Riley's Curse, A Moon's Glow Prequel (6 page)

I snarled a warning at her to make her stop,
but she continued, swatting me with her tail. I bit down on her
neck trying to pull her away, her blood seeped into my mouth and my
wolf relished the taste. She yelped, and then growled fiercely at
me, baring her bloody fangs. I pounced, biting and growling shoving
her to the ground. But she was stronger. She ripped my neck and I
howled in pain falling into a patch of mud. Charlotte wasn’t
concerned at all that she had hurt me. She just went back to her
meal as though I wasn’t even there.

A quick glance at Samuel told me that it was
too late to save him anyway. Just like Lucy, he stared at me with
lifeless eyes. The image brought back the pain from a month ago and
I ran to escape my thoughts. I ended up back at the stream. Since I
was here, I washed my wounds in the clear, cool water.

Charlotte came back a few minutes later to
wipe the blood off of her fur. I growled menacingly, but she didn’t
even look up at me. When I finished washing, I decided I couldn’t
stand to be around her any longer so I took off, heading back to
our clothes, disgusted with her, and myself.

About halfway to my destination, I heard
laughter and voices. I stopped to listen, trying to figure out
where it was coming from. Closing my eyes, I focused on the sounds
of the forest, blocking out all other noises. The voices were mixed
with the sound of waves washing on the shore, and the smell of
smoke, a bonfire. I found them; they were coming from the
northwest, at the lake.
Oh no, my friends
. With everything that had happened since I had
spoken to Eva, I had forgotten about my previous plans.

I took off in the direction of the beach,
hoping that Charlotte hadn’t heard what I had. As I ran, I heard
rodents and small animals, scurrying away, jumping out from my
path. I was a hunter and now feared, it made my chest puff up and
the urge to chase was hard to resist, but I remembered my task, to
keep Charlotte away from my friends. My paws dug into the hard
ground, forcing my limbs to speed up. I jumped over a fallen tree
branch and almost skidded into a tree stump, I righted myself
quickly, flying over the under growth and brush
.
I was almost there when I saw her sneaking toward
the lake. She hadn’t noticed me yet, so I sped up, running at high
speed to reach my friends before she did. She was ahead of me, but
I was faster and I reached the clearing first.

There, in a circle around a fire, with smoke
rolling up into the air, were all of my friends. If I hadn’t turned
into a freak of nature, I would have been with them, sharing in
their laughter, singing songs and telling ghost stories.

Charlotte growled a warning to me, but I
ignored her, running out to the edge of the trees, I started to
howl.

“Oh my goodness, what is that, Henry?” Eva
yelled.

Henry saw me, his eyes widened with fear. No
one else noticed where the howl was coming from. “It’s a wolf, a
very large one. Everybody, back away slowly.” I could smell his
fear, but his voice was calm as he took charge. I was proud to be
his friend.

Everyone moved slowly just as Henry
instructed, but it was taking too long. Charlotte was not far, I
could smell her just behind me, hidden behind a sumac bush. When I
heard the movement in the brush, I knew she was about to pounce. I
couldn't let her hurt them; she had taken enough from this town. I
growled at my friends and ran straight at Henry.

They took off running. Even though this was
the only way to make them leave, I feared this would set Charlotte
off with the urge to chase and I was right. She took off in full
speed in the direction of Eva who was the slowest.

I barreled into Charlotte knocking her down.
My friends were able to escape in their horse and buggies while I
struggled to keep her from attacking them. We fought for a long
time, growling and biting at each other. Her claws dug into me more
times than I cared to remember, but I also got in a few good bites
and scratches as well, the scent of her blood just spurred me
on.

When they were out of sight, Charlotte gave
up with a huff and a snarl, taking off in the direction of the
clearing where our clothes were.

When I arrived, she was standing motionless
with her head down concentrating until the change started.

I went behind a juniper bush and tried the
same thing. I imagined being human, picturing every part of my
body, until I felt a tingling along my limbs. It started with a
prickle that developed into a searing pain as my body changed form.
It was as painful turning into a human, as it was turning into a
wolf. My injuries, were nothing more than scars forced away by the
change, I would have to remember that.

