Morning walk

The next day, the sheet was plucked off me very early before the sun even rose. I sat up in bed, my body shuddering, knees pressed into my chest, my fist rubbing my eyes as I tried to fight off sleep. 

Mariamme stood at the edge of the bed, in a matching brown leggings and camisole, her hair packed into a tight ponytail. No sweater, I was almost wondering how she wasn’t as cold and shivering as I was until I remembered she was a werewolf. 

“Rise and shine!” she beamed. The yellow bulb above the room flickered off and on, illuminating an orange hue against her pale skin. “Get out of bed, we’ve got work to do.”

She left before I could even protest or give a response. I noticed the snowshoes she had on. And how fit she looked in that outfit she had chosen.

I looked in the direction of the window, the sky was painted dark blue, and it was barely even morning yet. And all through the night, it had been snowing endlessly, the entire window was covered in white sheets, and I was sure outside was much colder, icier than it felt inside this cabin. I shuddered, my teeth gnashing. 

I shook my head, trembling, there was no way I was going ahead in such an insane cold. “But, but it’s cold,” I muttered the words to myself more than to anyone else, my voice barely rising above a shaky whisper. But Mariamme must have heard me because her voice rang out from the other room, sharp and teasing.

“Cold builds character!” she called, the clatter of something metallic echoing from where she was. “You’ll thank me later.”

“Thank you for what? Frostbite?” I mumbled under my breath, dragging the quilt tighter around me. My limbs were stiff, my body aching from head to toe. The idea of stepping out into the freezing wilderness felt like a cruel joke.

But then I heard her footsteps returning, each creak of the wooden floor growing louder until she stood in the doorway, arms crossed, her expression less playful now. “You’ve got two options,” she said, her tone firm. “You can stay here, alone, and hope nothing comes sniffing around… or you can come with me and actually learn how to survive.”

Her words sent a chill down my spine that had nothing to do with the cold. The way she said “something sniffing around” made it clear she wasn’t talking about wildlife. My eyes flicked to the window again, the thick frost on the glass doing little to hide the shadows of the forest beyond. My stomach twisted.

“What if I freeze out there?” I tried, my voice small.

She tilted her head, her ponytail swaying, and smirked. “You won’t. You’ve got me.” She stepped aside, motioning toward the door. “Now, get dressed. You’ve got five minutes, or I’ll drag you out in that nightgown.”

I groaned, reluctantly tossing the quilt aside. The chill bit at my skin immediately, making me hiss as I swung my legs over the edge of the bed. The wooden floor was freezing under my bare feet, sending another shiver through me. Mariamme tossed something at me—a thick, woolen sweater and a pair of heavy socks—and then disappeared again.

Muttering under my breath, I pulled the sweater over my head and shoved my feet into the socks. Each movement felt like a small act of rebellion, but I knew there was no point in arguing. Mariamme didn’t seem like the type to back down. And as much as I hated to admit it, a small part of me felt safer knowing she was there.

When I finally stepped out of the room, bundled up in layers, Mariamme was waiting by the door, her snowshoes already strapped on, a pack slung over her shoulder. She tossed me a pair of gloves without a word, along with a pair of snowshoes. She watched as I tried them now, probably hoping it fit as much as I did. It would work, it was the perfect size.

I stood up straight. She looked over me in approval and then pushed the cabin door open. A blast of icy air rushed in, making me recoil instinctively.

“Come on,” she said, stepping out into the snow like it was nothing, her breath visible in the freezing air. “The longer you stall, the harder this will be.”

I hesitated, standing in the doorway, staring out at the endless expanse of white. The snow had piled up high overnight, covering everything in a pristine, untouched layer. The trees loomed in the distance, their branches hung low with ice.

I clenched my fists, pulling the gloves on as I stepped out into the cold. The wind bit at my face, cutting through the layers, and I swore under my breath. Mariamme turned back to look at me, her grin wide and smug.

“See? Not so bad,” she said, her voice carrying easily through the stillness.

I glared at her, my teeth chattering as I stumbled to catch up. “You’re insane,” I muttered, but deep down, I couldn’t shake the feeling that she might be right. This wasn’t going to kill me.

At least, I hoped not. I wasn’t as strong as she was, not even half way close. She was a werewolf who had all her powers bloom which explained how she could walk in this freezing weather with spaghetti straps, camisoles and thin leggings. I didn’t even have a wolf and even though I had layers of clothes on, I was still very very cold, and freezing. 

She led the path to the forest, storming through the snow like they were nothing while I stumbled to catch up with her, my lips quivering. 

