by Erin Kelly
CAPTURED
MOONLIGHT
_________________________
ERIN KELLY
CAPTURED MOONLIGHT Copyright © 2018 Amy E. Baker / Erin Kelly
For more information, the latest news, and more on the Tainted Moonlight series, check out the official website: www.taintedmoonlight.com
Website design and layout © Jennifer Winford / Tiny Dog Media www.TinyDog.me
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any existing local businesses or parks portrayed the author strongly encourages you to check out, and have not paid for promotion in this book.
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 1984285440
ISBN-13: 978-1984285447
DEDICATION
For Mom and Dad, my first fans and life-long supporters.
Thank you for all you do. I love you.
CONTENTS
1
WOLVEN IN THE WOODS
1
2
WILDERNESS
3
3
JOURNEY
10
4
DISCOVERY
14
5
SHELTER
20
6
CAUGHT
38
7
STRANGERS
47
8
CAPTIVES
54
9
INHUMAN
69
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
SEARCH
MANHUNT
CHASE
CONTROL
WITNESS
CATALYST
BRAWL
FORFEIT
GAME OVER
SYNDROME
HOMEWARD BOUND
83
93
108
117
130
142
151
161
167
174
185
1: WOLVEN IN THE WOODS
She moved like a ghost across the land, silent and swift. Even when she disturbed the branches or rustled past the long grass or leaves, any prey before her is too slow to react. There is no escape, only death for anything the golden-furred wolf encountered in her path.
Except for him, the great gray wolf who continued to flank her side. He was just as fast, just as strong. He was always there, always watching, but she is okay with this as long as he kept her pace.
The moon rose and set many times, shrinking in the sky above until it was barely a thread of light. Time had no meaning here. There was only the hunt, finding water, seeking shelter. Often she found these with her keen senses, though as the moon waned she noticed things, like how the air here was so clean, so untainted. Humans had not ventured here for decades, maybe longer. Only his musky male scent was familiar to her in this deep forest.
Ahead of them grazed a white-tailed doe, which made her salivate, until the deer lifted her head and balked out into the nearby bushes. From the brush a tiny speckled fawn emerged and pranced over to his mother’s side. This gave her pause, something oddly familiar about it. The male wolf trotted over to her side and he bowed his head to sniff her. His warm, wet nose prodded her furry collar and she nipped playfully at him, before she chased him away and altered their course.
Deeper into the woods they run, almost as one. They glide easily on four paws through grassy plains and overgrown fields; rush past untouched forest thick with trees and splashed over tiny creeks and rushing rivers. They climbed mountains, traversed over rocks and snow that the warm spring hadn’t melted away, even with summer drawing nearer with every day that passed.
She was happy here with him. She could run forever. She was finally free.
A low rumble of thunder drew her attention once more to the sky. Thick gray clouds gathered. She knew it would rain, could smell it in the air hours before. She sniffed and sorted out the scents around them, then led the way to dry ground. He remained at her side as the two massive wolves moved together, and headed towards cover as fat drops of water began to fall. She found a thick bush and crawled under it, the large leaves and tangle of branches provided shelter. He crawled in after her as the rain began to pour down around them.
She curled next to him and they settled in together. Somewhere inside her, this was still strange, but she buried those thoughts as she rested her head upon his. This was life as she now knew it. This was her normal. He soon fell asleep, though she lay awake for a long time before joining him. An opening in the sky revealed just a sliver of glowing moonlight amongst the stars right before she finally closed her eyes to rest.
2: wilderness
She woke to a duality of sensations, his warm solid body curled in front of her as she pressed her cheek against his smooth, warm shoulder; behind her the cool, damp grass. Groggy, she opened her eyes and rubbed them sleepily. It took only a second for her to register that she’d done this with her hand.
She stared at her hand for a long moment, marveled at it. Every joint and muscle in her body seemed to ache, but she was back to normal it seemed. She wiggled her fingers, her toes. No doubt about it she was definitely human again.
Curled in fetal position as he slept alongside her, Korban had also returned to his two-legged state. She ran her fingers through his hair and smoothed down the dark strands. How had they gotten here? Where exactly was here? Then the very human question pops into her mind- where can I find some clothes?
She shivered from the chill in the air and curled closer to Korban as she tried to remember how they’d ended up… where ever this was. The forest that surrounded them was dense, a lush green even in the darkness. The thick scent of pine and the sweet scent of maple tickled her nose, and she resisted a sneeze. That fresh, lovely perfume that came with the fresh rain was everywhere. The flora was accompanied by the musk of wildlife, along with their many sounds. The worms and moles that rustled in the wet earth below them, the hoot of an owl nestled in the branches of a nearby tree and Korban’s steady heartbeat, echoed by his light snoring.
There were no other signs or smells of any human beings here, and a knot loosened in her stomach. She can’t hurt anyone out here.
