We follow her, trudging through shallow, murky water. The sounds of frogs and rats fill the air. Visibly uncomfortable with the cobwebs and spiders, May shivers like a leaf. The cave, which seemed like a singular path earlier, now leads us to a point where three tunnels branch off.
'Which one is the right way?' I query Mabel.
'Always keep to the left on the way in and the right on the way out,' she advises before vanishing into the shadows.
'How did she disappear like that?' May wonders, searching the bare wall where Mabel vanished.
'Magic,' I shrug, equally mystified.
'So, which way did she say we go?' May asks, eager to resume our journey.
'Left, let's go,' I reply, taking the lead. The enchanted light in our hands illuminates the path as we venture deeper through the tunnel.
We trudge down the left tunnel, holding our magically lit sticks aloft, casting a glow on the cave walls and the path before us. Still in his wolf form, Leon pounces at a rat, swiftly catching it in his jaws and devouring it.
'So gross, Dad!' May exclaims, a mix of disgust and fascination across her face.
Leon ignores her, finishing his meal without a hint of remorse.
I can't help but smirk at May. 'You know once you get your wolf, you'll devour rats and many other critters, right?' I muse.
May's expression turns from curiosity to mild nausea, and she glowers at me.
Undeterred, we press on through the tunnel, encountering another split.
'We go left,' I declare before May can ask which way.
The tunnel gradually narrows, forcing me to crouch down to fit through. Hours seem to pass as we navigate the underground passages, but a glimpse of moonlight at the tunnel's end finally lifts our spirits.
As we approach, distant crying and shouting becomes audible. I pinch the glowing end of the stick to extinguish the flame, a peculiar lack of heat catching my attention. 'It's not even hot,' I point out to May, tucking the stick into my pocket. She does the same.
Ahead, thick bushes provide cover. I signal for Leon and May to follow me as we cautiously crawl into the foliage, peering out to observe the commotion.
A large circle of stones surrounds a central assembly of sticks and branches in the clearing, seemingly awaiting ignition. An oversized stone chair carved from what was once a boulder now stands in its place, bearing a throne-like appearance. A she-wolf, her hands bound with rope, is roughly pushed to the ground by a rogue.
'Hurry up and fetch the wine, wench!' he barks at her.
A dozen more rogues emerge from another nearby cave. The bound she-wolf scurries into the cave, returning moments later with a carafe, placing it beside the stone chair. Another she-wolf, closer in age to my mother, follows suit, carrying a pitcher. As the night deepens, more rogues gather around the circle, each holding fire torches, creating an ominous tableau in the moonlit clearing.
The rogues fervently chant, ‘Moss, Moss, Moss!’ as he emerges from the cave, striding with arrogance toward what appears to be a ceremony. His chest puffs out with self-importance and a pompous expression across his face.
‘I can’t see Nina anywhere,’ I whisper to the others, scrutinizing the gathering of rogues.
‘I can’t see her either,’ May frowns. Her eyes scan the crowd.
Moss ascends the stone throne, sitting with an imperious demeanour. He picks up a cup from the ground and directs a disdainful gaze toward the bound she-wolf sitting beside him on the ground, holding the carafe of wine.
‘Will you fill my damn cup up already? You’re probably the most useless slave we’ve had yet,’ he snarls at her.
‘Yes, Moss, sorry,’ she says, kneeling and dutifully filling his cup.
‘Is everyone ready for my wolf ceremony?’ Moss roars to the rogues.
‘Yes!’ they cheer.
‘Bring out our future, Luna, to start the ceremony!’ Moss hollers.
Nina is forcibly dragged out of the cave, her hands bound. Her hair is dishevelled, with visible scrapes and bruises on her lower legs and knees. My eyes turn black with rage, and the primal instinct of my wolf, yearning to unleash havoc on the rogues, begins to take over. Before I can vocalize my pain, May swiftly covers my mouth with her hands.
‘Don’t you dare make a sound,’ she warns in a hushed tone.
Suppressing the pain, I concentrate on controlling my wolf. Once I'm calm again, I continue observing through the bushes as someone places Nina on the ground before Moss.
Both Nina and the captive she-wolf exchange a sympathetic look. Moss leans down, seizing Nina’s face. ‘Smile, Nina, it’s my wolf ceremony. At least pretend to be happy,’ Moss smirks.
Nina spits at Moss's feet. ‘I’ll smile when I turn your wolf ceremony into your wolf’s funeral,’ she shouts defiantly at Moss.
Moss's eyes narrow, and he retorts, ‘If you weren’t my chosen mate, you would be getting ten lashes right now for your disrespect. Instead, I’ll give your punishment to Gianna for your insolence,’ he says, gesturing toward the captive she-wolf.
Fear widens Nina’s eyes, and Gianna bursts into tears.
‘No, you can’t punish her. Leave her alone, punish me instead,’ Nina pleads.
Moss nods at two rogues to take Gianna to a wooden post and loops her tied wrists over it. Nina rushes to Gianna, embracing her tightly to shield her from the impending punishment. ‘No, get away from her!’ Nina screams at them.
Another pair of rogues approach and forcibly drag Nina away back towards Moss.
I clench my fists. ‘We need to do something. We can’t just sit back and watch.’
‘But they outnumber us. What do we do?’ May asks.
Moss seizes Nina’s wrist, but she retaliates by attempting to punch him. He laughs, pulls Nina onto his lap, and restrains her arms. He intends to force Nina to watch Gianna receive the lashes.
My eyes turn black again, and I groan in pain as a rogue administers the first lash to Gianna. Her scream resonates, echoing alongside my agonized shouts. The rogues turn towards us, locking eyes in our direction.
‘This isn’t good. They know we are here,’ May panics.
‘I’m going to shift. I can’t control my wolf,’ I inform her.
May nods. ‘Dad and I will distract the rogues for as long as we can while you shift,’ she says.
I nod and cry out again as a few bones snap simultaneously. A dozen rogues race towards us.