by Katie Cherry
I reach the top of my tree. Nathan is in one close by, but I’m higher up than he is. He yells up at me, asking what I can see. Scanning the treetops, I can’t see much, but to our right, barely within my sight, is a thin yellow strip of light erupting from the surrounding green. And on our left, exactly as far away, is a small white strip. White? There’s not a white team… oh, but I guess light can’t be black, so that must be for the black team. I tell this to Nathan. He sighs. Neither one is Ham and Sierra’s light. He then suggests that I use my dragon eyes to try and find them. When I do and look straight ahead, I still have to zoom in with my eyes and am finally able to see a protrusion of rock, and beyond that, a thin blood-red strip of light. Switching them back, I climb down the tree and meet Nathan on the ground. I report what I saw.
“What? They’re the furthest away?!” Nathan exclaims.
“I assume so,” I reply, urging him to begin walking with me as we talk. “The Zyloff lives on rocky outcroppings, right? So that must be the ‘middle’ that we need to get to.”
“But that means that our enemies completely surround us! And we don’t even know who is on the black and yellow teams! …Or do you remember?” he asks me hopefully.
“I don’t,” I reply, “But I think that yellow was being advised by Vlad.”
He groans. “Even better.”
As we walk, my feeling of anxiety only increases. With no help from anyone else, we’re alone in a world full of creatures that want to kill us. I start getting frustrated as I think about the distance we have to cross to even reach the Zyloff in the first place, knowing that every minute we’re here is another minute we’re in mortal danger. I can’t try the running Gift unless Nathan happens to have it right now as well since I can’t leave him behind. I can’t fly anymore… unless manipulating the weather would be able to get me to fly?
“Hey, Nathan,” I begin. “I just got an idea. I could manipulate the weather and carry us with some wind or maybe try something else… we just really need to hurry through this as fast as we can,” I explain.
He nods thoughtfully. “Well, it can’t hurt, right? Just… don’t accidentally strike us with lighting,” he laughs. I laugh as well, then concentrate. I stop walking to better envision what I want to happen before I will the weather to obey and make it happen. My first try isn’t great. As soon as I will the wind to blow from behind us, it does, but so strong and sudden that it slams both of us into a tree before stopping just as suddenly.
“Uh… sorry,” I say weakly as we stand back up. “Maybe I have to keep thinking about what I want to happen- and be more specific, I guess,” I gasp, still trying to regain my breath. Still winded as well, Nathan just nods. We walk into a clearing and try again. This time I hold my thoughts and continue to concentrate. I will the wind to come a little slower and gentler than before and to push us up as well as forward. Luckily, it works.
Soon we are in the open air and flying toward the rock. Our ride is a little sporadic as I want us to go faster and when I lose my concentration for a second. We fly for about an hour with the hot sun beating down on us, and the rock doesn’t get much closer. I gently guide us down to a soft landing in a large clearing. My stomach is growling and I’m exhausted. Who knew concentrating so hard for so long was so draining? Or maybe that’s just how the Gifts work during our ‘puberty’ period- they take a lot of energy. Either way, I need a break.
Nathan seems to hear the rumbling from my stomach. Telling me to rest, he guides me toward a shady tree while he goes and prepares lunch. I lay down on the soft grass, too tired to protest. I close my eyes and relax, feeling the breeze play with the few hairs that have come out of my braid.
I don’t exactly sleep, but I do feel more rested when Nathan calls for me. I open my eyes and just lay there for a moment longer, staring into the branches above me. I suddenly realize that there’s a figure in the tree- a human-like shape. My hairs stand on end. I can feel it watching me. I don’t move, observing it to see what it will do first. It isn’t another contestant; I can tell that much. The person looks at me a little longer, but flees once Nathan’s footsteps approach. It jumps to the next tree, barely rustling the leaves, and then the next and the next- and then it’s gone, not leaving the slightest trace of its presence.
