by Melinda Hyde
The scene that played out beyond was wholly bizarre. I tilted my head, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. In my confusion, I almost sank back on my romp. My ears flicked forward, as one of the creatures doubled over, belting out a hearty laugh. If they hadn’t been my enemies—if I didn’t know the true vileness of their nature, I may have done the same.
The group stood in a relaxed, aloof circle, in a small opening between the towering trees. Their postures were relaxed, as they watched a female member of their group scurry about in the mud and rain, grappling after a frenzied jack-rabbit. The woman drove after the springy creature, but even with her increased strength and speed, the rabbit managed to evade her.
The girl and the tiny beast flew in tight circles, while her friends cackled mirthfully from the sidelines. She would dive after the rabbit a fraction too late, and it would bound safely away, until frustration overcame her. At one point, the frightened rabbit doubled back in search of an opening. It was a fatal error. The woman snatched the kicking rabbit by its long, fuzzy ears, unceremoniously putting an end to its struggles. There was a loud snap, and animal hung limply from her hand. Oblivious to our presence, the woman turned so that I could make out her features.
I bristled at the sight of her, as recognition sank in. I knew her. She was one of the first creatures Lenora had created. The girl clutched her prize close to her chest, peering pridefully at the group surrounding her. They seemed to be having a silent conversation, as their eerie eyes scanned the forest. Their behavior became tense and cautious, but I was certain that they still hadn’t detected our presence.
They turned to leave. Their backs were facing me, and I inched silently from my shrouded hiding place. The others, following my lead, did the same, and we circled in on the band of blood-thirsty fiends. Two of my members moved to the forefront to cut off the creatures’ chosen course. The creatures froze where they were, going rigid, as they whipped around to find themselves completely boxed in.
The girl clutched the rabbit even tighter, and I wonder at her odd behavior. A glaze slid across their eyes, turning their irises to a creepy, molten silver. It was eerie to witness the change that passed over them. Large fangs descended from their mouths, curling elegantly over their lower lips.
I wasn’t fazed ghastly appearance. This was all a game to me. The sole purpose of this mission wasn’t to actually do battle; it was to make my army of panthers aware of what we were truly up against. My friends’ hackles rose, and I could hear their offended hisses. I ignored the sound, training my eyes on my prey.
I took a lazy step forward, raising my maw into the wind. My nostrils flared out, as I breathed in the beautiful, intoxicating scents that surrounded me. I was enjoying the pregnant gusts of fear and anger that swirled heavy in the air. I stole another step, then paused, gazing up at the deadly creatures that cowered before me. Not that I thought they were cowards—I knew better. A group this size would make for a formidable battle—one that I didn’t intend to wage, just yet. Still, I delighted in their wariness and fear.
The woman growled, angered by my audacity. “What do ye’ want? We’ve done nothing to ye’,” she spat, shaking with rage. “We’ve just as much a right to be here as the rest of ye’.”
I yawned, sending her a bored, low-lidded look. I turned, walking around the circle, and my friends did the same. As I went, the woman’s eyes shifted to follow my movements. She knew who I was; she knew that the next move was mine to command. When I stood directly across from where I had started, I inched several paces to the side and sank down, leaving a gaping hole in our ring of bodies.
The youngster on the far side of the gap tensed. He was confused by what I had done, and he moved to fill the opening. His presumptuousness riled me, and I lunged forward with a yowl of rage, raking my claws through the empty space between us. He leaped back into his place, barely evading the punishment of my reprimanding blow. When I was sure none of the others would make the same mistake, I sent a meaningful glance between Lenora’s creatures and the gap.
Understanding flickered through their soulless eyes. Growls and hisses shot through the night. It was the only choice given to them, though, and they took it. They moved in a tightknit group through the gap, eyeing us with unadulterated hatred. Once the last of their group made it safely outside our circle, they lunged into action.
My men were riddled with tension, and I could sense their disquiet. They didn’t understand my reasons for allowing the creatures to simply slip away. I peered at each them with shining eyes, then lunged to my feet. I whirled away from the men, lashing out through the sea of muck in pursuit my prey.
