CONRI'S POV
It was the bleakest of all nights and the essence of death dawdled in the air. It wasn't solely that of dead animals, but our trees and plants withered away and their scents became swept up by the wind and brought to our snouts.
The glorious light of the moon was shining bright, extending her silver glow throughout the jungle, and not a single creature dared to move from their hiding places for they sensed what would happen next.
The ground shook as a dozen of our pack warriors along with myself tore through the forest, and emerging first through the shadow was our Alpha. His amber eyes glowed, and his muzzle twitched as he breathed in the last bit of fresh air. The clean air diminished the closer we drew to the human camp and was replaced by the smell of alcohol, waste, sex, and more importantly, dead plants and animals.
The alpha growled a mighty howl and in response; we did the same.
For centuries, I had been hearing the story of the witch who would bring death and destruction to the last wolf pack anointed with the Moon Goddess's blood, and for years I listened as each Grande Elder-Wolf told their interpretation of the prophecy.
There would be omens, signs of her coming. At first, our lakes and rivers would dry, followed by the deaths of our forest life and lastly, there'd be a plague that would begin to take the lives of our werewolves. A fever so fierce it would stop their hearts forever. I never believed any of it. I thought it was just folklore; fables told to keep the pups in check. But things were changing and my beliefs were leaning closer to what the elders had foretold.
Our Alpha made an unforeseen halt. 'This is as far as we go,' he declared through our pack-link. I met the disgust and sadness in the air as we discerned the lifeless trees lying in the masses.
Why were humans so cruel?
From the safety of the shadows, we observed them. They had dangerous weapons that buzzed louder than millions of swarms of bees. They placed the horrifying weapon in the belly of another tree, and it ate through the trunk. My heart throbbed when the tree crashed to its death.
'What in Moon Goddess' name is that thing?' I asked.
'I don't know. But we will find out soon enough,' Alpha roared. His eyes blazed with hatred as he looked over the vast amount of our forestry that the humans had taken. 'We will head back to our settlement and speak to Elder Ridge. It's only a matter of time until they reach our home.'
The lot of us turned around and ran back to our dwellings.
Lupair Valley had been our home for centuries. It was the only known werewolf settlement that wasn't tainted by human teachings. We lived by the way of nature. We didn't have radios or televisions, and we most certainly didn't have this bloody internet thing the townspeople always seemed so hypnotized by. We used simplicity to survive, and it had been working well for us until the humans stumbled upon our forest. They murdered our animals to make their clothes, and they killed our trees to build those ugly things that they live in. But I'll be damned if I let them take anything else that belonged to us.
My thoughts faded as soon as we arrived at our home. Our houses were mostly bungalows. All of them were of the same sizes. The only difference was the Alpha's bungalow was painted in red and white.
We all transformed back into our human forms.
"Conri and I will go see the elder. The rest of you are dismissed," the Alpha announced. I waited for everyone else to disperse and I was alone with the alpha before speaking.
"Shane, you think our pack is in danger?" I wondered. It seemed to me the humans were months away from discovering our lands.
Alpha Shane sighed. "I don't know. But everything the elders have told us is coming through and if what they all said is true, then the worst is yet to come."
"The great fever," I gulped.
"Yes. I pray to the Moon Goddess that this is all just a bloody coincidence."
"I hope so too. But did you notice those weapons? I have never seen anything like that before."
"I know," Shane grunted. "We should go see Elder Ridge."
"Lead the way, Alpha."
************
The air inside Elder Ridge's hut breathed stale. I knew Alpha Shane detected that the old wolf's death was near. He was 5000 years old, after all.
"Greetings, Elder Ridge," we said simultaneously.
"Come in, my sons. What do I owe this pleasant visit?" his voice came out in short puffs, and his tiny beady eyes squinted as he tried to get a better look at us. It was obvious his human sight was going bad.
"I'm afraid we have dreadful news. The humans are getting closer to our homes," I let out. Elder Ridge scowled.
"We have to stop them. We cannot let them kill our forest or learn of our existence," Elder Ridge coughed profusely.
"Here, have some wa'er," I quickly fetched the water and fed it to him from a coconut husk.
"Thank you, Beta Conri," Elder Ridge wiped the corner of his mouth.
"What should we do?" Alpha asked. The old man gave him a stern look.
"You know what to do, young Alpha. If it comes to the test. You have to kill them."
"I don't take pleasure in taking a life. But if it will keep my pack safe, then it must be done."
"I agree. I won't let these barbarians take what's ours," I spoke through gritted teeth.
Suddenly, Elder Ridge shook violently. We rushed to his side. His wolf was fighting to stay alive, but it was just their time to go. "She's here," Elder Ridge whispered. "The Dark Witch is here." Those were his last words before his breath left his body.