Chapter 56 Solo Trial
POV: Luna
I meet Professor Cael at the edge of the forest just as the sun dips below the horizon.
The sky is painted in shades of orange and purple, but I barely notice. All I can think about is how tired I am.
Last night I broke out of the Academy to search for Miguel.
Tonight I'm being sent into the same forest to hunt a rogue creature.
Alone.
"You look exhausted," Professor Cael observes.
"I'm fine."
"You're not. But you'll have to be." He hands me a small vial. "This will sharpen your senses. Help you track."
I take it and drink it down. It tastes like dirt and mint.
Almost immediately, my vision sharpens. I can see individual leaves on trees fifty yards away. Can hear the heartbeat of a rabbit hiding in the underbrush.
"The target is a rogue wolf that's been spotted near the eastern boundary," Professor Cael says. "It's been attacking livestock in the human world. We need it subdued and brought back for assessment."
"Subdued, not killed?"
"If possible. We want to understand what's making these wolves go rogue. But if it's you or the creature, choose yourself."
He hands me a small tracking device. It glows with a faint blue light.
"This will lead you to the general area. After that, you'll need to rely on your instincts."
"What if I can't find it?"
"You will. Eclipse wolves are natural hunters. Trust your mark."
I look down at my wrist. The crescent moon symbol is already glowing faintly in the dying light.
"You have until dawn," Professor Cael says. "Good luck, Miss Eclipse."
He turns and walks back toward the Academy, leaving me alone at the forest's edge.
I take a deep breath and step into the trees.
The tracking device pulls me east, deeper into the forest. The undergrowth is thick here, making it hard to move quietly.
But the potion Professor Cael gave me is working. My senses are on fire. I can smell everything. The moss on the trees. The decay of fallen leaves. And underneath it all, something else.
Something wrong.
The scent of rogue wolf.
I follow it, letting my instincts guide me. The tracking device grows brighter as I get closer.
After about thirty minutes, I reach a clearing bathed in moonlight.
And I see it.
The rogue wolf is massive, easily twice the size of a normal wolf. Its fur is matted and dark, and its eyes glow that sickly red color I've come to associate with corruption.
It's feeding on something. A deer, from the looks of it.
I stay hidden behind a tree, watching. Trying to figure out my approach.
The wolf's movements are jerky. Unnatural. Like it's fighting against its own body.
Professor Cael was right. Something is very wrong with this creature.
I need to get closer. Need to subdue it without getting killed.
I let my wolf come forward. Just a partial shift. Claws extend. Senses sharpen even more. Muscles strengthen.
But the moment I shift, the rogue's head snaps up.
It smells me.
Those red eyes lock onto my hiding spot, and it snarls.
So much for the element of surprise.
The rogue charges.
I barely have time to dodge before it crashes into the tree where I was standing. The impact shakes the whole trunk.
I roll to the side and come up in a crouch, claws ready.
The rogue circles me, growling low in its throat.
"Easy," I say, though I know it can't understand me. "I don't want to hurt you."
It lunges again.
This time I'm ready. I sidestep and rake my claws across its flank as it passes.
The rogue yelps and spins, faster than something that size should be able to move.
It catches my arm with its teeth.
Pain explodes through me, but I don't let go. I punch it in the snout with my free hand, hard enough to make it release me.
We separate, both bleeding, both wary.
The rogue is panting, foam dripping from its jaws.
And that's when I see it.
Around its neck, barely visible through the matted fur, is a collar. Not a normal collar. This one glows with faint symbols.
Magic.
Someone put a spell on this wolf. Someone made it go rogue.
"You're being controlled," I whisper.
The rogue shakes its head violently, like it's trying to dislodge something. For just a moment, the red in its eyes flickers. I see a flash of normal amber.
It's still in there. The real wolf. Fighting the corruption.
I make a decision.
Instead of attacking, I shift fully.
My bones crack and reshape. Fur sprouts across my skin. Within seconds, I'm on four legs, facing the rogue wolf as an equal.
The rogue hesitates.
In wolf form, I can communicate differently. Not with words, but with body language. Intent.
I lower my head slightly. Not submission, but not aggression either.
The rogue tilts its head, confused.
I take a step forward. Slow. Careful.
The rogue growls, but it's uncertain now.
Another step.
I'm close enough to see the collar clearly now. The symbols are pulsing in time with the wolf's heartbeat.
I need to get that collar off.
I lunge forward, not to attack, but to grab the collar with my teeth.
The rogue tries to twist away, but I'm faster. My jaws close around the leather band.
I pull.
Hard.
The collar tears free with a snap of breaking magic.
The effect is immediate.
The rogue collapses, whimpering. The red fades from its eyes, replaced by normal amber. The jerky, unnatural movements stop.
It's free.
But I'm not done yet.
The collar is still in my mouth, pulsing with dark magic. I spit it out and shift back to human form, grabbing it before it can roll away.
The symbols are still glowing. Still active.
Someone is going to want to see this.
A sound behind me makes me spin around.
There, at the edge of the clearing, I see them.
Eyes.
Glowing in the darkness.
Not red like the rogue's were. These are different. Watching. Intelligent.
And they're looking directly at me.
I take a step toward them, but they blink out.
Gone.
Like they were never there.
But I know what I saw.
Someone was watching me. Someone who put that collar on the rogue wolf.
Someone who wanted to see what would happen.
The freed wolf whimpers again, drawing my attention back.
It's conscious now, looking at me with confusion and fear.
"It's okay," I say softly. "You're free now."
The wolf staggers to its feet and limps away into the forest. Back to wherever it came from before someone corrupted it.
I'm left alone in the clearing, holding the cursed collar, with the knowledge that someone out there is creating rogue wolves on purpose.
And they just watched me figure it out.
I need to get back to the Academy. Need to show Professor Cael this collar.
But as I turn to leave, I feel it again.
That presence.
Watching.
Closer than before.
I scan the treeline, my newly shifted senses on high alert.
And there, barely visible between two trees, I see them again.
Eyes.
Glowing.
Closer this time.
Much closer.