She cast aside her memories and felt her inner wolf writhing, alert to the same suspicions she harbored. Calming her beast, she laid out a plan poised to take the servant by surprise. She prepared to eat, but first, she sniffed thoroughly and detected an odd scent, particularly in the meat—the primary diet of wolves. Discarding it into the cell's dark corner, she ate the remainder.
By the time the servant returned with the basket, night had fallen again, most of the cell shrouded in darkness. The servant entered, set down the basket, and placed a baby within it, spotting the mother's shadow in the gloom and expecting her to follow but unprepared for the monstrous form that emerged. In her crinus shape, half-wolf, half-woman, she pounced without giving the servant a chance, severing her head from her body.
From the servant's corpse, a black and malodorous mist emanated from the decapitated neck, floating in the air. The werewolf snarled, asserting her dominance and forming a protective shield around the two of them, causing the smoke to retract back into the body.
The werewolf grabbed the basket and exited the cell, walking down the corridor. She discovered two unconscious guards and spotted a torch on the wall. The human portion of her beastly form advised her to take the torch and return to incinerate the body of what was actually a witch. She obeyed, watching as the body burnt rapidly, and then she departed.
The ritual's aspects conveyed by the witch were indeed true, and upon hearing rhythmic drumming from deep in the forest, she headed toward the sound. Led by the flames of a large bonfire, she concealed herself behind trees and bushes to observe. Setting down the basket, hidden among the foliage, she focused on the leader's words.
"Today is the momentous occasion; our Luna has returned for the ultimate sacrifice. The servant witch has retrieved her, and soon we shall consummate the ritual. Bring forth the younglings; we start with them," commanded the Alpha.
An altar designated for sacrifice and two other witches stood at either end, prepared to offer the brought children in sacrifice. A line of young girls, no older than three, dressed in simple white frocks, barefoot and unkempt, looked malnourished and mistreated.
"So, it's offspring they desire for sacrifices? But why?" pondered Leona.
"It must be tied to witchcraft and power," her wolf responded.
"You can speak now?" Leona inquired sarcastically, and her wolf merely grumbled, continuing the surveillance.
Clear bloodstains on the altar's narrow, low table with a curve at one end suggested it served as a beheading block. Behind it stood an arched rack lined with numerous small skulls, hinting at prior child victims.
The girls, some weeping, oblivious to their imminent fate, stood still in line, awaiting sacrifice. The sight roiled the beast's stomach, provoking a growl that caught the security wolves' attention.
As they approached to investigate the noise, she, who had crouched low, rose and with a leap, decapitated them with her claws. Returning to her vantage point, she realized there was no time to lose and circled to the altar's rear.
With a deafening roar, she toppled the rack, sending everything crashing. Seizing on the shock, she grasped the witches by the skull with taloned hands, breaking them, and flung their bodies into the flames, their screams adding to the pandemonium. The children's cries escalated as all hell broke loose.
The beast targeted the Alpha, mid-transformation, when a massive black wolf pounced, biting his shoulder, followed by an onslaught of invading wolves. The clearing soon became stained with blood, and the werewolf joined forces with the black wolf to dismember the Alpha, casting his remains into the fire.
The children were evacuated, but Leona saw not who took them, just that the intruders were winning. Seizing the Alpha's distraction, she raced to retrieve her infant. Transformed back into a wolf, she took the basket handle in her powerful jaws and fled into the distance.
Knowing haste was imperative, she left no trail. Her wolf alternately crossed rivers to cleanse and rubbed against mud and aromatic plants. At dawn, the wolf ceased, fatigued, and Leona reassumed human form.
Her baby had slept throughout their journey, but now began to stir and whimper. Surveying their surroundings, Leona noted they were on a small, open hillock in the forest with a cabin below—a fortunate spot chosen by her wolf for their sanctuary.
Leona hastened down the slope to the cabin, seeking urgent shelter to nurse her infant. Circling the cabin, she sniffed and deduced its long-time vacancy. She nudged the door open and stepped inside.
She perused the interior and discovered a couch facing a fireplace, draped with a sheet. Carefully, she rolled the dusty sheet aside and settled down. She cradled her baby from the basket to her breast, and the child suckled vigorously, soon finding calm.
Post-feeding, once the baby burped, Leona returned her to the basket and explored the premises. She urgently sought clothing for both herself and her child, who was soiled with her wastes. Opening a window for fresh air and better light, she began her task.
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