Riley's Curse, A Moon's Glow Prequel (9 page)

I took off into the forest desperately
hungry, in hunt for something to eat. I quickly devoured two
rabbits, but it wasn’t enough. I raced through the forest, flying
over tree stumps, thickets and fallen branches, in search of
something bigger. I was hoping for a deer but when I found one, I
couldn’t catch it on my own. I caught a few small animals, but they
barely quenched my appetite, and I was still savagely hungry. I had
been running for miles when I heard sounds of the town. Maddened
with starvation, the wolf had fully taken over, and I couldn’t
distinguish the different noises. I was so far gone, that human
sounds meant nothing to me.

I came up to the edge of the woods when I
smelled an enticing aroma. The heart was beating and the blood
flowing through the veins of my prey was mouth watering. I acted on
instinct, I was a wild animal, a hunter, and I needed to feed. All
I focused on was that scent. I found my meal lying under a tree. I
ate my fill, and once I was satisfied, I ran off to the deep cover
of the forest to sleep.

Something was splashing my face. I winked
and blinked as water dripped onto my eyelids.
Was someone pouring water on
me?
As I slowly regained
consciousness, I felt the hard ground under me. I opened my tired
eyes and glanced around. I was lying in the middle of a thicket of
thorn bushes, and it was sprinkling. The sky was a dull grey and
clouds hovered above.
How did I get here
? I asked myself as I slowly sat up, digging a
thorn into my scalp. I yelped and ducked down on all fours crawling
out into the open.

My body was covered in fresh scratches,
but I also noticed new scars that must have happened when I crawled
into the thicket in the first place.
How did I get here and why am I naked and
covered in blood
? The
answer came right away, the full moon. And with that thought, I
remembered how the wolf had overtaken me, but that was where my
memory failed. I couldn't recall what I did last night or how I
came to be lying in the middle of the forest.

I didn’t know where I was, but with my
heightened sense of smell I was able to find my way back to the
cabin. Walking barefoot through the thick brush left scratches on
my already dirty and bloodied body.

After I washed up and dressed, I made myself
the last of the eggs for breakfast, realizing that my lack of
nutrition was surely the cause of the wolf taking over last night.
The only thing I had to go on was the last full moon, and since I
was lucid then, it had to mean I needed to eat. That was the only
difference between the two days. I wasn't hungry the first time,
and I remembered everything. I couldn’t recall what happened last
night, and the thought that I had no control over my own body
frightened me immensely.

I went to town that afternoon to mail some
letters to my family and pick up more supplies. My father had sent
more funds, and with them I was able to get all the food I needed.
I was standing in line to pay for my goods when I overheard a few
people talking.

“Can you believe it? He was killed by an
animal. The sheriff says it was most likely a wolf.” I tensed,
clenching my hands into fists, shattering the glass jar in my hand,
blood dripped onto the wooden floor. Thankfully everyone was too
interested in the gossip to notice.

As I bent down to clean up my mess, I
listened carefully to the rest of the conversation. “Yes, Thomas
said he left the tavern and could barely stand. The last anyone saw
of him, he was lying under a pine tree just outside of
town.”

I gulped, my mouth suddenly went dry. As
soon as I heard the words, the events of last night played out in
my mind.
The
wolf that killed that man…was me.

I paid for my things quickly, rushing out of
the store. People gaped at me as I bumped into them, not caring who
I brushed up against as I made my escape. The prominent thought in
my mind as I made my journey back to the cabin was that I had
become a monster--exactly like my maker.

When I arrived home, I was upset and
disgusted with myself. I couldn’t believe what I had done. To take
another life was what I had feared would happen. How could I do
such a thing? Was I turning into Charlotte? I had been sure that
living in isolation would have prevented this.

Something had to change. I knew that if I
continued to kill, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. The
thought of taking my own life entered my mind again, but the memory
of what happened last time quickly erased the idea. I was a monster
and I would just have to live with it.

