Shadows beneath The moon

🌙 Chapter 4

The wind that night was colder than usual. Clouds drifted across the sky, hiding and revealing the moon in slow, pale flashes. Thalric walked home alone, his shoes splashing through puddles on the road.

It had been two days since that night at the tunnel. Two days since the thing in the shadows chased him and Veluna. But no matter how much he tried to push it away, the memories wouldn't leave.

The mark on his wrist still burned sometimes-softly, like a reminder. Every time the moonlight touched it, it seemed to glow, even if only for a second.

He kept his sleeve pulled down. He couldn't let his mother see.

---

At school, everything looked normal, but it didn't feel normal anymore.

The hallways were noisy, filled with laughter, shouts, and slamming lockers. Yet all of it sounded distant to Thalric, like a movie playing from another room.

He noticed things he hadn't before-the sound of footsteps far away, the heartbeat of someone walking behind him, the faint scent of perfume from three desks away.

His senses were sharper. Too sharp.

Kai noticed too.

"Bro, what's up with you lately?" he asked during lunch. "You've been zoning out all week. You sick or something?"

Thalric forced a laugh. "Just tired."

Kai stared at him for a moment, unconvinced, then shrugged. "Alright, but if you start howling at the moon, I'm calling animal control."

Thalric chuckled weakly, but the joke hit too close.

---

That evening, Veluna didn't show up at school.

Thalric waited by the old train tracks where she told him to meet her again, but no one came. The wind moved through the weeds, whispering softly, like voices just out of reach.

He sighed and turned to go home, but a faint sound made him stop.

Footsteps.

He turned around, scanning the trees. Nothing. Just shadows and fog.

"Veluna?" he called.

No answer.

The air grew heavier. His pulse quickened. Then-something moved. A dark figure stepped out from between the trees, tall, broad, and silent.

It wasn't human.

Its eyes glowed a deep, blood-red, and its body shimmered with dark smoke that moved like living shadow.

Thalric stumbled back. "No... not again."

The creature growled-a low, thunderous sound that shook his bones.

He ran.

Branches scratched his arms as he sprinted through the woods. The thing followed, fast and steady, each step hitting the ground like a drumbeat.

His wrist burned again, hotter than ever. He gasped in pain, stumbling, and fell into the mud.

When he looked up, the shadow wolf was already there, teeth bared, eyes locked on him.

Instinct took over.

His breath came out like smoke. His heart pounded so hard it hurt. The world slowed down, and for a split second, everything sharpened-the smell of the earth, the hiss of the rain, the beast's heartbeat.

Then his eyes flashed gold.

The mark on his wrist blazed like fire. Power surged through him, fierce and wild.

When the wolf lunged, Thalric moved faster than he thought possible-rolling aside, grabbing a rock, and striking with a strength that wasn't human.

The wolf roared, stumbling back.

Thalric didn't stop. He swung again, knocking the creature into the mud. Its body broke apart into smoke, melting into the ground.

He fell to his knees, gasping for air. His whole body shook. His reflection shimmered in a puddle nearby-and for a heartbeat, he didn't see his own face.

He saw a wolf.

A dark, golden-eyed wolf staring back at him.

---

"Thalric!"

He turned sharply. Veluna ran toward him, soaked from the rain.

"You weren't supposed to fight it alone!" she said, kneeling beside him.

"I didn't have a choice," he panted. "It found me."

Her eyes softened. "Then it's begun."

"What has?"

Veluna looked at him seriously. "The first transformation. Your wolf blood has awakened. The mark is your link to the Night Fall. The more you resist it, the stronger it becomes."

He looked down at his trembling hands. "So what happens now? I turn into... one of them?"

"No." She shook her head. "You're not like them. You're different. Your bloodline is pure. That's why they're after you."

"After me? Why me?"

Veluna hesitated. Her voice was low when she finally spoke. "Because the Night Blood-the one born with golden eyes-is said to decide the fate of all our kind."

Thalric froze. "Me?"

"Yes."

He laughed bitterly. "You think I'm some prophecy? I'm just a kid who can't even handle school."

"You're more than that," Veluna said softly. "You just don't believe it yet."

The rain slowed, and the moon broke through the clouds, lighting her face. For a moment, Thalric noticed something-her reflection in the puddle wasn't the same as hers.

Her eyes glowed brighter, and faint markings shimmered along her skin.

"You're not human, are you?" he whispered.

Veluna looked away. "No. I'm what they call a Moon Keeper. I protect the ones marked by the Night Fall."

"So all this time-"

"I was sent here because of you."

Silence stretched between them. The only sound was the quiet dripping of rain.

Finally, Thalric spoke. "And what happens if I lose control?"

"Then the Night Fall consumes you," Veluna said, her voice trembling. "And you become one of them."

---

They walked back toward the city in silence. The rain had stopped, but the air still smelled of storms.

Thalric's mind spun with a hundred thoughts. He wanted to run, to hide, to wake up and realize it was all a dream.

But deep down, something inside him stirred-something that didn't want to hide anymore.

When they reached the edge of the bridge, Veluna stopped and looked up at the moon. "It's almost full," she said softly. "That's when your real test begins."

Thalric followed her gaze. The moon hung heavy above them, glowing white and cold.

He touched his wrist again, feeling the faint pulse beneath his skin. "I don't know if I can handle this."

"You can," Veluna said, turning to him. "You just have to trust what's inside you. Not fear it."

He nodded slowly, though he wasn't sure he believed it.

As they walked away, the shadows beneath the bridge shifted. Something moved in the darkness-watching, waiting.

A pair of red eyes opened, gleaming faintly.

And in a voice softer than the rain, it whispered,

"The golden wolf has awakened."

---

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