I could hear the approaching thunder of heavy paws beating the ground behind me. Excitement filled the humid air, as we caught up to the tail of the band of creatures. They pushed harder, trying to out run us, but we kept an easy stride just off their flanks.
When we broke into the clearing that would lead the creatures to the cave, one of my dark warriors flew past me. He clawed blindly at the legs of the woman, nearly buckling her to the ground. A broad, barrel-chested member of her group whipped around to face my warrior. His eyes sparked furiously at the attack on the woman. The young, inexperienced panther lunged forward again, and the man’s massive hand connected with the side of his head, clubbing him to the ground.
The harrowing blow echoed throughout the clearing, and the youngster went spiraling onto the soggy dirt. He made landed headfirst with a sickening thud but quickly recovered, shaking his aching head. While he was still recovering, Mallory took up his slack. She flew into action, brazenly approaching the angry immortal. Her attack wasn’t nearly as rash as the first had been. She was calculated with her strikes, as she and the immortal made circles around one another.
More of my warriors moved to join her, but I warned them off with a menacing hiss. I wanted to see Mallory do this on her own. Behind the angry immortal, his group made a steady retreat to the cave, seeking its shelter. The woman was the only one who wasn’t making a hasty trek for sanctuary. Instead, the others had to drag her along behind them, while she struggled mindlessly, digging the soles of her feet into the soft dirt, desperately trying to return. Her voice was shrill and echoed chillingly through the night, as she screamed the name Karl, over and over again.
I shifted my attention back to Mallory and the silver-eyed immortal, sinking back to rest on my haunches. They danced around in a slow tangle of motion, neither losing nor gaining an inch of ground. Mallory was becoming impatient, and it showed in the increased hastiness of her strikes. The creature noticed, too.
He began to taunt her, until she became reckless in her attacks. Once he had her in a state of senseless rage, he dove in, clipping her shoulder with his claws. All hints of sense disappeared from Mallory’s efforts. She dove into the waiting immortal, autopiloted by sheer, primal instinct. He met each attack blow for blow. It soon became evident that he was wearing her down. He found the opening he had searching for, and he seized Mallory by her scruff of her neck, snatching her narrow back flush to his chest.
He tightened his thick, beefy arm around her broad neck, and his soulless eyes gazed over her shoulder, making a meaningful connection with my own. His cracked lips peeled back from his long, snow-white canines, sending me a definitive threat. I was on my feet before I even had time to process the thought. I move with a speed and precision that the others hadn’t yet mastered, and I leaped forward to take the immortal down in one smooth, clean motion.
I could have easily finished him off; his shock gave him pause enough to create a momentary opening, but I wasn’t quite ready to see an end to battle. This was never meant to be my kill. I backed away, allowing the immortal to regain his footing. Mallory slinked up beside me, rubbing her pelt along my side. The thrill of hunting alongside her took hold of me, and we danced forward together, driving the immortal in frenzied loops. He struck out at me when I feigned a side attack. Mallory saw her opportunity and drove into him, sinking her deadly inc
isors into the back of his neck.
He went down under her weight, thrashing and struggling, but it was no use. Mallory bedded her sharp hind claws into the soggy earth and curled her front claws into the flesh of his shoulders, holding him firmly in place. An animalistic, predatory gleam came over her glazed, green eyes. Lust for the hunt had completely stolen her humanity, and I beamed with pride, as she finished him off.
Mallory pulled away from the lifeless corpse, but the gleam didn’t recede from her hungry eyes. Splats of blood matted her jaws, streaming down in thin, rusty rivulets, as the rain began to drizzle down. Mallory’s shoulder appeared to be flayed open, but the wound really wasn’t as bad as it seemed. I trotted over to her to examine it. As I approached her, her eager eyes met mine, and something crackled between us.
