Chapter 1: The Swarm
Flashing, blinding lights.
Lightning struck the treetops high above the shadow-dappled forest floor, splitting the sky in vibrant streaks. Wind ripped leaves from their delicate perches as the treetops swayed with heavy vigor. The ground, soggy and water-logged, sloshed beneath my paws as I ran, the moon barely lighting my way in between the sudden strikes of electricity.
I ran. I ran. I ran.
The forest was unyielding, offering no solace amid its rocky dens and shallow caves. I felt a sharp prick in my pelt, but I shook it off. My claws grasped the mud on each gallop, wildly pawing to prevent myself from slipping. Another prick, another shake of my body. A faint buzzing rang in my ears, but I kept them perked up, alert and ready.
A roar erupted from behind me, deep and ancient, shaking the Earth. I skidded against the mud and changed directions, weaving nimbly through trees. There were more pricks against my pelt, needle-sharp, and an intense itching was slowly growing beyond what I could ignore. My joints stiffened, making it harder and harder to push through each step. The buzzing grew louder, flicking my ears as I ran.
Then I could see them. Flying around me, dark shapes flitted past me. The darkness swallowed me whole, thick and humming.
It was impossibly warm, growing hotter by the second. Tiny legs crawled across my pelt. Wings buzzed. Stings came next. More. And more.
“No!” I screamed, thrashing in the heat.
I woke up in a cold sweat in my cot.
“By Her phases! What the fuck, Clara?” someone shouted across the room.
I panted in my bed, barely noticing the shimmering glimpse of my claws as they shift back into nails. My palms stuck to the thin sheets that were mostly thrown off the cot.
“That’s the third time this week,” Ella groaned.
“I know.”
“No, you don’t know. I thought you said the visions stopped.”
I dragged a hand through my hair. “They did. Until the full moon.”
“Tonight is Waning Crescent.”
“I know.” My head fell back against my pillow. “I don’t know if it is Her.”
Ella froze, glancing out the small screen of their tent. The moon was just a sliver, barely risen, but it glared down like it knew something. I looked away.
“You shouldn’t say things like that,” Ella warned. “Not during the Great Crossing.”
My hands still trembled. I pressed them into the sheets to ground myself, the sweat cooling fast against my pale skin. My loose curls clung to my neck and face, damp and tangled. I hadn’t even noticed I was shaking until Ella’s voice cut through the silence again.
“You’re soaked,” Ella muttered, tossing me a worn cloth. “And your eyes are still doing that... thing.”
I wiped my face and glanced at my reflection in the dented tin basin beside the cot. My eyes were normal now, mostly. No glow. No silver rim. Just tired gray, ringed with exhaustion.
“How much longer until formation?” I grumbled.
“Less than hour, your visions have hell of a timing. Who the hell needs an evening alarm when I’m stuck with you?”
I let out a snort of laughter.
Ella pushed herself out of her cot and went to her basin to wash of her face, the water dragging down the dark tight ringlets of her hair. She glanced back towards me, her face the image of pity. Ella’s eyes lingered on me for just a moment too long before she turned to the tent’s flap. It wasn’t the first time she’d done that.
“How are you really holding up?” Her voice was soft, quieter than before.
“Good enough to do my job,” I said, my voice steady even though my insides felt like they were trembling apart. Ella’s gaze softened, though she quickly masked it with a smirk.
“Moon above, you know that’s not what I meant.”
“Yeah, well, that’s what matters right now,” I said, sitting up.
I dragged my fingers through my golden blonde hair, tugging with a jerk on the tangles. My hand brushed the pendant around my neck, a reflex more than anything else. It caught the light of the basin’s reflection, its opal shimmering softly, like a beacon in the haze. For a moment, I stared at it. There was a small broken clasp that once held a smaller opal underneath, but it was long lost to the woods miles back. I quickly looked away, focusing instead on the silver robes that hung over my cot. With a big stretch, I reached over to grab them. I pulled them on slowly, as if the ritual of donning them might offer some kind of solace... might keep the visions at bay. I could still feel the tingling of my claws, the pulse of my Wolf, but for now, the robes would do. They were armor.
Ella was mirroring my actions on her side of the tent. I glance around for my circlet, finding it on a small table. I place the silver band over my head, my fingers lingering on the crescent moon ornament hanging on my forehead. The metal felt heavier than it should, pressing against my skin.
Ella’s expression softened, and for a moment, I saw something in her eyes, something like concern. Hell, or maybe even fear. I would not blame her. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Instead, she just gave me a quick, forced smile and moved toward the flap, leaving me alone in our tent. I glance at the third empty cot and sighed. It was a place that should have been filled. But it wasn’t. And it wouldn’t be. I didn’t know why we bothered with setting it up anymore. As if any of us could really pretend it hadn’t been abandoned.
Rubbing my eyes, I stepped out after Ella.
“Priestess Clara, you’re needed in the Beta’s tent!” A soldier’s shout broke through the silence before my eyes had time to adjust to the night sky. The camp was already hustling, warriors’ footsteps tapping against the earth like a steady drumbeat. We were separated from the main the pack, rotating between patrolling and guarding as we scouted the path ahead.
I made my way to the Beta’s war tent. I had only met Beta Ajax a few times before, but I recognized him immediately. Stepping inside, I bowed deeply, my eyes dipping in respect to the higher-ranking Beta. He was a large man, his broad shoulders taking up much of the space in the tent. His dark black hair, streaked with silver, framed a face that had been carved by years of experience and battle; strong jaw, high cheekbones, and eyes that were a pale blue, almost icy, like the sky.
“Reporting in, Beta Ajax,” I said. He hardly glanced up from his charts before addressing me.
“Priestess Clara. You are assigned to the Alpha’s patrol today. No need to go to formation; make your way to the North edge of the camp. The rest of the patrol is already present. Pack a meal.”
“Is that all, sir?”
“Yes, dismissed.”
‘The Alpha’s patrol?’I thought, a twist of unease settling in my gut as I backed out of the tent.
It was a patrol like any other, the sort we’d been assigned countless times before. But not anymore. Not after her... I blinked hard, trying to shake off the lingering sting of the memory. I didn’t need to dwell on it. Not today.
