Captured Moonlight

by Erin Kelly

  Heavy footsteps echoed and scuffed menacingly beyond the unseen door. Korban felt a growl build in his throat that had nothing to do with being a werewolf. It was cut short when a bright light suddenly flooded the room and a heavy door creaked open. He squinted, still blinded as his eyes readjusted from the darkness to light.

  The shadowy figure that came into focus was wearing dark grey and black camouflage, just like the two who had shot him with the dart in the net trap. Their stature and build was tall and solid, very square. Obviously masculine, even though they were covered from head to toe, from a dark ski mask down to their shiny, black polished combat boots. More than likely the drill sergeant who’d been frowning down at him. Any attention to the attire was instantly lost when he saw the rifle in the masked man’s hands. It looked like something military issued, the kind Korban had seen before only in the movies.

  The stink of heavy cologne surrounded the man, as if he was even covering his scent from them. The thought sent a cold chill down Korban’s spine.

  Maybe it was the drugs finally clearing out of his system, or perhaps it was this armed, masked man who sobered him up and woke up his brain. Regardless, the light bulb clicked on as he put it all together. The pit and its painful net, with its glinting silver inside the thick rope. The strange tranquilizing dart in his arm. The silver bars, solid and thick around his cage. That trap hadn’t been just for a bear, or even the smallest chance of capturing a natural wolf. These men around him, in their own silver bound cages, no doubt, were caught in the same cruel trap. Even with the reek of strong cologne and sewage covering it up, he was sure he could smell the hint of many other wolves. The men in the cages, they were infected too. Werewolves like him.

  But why would these people capture werewolves, risking their own lives or risking infection upon themselves, to bring them here to this place?

  All of his questions spun around in his brain, and came to a thunderous halt when he found himself staring down the barrel of a gun once again.

  His heart went up to his throat but he glared defiantly into the eyes of the gun man. He would not die here cowering like some kicked pup.

  The eyes that peered from the slits of the ski mask were a cold, dull black-brown. No emotion reflected in those flat eyes, but they were clearly calculating, as if sizing Korban up. He suddenly didn’t care about the frightened werewolf’s previous warning. Not that he was ever one to be bothered by such things as keeping his mouth shut. “Who the hell do you think you are, putting men in cages like this? You’d better let us go right now, before the authorities discover this false prison, or so help me if I get my hands on you-”

  There was a thunderous bang and he jumped back, his ears ringing. The gun was aimed at him again and the man squeezed the trigger. He fired it once again, the bullet striking into the cement next to him. A bit of silver had melted to the ground where the bullet struck, Korban stared at it, then returned his gaze to the gun man once more, stunned. “Who the hell are you people?” Silver was understandably more expensive than gold these days.

  The gun man stared at him for a long moment then smirked, but there was no humor in his eyes. Just a flash of surprise, then a stony, cold stare as he studied him. Even more infuriating, the man said nothing as he stood there and stared him down, and then moved to the next cage, which in the light Korban saw were all lined up in a large circle.

  As he frantically searched for some way to escape he took in his surroundings, keeping his silent captor within his sight as he took it in. There were six cages, including the medium-sized one he was in, evenly spread out in a circle within what looked like a windowless warehouse room. Fluorescent lights and flood lights shone brightly down upon them and illuminated the plain, drywall panels that lined the walls of the room. Cement sealed the bottoms of their cages, but beyond the silver bars the ground was mostly dirt, some patches of hay lighting some areas, while some areas appeared to be darkened by something more foul. Of the six cages, four were occupied, much to Korban’s horror. Three strangers were stuck just like him, all three of them werewolves, though he could only tell this by their scent. Like Sophie, their eyes had returned to a human guise now that the full moon had been sated.

  They sat and glanced around but mostly kept their gazes down as their masked captor circled their small prisons. Two of the men appeared to be older than he was; the one in the crate to his left in particular had his eyes focused intently on the floor. The man had a weary, haggard appearance, his military style cut hair light grey, with small flecks of dark hairs here and there.

