Once Upon a Time…

Our small village had always, since it had been founded, been plagued by a terrible curse. Every full moon, a vicious black wolf would hunt down the people of Chernobog, always taking one life from us. We tried setting out animals instead, but then we lost them and still the life of one of our own.

And sometimes, by accident, the wolf created another. We could always tell who, because they would come back, strangely craving meat. But the more immediate sign was the yellow eyes, dilated pupils. They were killed.

Sometimes, on full moons, we would lose more people, because an outraged father, brother, or grown man would lead out a group, trying to avenge the death of their loved one. Only few came back.

And, little did I know, but the wolf was closer than I had ever thought.

This is my story.

One: The Lost Soul

Jared pulled me behind the tree, pinning my shoulders against the rough bark. I was breathing hard.

"There," he announced. "I win." He let my shoulders go, his hard hands dropping down by his side as he caught his breath. I wasn't quite done yet. I pushed him back to another tree, my slender white fingers tracing his sharp cheekbones.

"What do you get for winning?" I whispered. My face was inches from his as we both breathed hard. I had tried to tackle him from behind, but he was bigger and stronger than I was, easily fighting me off and winning. But I caused enough trouble to make him lose his breath.

"How about this?" he brought up a rough finger, tipping my chin up. His soft lips met my pink lips as I curled my fingers into his curly black hair. He put his big hands on either side of my face, kissing me harder. I had to pull away to catch my breath.

"Anna!" someone called beside us. I turned to see my stern older sister, Jessica, her hands resting on her hips as her eyes skewered Jared. "Anna," she said softer, but her face didn't relax. "Tonight is a full moon. We need to get inside before it rises and help secure the house. You wouldn't want to be the one taken by the wolf."

As I looked back at Jared, I could have sworn that I saw a flash of…anger, perhaps…go through his eyes before they returned to the dark brown eyes that were so deep and dark they looked black.

I kissed him lightly before turning back to Jessica. She put a hand on my back and pushed me forward.

"You best go, too, Jared. I expect your poor mother will need some help," she said as she towed me away.

I turned around, but he was already gone. I looked at my sister through my deep brown hair. "You could be less of a killjoy, Jessica. You could also be kinder to Jared. He's been through so much lately. His father was killed last month."

"He didn't seem to be in much emotional pain back there," she murmered. "But you are right; he's been through a lot lately."

I rolled my eyes at her. Jessica was betrothed to John Percy, a woodsman. Mother thought she could do better, but a woodsman made decent money, and Jessica was so strict not many men wished to wed her because they all wanted a funny woman to take their minds off the accursed wolf that plagued us every full moon.

No matter how dull my sister was, I never wanted her hurt by the wolf. Strangely enough, only one member of our entire family had been taken by the wolf. My grandfather had been killed before I was born, when Father was a child. But it kept me wondering why it was like that.

We all knew that the wolf lived among us. It was a werewolf, becoming a full wolf only a few times a month, during the full moon. It could be anyone of us, and no one trusted another fully. Even the tension between families was terrible.

I knew that Jared suffered the most, though. His father had been attacked, but not killed, by the wolf. He had been beheaded the next day, as a man transitioning into a werewolf. Jared had very nearly gone crazy because of it, blaming himself. I didn't know why, but he had. I had comforted him and his mother, helping him through it. But I knew his mother would be devastated tonight.

I hurried past our neighbors, watching Jared smile warily at me through an open window of his home. I smiled back before being nearly shoved inside by Jessica.

"Ann, Ann, Ann!" my little brother Wesley called as he saw me. He was only two, and I feared for him the most, of our entire family, because he couldn't run or protect himself. He hadn't quite learned my name yet; he was so young, so he called me Ann instead of Anna.

I picked him up, twirling him in a circle. "Hello, Wesley. How was your day?"

"Woof," he cried. I understood. He knew it was the first night of the full moon. I was terrified that the little boy had to grow up during this. But then, we all had.

"It is going to be fine, Wesley. You don't have to worry at all." I set him down. "Go play with Jessie." He called Jessica 'Jessie' because he couldn't say her name yet, either.

He waddled away as Mother stepped into the room. "You weren't with Jared, were you?" she asked, worried.

"Yes, Mother, I was." I was used to her lectures about Jared, that he wasn't good enough for me, that I deserved better than him.

"Anna, I wish you would stop seeing him. I have a bad feeling about him." She looked anxiously at his house, where he was helping his mother set up wolf defenses.

I sighed, closing the window and locking it up tightly. "You have bad feelings about everyone. We all do. But I know Jared, Mother. He's not the wolf. His father was killed because the wolf had bitten him. And Mother, no matter what you say, Jared is good for me, and he's all I deserve."

"Anna, he's poor…"

"Aren't we all?"

"He's a woodsman, they don't make much. Anna, you can do better than him. You could marry…"

"You would have me marry someone I don't know and don't love over someone I do? You would wish that on me?" I turned to face her.

She was about to answer when the door slammed, making the both of us jump. "What's going on here?" Father roared. "What is the arguing about?"

"We were having a nice talk about Jared, that's all," Mother said sweetly, kissing my father on the cheek. I walked away, towards the ladder that led to my bedroom. I sat on the small cot, thinking.

No one ever slept on full moon nights. They were always too terrified. Everyone had a silver knife or crossbow hidden in their room, so if it was needed, they could defend themselves against the fierce wolf that had killed so many of us in Chernobog. To protect us, my parents had given Jessica, Wesley, and I the upstairs, to either hide us or protect us from the wolf. I knew that it wouldn't do much, though. Some had seen the wolf, saying it was two or three times as large as a normal one. It could leap up to us in no time.

