Ghost Wolf

by Brandon Chen

  “But there’s a huge difference between us and those mindless mutts out there. Sure, we have the same physical capabilities, but you and I are still intelligent. We are going to have to use that to our advantage when we decide to escape,” Archerus said, turning to Yuri. He raised an eyebrow when he saw that the boy was still sitting on the ground, staring at his shaking hands with his head lowered like a sulking child. “Hey, are you listening to me? We need to escape tonight.”

  “I heard you,” Yuri muttered. “But tell me what makes us different from the rest of those werewolves? How is it that you and I are intelligent whereas the rest of them turned into … monsters?” He remembered how Asmund had lost his humanity in only seconds, transforming into a monster bred to kill.

  Archerus watched the boy, recognizing the look of depression on his face. Surely the young man had gone through a lot tonight. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Ever since I found out about Beo’s secret, I knew that I had to take precautions in case Faelen was ever let loose. So, I spent a fortune on two Phoenix Hearts. They go for a pretty hefty price since they’re extremely hard to obtain. How often do you see flowers that are constantly aflame?” he said, turning back to the iron bars of the cell. “It just so happens that if a werewolf eats a Phoenix Heart, their human side reawakens. That is, they regain their lost rationality. I went home to save my wife and get the flowers, only to find that she was already dead. The Phoenix Heart that was meant for her, I granted to you.” He smiled at the boy. “After all, you were the one person who was willing to help me in my time of peril.”

  Yuri stared at the man in surprise. He didn’t know what to say. “Thank you,” he said, remembering that the mysteriously cloaked man in Beo’s home also had one of those flowers in his possession. “So, if we’re werewolves, how are we still in our human form?”

  “Werewolves that have regained their rationality are able to freely shift between their human and beast forms,” Archerus explained. “You might not be able to tell that from watching one like Faelen; it would seem that he prefers to look like a monstrosity. In our human forms, we have enhanced strength and speed. However, when we shift into beasts, our physical attributes such as agility and strength are augmented, and are then triple that of when we are in our human forms. I know that you’ll ask this question, so I’ll answer it now,” he said. “We can only infect other individuals if we sink our fangs into a person’s bloodstream in our werewolf form. Biting someone, spitting on them, mixing blood … none of that does anything if we’re in our human state. Do you understand?”

  “Yeah.” Yuri swallowed. “So, uh, how do we transform then?”

  “The trigger to transforming is different for everyone. For me, I think of my wife. All I need to do is picture her in my mind, and I start to feel a warm sensation in my chest.” Archerus’s body began to suddenly shift, his body morphing into that of a beast. Grey fur sprouted from his skin and within seconds he had transformed into a werewolf. “I grasp at that feeling and then this happens.”

  Yuri raised his eyebrows, impressed at how easily Archerus had shifted forms. He made it seemed effortless, as if he’d been a werewolf for more than just a couple hours. Then again, he’d done extensive research on werewolves for years prior to Faelen’s invasion of Horux, so it was expected that he would know a lot more than most.

  Archerus nodded to Yuri. “Eventually, as we get the hang of transforming, we won’t even need a trigger. We will simply be able to morph into our werewolf forms at will. But I imagine that won’t be for a while. Now you try. It’ll be easier to escape if you’re in your beast form.”

  Yuri gulped and attempted to follow Archerus’s advice. First, he pictured images of his slain family, which only left him vomiting in the corner of the cell. The grotesque scene was branded into his memory and was so detailed that it made him feel ill.

  Archerus was extremely patient with Yuri and insisted that he try to transform again. The second time, he recalled an image of him slaying Asmund, which he was sure would be an emotional enough experience to trigger his werewolf form. But it didn’t. Instead, all he felt was tormenting guilt throbbing in his chest.

  The boy shook his head, pressing his forehead on the wall of the cell, cooling his skin against the stone. He was sweaty, as if he had just woken up from a terrifying nightmare. “I can’t do it,” he whispered shakily. “Those are two of my darkest memories.”