  The older man who crouched in the crate across from him was a chubby, grizzled man with faded tattoos that adorned his body and a wild look in his eyes. He had a thick, salt and pepper beard and clutched a thin blanket in his hands, nervously picking at a loose thread and wincing as the masked man approached his cage.

  The man remained silent as he made his way around their assembled cages. He tapped the side of the grizzled man’s cage with the butt of his rifle with a loud, ringing clang that caused the werewolf within to yelp out in a very human manner and clutch his blanket closer, his knuckles turning white as he cowered. This evoked a cruel, barking chortle from him, but he still said nothing as he finished his patrol past the third man, a man about Korban’s age who glared up at the stranger who passes his crate, squaring his jaw but saying nothing as his pale blue eyes send a look that would make a more squeamish man run in the other direction.

  No one was saying anything, and Korban bit his tongue to keep from growling out again in frustration. He was certain if he pushed his luck this jerk would put a silver bullet in him instead of the floor next time. How long had this been going on? Why were they being held prisoner like this? What purpose did this serve? With no answers from their silent captor, he could only hope to get answers from the others once he left… wherever they were. The masked man leveled his rifle again, this time pointing it at the defiant werewolf’s head. Korban’s eyes widen as he watched the gun man’s finger twitch on the trigger.

  The doors on the other side of the large room creaked open and a second man strode into the room, smaller and thinner but wearing the same uniform as the other man, and drenched in that same heavy cologne. Most likely the boy from before who’d tranquilized him, by the look of his long neck. Korban wanted to wring his scrawny throat. “What’s wrong?” he demanded sharply, his voice just as thin and trembling as his lanky body.

  “New dog was out of line. I put him in his place.” The larger one lowered his rifle then nodded in Korban’s direction, his voice a deep grumble and just as unpleasant as his barking laugh.

  The smaller man grumbled as he glanced his way. “The boss is gonna be pissed you wasted a bullet for nothin’...” He suddenly stopped and gave Korban a curious look. “Huh. That new one is different from the others. That’ll amuse the boss.”

  “Maybe then he won’t be mad about the bullet, huh?” The larger one sounded somewhat hopeful at the prospect.

  “Maybe,” the smaller man repeated, then jabbed the larger man in the arm. “Let’s go talk to ‘im. He should know.”

  “Right.” They turned to leave and headed for the door.

  Korban knew two things for sure. Whatever it was that made him different from the rest made him valuable from the sounds of things, at least to this boss of theirs anyway. And he also knew, when a boss was involved, or any higher up, he wouldn’t be killed until the orders were given.

  Besides, he was even more pissed knowing that this was some sort of team operation, and he didn’t appreciate being called a dog. Only Alex got away with the nickname he’d dubbed him, “Lobo”.

  “Who’s in charge of this?” Korban yelled as he boldly moved closer to the bars and stared both of the men down. “Let the coward show his face!”

  The smaller man paused and gave Korban a look. “This ain’t exactly a democracy here, pal. In case the silver bars and bullets weren’t enough for you to understand.”

  “You can
’t just cage men like this! We have rights!” Korban snarled, and the others perked up in their crates, watching the shouting bout like a tennis match.

  Amusement lit the larger one’s eyes as the smaller one snickered. “Men. Last I knew, werewolves were monsters.”

  “That was when we weren’t the real deal! When the only werewolves you saw were pretend!” Korban tried a different approach. “Five years ago I was just a man, I didn’t ask for this! I bet no one here did!”

  “Boo hoo,” the smaller one taunted, then rolled his eyes. “Regardless, you’re here now. And you’re not going anywhere until the boss says otherwise. Sorry Charlie. No milk bone for bad dogs.”

  “Wait! You can’t just leave us here!” Korban watched as they started to leave again. No, no... he had to make them angry enough to do something stupid. Then he could try to escape...