Hurt… the thought triggered her memory with a sudden jolt. Images flashed before her eyes. Her eyes move to where the needle had struck her, and as if it had hit her again she can feel the sudden strike of metal piercing her, the burning of the dark serum as it coursed through her veins. Nikki’s cruel words, her cold tone. Matt aiming the gun, the click when he pulled the trigger.
She cried out and Korban stirred. She muffled her whimper by biting the back of her hand, and tried not to wake him just yet.
Nikki had forced her to turn, to be rid of her once and for all. Now here they were, in a forest- who knows where- and she’d spent a countless number of days- weeks, maybe months- as a wolf.
Her memories as a wolf were hazy, more feelings and scents than pictures. Though from her scent lingering with Korban’s it was obvious he had remained by her side the entire time. Just as he had the whole time she’d known him, since the fateful night she had been attacked and infected. Her own sister had orchestrated all of it.
Clothes. Need clothes, and shelter.
She shoved the memories back as quickly as they resurfaced. She had to focus on finding out where they ended up, getting clothes, shelter, food and water, and find out how much time had passed. Then… then she could
think about all the rest.
As much as it would be a creature comfort to have clothes, she was certain there wasn’t a Macy’s or even a Walmart exactly nearby, so perhaps seeking shelter should take priority. Maybe then they could somehow get their bearings and locate some clues as to where on earth they had ended up.
Sophie gazed up to the sky again at the fading stars as the sun began to rise. She let Korban rest more for now and watched for a moment as he dreamed, blissfully unaware of the situation they now found themselves in. Soon enough he would wake up and realize their predicament but perhaps by then she could at least have an answer to one of their problems. Slowly and quietly she moved away from the warmth of his body, the cool night air causing goose bumps to spread over her skin. The damp leaves seem colder as she crawled from the safety of their shallow den beneath the overgrown shrub, the morning dew and remnants of rain drops like ice on her bare skin. Korban shuddered and for a moment it seemed he would wake up, but she watched as he curled into himself then murmured under his breath as he resumed his sleep.
Standing up felt strange after running on four legs for so long. Her first few steps felt unsure, and she used the trunk of a nearby oak tree to steady herself.
The sky was slowly growing lighter as she began her bare foot trek through the woods. The ground here was still soft and damp from the rain but she already missed the ease of travelling on four paws. Human feet felt awkward and weird as she explored the surrounding area. The dense foliage at least seemed to cover her nakedness as she scanned around them.
Trees, tall grass and a bush with familiar, ripe red berries clumped on it- raspberries. She plucks once and sniffs it to be sure, rolling it in between her fingers. After weeks of raw meat- her stomach churned a little in memory- the first sweet bite of raspberry is simply divine.
She devoured a couple dozen before she slowed down and listened as the world around her began to wake. She strained her ears, but the only human-like sounds for miles came from her and Korban’s light snoring under the bush nearby.
A creature burrowed through the damp earth while a small herd of deer grazed in a nearby clearing. Squirrels chittered and chased one another around a maple tree. A mosquito buzzed by but thankfully seemed to ignore her. The wind rustled leaves far from where she stood, and a moment later she felt it blow past her. No scent or faint sound of cars travelling past to be found or the steady hum of electricity to interfere out here.
She ate another handful or so of the raspberries before she began to collect some for Korban. They would need water, but she could hear a steady stream nearby and was certain as untouched as this area was the water would be okay to drink. She spied a large leaf- an elephant ear, she recalled from an early memory of camping long ago. She snapped one off and used it as a make-shift bowl to collect a bunch more berries. She contemplated the other uses of the large leaves. Maybe there was a way to weave them together with the long grass to form some sort of covering until they located clothes.
She gathered up some more leaves and long stalks of grass, and then returned to the temporary den where Korban still rested. She settled back under the bush beside him, careful not to spill the raspberries into the dirt, and began to braid the long grass together. She made a decent length of rope by the time he stirred again, and this time his brilliant golden eyes opened. “Sophie… you’re back!” His smile is contagious, and she laughed despite herself as his brow knits in realization. “I’m back too.”
“So I noticed,” she knotted the length of grass together and wrapped it around her waist. Her smile sobered. “I’m not sure where we ended up, but it seems that serum wasn’t as permanent as we were led to believe.”
“Wow,” Korban gazed at his hands and flexed his fingers. “I guess that’s lucky for us… at least that we’re human again anyway. I wonder what changed us back.”
“Maybe the serum is out of our systems now,” Sophie shrugged, and then carefully poked a hole into one of the elephant ears before she strung the grass rope through it. It tore easily, which was good and bad. Temporary clothes were better than nothing, however, so she set about stringing more together until she had herself a skirt. “I brought you some raspberries I found.”