  “Sometimes it isn’t a dark memory that will be your trigger. In fact, it might not be a memory at all. Maybe it is simply a feeling that you have locked up within,” Archerus said with a sigh. He shouldn’t have expected that Yuri would be able to find his trigger so quickly. There were so many memories and experiences that he would have to first sift through to find the right one. “It doesn’t matter. We can’t stay here. You’ll have to make do in your human form. I recall that you’re quite agile anyway. Perhaps we can still escape Horux in one piece,” he said. “First, we’ll have to retrieve your silver sword.”

  “Is it that important? Shouldn’t we just get the hell out of here?”

  “That weapon is special. It received numerous enchantments from some of the greatest mages, druids, and priests from all around Terrador. Its power is in slaying more monsters than just werewolves. It will surely be of use in the future,” Archerus said, reaching out and grabbing the iron bars with his hands. The metal creaked loudly as the werewolf pried them apart, creating a gaping opening. Stepping through the hole and into the empty hallway of the royal dungeon, Archerus sniffed the air. “I have the location of your sword.”

  “Huh? How?”

  “Werewolves use their keen sense of smell to locate everything. Even in your human form, you should have enhanced senses. Just concentrate and try to track your own scent. It should be attached to the sword, since you used it quite a lot tonight.” Archerus turned to look at a pair of stone stairs that led out of the royal jail. “Looks like we have company.”

  Yuri could feel it, the gentle vibrations of padding footsteps in the distance, rumbling through the soles of his feet. He could hear the heavy breathing of two werewolves as they descended the stairway towards the royal jail. Their stench was acrid and reeked of raw meat, blood, and dirt. Track your own scent. His senses were amplified to the point where, if he concentrated hard enough, he could hear, smell, or feel things from an incredible distance.

  The boy leaned down and smelled himself, familiarizing himself with his own unique scent. He then sniffed the air and immediately located something that had his scent attached to it, along with the strong odor of werewolf blood. That has to be my sword, he thought. Yuri met Archerus’s gaze and nodded, indicating that he too had traced his weapon’s position.

  “All right, once we take out these two werewolves, we’re in perilous territory. We’re going to have to keep moving, and there will be no time to rest until we are outside of Horux’s perimeter, do you understand?” Archerus said, loudly snapping two iron bars off of the cell. He looked to Yuri, who nodded. “Perfect. Let’s go then.”

  Two werewolves burst into the hallway of the royal jail, snarling at the sound of the breaking iron bars. Archerus hardly gave them any time to snoop about. The prisoner charged towards his two opponents on all fours, pouncing from the shadows onto one of the beasts. He brought both his claws stabbing upward, sinking into the chin of the werewolf with such force that the monster’s head was almost ripped off. Almost instantly, Archerus rotated his body and slammed a solid punch into the side of the second opponent’s cheek, shattering the creature’s jaw with a sickening crack.

  Yuri sprinted through the hallway, leaping over the limp werewolf bodies as he continued up the stairs to leave the jail. Right now, they were probably underneath the royal castle. His sword was located somewhere nearby, which meant that it was probably hidden in the building. Then again, he remembered how easily he had gotten lost in the castle earlier that day. There were limitless places his weapon could be hidden within the palace. L
et’s see how powerful these werewolf senses really are.

  Yuri put all of his concentration into tracking his sword. Within moments, he could see a blue misty trail before his eyes that traced a path to his weapon. Am I insane, or am I actually seeing smells?

  Smiling, he sprinted forward with a surge of speed, moving as quickly as a horse at full gallop. His newfound speed was amazing. He skipped up the stone stairway in only seconds and was off, flitting through the castle’s hallways at blinding speed. He didn’t even need to check over his shoulder to see if Archerus was following him; he could hear and feel his companion’s presence directly behind him.

  The boy also heard the scrambling of dozens of other werewolves through the castle. All of the beasts were converging on his current position; it would be difficult to escape this citadel without a fight. Not to mention that if they spent too much time here, they would eventually end up running into Faelen. That would be trouble.

  Following the visible hazy trail that floated before him, Yuri grunted as werewolves leapt at him from nearby hallways, slashing wildly at the air. While the beasts were ferocious and terrifying, Yuri noticed that they lacked grace. With his new senses and reactions, it was easy for him to weave around their attacks. He found himself reacting by instinct, avoiding and dodging the werewolves as they wildly threw themselves at him.

