The Last Wolf

A cacophony of animal noises burst in the open air. The sounds didn’t echo through the trees like the sounds I’d grown accustomed to; it screamed through the grass pouring dread into each of my nerve endings. Macon stopped, his human ears perked as if he could hear better than me, but the strain was evident in his ridged features

“Something is…” I trailed off as I reached his side.

“Wrong!” He finished before he sped through the grass along the dirt path. Dust flew behind each step he took while I raced to keep up.

The closer we got to the noise the icier my blood became. My heart pounded faster than my feet carried me; Macon broke a sweat. I saw the clearing with White River’s little cottage. Clouds filled the sky causing the paint on the cottage to glow orange in the aftermath of Phoenix’s blaze. Her large wings encircled a small shivering body. Viper sprinted across the clearing, waving frantically. She collided with me while Macon joined the crowd gathering around Phoenix.

“No!” Viper hissed. She panted as she held my arms tightly. “You can’t…”

“What!” I focused my eyes on the shivering. The blaze illuminated the glossy jet black fur giving it an almost blue tint. My lungs stopped working at the same moment my knees gave out. She sank to the ground, never letting me go.

Macon swore under his breath as he clapped his hand on her shoulder. He lowered his chin and shook his head gently back and forth. “I know,” she whispered.

“Tell me,” I growled breathlessly.

Macon glanced at me with dark amber eyes. He took a deep breath. Viper’s grip on my arms tightened. My eyes burned as they filled with salty tears. “Tell me,” I cried. My heart seemed to stop as Viper leaned in and hugged me while I rocked with the breeze.

“It’s, Shadow.” Macon averted his gaze. “Colt, um, got attacked.” My shoulders shook with silent tears.

“He’s okay,” Viper promised. “It’s not pretty, but he’s okay.”

“I’ve got to go help move him.” Macon patted my back. “I’ll come get you when he can talk.”

I buried my face in Viper’s shoulder. Colt shouldn’t be hurt. He always left the pack because he’s independent. Everyone promised me he would be okay. “It’s my fault,” I sobbed.

“No, it’s not! This…” she trailed off. I wanted to ask her to finish, to demand answers. But if I asked, she would get angry. I clung to her while she rubbed circles into my shoulders. “Shush,” she whispered. I pulled my face from her neck before I wiped my burning eyes. Through my blurred vision, I thought I caught a glimpse of Colt—my savior, first shape shifting friend, and possibly first crush—and my lungs stopped working all over again.

His legs formed the furry black haunches of a wolf while his torso held the shape of a dusty human abdomen. Pointed black ears trumped the curves of human hearing, and his face was gruesome. His gray human forehead led into a muzzle with bright red human lips surrounding sharp blood stained K-9 teeth. It looked like he tried to shift into a human, but time froze him.

“Viper,” I sobbed. She rubbed my shoulder.

“I know.”

She guided me from the ground that was nice enough to hold me up away from the horrific scene before us. Her leathery hands pushed my shoulders in the opposite direction of the peaceful oasis. We walked slowly towards the edge of the woods to the path where she saved me from the panther.

Leaves overtook the opening I walked through just days before, and the lights couldn’t be found. She pushed me into a sitting position on a stump before she sat crossed legged on the hard dirt in front of me. I wiped another round of tears from my eyes while she patted my knee.

“I think it’s time to explain some things to you, Luna.” Her midnight eyes bore into my blank golden gaze. “Doc can’t figure out how to say it without startling you since our family here is made up of shape shifters, and everyone else is too scared to spill the beans.”

“What?” I shook my head as her words sank in; of course, everyone was hiding something, but I already guessed.

“You are the last shifting werewolf, Dahlia. There are things you should know about; maybe they’ll keep you safe, or maybe not. But you deserve answers!”

“Viper?”

“Shape shifters killed the wolves!”