill her. That wasn't her main concern at that moment, however. There was only one thing bothering her.

  "The Blue Lady's message," said Timber, "do you think she meant the Vanquisher? Do you think more will come?"

  "I think that eventually, there will be more than Lyndraths," said Henry with a worried tone. "I think they're losing control of the borders of Haven."

  Henry lay in bed fast asleep. His mind filled with images of a familiar place from his childhood. He was in Haven. Wilted plants covered the blood soaked ground. He walked on until he reached the great Watchtower of Armazi. The once mighty stone tower was crumbling and over grown with vines. Beyond the tower were the wounded walls of Heiligdom. There was evidence of battles and attempts to take the city in the form of deep cracks all along the outer wall. The twenty foot high city walls were still sturdy and strong despite the damage.

  Henry pushed open the giant oak doors and took a deep breath. He had lived within the walls of Heiligdom while he was still small and in need of protection. He walked over the lowered drawbridge and through the bailey, which was still protected by a ditch and a palisade. Inside the bailey, there were wooden stables with several horses, several workshops. Henry could see his old school where he learned the classical liberal arts until he was seventeen years old and had graduated with honors. There were beautiful houses from various time periods and places around the world for families and people who wished to remain within the walls.