  But no matter what he yelled, what obscenity he tried, they ignored him and left. Frustrated he rammed his hands against the bars but instantly regretted the move as the white-hot metal seared his flesh. He yelped and fell back, then glared at the doors even when the lights shut down and the darkness blinded him once again.

  ~*~

  They carefully tread through the forest, moving as quietly as they can as a group. Sophie tried to keep a safe distance as she was still wary of the wolf pack, but it seemed that she’d caught the unwanted attention of the youngest man there, the one with the mischievous smile that reminded her of Korban who was called Freki. She kept her gaze focused ahead as he walked alongside her, after they covered some ground he attempted to strike up a conversation. “So… this boyfriend of yours, are you two pretty serious? I mean… could a guy like me have a chance?”

  Sophie shot him a death glare and Odin laughed as Freki leapt backward and found himself tangled up in some of the overgrowth surrounding a decaying tree. “Pardon our youngest pack brother’s lack of manners. His older brother usually keeps him in line but we had Geri out on patrol last night to watch over our den.”

  Sophie’s stern look sobered a little as the names click in place. “Odin, Valkyrie, Freki, Geri and,” she looked to the third man there, who kept close to Odin and Valkyrie’s side, “Skoll… all characters from Norse mythology.”

  “Beauty and brains? I think I’m in love,” Freki sighed as he brushed the leaves and twigs away from his shoulders, only to have Val shoot him a look.

  “Behave, Freki,” she warned, though the harsh words are followed by a smirk. “I’m confident that you can take him out easily, Sophie, but right now we have no time to waste. If we can find Korban maybe we’ll find-”

  Odin held up his hand suddenly and she stopped. He stared up ahead and gestured with a finger to his lips. They go silent and still, listening. Odin moved cautiously ahead, and as he did he motioned for them to stay, though Sophie moved closer to see what he had discovered, her heart racing, her ears straining and nose sniffing for clues.

  A clearing opened up before them, almost out of nowhere. There was a feeling of déjà vu, like she’d been here before, and she couldn’t shake the feeling. Odin walked out, stepping lightly. A huge, rectangular hole opened up ahead of him, too geometric to be natural. The gaping hole triggered a memory, hazy and faded from the back of her mind. Running on four legs, scrambling, trying not to fall… then gazing down into another hole like this. A hole where her gray wolf had fallen, was caught in a net and couldn’t escape. “Korban!” She breathed his name, rushed past the others and moving to Odin’s side peered down into the pit.

  Her heart sank as she stared down into the empty hole. What was worse, there wasn’t even the faintest whiff of Korban’s scent to confirm that this had been where he was trapped. At least not to her now human nose.

  Frustration and panic began to build inside of her. They’d been wandering the forest for hours now, only to find this empty clearing where Korban might not have even been in. She could only hope that maybe, by some slim chance, he’d gotten free and was back at the trailer now, waiting for her, or maybe even out there in the forest looking for her. But something inside of her was telling her this was wrong. Someone had set that trap strong enough not for just a wild animal. Korban was strong enough to easily break free of a regular hunter’s trap. One that was designed to keep a werewolf in it, however…

  She couldn’t help it. Part of her wanted to scream in rage, the other part wanted to cry. She couldn’t lose it, not now, but feeling this helpless and lost for the first time since he’d been there for her after the attack...

  No. She couldn’t lose it, and she wouldn’t. She had to find Korban, and to find Korban she needed to think. Her other senses may have been dulled, but her mind was always her strongest asset, any time of the month.

  If this was the place, any clue was valuable. She turned to Odin, whose expression was grim, his mouth a thin line as he glared down at the hole before them. “You’re missing your pack mate, and so are we. Skoll’s brother Hati has been missing since two full moons ago. Which is why we are here, this deep in the Adirondacks. We don’t leave a brother behind.” He paused and glanced to her. “I wasn’t sure of it before, but this… I don’t believe in coincidences. My gut was telling me before something sinister has happened with Hati, and this confirms it.”

  Sophie’s eyes widened at his revelation, a fresh fear filled her as his words sunk in. “So you’ve been looking for your missing pack mate for over two months now?”

