SAVANNAH
I'd only ever heard of them in scary stories, the kind told to frighten misbehaving children.
They were so rare that hardly anyone had ever seen them, and those who did rarely lived to tell about it.
Beings made of pure darkness and evil, filled with rotten, murderous magic. Its red eyes, like two burning abysses, stared at me from a faceless void, and I trembled with fear.
A black mist shrouded its body, with long, hair-like tendrils hanging all around as it advanced towards me.
Its arms were grotesquely long and disproportionate, ending in massive, sharp claws that could rip through me with ease.
I crawled backward, dragging myself along the ground. I couldn't feel my legs. My heart pounded so fast; I thought it would stop at any moment.
I tried to stand, but my legs gave out again and again. It loomed over me, and through the darkness, I saw it open a mouth full of crooked teeth. It smiled—a smile so terrifying it made every hair on my body stand on end.
"AAAAHHH!" I screamed, covering my face as the menacing shadow swiftly enveloped me and began to engulf me in the darkness.
Suddenly, memories I hadn't thought of in years flooded my mind.
I was back in my childhood, happy with my parents. We used to go on vacations to a cabin by the lake. I'd fish, explore freely, but one day when I returned, I couldn't find them.
I remembered climbing the stairs, the thick smell of blood hitting me before I even opened the door. With trembling hands, I pushed it open.
There they were.
Their bodies, lifeless on the floor, while this same specter feasted on them, drinking their blood and tearing at their flesh.
It heard my scream from the doorway, and it turned to lunge at me too.
"I don't want to die. I want to live, I want to live!" That's what I thought then—and what I'm thinking now.
I shifted back into my human form, feeling pain beyond what anyone could bear, like my skin was being flayed alive.
Something awakened inside me. A fury I'd never known surged through my veins, a power filling every muscle with infinite strength.
I opened my eyes and roared at the darkness that engulfed me. My hands, now clawed, dug deep into the shadow. I didn't just want to fight it—I wanted to consume it, destroy it.
Raven wings began to flap around us, circling like a vortex. War cries echoed, and I could feel it—the specter was afraid.
Its power was being consumed by me as I screamed like a madwoman over its faceless darkness. It grew weaker, and now it was the one trying to escape from my claws.
"You're going to die, bastard! I won't let you kill anyone else like you did to my parents! I WON'T LET YOU!" I roared at it, and a sharp screech escaped its deformed mouth.
The ravens started attacking it too, as if the connection between us strengthened, as if they followed my will and obeyed my every desire.
My command.
"KILL, KILL, KILL!"
Following my instincts, I opened my mouth to absorb the black mist, the evil within it, but I underestimated its power.
I took on too much.
The power exploded inside me, too potent, and I collapsed unconscious, once again at the mercy of dangers around me.
***
MARIA
Hidden behind a bush, I could hardly believe what I was seeing.
I brought my hand to my mouth to keep from screaming in panic.
That woman—lying there, fighting the specter—she was battling that thing like it was just another opponent.
Then a flock of crows appeared, circling them, pecking at the specter.
How... how could it be possible that she was resisting, and worse yet, the specter screeched as if it felt pain, as if it was the one suffering?
The crows blocked some of my view, but I had no doubt. This had to be the woman they were searching for.
The one who could read the secret of the Goddess's altar.
If I could lead them to her, if I could have her captured, they'd finally leave us alone and return my older sister safely.
My heart pounded in my chest, a mixture of fear and hope.
But then, everything changed.
The crows flew away, leaving Savannah unconscious on the ground. The specter, however, fled from her as if it was... scared?
What was that maiden, really? She completely lied to us!
I got distracted for a second, just one second of turbulent thoughts, and it was the moment I lost my chance to escape.
A freezing chill ran down my spine, sweat soaking through my clothes.
I peeked over the bush where I was crouched. The shadow loomed over me, glaring at me, full of resentment and hatred.
In the distance, I heard the footsteps of those men drawing near. I would call them to lead them to Savannah, so they could capture her.
I thought about screaming for help, but when I opened my mouth, the scream died in my throat, lost forever in the darkness.
***
FENRIR
I arrived at the fair right after finishing my meeting with the Alpha of this pack.
That guy was definitely hiding something, but no matter how much I pressed him, he wouldn't budge.
I decided I'd investigate further, and if he really got on my nerves, I was simply going to force him to talk, one way or another.
But for now, my mind was elsewhere, thinking only of her and how coldly she had rejected me. It was for the best, I knew it, yet I still longed for things to be like they were before.
I wandered around the fair, asking about Savannah, but no one had seen her, and my worry started to grow.
Night was falling, and some stalls were already closing.
I lifted my head and sniffed the air, trying to catch her scent. Something smelled off, and my instincts immediately kicked in.
I started running through the dark forest, where a faint trace of my maiden's scent still lingered.
I reached an old temple—she had been here.
Circling the statue, I spotted dried drops of blood in the grass. It wasn't from our kind, and therefore, not Savannah's either, but someone very powerful.
I looked toward the forest, down another path, and continued searching for her in that direction.
The closer I got to the area, the stronger the stench of evil and fear became, along with the smell of stale blood.
I knew those scents far too well.
"No, please, don't let it be what I think. Not her too, please, not her!"
Panic began to grip me as memories assaulted my mind.
This time, I wouldn't be able to endure it again.
I arrived at the site and saw a corpse, stripped of skin, muscles, organs, everything, just a disgusting remnant of black slime clinging to the bones and hair.
One of those damned things did this—a specter of darkness.
I walked slowly toward the body, pain suffocating me, filling me with rage. But when I saw it wasn't her—the hair was different, the tattered clothes unfamiliar—I realized it was the Alpha's daughter.
"SAVANNAH! SAVANNAH!" I screamed, running frantically through the forest, desperate for any sign of her.
Aside from the stench of death, I detected that someone had sprayed a strong scent to cover their tracks.
I was about to shift into my Lycan form, and if I had to tear this damned pack apart piece by piece, I would. But then, a scream tore through the silence behind me.
I turned to see the Alpha and his mate. She was sobbing, covering her mouth, and he—he was screaming, calling his daughter's name. They must have felt the bond break when their daughter's wolf died.
The Alpha approached the corpse— his pain pouring out in torrents. "No, no, no, they promised me they wouldn't hurt her, my little girl, why? Why?! AAAAAHHHH, DAMN THEM, DAMN THEM!"
He howled in agony, and his mate collapsed. I couldn't care less about their family drama. I lunged at him, grabbing him by the collar, roaring in his face, seeing red, completely out of control.
"TELL ME RIGHT NOW WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING HERE AND WHERE THEY TOOK SAVANNAH OR YOU'LL DIE ALONG WITH YOUR DAUGHTER!"