Except for a feather that drifts down and lands next to me. Sitting up, I reach over and grab the feather. It’s beautiful. It looks blue at first, but when I move it and the light hits it, it shimmers and looks green. I quickly slip it into my boot so I don’t lose it and so Nathan doesn’t ask about it. The person didn’t seem to want Nathan to know that it was there, but it left this feather on purpose. So until I figure the encounter out, it’s just easier not to tell Nathan about it. Besides, we have plenty to worry about at the moment anyway.
We eat lunch silently. It’s a can of soup he warmed over a small fire, but it tastes great and helps restore my energy. Afterward, Nathan looks at me, pondering. I nervously wonder what he’s thinking about.
“I don’t think you should do that again,” he finally states, his voice calm. When I start protesting, he stops me and continues. “Look how drained you were after an hour- and we haven’t even gone as far as we would have hoped. I can’t let you do this without my help. So I will try different Gifts and see which one works and will get us there the fastest. And when I get tired, you can take your turn. Then we’ll eat and restore our strength, and do it again. Me, you, eat.
This makes sense to me, so I don’t argue. “Alright. We’ll take turns cooking, too.” I stop him as he begins to protest. “If you did all the cooking, it would make it so you do more work than I do, and that’s not fair. And don’t say anything about being a girl and not being able to do as much as you or something just as stupid. Just don’t even try. Don’t say anything about protecting me, either. I could easily beat you in a fight; I’m stronger and faster than you are.” Shocked, he closes his mouth.
He nods. “Of… of course…” he stammers, thrown off track by my tirade. “I… wasn’t thinking any of that… I think of you as an equal.”
Now I’m surprised. “Oh. Really?”
“Yes, really. I just like to cook, and would like to… I don’t know, treat you to something nice. My mom taught me to be a gentleman… although I don’t have much to work with out here anyway,” he explains. A moment of silence passes before he changes the subject. “So, I think I’ll try shape-shifting first. I did pretty well at that with Vlad. In fact, he was probably pretty jealous of me,” he adds, winking at me. I laugh, appreciative of his ability to lighten the mood.
Concentrating, his body shimmers and then he is a magnificent white horse. His transformation was utterly different from Vlad’s, that’s for sure. Much faster and less gross. Nathan whinnies and shakes his head, sending his shimmering white mane rippling through the air. I gasp. He is the most beautiful horse I have ever seen, strong and majestic. I hear his voice in my head. “You’ll need to wear both backpacks- I, obviously, can no longer wear mine. Now hop on! Let’s go for a ride!”
I race over to grab his backpack before jumping straight onto his bare back, holding onto his mane to keep myself steady. I’m used to riding horses bareback, so I’m comfortable with that. I sit back and enjoy the ride as he trots away, leading us toward our goal. I empty my mind, the rhythmic movement under me lulling me to sleep.
When I wake, everything is different.
Opening my eyes, the first thing I notice is how dark and cold it is. The next is Nathan laying next to me, eyes closed and chest barely moving with each shallow breath he takes. Crawling over to him, I find that his face is caked with blood. Upon closer examination, I find that it’s just a minor cut on his temple. Blood is leaking into his right eye. Leaning forward, I place my ear on his chest. His heartbeat is normal, but his breath is coming out in rasps. I don’t know what to do.
Not only that, but I have no idea how we got here, where here even is, or what on earth happened to Nathan while I was asleep. How
did I even manage to stay asleep in the first place? The thought nags as I scramble to retrieve our backpacks. That’s when I realize that I have a headache- just like I did after I picked up the Sietta, although not nearly as severe.
Whatever happened, I must have been sedated somehow, so I wouldn’t wake up… and then they attacked Nathan… whoever ‘they’ are.
As though summoned by my thoughts, I hear rustling in the distance and wild, rough laughter. There are lots of them, so I know it’s not any of the other contestants, but that doesn’t mean they won’t attack us. Swallowing my rising panic, I try desperately to rouse Nathan, but to no avail. He is profoundly unconscious and oblivious to the world. And since he can’t escape, that means I can’t either- and I can’t carry him very far.