  The boy continued onward, realizing that he was still not out of breath. Impressed by his improved physique, he bolted toward a door at the end of the hallway.

  “You better be ready to close that door!” Archerus yelled at him.

  Yuri slammed his feet on the floor, skidding across the remainder of the corridor, his boots giving off a sharp squeak against the marble. He could feel the bottoms of his shoes tearing off, and the smell of burning leather filled his nostrils. Grabbing the doorknob, the boy swung the door open and scuttled inside. He waited for the opportune moment as Archerus dove through the entrance and slammed the door abruptly, pressing himself against the wood.

  There was a heavy thump as the door jolted against Yuri’s weight, causing the boy to wince as he held back the dozens of werewolves in the hallway. Grunting, he turned around and saw that Archerus was stumbling about, desperately searching for Yuri’s sword. The room looked like a messy armory filled with dozens of piles of armor and weapons. Ordinarily, Yuri knew that he could never have found his sword. But with his enhanced senses, he saw a blue cloud circling around a particular pile on the left side of the room. “There!” he exclaimed, pointing to a heap of armor and weapons.

  Archerus rushed to the pile and tore through it for a moment before pulling out the silver sword. Relief showed on his face. “Got it,” he said and turned to the door, watching as the werewolves suddenly barreled through the entrance, sending Yuri flying across the room.

  Yuri landed hard on a mound of armor, wincing slightly as he slammed into the metal. But he was grateful that he had landed on an iron breastplate instead of the blade of a sharpened sword. He spotted a window on the far side of the room that led outside. That was their way out of this castle.

  It was odd, seeing Archerus wielding a sword in his werewolf form, but the warrior was slashing through beasts left and right with fluent strokes, eradicating each enemy with powerful slashes. Glancing over his shoulder for a brief moment, he met Yuri’s gaze as the boy rushed in the direction of the window. Nodding, Archerus swung his sword outward in a sweeping cut, rending three werewolves with a single blow. He then whirled around and quickly followed Yuri.

  Yuri jumped forward, bringing his legs upward so that he smashed through the window with his boots. He winced as shards of glass scraped the soles of his feet through what was left of his shoes. The boy grunted when he realized that he was falling at least thirty feet towards the castle’s lawn with nothing to cushion his fall. Expecting to shatter the bones in his legs, or at least twist an ankle, he closed his eyes, bracing himself for a world of pain.

  The earth quickly came up to meet him. Yuri slammed heavily into the ground, sending dirt spraying everywhere. But surprisingly, he didn’t break any bones. In fact, it felt as if he’d only fallen three feet as opposed to thirty. He’d nearly forgotten that he was a werewolf. Surviving thirty-foot drops was nothing to him now.

  Archerus had landed beside Yuri and was already sprinting away. He tossed the sword over his shoulder to Yuri and the boy caught it by the hilt, careful not to touch the silver blade.

  Squeezing the handle of his weapon, Yuri glanced up to see that the pursuing werewolves were pouring through the window, raining down around him. He yelped and quickly bolted after Archerus, dashing across the royal lawn towards a giant wall in the distance. He recalled that this was the wall that surrounded the castle grounds and was where Senna had met him to escort the boy to the dinner earlier that night.

  Yuri gulped, not particularly sure how he was going to be able to scale the wall. He watched as Archerus jumped upwards, digging his claws deep into the stone before propelling himself upward and vaulting over the top. Yuri knew that he would not be able to climb like that since he was still stuck in his human form. Perhaps his strength had been enhanced enough that he could simply jump over the wall. That’s a big gamble. I don’t really know my own strength yet. This could completely fail!

  The boy bit his lower lip as he approached the wall. There was no room for error here; the other werewolves were catching up to him. If he jumped and slammed into the wall, then those beasts would be upon him in a second.

  Yuri brought his arms forward and then down, shifting his weight to his legs as he smashed his feet deep into the earth and propelled himself as high as he could. Dirt sprayed from underneath him and he blinked with surprise when he saw that he cleared the wall by a reasonable margin, soaring through the air with his arms flailing, like a baby bird flying for the first time.

