Equinox
Chapter Four
The pale moon hung low, suspended in the deep blue of night. Sparse stars winked in and out of existence. A thin layer of snow crunched under foot, revealing the wilted grass and dirt beneath. Our tracks mingled with others, making it impossible to discern in which direction we were heading.
A bitter cold slithered across the surface of our bodies, but a fire of adrenaline and excitement coursed hot within. The plummeting temperature was the least of our worries. After all, the forest would be alive with creatures that tempted our fates.
"Most of the hunters will have been dispatched into the city and surrounding suburbs. Protecting the citizens, and all. Not many will actually be wandering through the woods. It's safe for us to seek out prey here," I decided, thinking aloud; albeit very quietly.
Dylan hummed his approval, stalking along beside me. His eyes twitched spastically, as he glanced all around the perimeter. I usually let him do most of the watching. Both of us had exceptional eyesight, but his was just way, way more advanced. Even so, neither of us could afford to let our guard down. All of my senses were on high alert, spanning the distance around us for any casualties.
The night was quiet, though. Besides the swish of our clothing, there were no rustles to be heard amongst the trees. The wind was at a standstill, and all the nocturnal animals that should have been prowling around were silent. This, of course, meant that something abnormal had taken their place.
We just had to determine where, exactly, that was.
"This isn't safe," Dylan whispered, lowering his lips to my ear. His breath tickled the sensitive skin there, and I wrinkled my nose in discomfort. "We shouldn't just be walking out here, completely exposed. We have to find a good, guarded place to hunker down and wait."
That was the difference between Dylan and I. He was . . . patient. I wasn't. He was . . . rational. I wasn't. That's what made us such compatible hunting partners. He could keep me out of trouble, and I could actually get something done. It was a full circle.
"You're right," I admitted with a sigh. "We're never going to catch anything like this. Most likely, we'll get caught."
"Let's just hide down by the ravine. It's perfect. Tons of paranormals cross it to get to the city," he suggested.
"Yeah, but won't there be hunters there?" I pointed out doubtfully.
"Maybe at the parts closest to where the people are. That doesn't necessarily mean all the paranormals will choose that path," he explained assuredly, looking down at me in the muted light.
Sometimes it was convenient when he knew all the answers.
"Lead the way," I conceded, gritting my teeth. I didn't like putting other people in charge. It wasn't like anything was set in stone, but there had always been this unsaid agreement that I was the leader. I made the important decisions. That's how it had always went.
Dylan knew that, too, which is probably why he had such a smug expression upon stepping in front of me. My fingers curled into fists, and I had to strongly refrain from socking him in the mouth. What a prick.
Our trek from there was made in ethereal silence, combated by nothing but the frigid air we breathed. Any steps made were quick and soundless. At such a pace, it took only a few scant minutes to reach our desired destination. Wordlessly, we split to survey the area.
It became apparent that the surrounding land had been undisturbed. The steep enclosure of the ravine was rocky and slick with icicles. Any semblance of a stream that had run through it was frozen solid. From such a vantage point, any form of civilization seemed millions of miles away.
In reality, it wasn't even miles from where my boots were planted firmly on the snow.
"You go up on the opposite bank. Find some bushes to hide in or something, that way you can keep watch for anything approaching from the forest. I'll stay down here," I ordered, processing the best means of strategy.
Dylan appeared from the gloom of the trees, nodding his head in agreement. Without comment, he disappeared. I could hear slight, meager rustles as he moved. The flash of his silver bow winked from his general direction, then nothing more.
Stillness once again reigned supreme.
I brought my hands up, rubbing my palms together to create some sort of friction. Now that we had stopped moving, the cold was beginning to seep into my bones. The weathered mound of boulders I was crouched behind did little to diverge the frigid wind that had begun whispering through the ravine. I huddled with my knees pulled close to my chest, vainly hoping the fetal position would offer some respite from the icy atmosphere.
Hunkered down as comfortably as possible, our wait began.
As much as it seemed like an endless number of hours, it didn't actually take that long for something to stumble into our trap. One unmistakable crunch of snow under foot, and every part of my being was synapsed into focus. From my vantage point, I couldn't see a thing. Dylan could, though. He'd take the first shot, and then I'd finish off the kill.
My breathing stilled, muscles taught in anticipation. The crouch I had been in turned into a battle stance, my legs burning to leap from my hiding place. My entire thought process was focused on the sounds I could hear coming from the depths of the forest.