His eyes shone with gratitude. “Thanks,” he scooped up the leaf and popped a red berry in his mouth. He polished off most of them and she glanced his way as she worked on weaving the grass into a loose, leafy top. He averted his own gaze respectfully, but also seemed deep in thought. “We have to find out where we are… and we have to get back to Syracuse.”
She knew this was true, hell she had thought about it herself. Yet as the memories begin to resurface, a new fear courses through her at the thought of returning home. Clearly the idea disturbed Korban just as much, the expression of dread more than apparent on his face too. His gaze softened as he tried to reassure her. “One thing at a time for now. Though it looks like you covered breakfast and our clothes.”
She smirked and nodded, then handed him one of her grass-woven ropes. “See if this will wrap around you. It’s not much but at least if we do stumble upon a forest ranger or campers they won’t freak out… as much.”
He accepted the rope and wrapped it around his hips, and her estimated length is correct. He grinned to her, that mischievous light returned to his eyes. “Think next time you can make something with a fig leaf? It’s so much more slimming.”
Sophie cracked a smile at that remark. She finished adding leaves to her top, which was more a necklace than a halter-top but it would provide some modest coverage at least. She joked as she tied the coverlet in place over her chest, “I suppose right now it does feel like we are the only two people in existence. A werewolf version of Adam and Eve.”
Korban chuckled at that, then finished the raspberries and looked around, nostrils flaring as he took in their surroundings. After a moment he frowned. “Looks like we have a long walk in store, no matter what direction we go in.”
Sophie nodded and looked up to the sky. “The sun is rising from the east, unless that has changed while we were wolves. We can head north, but if we accidentally cross over into Canada… if we haven’t already done that.”
Korban bobbed his head in agreement. “That may cause more problems than solve them. Crossing the border without permission in general is frowned upon, never mind as a werewolf.”
“So we’ll head south then and hope we don’t end up somewhere in Pennsylvania,” Sophie stood, her grass skirt rustling as she moved. “Maybe we’ll find some actual clothing on the way.”
Korban nodded and crawled out of their temporary den, stretched and moved slowly as he readjusted to walking upright again. “Maybe we should get some more of those raspberries for the road and get some water. If we stick close to the streams we won’t have to worry about finding something to carry it in.”
As much as she dreaded returning home, she was glad when they began to move, each carrying as many leaf-wrapped raspberries as they could hold. They followed near the bank of a steady stream that smelled clean and kept their eyes and ears open, noses constantly seeking out signs of civilization. The air began to warm as the sun rose higher into the sky, but the shady forest kept them cool as they walked along. She shivered; the make-shift clothes provided no real warmth against the shadows of the forest. Korban took her hand, his large hand warm and comforting. She smiled to him, squeezed his hand as they walked along in a comfortable silence. She wasn’t sure how she would have managed any of this without him.
Even lost and naked in the woods she felt so grateful to have him by her side.
3: JOURNEY
They walked together in silence for a while, keeping quiet to listen to the world around them. The forest was full of new sounds and scents that were delightful to his senses. Korban kept her hand in his and while they wandered alongside the bank of the stream he smiled at a memory. “Pops used to take us fishing during the summer. Alex’s grandfather loved working with cars and machines, but he also loved nature
. He wanted to make sure we knew how to do certain things like build a fire or clean a fish. We would go camping, and fishing and he would make it special.”
She smiled at his story, then after a moment she added, “We would go on a big family trip every summer too. One of my favorite trips was a camping one. My father had this great idea… and everything you can imagine that could go wrong, did go wrong. He had no idea how to build our tent or how to fish, but he tried based on what he’d seen in movies and TV. Even when we tried to swim in the lake, we got leeches on us and Nikki screamed like she was-” Sophie started to laugh, but stopped short and shook her head, gazed down with a solemn version of her smile.
He isn’t sure what to say or how to comfort her. He’d never felt that deep of a betrayal. He gently squeezed her hand and they continued along in silence for another few minutes.
“What I wouldn’t give for a hot bath right now,” Sophie sighed and changed the subject, “or just a clean pair of my own underwear.”
Korban nodded and stepped over a fallen tree branch that was half submerged in the babbling brook. “Or a cup of coffee,” he added. The path before them suddenly opened up and he stopped, eyes widening. “Whoa…”
Their path ended and exposed a lush, green valley that spread for miles. The leafy, emerald green was only broken up by a handful of large bodies of water that stretched out and reflected the clear blue sky. From where they stood he couldn’t see any buildings or houses. They truly had ended up far out in the wilderness. Not even a tell-tale trail of smoke wafted up from a camp site to guide them back to civilization. Only the wild mountains could be seen for miles.
~*~
Later that night, after they covered countless miles and found shelter under an old, massive oak tree, Korban is happy to sit on the pile of leaves they had gathered. He is even more content when Sophie curled close to him, soft and warm as she sidled up to him for warmth. The night wasn’t that chilly, but he certainly wasn’t going to complain at her desire to be close to him.