When I felt normal again, I stood up and
quickly dressed. I stepped out from the bush, and Charlotte was
gone. Panicking, I took off after her, sniffing the air for her
scent. I found her at the edge of the road leading to my house.

I rushed over, about to strike her for
killing again, but when I stood in front of her with my hand
raised, I didn’t see the murderous wolf. I saw a woman, and I
couldn't do it, my father had taught me well. It was gratifying to
see a few scars on her forehead and cheek; I knew I had given them
to her.

“You coward!” she spat at me. “How dare you
come between me and my prey? If you do that again, I will eat you!”
Her eyes were filled with venom that matched her vicious tone.

I was not afraid of her, at this moment I
was so livid, I almost shook with intensity. “You’re a murderer!
You didn’t need to kill them.
Your belly was full of deer
and rabbit, al
l you wanted was
the kill. The next time I will stop you!”

Her eyes narrowed, turning yellow. Now that I
was her equal, she no longer frightened me. “Do not forget what
happened here tonight. If I’m a murderer then so are you. I know
you craved the kill as much as I did. I could sense your urge to
feed.” Her voice was low and menacing.

I started to protest, but stopped and backed
away from her. She was right. When I smelled Samuel's blood, my
mouth had watered. It didn't matter to my wolf side that it was
human blood. The only thing that stopped me from joining her was
that I knew him. If it had been a stranger, all the wolf inside me
would have seen was food. I was a murderer. I would kill sooner or
later, just like Charlotte.

She continued her speech, unaware of my
internal struggle. “You think I was never human. I rejected killing
at first, just like you. But in the end you can’t stop the wolf. If
you fight it, the wolf wins. If you embrace it, you control the
wolf. I will teach you everything. Meet me in the town square at
noon tomorrow. I’m taking the stage coach to the next town.”

I was stunned silent. Everything that
happened and would happen played out in my mind and it all added up
to one thing. I was a monster.

Charlotte started to walk away then turned
back to me. “Noon, remember. If you’re not there, I will leave
without you.” She paused and then smiled. “Goodbye handsome
Nathaniel.” With that she strolled away as if she didn’t have a
care in the world, her blue striped dress billowed out behind
her.

My world spun. I felt dizzy and terrified.
How could I live with my family? What if I woke one morning as a
wolf? Would I kill one of my sisters? I couldn’t do that. I
wouldn’t. I couldn’t risk my family. There was only one thing to
do. I ran home, determined of my new course.

In my father’s crowded office, I lit a
lantern and started searching for what I needed. I tore papers out
of drawers, books off of shelves. Finally, in the back corner of my
father’s desk, I found the bullets I had been looking for. In
another desk drawer I found the pistol my father had recently
purchased after the general store was robbed. It was wrapped in
newsprint.

I tore the paper away, throwing it to the
floor, and rushed outside.

I had almost made it to my destination, under
the cover of the trees, when I heard my father’s voice.
“Nathaniel!”

I spun around with the pistol in my right
hand, pointed to the ground. “I’m sorry, Father, but I have to
protect our family.”

My father’s eyes widened with fear. “Son,
what are you doing with my pistol? Put it down now. I mean it.” He
was holding his hands up as though I was a jittery colt.

Tears poured down my face. “I’m sorry,
Father, but I have to. That thing that killed Lucy was the woman at
the store. She bit me that night, and now I am like her, a
werewolf. A monster!” I screamed.

He started to come closer.

“No, stay where you are. I don’t want to hurt
you.” He stopped about ten feet from me. I could smell fear coming
from him. “Tonight Charlotte and I became wolves and I watched her
kill Eva’s brother. I tried to stop her but she was stronger than
me. If I hadn't gotten her away from my other friends, she would
have killed them too. Father, I am like her. I have to protect
you.” I lifted the pistol and pointed it at my temple, the cold
metal was a shock to my over-heated skin.