  Odin nodded and gazed to Skoll, who was standing at the edge of the clearing still, a pained look in his eyes. “Is this bringing back any memories? Anything familiar at all?”

  He robotically nodded. “I remember Hati and me running, and then the ground… swallowed him up.”

  Another chill crept down her spine and Sophie wrapped her arms around herself. “That’s all I remember too, Korban and I were running and then… he fell, too.” She turned to the others and stepped away from the pit as her hair began to stand on end. “You’ve been searching for a couple months out here with no clues as to where your pack mate ended up?”

  Odin sighed and nodded, rubbing his chin as his frown only continued to grow. “It’s been frustrating as hell. Only a few of us can recall the full moon night. Myself and Val mostly, though Geri’s memories have become stronger since we started. Skoll wasn’t able to remember what happened to his brother. We’ve searched the area since Hati’s disappearance but we weren’t even really sure what to look for. But this… this is a huge lead. Finding you and now this wolf pit… this will shine some light as to what happened to Hati. And I suppose your Korban too.”

  For two entire months they had been searching for their pack mate, and now she was the lead they’d been waiting for. She glared back at that pit and steadied herself, pushing aside the panic and fear. Panic and fear would only make it more difficult to track down Korban, and apparently Hati as well. She strode back over to the edge of the pit and peered down. Maybe there was some clue as to who had made this trap, and maybe that could lead to information as to where it came from, and with a path they could track who was behind this.

  The pit was deep, massive in size. It was also fairly old, moss growing on some of the bricks down below. The bottom of the trap held a small pool of water that was speckled with larvae and tadpoles. Something metal glinted and caught her eye, a large metal hook that was welded onto a solid steel bar that seemed deeply embedded into the earth. Her eyes followed the edge of the pit and she notices many more hooks along the rim. She walked alongside the edge of the hole, studied each hook carefully. They were dull, most of them painted over with some muddy brown color, probably to blend in and prevent rust. A few of the painted hooks were worn though, like the one she had spotted, and where the paint had been scraped off the shiny metal gleamed through. Hooks that could have held a net.

  “As hard as it has been raining, no wonder it’s full of water down there,” Odin murmured as he moved past her.

  “This could be where your friend fell before,” So
phie said after a moment of studying the deep puddle of water down below. She pointed and gestured to the large tadpoles darting around the pool. “See how they have fully developed legs, but they are still distinctly tadpoles as well? Not quite frogs yet. They’re about eight weeks old.”

  Odin stared at her through his dark shades as she stood up again. Freki, who’d moved a little closer to inspect the area as well with the others, stared at her. “Not just brains… you’re like Google smart. How the hell does someone like you know this random trivia crap?”

  “I helped my son with his science project for school. It was on the life cycle of frogs.” She smiled sadly. “It wasn’t long before…” She trailed off, the memory of helping Danny with his drawings causing a lump to form in her throat. She could still smell the green crayon; saw his bright smile as they colored in the advanced doodles of her talented young son.

  She would see him again. She would see Korban again.

  She steeled herself and Val smiled to her. “I think I remember doing that project with my daughter too.” She went over and put a comforting hand on Sophie’s shoulder, which caused her to briefly tense, and then relax. “She’s right. If this was the place that Hati was caught, we need to see what clues we can dig up. Any tracks may be pretty scarce, especially with all the rain and time that has passed. But any little clue may help us.”

  Val looked to Freki and Skoll. “I want the two of you to head back to camp, tell Geri what we have found. I want the three of you to stick together and see if you can find any more traps like this in the area. Mark the trail so you can all return here to let us know if you find anything,” She gave them a meaningful look, “and be careful. I don’t want whoever is setting these traps anywhere near our den, and I don’t want to lose anyone else.”

  “You got it,” Freki gave her a wink and a thumbs up then pat Skoll’s arm. The poor guy still seemed shell-shocked from the whole thing, but he nodded and the pair headed into the woods.