A paranormal was coming; the power of the solstice giving it strength unlike anything we had come across as of yet. In that one moment, a brief flicker of doubt entered my mind. I quickly banished it.
I could do anything, especially what people like Anne said I couldn't accomplish.
There was an animalistic snuffle from the lip of the ravine, and the sound of clusters of dirt and snow tumbling down its side. Soon after, the stench of wet, matted fur hit my nostrils. Luckily, I had heard only one set of footsteps. One werewolf I could handle. Easily. Any more than that, and we might have had a problem.
The sharp twang of Dylan's bow was my cue. I reacted within a split second of its departure, darting from my shelter. My vision filled with the immense size of the now snarling beast in front of me. Dylan's silver arrow was buried deep in its shoulder, the mottled brown fur beginning to sizzle around it. The werewolf's growl deepened, yellow canines barred. The pain seemed to only infuriate him further.
"Down boy," I ordered tauntingly, waving an admonishing hand at him.
Another feral sound emitted deep from the wolf's throat. His hind legs rotated to a crouch beneath him, and the ferocious glare in his eyes increased. I ducked and rolled in his direction just as he pounced.
The bristly fur on his tail swept across my back, as he rocketed through the air. I could feel the thud of his weight shudder through the ground as he landed, quickly swooping back around to face me.
"Bad dog!" I reprimanded, my grin widening. My insults were met with growing animosity.
We circled each other in the limited space of the ravine. Blood dripped from the werewolf's wound, but his black eyes remained fixated on my form. Whether it was his strategy or not, my patience was wearing thin.
Without any indication of my actions, I dove across the no man's land that had formed between us. The knife sheathed at my waist was free in that same fluid motion. There was no time for the wolf to react properly. It bayed in anguish, my weapon slicing cleanly to the hilt in his chest.
I expected him to collapse; fall back at the very least. Instead, one of his massive, powerful paws reared up and batted me to the side like a rag doll. My back crushed against the wall of the ravine, and I slumped limply to the ground. A steady fire kindled all throughout my body.
I gritted my teeth, wincing at the pain. Through slitted eyes I watched the werewolf lunge at my fallen form. I struggled to stand, but my body was soon pinned to the cold snow. The wolf reeked of decay, his breath hot as his muzzle hovered dangerously above my head. He snapped his razor sharp teeth tauntingly, almost grinning in satisfaction.
There was a flash of something bright out of the corner of my eye, then another in quick succession. Suddenly, the werewolf's neck lulled to the side, and his weight became unbearable on top of mine. My heart started to thump rapidly in my chest, my throat constricting. Suffocation became a very near reality.
My stricken thoughts were interrupted, the heaviness of the creature disappearing. I continued to lay on the ground, letting the blissfully cool air wash over me. When I managed to open my eyes again, Dylan's worried face blotted out the moon and stars.
"Max. Max! Are you okay?" he demanded, turquoise eyes shadowed in concern.
"I'm fine," I insisted, rolling my eyes at his overly dramatic expression. I brushed his hands away, sitting up slowly. Gingerly, I rotated all my limbs, checking for any breaks. Other than a couple nasty bruises, I was perfectly okay.
Dylan rocked back on his heels, his blonde hair fluttering onto his forehead. "How many times have I told you not to tease the paranormals?"
"Chill, Mom," I retorted snarkily, scrambling to my feet.
A rustle from somewhere high up in the trees had me spinning quickly around. My eyes narrowed, honing in on a vague, dark mass perched at the top of one of the towering pines. From just behind me, I could see Dylan sling an arrow back, taking aim.
"Wait. It's just a-" I began to speak, but before I could get the word 'bird' out, the arrow was already whizzing through the chilled night air.
There was an obvious impact, followed by more rustling sounds, then the undeniable flapping of wings. I shot Dylan an 'I told you so' glare, before gazing back up again. From the place where the bird had been, an object was floating lazily down to the earth.
I reached up, plucking the small, thin black feather from the air. It slid softly across the pad of my finger, downy and light. When Dylan glanced away, I pocketed it.
"We should head back," I announced, a cold, lingering wind bristling through the trees; setting me on edge. An ominous feeling had settled in the pit of my stomach, and instinct was pushing me back to the CSM headquarters.
"So soon?" Dylan's eyebrows lifted in surprise.
The weary expression on my face must have been enough to convince him, because he followed my retreating back without another question.