“We’re not heading to the city proper today!” Mariamme called out, her voice cutting through the biting wind. She didn’t slow her pace, her strides sure and steady despite the snow that swallowed my boots with every step. “I heard… news!”

I struggled to keep up, my lips trembling as I tried to form a response. “What news? They know I’m here now?” I managed to say between chattering teeth. My breath clouded in the cold air as I looked around, my heart pounding faster than the exertion of walking could explain.

Mariamme glanced over her shoulder, her expression darkening. “Not yet. But Alpha Zael’s sorceress must have sensed a shift in the atmosphere. Someone who doesn’t belong is here, and it’s only a matter of time before she figures out it’s you.”

“A shift in the atmosphere?” I frowned, stumbling forward. “How does me being here cause something like that?”

Mariamme waved the question away with a sharp gesture. “Have you seen the shadows on the windows at night?” she asked instead, her tone brisk.

My stomach tightened at the memory. “Yes,” I admitted hesitantly. “I thought I was imagining them.”

“You weren’t,” she said flatly. “They’re real. They’re the Umbra Guardians.”

I stopped dead in my tracks, staring at her in disbelief. “The what?”

She turned, the wind catching her hair as she faced me. Her pale face was serious now, any trace of her earlier smirk gone. “The Umbra Guardians,” she repeated. “They only protect the good from evil. They’re shielding you, but their powers won’t last forever. When they weaken, the sorceress will sense you immediately, and there’ll be no hiding after that.”

The weight of her words sank into me, heavy and suffocating. My voice was barely a whisper. “What’s the evil they’re protecting me from?”

Mariamme’s lips quirked into a humorless smile, her eyes gleaming with something I couldn’t quite place. “Alpha Zael,” she said simply, the name falling from her lips like a curse.

A sharp, bone-chilling howl tore through the air before I could respond. My blood ran cold, and my feet froze in place. The sound was close—too close. Mariamme’s entire body tensed, her head snapping toward the direction of the howl. Her eyes glinted dangerously, and her posture shifted, ready for a fight.

“Stay behind me,” she ordered, her voice low and commanding. Her casual demeanor was gone, replaced by the predator she truly was. I nodded, my heart hammering as the forest around us seemed to close in, the once distant shadows pressing closer. I stumbled towards her, my body shuddering, my breath escaping my mouth and nostrils in fog-like mist, spiralling into the air overhead. If anything, I knew I couldn’t put up a fight with a pup, talkless of a wolf, but I trusted Mariamme enough to grasp at her wrist from behind, my pulse pounding behind my ears. 

She braced herself for action. Her head whipped left, and then right, as if trying to pinpoint where the sounds came from. I couldn’t hear anything since the first howl, all that filled my ears now were just the whistling of wind in the forest. Piled up snows occasionally slid off the trees overhead, and hit the ground with soft thuds, and then nothing. My werewolf hearing was just as useless as any human’s—no offense. 

The sound of the snapping twig echoed louder than it should have, slicing through the silence like a blade. My breath caught in my throat as Mariamme and I turned simultaneously toward the source of the sound. The forest seemed to hold its breath, the oppressive stillness making the pounding of my heart thunder in my ears.

And then it happened.

A massive figure exploded from the shadows, its movements fluid and terrifyingly fast. A wolf—no, not just a wolf. This creature was enormous, its coat a sleek, majestic gray that shimmered under the pale light filtering through the trees. Its glowing amber eyes locked onto us, its snarl reverberating through the cold air like a growl of thunder. The sheer size of it was paralyzing; its shoulders alone towered above me even from a distance.

I didn’t have time to react.

Mariamme moved faster than I thought possible. In one fluid motion, she shoved me backward, her hand striking my chest with enough force to send me flying. My back slammed into a tree, the impact knocking the air from my lungs. I collapsed into the snow, gasping, the cold biting at my exposed skin as I struggled to regain my breath. My chest heaved, every inhale like shards of glass slicing through my throat.

From where I lay, I watched in wide-eyed horror as Mariamme stood her ground, her posture low and ready, a feral snarl tearing from her lips. Her body trembled, not with fear, but with the raw energy of her impending shift. Her muscles rippled beneath her skin, her nails sharpening into claws, her eyes glowing a fierce golden hue that cut through the dim light. She was halfway between human and wolf, her form distorted by the transition.

But then—she stopped.

The tension in her body eased slightly, her chest heaving as she straightened just a fraction. Her claws remained, her breaths shallow and quick, but her posture softened. I heard her exhale softly. “Trey?