I dumped the supplies onto the table before
heading back outside to split wood. It was a good way to clear my
head. My mind started to wander as I chopped, throwing the pieces
of oak in a pile close to the cabin. I contemplated my options.
Option one: give into the monster, become like Charlotte. It seemed
inevitable anyway. If I let the wolf take over I could just excuse
my behavior. I was a werewolf, I couldn’t help myself. I tried to
picture myself killing someone on purpose and I almost vomited at
the thought. My parents had taught me to treat others well, respect
my fellow man. It was engrained in my being, and one bite could not
change that.

I'm not a
murderer
. I'd just have
to come up with a plan to be a werewolf and be able to control the
urges. What was it that Charlotte had said the last night I saw
her.? "If you fight your wild side, the wolf wins. If you embrace
it, you control the wolf." Yes, I had lost control once, but that
had to be because I had starved myself, therefore starving the
wolf. I fought my wild side and the wolf won this time. Now if I
embrace it, by eating twice the amount I usually do, and changing
more than just once a month, I might be able to control it.
Charlotte had said that I could, and it wouldn't hurt as much the
more I changed. I liked that idea, because the two times I had
turned, the pain was unbearable. I wasn’t sure if my idea would
work, but it was all I had, and I wasn’t willing to accept option
one. The wolf may be a killer, but I wasn’t.

That afternoon, I set my plan in motion. I
ate an enormous lunch of stuffed chicken, and a loaf of Clara's
baked bread. Afterward, I set out for the woods to try and change
on command. I didn't know if I could do it since Charlotte had
never shown me, but I had to try. I got down on my hands and knees,
my fingers digging into the soft dirt, and my knees resting in a
patch of thistles, and willed the wolf to come out. I focused on
memory, trying to feel the wolf in my mind, visualizing hairs
growing on my body, my limbs snapping and reforming. Besides a
slight tingle, nothing happened. I stayed in the position for about
an hour without any results. Finally, I gave up.

Since that wasn't going to work out, I needed
something to do. I had decided not to dwell on my problems and try
to be happy with what I had. I didn't have any family or friends,
but I had the horses and they were slowly warming up to me. I had
been taking them each for runs, and letting them loose in the
meadow.

Today, since I had given up my quest to
change into a wolf, I decided to play with the horses. We were
frolicking in the pen--well they were doing the frolicking, I was
watching-- when I had an idea. I opened the gate, and stood by
Franklin, holding his bit. I started to run with him, and
eventually let him go, and quickened my pace. When I first realized
my unusual abilities, my parents thought I had outrun the horses. I
wanted to see if I could, by racing them. When I let him go, he
slowed. I turned around. "Come on Franklin, are you chicken?" I
taunted. He slowed even more, and huffed at me. "Fine, you give up,
but I won't." I turned around and again accelerated my pace. I was
halfway to my marker when I heard hoof beats coming up behind me. I
titled my head to see Franklin on my heels. This only made me run
faster and I pulled away from him. I made it to the edge of the
fence seconds before Franklin. So the answer to my question
was--yes, I could outrun a horse.

By the time I went in for the night, I was in
a good mood, nothing like exercise to lift your spirits.

The next day I tried to turn into a wolf
again, this time using my anger, remembering what Charlotte did,
not only to me, but to the town of Creekford. She had taken away
Lucy, Samuel, and me. Then I pictured what I would do to her if I
saw her again, and suddenly I was seething. I was so angry, I
lifted up my chin and let out a howl, it started out human, and
then clearly became wild. My body tingled and I exploded into a
wolf. It was much faster using my anger, and even though it was
still excruciating, it happened so fast, the pain was forgotten
instantly. And thankfully with all the food I had been eating, I
was in control. I was Nathaniel, only in a different form. With my
small victory, I took off into the forest to practice hunting. I
was alone so I needed to find a way to take down bigger
animals.

