"This is a bad idea." Luca's voice broke the silence as we stood on the brink of the Forbidden Forest, its soaring trees covered in a strange mist. Here the air was cooler, weighted with the type of quiet that made your skin crawl.
I remarked, clutching the pack's strap over my shoulder, "It's the only idea we have." While my heart was pounding, my speech remained steady.
"The pack elders forbid anyone from going in there for a reason, Aria," Luca said, his piercing grey eyes darting forward over the woodland. "This is the reason it's called forbidden."
"And the wolf keeps guiding us here for a reason," I said. "If we fail to decipher what it's trying to tell us, the competing pack will wipe us out—and the bond won't mean anything to anyone."
His jaw clenched, and for a split second I thought he would object. He then nodded and sighed in resignation. "Good. Still, keep close. Should anything happen, I am not wasting time attempting to rescue you.
Dryly, I murmured, moving past him into the woods.
The heavy canopy above blocked out what little light the crescent moon supplied as the jungle swallowed us completely. The air became thicker as we descended, weightless unseen weight crushing on my chest.
Do you share that? I questioned, looking at Luca from over my shoulder.
He nodded with a sad look. "Like the forest is alive."
My wrist started to show a faint glow, which gave the surrounding woods a terrible illumination. Holding up my palm, the mark pulsed like a lighthouse pointing us forward.
"Let's hope this thing knows where it's leading us," I said, barely above a whisper.
Luca kept close behind, his motions deliberate and quiet. He was hyper-focused, his instincts as keen as ever, for all his bluster.
"Do you find that interesting? "His voice low, he asked abruptly.
I paused to try to hear. First, there was only the faint rustling of leaves. Then I heard it, a gentle, almost musical whisper akin to voices borne by the wind.
My heart thumping, I answered, "It's coming from ahead."
As we went, the voices became louder and the trees started to alter. Their trunks twisted abnormally, their limbs towards us like skeleton fingers.
Luca said, "This place is a nightmare," staring at every shadow.
"You're welcome to turn back," I murmured, attempting to keep my tone light even as anxiety bit at the margins of my determination.
Not a chance, he responded, his voice strong.
As we arrived in a clearing, the murmurs ceased all at once. An old stone altar with surface carved with faint glows in the darkness stood in the middle of the clearing.
"What here is this? "I inquired, approaching closely. Luca advised against touching it and grabbed my arm.
Though I couldn't keep my eyes away from the altar, I replied, "I wasn't going to." My wrist burned with marks, and I felt almost magnetized towards the stone.
"Aria," Luca replied, his voice tight. "Look," said.
I looked down at the ground surrounding the altar following his gaze. Wolf bones scattered amid the stones and roots. As I understood they were recent rather than old, my gut twisted.
"We shouldn't be here," Luca remarked, his voice low.
Then why does the mark always bring us back? I back off.
The air surrounding us changed, becoming cooler before Luca could reply. The murmurs came back, louder now, and the shadows at the edge of the clearing started to move.
Stepping in front of me, Luca instructed, "Aria, get behind me." Defensive instance, his muscles tightened as his keen eyes peered over the night.
The shadows came together to form a wolf, bigger than any I had ever seen, its brilliant eyes ablaze with an alien light. It moved forward, its might and threat spreading.
My wrist bowed, and once again the wolf's words rang in my head:
"Blood and sacrifice hold the truth." Choose carefully; otherwise the bundle will collapse.
"What does it entail? My voice shook as I whispered.
The wolf responded not. Rather, it whirled its head back and let forth a terrible roar that chilled my spine. The shadows around it rushed, like a live tidal towards us.
Run! Luca yelled, snatching my arm and dragging me back into the trees.
The shadows nipped at our heels as we rushed heedless through the woods. Though my legs screamed in protest and my chest burned, I dared not slow down.
Luca, we are unable to outrun it. I gasp.
"Just keep on! "He growled, his hold on my arm stiffening.
Once again the mark on my wrist pulsed, and I felt the tug pulling us towards a little road veering abruptly to the left.
This is how it is. I yelled, yanking him towards the road.
The shadows paused momentarily, as if confused whether to follow, then raced forward once again.
We broke into yet another clearing, one little but no less spooky. In the middle was another altar just like the first, but with a slightly shining item laying on its surface—a pendant shaped crescent.
Reversing from the light coming from the pendant, the shadows halted suddenly at the edge of the clearing.
"What is that? "With his labored breathing, Luca inquired.
Steering carefully towards the altar, I answered, "I'm not sure."
"Aria, slow down!" Luca phoned, but I kept going.
As I reached the pendant, the mark on my wrist burned hotter, and the words came back, gentler now, almost healing.
"Take it," said I paused and turned back towards Luca. He shook his head, his look combining annoyance and anxiety.
"Don't touch it," he insisted angrily. You have no idea what it will do.
My voice shaking, I continued, "I have to." "This explains why we are here."
My fingers wrapped over the pendant, and a wave of warmth shot through me as the mark on my wrist blazed with blinding brilliance. Images flew into my head— images of wolves, fights, and an old covenant created beneath the moon.
The pendant felt chilly in my palm as the light went out, and the shadows vanished.
Luca hurried to be by my side, his face a mixture of relief and resentment. "Are you nuts? He grabbed. You might have easily killed yourself!'''
"But I didn't," I responded, my voice steadier than I felt. And right now we have this. "What is it meant to do? His eyes closed as he asked.
"I have no idea," I said. But I believe the secret to grasping the bond—and the prophecy—is knowledge.
The pendant pulsed weakly in my palm as we exited the clearing, and I experienced an unusual peace. But the wolf's admonition kept coming back to me: "Choose wisely, or the pack will fall."
The stillness shattered with Luca's voice. Whatever this is, Aria, it's just starting point.
Deep down, too, I knew he was correct.