And ran as far as I could.
Once I realised I could barely turn back—my hands are claws, my eyes the same bright green as my wolf’s, and my anger and hunger the same—I came here.
And now, so have they.
But they will not take me back. Either they die here, or I do.
I prowl through the woods, hunting the hunters. They think they can capture me, but they are loud and powerless. The trees shelter me, the birds let me know their locations, and the other wolves call their positions.
When I draw closer, I lower to my belly and watch them. There are ten of them, not enough. They wear the same glowing pendulum of magic on their necks, and even with them, it still won’t be enough. Sweat beads on their brows, and they have fear in their eyes. They know what they are here to hunt.
They know they will probably die.
I can taste it on them, and when their blood spurts in my maw from their broken bodies, I will taste their deaths too. They break through the trees and into the clearing, stopping for a moment. Some look out into the forest, their guns held rigidly, ready to fire.
Others drink water and sit on the ground as they catch their breaths.
I pounce.
They shoot, but they are shooting at shadows, I move too fast. I leap on one and snap the neck of the next before jumping at the other and ripping out their heart with my claws.
When I’m done, only three remain. They scramble for their guns as I lower my head and growl at them in warning, making them still as they watch me. Their eyes are wide, and their veins bulge as they fight the urge to run.
One twitches, and I’m on him in an instant. I rip out his throat, the blood filling my mouth as I toss him at the other two, knocking them to the ground. Pressing my front paws on the man on top of them, I lean down into their terrified faces, letting them see the monster that will kill them, that will rip them apart and leave their insides for the wolves.
“Please, please don’t,” one of them begs, drawing my eyes to him.
I hear the click a moment later. He distracted me so the other could grab his gun. I whip my head around, howling when the shot connects with my shoulder. Tearing the gun from his grip, I sever his hand with it and toss it away. He passes out, so I turn to the other and dig my claws in before I shred open his stomach and leave him to die from the wounds. Stepping back, I spot the glowing eyes in the forest, and I nod at them.
The other wolves and monsters that hide here leap from the dark and feast on the corpses and dying men. I turn and leave them to it, limping slightly as I feel the blood dripping from my shoulder. The bullet must be embedded with a poison. I can’t get it out.
I will heal around it, and it will poison me for the rest of my life.
Fuck.
Alejandra
I’m playing with the kids after eating dinner with the field workers when the soldiers show up. I try to hide, but they have already spotted me, like they were coming here specifically for me.
Their golden armour glows in the sun, the swirling indents announcing them as palace soldiers. Their helmets cover most of their faces, only their eyes are visible, and the bright gold feathers on top reach towards the sky. They hold their shields at their sides with their swords unsheathed, their magic ready to use if need be.
Standing tall, I raise my chin as they surround me. Some use their shields to push questioning workers away, and I narrow my eyes. “Do not do that,” I demand, inserting as much haughtiness into my tone as I can like any good noble, and to my surprise, they listen. All eyes focus on me. The clank of their armour is loud as they stand in formation before me.
“My lady.” The front one nods as he bends at the waist.
I curtsy slightly at the captain, the correct amount given his station. Why is the captain here? “Captain, how may I assist you?”
To ask how I could help would be considered disrespectful. His eyes run down my dress, noting the mud there. I refuse to apologise, not simply because you do not apologise to a fae, but because I am a noble. I look down my nose at him, and his eyes drop respectfully to my chin.
“I was asked to find you, my lady. There is to be a ball tonight. You are required to attend.”
I suck in a breath. A ball? Why? At this late notice, it cannot be anything good. The last time the queen did this, she executed four traitors for having relations with humans and betraying the court. I duck my head to hide my unease until I can control it, then I raise my eyes to his. “Very good, thank you. I will be along shortly.”
“My lady,” he interjects, stepping closer. “I must insist I escort you back to prepare.” He says it politely, but I hear the steel undercurrent. This is not a request, but an order. To deny it would call my loyalty into question, it would disgrace my family. A lady doesn’t make a spectacle of herself.
“Of course, Captain, how courteous,” I reply, as he presents his arm. I place my fingers on the crook of his elbow and pick the edge of my dress up with my other hand, spine straight as he marches me through the onlookers. I spot the mother and her child watching, and I wink as I pass, making them smile.
The guards troop behind us, the sound of their boots loud as they walk. The captain leads me through the slums, up to the glittering edges of our city, and straight through the main square. People stop to stare and whisper. I keep my nose tilted up as if I am to be escorted everywhere like a royal.
Let them make of it what they will.
I know my mother will. I’m betting she is the one who alerted the guards in the first place.
He leads me right to my door, which opens before I even approach. Mother is standing there looking flustered, and when she sees me, her eyes narrow slightly before she pastes a fake smile on her face and turns to the captain, dipping her head. “Captain.”
It’s her way of thanking him.
I release his arm and step into the house as they continue to talk and head straight upstairs, knowing I need to bathe and strip from this dress to hide the stains if I can. But I am out of luck. She catches me on the stairs, her voice ringing loudly in the cold house.
“Did you think I would not see?” I freeze on the staircase, my hand on the banister.
“See what, Mother?” I call calmly.
“You have been with-with those creatures again! Your powers are too great to waste on them!” she screams, and I look down at her.
“And who decides who deserves my powers, Mother? The rich? While the poor suffer and actually need it?” Her face reddens, and I dip my head. “As I thought, now if you will excuse me, I have a ball to prepare for.”
“He is coming tonight, the man you are to marry, you will look your best. You will be charming and polite, the perfect lady, or so help me, Alejan—”
“What?” I spin, stepping down the stairs towards her, making her retreat in shock before she realises what she has done and stills. “What will you do, Mother? Lock me away? Force me into a political marriage? Take away my choices and freedom?” I tilt my head mockingly. “It seems you have already done all of that.”
“One day, Alej, you will realise everything I do is to protect you,” she whispers, as I laugh bitterly. “You may hate me, I know that, I can tolerate your hatred as long as you are alive and safe.”
“But is being safe really worth losing myself? Never truly living, never doing what I dream of?” I scoff then, which is very unladylike. “You speak of freedom, of the great opportunities we are presented in this court, yet all I see are perfect dolls in their perfect places while the rest of us suffer. We are corrupt, rotting from the very core, and you either see it and dismiss it, or don’t at all. I don’t know which is worse.”