The others stirred restlessly, making me break the connection. They stretched and yawned, but the satisfaction of the hunt hung like a heavy fog in the air. They observed my movements, waiting for further instruction, but I no longer wanted to be bothered with them. The hazy effects of adrenaline hadn’t faded from my veins. If anything, it had increased. The night was still ripe for the taking. I was still caught in the addicting thrill of the hunt, but this time, my prey was different.
I nudged Mallory around with my nose, then trotted forward a series of paces. I threw a glance back at her to ensure that she understood my meaning; she did. The men made to follow us into the woods, but I warded them off with a violent, toothy growl. Their ears flickered in confusion, but they obeyed my silent command, reluctantly lingering behind.
I darted into the cloak of the forest, with Mallory loping alongside me. There was a hidden nook I knew of. I had gone there once before, when I had first been turned into a beast. It was perfect for what I had in mind that night. When we arrived, the undeniable spark of understanding shimmered in the huntress’s devilish eyes, and she rumbled a loud, throaty purr, pressing her length down my side. My insides clenched painfully, and I allowed the skin of the beast to melt away.
8.The Mark
Leonia
The argument Orin and I had, had was still imprinted in my mind. I had known he would be angry with me for using my powers, but I hadn’t realized just how harsh his anger would be. The expression that had been painted on his handsome features tore at my insides, leaving behind a terrible, endless void.
When he had snatched my arms into his powerful, crushing grip, a part of me had involuntarily cowered away from his rage. I rubbed at the painful patches of red and purple prints that still swelled out, encircling my slender wrists.
The thing that tormented me the most wasn’t the physical pain. Once Orin had finished scolding me like an ignorant, wayward child, he had stormed from the room, without so much as a backward glance. I had trailed behind him, in hopes he could be reasoned with, but I soon found that, that wasn’t the case.
As I padded quietly along behind him into the main room, I could feel fire flame beneath the delicate skin of my cheeks. The men lounging in the room awkwardly averted their gazes, but the woman—Mallory—brazenly eyed me from head to toe. A braggart, smirky smile curved the length of her pink, pouty lips, making me boil with fury.
Orin turned to his men, sending them an impatient gesture, and they scrambled to their feet, following him to the door. I was still hot on his heels, when the girl suddenly breezed past me, inserting herself at Orin’s side. Orin stomped out the door, followed by his band of minions. I leaned sullenly against the door frame, watching grimly as they shifted forms.
It was a dark, starless night. The moon was swallowed up by the greedy clouds, and a steady sheet of rain made it difficult to see. Still, I didn’t miss the slight, feminine form of the female panther tagging close—a little too close—to Orin’s side. They loped off at the head of the pack, shoulder to shoulder, lightly bumping into one another, as they went.
I kept my eyes trained on their lethal forms, until the last of them disappeared into the dense, shadowy woods. With a sinking feeling, I slid down the doorframe, leaving the door agape. The rain occasionally misted in, in a sporadic, gusty spritz. I was beyond caring, though. My mind wasn’t focused on the qualms of my physical discomfort. The uneasiness that I felt pooling inside was far more troubling.
There was an uneasy feeling that nagged at my heart and mind. I didn’t know what it was; I couldn’t pinpoint it, or maybe I was afraid to examine it too closely. Either way, I had neither the time nor energy to credit it with further inspection. Lance chose that moment, when I was lost in the depressed depths of my tormented mind, to unleash a barrage of angry bleats. I morosely pulled myself from the dregs of my anguish and went to console my son.
His legs and arms flailed angrily in the air, bunching his thin cover around in folds around his midsection. His face was blood-red with frustration, and he had his tiny, almond shaped eyes squeezed tight. Despite all that had recently transpired, my heart overflowed with pride, and the shadow of a smile forced its way across my lips. I allowed my hand to drift over the fuzz that stood out atop of his head. It was as soft as silk and as dark as the starless sky.
He turned his tiny face into the palm of my hand, searching for comfort. I slid my hands beneath his head and back, scooping him up and cradling him close to my chest. I rocked him gently, as I eased down to sit on the edge of my bed.
