Wild Hunt

~ Chapter One ~

------------------  ~☽ ◯ ☾~  ------------------

~  Chapter One  ~

"...wolf packs function as families. Everyone has a role, and if you act within the parameters of your role, the whole pack succeeds and when that falls apart, so does the pack."

Jodi Picoult

------------------  ~☽ ◯ ☾~  ------------------

I ran through the forest. The land seemed to move beneath my feet, falling and rising like the muscled chest of a lover as he breathed the scent of his woman and revelled in her touch. It felt so right; the hard ground breaking my leaps through the air, the distant thudding of my feet against dirt, rock and grass. It was a personal accompaniment to the loud beatings of my heart and the untimely rasps of my breath as the cold air seared my lungs to the point where it felt like I was breathing fire.

I felt free.

The wafting scent of the forest ensnared my senses, urging me on like the sweetest drug, promising me a high I could never imagine. The fresh raindrops sitting daintily on the baby leaves, the homely smell of decomposing bark and dirt that reminded me of must, the faint whisper of decay as Autumn dared to break through the lovely visions of summer. Everything was alive and moving, even the oaky trees danced in the wind, uttering a song that only the Goddess understood. They were wise beings, grown accustomed to the ways of life and death. Sometimes I tried to listen to their often ignored murmurings, but they never whispered a secret. Perhaps it was not for my ears to hear.

I smiled madly as I felt the skin of the forest, running my hands against the velvet moss as I climbed the rocks, clinging to the bark and feeling its flaky skin as I skipped amongst the trees. I loved it when it was almost full moon. My senses were always heightened and it felt like my eyes had just opened and grasped the beauty of the paradise that surrounded me. It was my spirit that gave me this insight, stronger now then any other time, my Stag sensing the forest for me.

My ears pricked at the distant sound of running water, like the faint chuckling of children. Veering off to the right I made a detour, but I would not get lost. I had been roaming these woods ever since my mother had enrolled me at Lupas High Boarding School. I didn't dwell long on the idea of that oppressing abode, it reminded me of an iron cage.

I laughed breathlessly as I came to the small clearing, my legs screaming with exhaustion but my hunger for open spaces and fresh air was still unquenched. The smooth pebbles clattered beneath my feet as I stumbled onto the rocky bank, wandering aimlessly along the shoreline before daring to cross the river.

I hopped nimbly from rock to rock, confident by experience. Across the opposite bank I sunk to the waters edge and dipped my slender hand into the crystalline waters. It was crisp and cool, so cold in fact that my fingers began to freeze. I stared, transfixed by the swirls and eddies, as my hands turned pale and numb.

"Tired yet?" a quizzical voice called from across the water. I yanked my hand out of the water and braced my legs, instinctively ready to bolt. I let myself relax as Faolan flashed me a toothy grin. I hadn't heard him approaching, I had been too enwrapped in my surroundings, I should have known better. Silently chiding myself I bent down and brought a cupped hand of water to my dry mouth. The gasp of satisfaction that left my lips made Faolan twitch. I knew because I had felt the air shudder. It was too close to full moon, this was dangerous.