“Nooo! Nathaniel, please don’t do this. You
are not a monster. I believe what you say. I’ve noticed you
changing, but if anyone can fight it, it’s you.”

I wanted to believe him, but I knew better. I
lowered the pistol and stared down at it, the moon shone onto the
metal creating a glow. It was a sign, and I knew I was doing the
right thing. “Tonight when she killed him, the only reason I didn’t
join her was because I knew who he was. If it was a stranger, the
wolf inside me would have taken over.” I was whispering, afraid of
my own words.

He was standing in front of me now. I was
lost in my thoughts and hadn’t notice him approach. He took the
pistol from my hands.

“No Father, please don’t try and stop me. I
could kill Mary or Rose. When I am a wolf, I do not see people, I
see easy prey. And since they are children I would go for them
before you. I am a monster and I must be stopped. Please kill me."
I gulped. "Or I will kill your daughters.” I yelled the last words,
trying to force him to do what was right. His eyes widened and he
slowly raised the pistol.

I closed my eyes and waited. But nothing
happened. I opened them and saw my father crying. A sight, I had
never before seen in all of my eighteen years.

“I can’t do it. You are my son.” He still had
the pistol pointed at me, but his hands were shaking.

“Do it Father, or I will! Do it!” I
shouted.

His eyes were tortured. “I cannot,” he
whispered lowering the weapon.

I grabbed it, aimed and pulled the trigger,
the pistol exploded in my hand leaving a ringing in my ears. Just
then, my farther hit the barrel and the bullet lodged into my
shoulder, instead of my target--the heart.

I fell to the ground. My father stepped back
in shock, his eyes wide. Then gaining his senses, he pushed his
hands onto my shoulder trying to stop the blood. “Nathaniel how
could you? I can’t lose you. Why?” He fell on top of me,
weeping.

I felt tingling where the bullet went in,
then pressure. I pushed my father up and lifted my shirt. We both
sat and watched the bullet fall out of my shoulder.

My father watched in disbelief as my wound
slowly healed. He stumbled back, as if he had been burned.

I bent down, resting my head on my knees in
defeat. I was a monster and there was nothing I could do about
it.

He sat across from me on the grass thinking.
His head was lowered, resting in his hands.

After a few minutes, my father lifted his
head. “You will go. We will pack your things while they sleep and
you will live at our old cabin in Baycrest. The cabin is isolated,
surrounded by forest. If you stay around the property, there won’t
be a problem. If anyone can fight this, it’s you. I believe in you,
Son.”

His confidence gave me hope.

I thought about it. “Charlotte said I will
only change once a month on the full moon. I can make sure I stay
at the cottage on those days. But how will I live? I have no
money.”

“I will give you what I have saved for you to
go to school, you can’t go now. And I will send you bank drafts
monthly. We must change your name and I will send funds to the post
office in Baycrest.”

I had hope for the first time in two days.
“I’ll do it.”

My father and I packed up my belongings.
While I was out at the old buggy loading my things, my mother came
out of the house.

“You cannot leave me,” she said touching my
face with her hand. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. She smelled
of roses; I would miss that scent while I was gone.

I held the hand she had resting on my face.
“Mother I must, it is the only way. Did Father tell you?”

She pulled her hand away, turned her head and
nodded.

“I am so sorry Mother, but this is the only
way to protect you, Father and the girls.”

She turned back to me, her face was
determined. “You will beat this. I know it. You are a strong man.
You go and learn to control what you are. But I
will
see you again. You are my child.” She took me in
her arms and held me tight. “I love you,” she whispered, then ran
into the house. With her light colored dress, she looked like a
ghost in the night.

I stood motionless watching her. Leaving them
would be the hardest thing I had ever done, but it was something
that I knew I must do.

My father came out carrying the bedding from
my bed, placing it in the buggy. “There are a few cartons of food
your mother wants you to take. Have you got everything you
need?”

I nodded. “Nearly, I just want to look in my
room to make sure.”