But that doesn’t mean I can’t fight! The group gets closer. I hear one say, “Hey, guys, shh…” I then hear sniffing, followed by the voice continuing with, “I smell someone… two humans… and one is hurt! I can smell the blood! We’re going to have a feast tonight!” He shouts, obviously not trying to be quiet any longer. This exclamation is followed by shouts of excitement, sounding strangely like wolves howling. “Of course, if there is a woman among them, then we will have to take them both to Wolf. But then we can eat!”
No! I think, finally finding something in my backpack that might suffice as a weapon. They… they’re… werewolves… real fear begins rising in me, and my hands are shaking so badly, I drop the thing I had just grabbed. Bending down, I scrabble around in the dirt until I’m able to retrieve it. Standing back up again, I face where the howls are coming from. Not… not werewolves! Anything but them! Everything I know about werewolves rises in my mind; none of it pretty. I recall how they slowly torture their male victims before finally killing and eating them. But what they do to the women is worse.
They make the girls watch the guy being tortured and eaten, all while bound and helpless. After that, they would all fight over the girl- often to the death. The nastiest and most vicious of the pack is usually the victor. The victor is usually the leader of the pack, who is always named Wolf- it’s a title as much as it is a name. He then takes the girl and… well, uses her to do his work and lead others to them to kill or turn into werewolves themselves. She couldn’t escape from them because after there is a victor, he would memorize her scent. If the girl failed to get at least one victim a week, she would be eaten alive. Until then, she would be kept at their camp. Werewolves are all male and can’t procreate, but they sure loved to try- unfortunately for the women they capture.
These are the things of my nightmares of late. And now my worst fears have come true. Finally focusing on what I have clenched in my hand, I inspect it as well as I can with my hands since I can barely see anything. It feels like the hilt of a sword. Probing it with my fingers, I fumble across a button and push it. A blade pops out, glowing a light blue. It lights up the surrounding forest about five yards in each direction. The blade is sharpened on both sides, like a sword, and is only about two feet long. I lightly touch the edge. It’s sharp as well as surprisingly strong and sturdy. I grin, relieved to have a way to defend myself against the approaching monsters.
If I’m going down, I’m taking a few werewolves with me! Maybe if I kill enough, they’ll even back off and leave us alone… Nathan and I will be safe!
The woods around me then seem to erupt, spitting out more werewolves than I can count, reaching beyond the light of my sword. We’re surrounded. Glaring, I slowly pace in a circle around Nathan, protecting him from the drooling beasts. Each one takes a turn trying to sneak past me, but they stop when I wound a good number of them. They stand and walk like men, but are mostly covered in hair, more like a wolf. None of them are wearing clothes- nothing but the fur hides their vulnerable bodies. They snarl angrily at me, displaying their fangs.
I realize that they were toying with me when they were going one at a time. Laughing, five of them attack me at once. I manage to get one across the eye, block another one lunging at my arm, and slash the forearm of another. One of them managed to get behind me, however, and grabbed me by the hood of my jacket, yanking me to the ground. The sword flies out of my hand from the force of the impact, and my head is ringing.
Once I can finally focus again, I realize that another one joined him on all fours, dragging me away with their fangs. My vision fades as I hyperventilate. This cannot be happening! I have to… I have to do something… lightning?! Nothing comes from my begging the heavens for help, so I frantically scramble for the zipper on my jacket. Stripping it off, I jump back to my feet. The werewolves glare at me, snarling as they rise back to two feet as well. Come on come on come on… PLEASE! This time, I am able to get a bolt of lighting to hit the ground, starting a fire. They look even more ferocious in the light, but they back off for a second, whining at the heat and the sudden intense light. I spot Nathan being dragged away past the wolves circling me. Gritting my teeth with determination, I manage to get past them. I don’t quite make it to him, though, as one of the wolves notices my approach. He stands, and with a mighty sweep of his arm, his leathery paw hits me hard against the head. I spin, falling to the side. My head hits a protruding root with enough force to knock me out, leaving my now limp body utterly helpless to my foes.