  While in the air, he got a clear view of the gloomy Lower District. Werewolves were everywhere, feasting upon the corpses of slain humans. Carnage filled the streets and the walls of buildings were painted in blood. The bloodbath was horrific and gruesome. Yuri had no idea how he and Archerus were going to force their way through the rest of Horux with that many beasts populating the Lower District.

  Descending to the earth, Yuri rolled on a patch of grass as he struck the ground. Scrambling to his feet, the boy saw that Archerus was waving for him to come quickly. He took off dashing towards his companion, listening to the howling creatures that were landing behind him. “The division between the Lower and Upper Districts will be the next hurdle that we will have to climb,” Archerus shouted, pointing to the gigantic wall in the distance. “It’ll be difficult for you to leap over that one.”

  “Faelen did it,” Yuri said, remembering when Faelen had jumped over the Upper District’s wall and slaughtered all of Senna’s men. He clenched his jaw as he eyed the wall and winced, realizing that this one was at least double the height of the previous obstruction. Archerus was probably right; the chances of him scaling the wall in his human form were slim.

  “You either have to transform into a werewolf right now and climb that wall,” Archerus said, “or you can jump onto my back and I’ll do the climbing. It’ll slow us down by a reasonable amount, though. The werewolves are bound to catch up to us with me carrying you.”

  “I’ll try to transform,” Yuri said, shutting his eyes.

  “Don’t close your eyes, we’re running!”

  “I have to concentrate!”

  “Now’s definitely not the time,” Archerus grumbled. “Just jump on my back, the wall’s coming up!”

  Yuri threw himself onto Archerus’s back, mounting the werewolf like a horse. But soon he was grabbing fistfuls of Archerus’s fur as the beast accelerated to his maximum speed, charging straight for the wall. The boy’s legs dangled loosely in the air as the blistering wind rushed into him, blowing back his hair. His body was practically horizontal as he clung onto Archerus for dear life.

  Yuri glanced over his shou
lder and noticed that the gap between them and the werewolves was closing. Soon, the beasts would be upon them. “Faster!” he cried out, panicking.

  “I’m working on it!” Archerus growled, partially out of breath. He pounced through the air and sank his claws into the stone wall, and began to clamber up the side of the barrier. Archerus brought his hands over the top of the wall and was about to haul himself up when suddenly he felt a sharp pain bite into his ankle. He let out a bellowing howl, clenching his teeth tightly.

  Yuri glanced down to find that one of the werewolves was clinging to Archerus’s ankle, stabbing the warrior’s flesh with its sharp nails. Drawing his sword, Yuri dismembered the pursuer with a swift slash. Archerus then managed to climb onto the wall’s walkway.

  Clutching his bleeding ankle, Archerus groaned, watching as other werewolves dragged themselves onto the wall. His eyes narrowed and he panted as the horde of beasts swarmed around the two escaped prisoners. “Damn my luck,” he grumbled, wincing at the excruciating pain in his ankle, blood oozing from the fresh wound. Running at full speed was certainly going to be difficult with this injury.

  “Go on ahead,” Yuri said, whirling his sword as he stepped towards the snarling werewolves. Despite being outnumbered, he wasn’t that afraid. He had already killed plenty of them as a human. Now that he was a werewolf, he knew that he would have little trouble fighting these beasts. “I’ll hold them off for a bit, then I’ll catch up with you.”

  “But—”

  “Trust me,” Yuri said, grinning confidently. “I can handle them.”

  ***

  Faelen watched Beo through the iron bars of a cell that had been custom designed by the king for the royal family’s greatest enemy. The noble had shackles around his wrists that were chained to the ceiling, holding his limp body up. The man was in his human form and had his head lowered, his face smeared with blood that dripped off his nose and lips into a crimson pool at his dirt-caked feet. “How does it feel? To be chained up like an animal, your freedom deprived,” Faelen snarled. “I can’t wait to see the light fade from your eyes as I pry you apart, piece by piece, for what you’ve done to me.”