I saw the sun go down. I hurried to the corner of the room, knife in my hand. The blade, like most others, was pure silver. I clutched it so hard that my knuckles turned white. I was terrified of this night above all others. I had a strange feeling that something terrible was going to happen tonight.

No, that's silly, I told myself. It's a full moon. Someone might, or probably, will die. That's what's terrible.

My eyelids drooped. I was exhausted from trying to win a fight against Jared. They fell until all I saw was a sliver of silvery light.

Behind my eyelids I saw the image of a big, black wolf with yellow eyes and dilated pupils, and saw a familiar glimmer of hatred flash through them.

The Wolf:

It stalked towards the little boy. He shouldn't be out. Why hadn't his parents or sisters protected him? But did it matter now? It was ready for the kill. It was so hungry…nothing could stop him. He ached to be able to see the family's faces when they discovered their dead toddler.

It took a step towards him, pain flashing through it when he saw the familiar dark brown hair. But no, it told itself. It fed from the life of the humans, not off flesh. Fed from the fear of the victim, the smell of the blood.

The little boy obviously had no idea that he was going to die. He giggled and clapped his hands together, taking a step towards it.

Be quiet, you ignorant child! The wolf thought to itself. It wasn't going to wait any longer.

It lunged for the boy as it saw the younger sister speeding towards it.

Anna:

I knew it was stupid and useless, but I had to try. "Wesley!" I cried, running towards where he stood unaware of the danger he was in. The wolf jumped forward, it's paw on Wesley's chest, teeth at his throat.

I heard a ripping and saw blood leak from the unmoving child's throat. I kept running, readying myself to throw the dagger. The wolf was dangerously fast as it sped up to me. I froze, waiting for the death bite that would send me to wherever my little toddler brother was now.

I stared at the wolf's eyes. They were eerie yellow, giant pupils nearly filling them. They were hard, but through them I thought I saw a flicker of remembrance.

Whoever this wolf was, they knew me.

And it a flash it was gone, a piercing howl echoing through the night. The wolf was gone, and my baby brother was dead.

I dropped my knife and ran to Wesley's body, flinging myself down beside him. His chest didn't move, and there was a gaping hole in his tiny throat where blood was pouring out.

I felt tears dripping down my cheeks. "Wesley!" I shook him, but still no movement. "Help!" I sobbed. People flooded out of their houses, Mother, Father, and Jessica hurrying out to see who the casualty was. Mother screamed. Father stood with his arms around her, unable to break his away from the bloody scene. Jessica ran and flung herself down on Wesley's other side.

"Wesley!" she was sobbing with me now. "How could this happen?"

"Wesley…Wesley…Wesley…" my sobs were endless echoes of his name. People were silent, some crying, some praying for our young brother, who's life was cut short by so many years.

I felt someone dragging me up, and saw Jessica being pulled up too. She was screaming and crying uncontrollably.

The sun was coming up now, and I could see that it was John holding onto Jessica while she screamed and sobbed. I turned to see who was holding me.

I turned and flung my arms around his neck, sobbing into his shoulder. "Oh, Jared, why would the wolf kill him? Why would he kill such a little boy? Who here would do such an awful thing, even as a monster?"

I looked up into his calming eyes, seeing they were filled with sorrow. "I don't know," he whispered. "I just don't know." His arms tightened around me.

"But why didn't he kill me, too? He had the chance. But he just stared at me and ran away. Why? He can ruthlessly kill a two year old, but not even hurt a seventeen year old?" I clung to him. Jared was the only thing I was sure of anymore, the only thing I knew was right.

Obviously trying to cheer me up—but it didn't work—he answered. "Maybe he thought you were too pretty."

"Oh, Jared. How will things ever be okay again? Now, the only thing I know is right and good is you. Don't ever leave me. Oh, don't ever leave me." I was crying into him so much that his deep black shirt was wet with my tears.

He put a hand on the back of my head, petting down my hair. "I won't," he murmered in my ear. "I'll never leave you. Never."

I was crying to hard to answer.

Father Joseph and two of his Elders walked to where my brother's tiny body lay. The Elders rolled Wesley's body onto a piece of wood and picked it up. They went back to the church, while Father Joseph stayed.

"What happened here," he started, his deep voice echoing everywhere. "Was tragic. Never has the wolf taken such a young child. We will let this poor family grieve in their own way, and we will mourn Wesley deeply. But we know that he is now in God's glorious kingdom of Heaven, while the creature that did this to him will burn in hell for eternity."

Father Joseph turned and walked away, towards the church. During his speech, Jared's arms had felt rigid and hard against me. But I had known him since I was seven, and he had been with me when Wesley was born. Of course this would affect him, too. Especially after losing his father only weeks ago.

I wiped a tear away from my eye, trying not to look at the blood stain that had come from my brother. I look back up at Jared, his hard, guarded face, and touched his cheek affectionately. He sighed and looked down at me.

"I'm so sorry…for what happened to…Wesley," he told me hesitantly.

I shook my head. "It wasn't your fault. You aren't the demon who killed him, I know that. But thank you. If you weren't here now, I feel like I would be going crazy." I relaxed in his arms, and he kissed my forehead.

"If you ever need anything, you know I'm here, Anna," he whispered in my ear. I nodded. He helped me towards the church, where the rest of my family already was, including John. He let me go. "My mother needs help. She wants to secure the house more. I'll be back, if you'd like, as soon as possible."

"I would like you to," I said softly. He bent and kissed my hand before walking back to his house. I turned back to Mother and Father. Jessica and John were in a deep conversation. I spoke only to my parents. "I saw it. The wolf."

My Mother drew in a deep breath. "Did it see you?"

"Yes."

"Did it attack you?" Father was already checked my arms and neck for any injuries.

I pushed his hands away. "No. The wolf…it didn't do anything. That's what scares me the most."