*****
When I come to, it’s still dark and I’m standing, tied to a tree. The only thing I can freely move is my head. A few yards away, I see both of our backpacks, half spilled onto the ground. One of the items in the pile is my glowing mini-sword. Ha! Idiots! Now as soon as I get free, I will be able to kill them all… But as much as I wiggle, I can’t get loose from my bonds. If anything, they seem to get tighter. Growling in frustration, I suddenly hear someone- or something- laugh at me. It’s a rough werewolf’s voice. My heart jumps in fear as if trying to escape from my chest and run away.
“Ha ha! Yes, the lovely lady is awake now,” the voice growls. “Now we can have fun with the boy, here!” I hear moaning and recognize it as Nathan’s. A spark suddenly jumps to life and catches on a pile of wood, causing a bonfire to suddenly erupt not far from me. I can feel the heat washing over me, but the best part is the light. Now I can see. …Although that might not be as great as I thought it would be.
I can now see the pack of werewolves around the fire, their fangs shining in the light of the fire. Two of them are holding a now conscious Nathan between them. Standing next to them and looking at me is the most prominent, toughest looking werewolf among them. I can only assume he’s the leader. He grins at me, hunger and lust raging in his eyes. I almost throw up.
Looking around at his pack, the leader grandly announces, “Tonight, we feast! And we will have this woman to be with us. Our fortunes have turned for the better!” He pauses to let the happy howls of the pack die down. “So, since we are sportsman-like werewolves,” he chuckles, “we will let the boy choose his demise- to become one of us, or to die.”
Nathan finally catches my eye. His face is filled with even more terror than I myself feel. Swallowing, he says as loud as his rasping voice can choke out, “I would rather die than become as hideous and disgusting as you!” The leader laughs.
“Very well, then. Our pack is large enough as it is. Far better for you to be food. But we will, of course, let you have a sporting chance before we eat you.” The two werewolves drop Nathan, and he falls to his knees in the dirt. Another one kicks my sword over to him. He looks at it, his eyes now finally gaining a spark of hope. “You will fight ten of my pack. If you can defeat them, you may leave. But you must fight them all at the same time- to the death.”
Nathan shakily rises to his feet, clutching the sword like his life depends on it. Which, it does. “…No. If I can fight twenty, then you will let both of us go.” The leader laughs. He figures it won’t matter- no one can take on twenty werewolves at one time. So, chuckling, he begins picking out the ones that will fight.
Once the twenty are picked, the rest of the pack back away and form a circle around t
hem. I’m on the edge of the ring, able to see every detail of the fight about to ensue. Nathan wastes no time. Leaping forward, he cuts down three with very precise and powerful swipes before the rest can react. When they do, they jump into action and attack him one at a time. I immediately recognize the tactic. I shout to Nathan that they’re trying to wear him out and then they’ll strike at once, desperation causing my voice to crack. He doesn’t acknowledge me, so I can only hope that he heard me.
A wall of fur-covered muscles suddenly impedes my view. Craning back my neck, I see the leader of the werewolves, Wolf. He grins greedily at me, making me wish I could trade Nathan positions. “No helping,” he growls at me. “Not that it will matter. Knowing our strategy is one thing, avoiding it is another. He will die, and you will be mine! …Enjoy your front row seat to your boyfriend’s demise.” Laughing, he saunters away to a better spot to watch the fight.
There are only twelve werewolves left, but I can see that Nathan is about to drop. He’s lost a lot of blood. Thinking quickly, I cause a large gust of wind to blow burning embers onto the wolves, the flames licking at their fur. Howling, half of them concentrate on putting out the flames, making them easy targets for Nathan. Six left. He starts slowly backing away from them- towards me. I swallow the fear rising in my throat and try to trust him. I desperately hope he can win. While backing toward me, he stumbles, and I scream as a werewolf leaps at him. Luckily, he kills it, but I can see that he’s exhausted. Then I look down and see the hilt of a sword lying at my feet. It looks just like the sword Nathan is using. What? How… oh. Nathan must have kicked it over to me while he was fighting… it must have been when he stumbled. Good thing they dumped out our backpacks. But what does he expect me to be able to do? I’m tied up and can’t get loose…