∆ ∆ ∆
Once Lance was fed, I eased him back into his crib, tucking the blanket around his body. He jumped at the unexpected sensation but didn’t wake up. I heaved a silent sigh of relief. He had been extra fussy that night, and I was mentally worn as thin as a slip of frazzled thread.
I paced the length of the cool floor in the main room, nibbling at my stubby nails. The hour was growing late. Morning would soon be approaching, and I still hadn’t seen any sign of Orin. Not that, that was particularly unusual; he often stayed out late. I told myself that I needed to relax. I was probably overthinking the situation, but I couldn’t stomach the thought of Mallory and Orin out there, running together through the night.
A vicious clamor arose from outside the cabin. I stopped in my tracks to listen. The sound pressed in on me, and I peered through the thick darkness that hung in the room to gaze at the door. Something inside me demanded that I peek out to witness the cause of the uproar. A more conservative voice warned that I already knew what I would find.
I swallowed my reservations, and despite being the only one in the tiny house, I crept forward as silently as possible, until I came to the sturdy barrier that stood between me and the outside world. I ran my fingers along the rough, wooden door. Its bolt was locked tightly in place.
The sound of a high-pitched voice crying out ruptured my thoughts. The voice was desperate—filled with agonizing pain. The words being roared were lost to me. They were drowned out by the loud, predatory yowls of a vengeful panther. I wondered briefly if Orin was the source of the uproar. I worried about him when he stole out to out prowl the night. Despite what he seemed to think, his new form didn’t make him invincible to his foes.
I eased the bolt back and cracked the door just enough to peek out into the darkness of the night. I pressed my eye to the crack. The night was dark—almost as dark as the inside of the cabin, but I could still make out the horrors that were unfolding on the far side of the clearing.
There was a woman on her knees just outside the mouth of Lenora’s cave. Lenora was nowhere to be found, but there were two other figures holding the woman in place. She struggled against their steel grip to free herself, but they held tight, preventing her from forsaking the protection of the cave.
I shifted my gaze to the edge of the clearing, where the trees stood fencelike against the night sky. That’s when my breath hitched, then caught in my throat. Two panthers stood on their hind legs, emerged in a fierce, bloody battle with one of Lenora’s creatures. I wasn’t sure if one of the enormous cats was Orin; it was too dark. They appeared only as dim outlines dancing against an even duskier backdrop.
I fixed my squinting eyes back on the battle, and I noticed something peculiar. The two large cats mercilessly danced the creature about, but only one of them truly seemed to be putting forth an effort. The other seemed only to be taunting the doomed immortal into frantic web of confusion. The big cat was larger than the other, and its arrogance was showcased in the way he calculated his strikes. The smaller of the two was reckless in its inexperience, and I knew right away that the larger offender was Orin—my husband.
A rush of relief flooded through me. Once I knew he was alive and well, I decided I had seen enough. I started to ease the door back to its frame, but something held me in place. My eyes remained fixed on the horrific display of violence, and I was thankful that I could only partially make out the grisly details.
The end came swiftly for Lenora’s battered creature. Orin danced in, distracting the poor thing from the true danger that awaited him. It was a crude, underhanded way to fight, but I supposed it didn’t really matter. It had to be done, all the same. The smaller panther leapt onto the creature’s back, tackling him to the ground. The deadly cat sank its teeth into the rear of his neck, and the fight came to an end.
The night went still, and silence, once again, ruled the land. The panther released the crushing grip it had on its prey and stepped away from the corpse. The dark bodies that littered the surrounding ground rose to their feet, stretching their stiffened limbs. It was the larger of the bunch that held my unwavering attention, but something else had captured his.
The tiny hairs along my arms prickled on end, and I could feel my blood run ice cold in my veins, as I watched him prance over to the smaller panther. Not only was the slim feline smaller than Orin, it was the smallest amongst the entire group. Mallory, I realized bleakly, gritting my teeth. I bristled but couldn’t force my eyes away.