Over the next few weeks, I ate a lot, and
frequently. I became more active, finding projects around the
cabin, and taking the horses out for a run, sometimes I rode them,
other times, we raced. And when I turned into the wolf, I practiced
hunting, hiding behind bushes watching the deer, learning their
habits. My goal was to one day take one down by myself. It was a
challenge, and it took a lot of my time, but that was something I
had plenty of.

During the next rise of the full moon, I was
in complete control, staying close to the cabin. After a few months
I even enjoyed these nights. I felt liberated, like nobody could
harm me. I was a wolf, king of the forest and nothing could touch
me.

My family visited about six months after I
left home. I had finally learned to live with my condition and
realized it didn’t have to be the end of the world

I made dinner for them: roast chicken,
potatoes, and green beans. I worked hard on the meal, trying to
show my parents that I could make it on my own. I knew they worried
about me and I wanted to take some of the burden off of them.

While the food was cooking my father sat down
at the table and said that he had something he wanted to speak to
me about. He told me that Mr. Matthews was moving, and wanted my
father to buy the Baycrest General Store.

“I was hoping you would run it, Son. You know
how to do it just as well as I do. And it will give you something
to occupy your time.”

I agreed immediately. I was so bored I could
barely stand my own thoughts.

My mother stepped into the kitchen, filling
the air with the scent of roses, taking the seat across from her
husband. She was beautiful, her long blue flowered dress filled out
in the center, almost ready to give birth. "Did I hear correctly?
Did he agree?" she asked him.

He nodded. "Yes."

She turned to me, her face beaming. "I'm so
glad."

Since dinner was ready I called my sisters to
the table. They had been outside, exploring my new grounds.

We all took our seats, the girls sat quietly.
Rose avoided my eyes. I was worried she would think differently of
me. My parents had told her about my new condition before they
traveled here. And apparently she didn't take it well.

"I'm surprised, Nathaniel. I didn't realize
you could cook," my mother said, after she tasted the chicken. She
smiled warmly at me, relief shining on her face.

"I used to watch you and Jane cook,
remember?"

"Of course, but I didn't think that you
actually paid attention."

I laughed softly. "Neither did I." My parents
joined in my laughter. A clanging sound erupted from across the
table.

We all turned to face Rose; she had thrown
her fork onto her full plate.

She was frowning at us, her eyes narrowed.
"How can you all laugh like everything is normal?" Her voice was
shrill and slightly raised. To speak out this way was uncommon for
my sister. She was a well behaved twelve year old, never giving my
parents much trouble.

My mother reached over to touch her hand.
"Rose, calm down. Everything will be fine."

Rose closed her eyes with her head pointed to
her lap. "No it won't, he's not even human." Her words caused me
pain. But by now I was used to the ache in my chest.

"Rose!" My father's voice was harsh, and full
of reprimand.

Rose looked up at us, her eyes wide and
red. "It's true isn't it?" She pushed her chair away from the
table, making a loud
squawk
,
and stormed outside.

The room was silent after she left, my
parents glancing down at their plates, Mary staring wide eyed with
a confused expression on her face.

I pushed my chair back and stood up from the
table.

"Nathaniel, let me," my mother said reaching
up to touch my hand.

"No Mother, I'll handle it."

My father nodded at me, lifting up his glass
to take a drink of wine.

I found her sitting on the porch. I had just
finished building it yesterday. All that was here when I had
arrived were two rickety steps. She was huddled on the swing which
I had also made. “Rose, I know you are nervous around me, but I
want you to know that I am learning to deal with this, and I would
never hurt you.” My voice was gentle, just above a whisper. I
didn't want to scare her.

“I know,” her voice broke as she turned her
head away, looking at the horses grazing in the pasture. “I hate
that woman." It was obvious she was referring to Charlotte. "But
Mama said it is wrong to hate,” she whispered with her head still
turned away from me.