writing_shadows

A little back-story for this one, to try and showcase the things I love about werewolf stories

The girl was panicking; Ruairiadh was sure she'd scream if he took his hand off her month. His reassurances had done nothing to calm her down, but then - seeing things that aren't there, then being snatched off the street by a strange man - not very reassuring, really. He had to calm her down quickly, if he was going to keep her safe. Time for a different approach.

“I'll tell you a story”, he said, “Ain't promising it's true, but as you'll soon learn, stories are very important to us”. Pressed against her in a dark stairwell, his hand still over her mouth, he began to whisper the story softly in her ear.

“I was making a delivery to Stonehaven. Drop a package off with someone, don't ask what's in the package, and don't look. Standard deal. Paid in advance, but you better make sure it arrives. Riding down the old Banchory road on my motorbike, and this gigantic wolf leaps out into the road in front of me. Well, when you do what I do, you see strange things, but it's never very good when you're doing sixty towards an angry giant wolf.”

The word 'wolf' jerked her attention to what he was saying. He wasn't sure she'd been listening to the start of the story, and he didn't get the laugh he'd hoped for, but she was listening now, and his soft voice seemed to be calming her.

“So, I skids to a stop, nearly falls off, and that's when the three folks step into view as well. Got me properly boxed in, they have. They want my attention, and they got it. The leader of them's a girl, Aela. I know her, we've done business before. She asks me, in Gaelic coz she knows I speak a bit, if I'm going into Stonehaven. All this time the giant wolf is growling at me.”

The girl had relaxed a little, leaning into him now, listening, slowly catching her breath.

Ruairiadh continued, “Aye, to Stonehaven, I said. And you'll not be stopping me getting there, even with angry-chops there growling at me. Not that I'm in a strong position of course, but you can't show weakness to a wolf. But she's shaking her head. She doesn't want to stop me, she says, she wants to hire me. You see, I'm a new-moon. When I changed, the moon was dark. That makes me sneaky, and she needs someone sneaky. She also needs someone with an invite to go into Stonehaven, and I have that.”

This close to Ruairiadh, there was a musky smell about him. She couldn't describe it, but it wasn't any kind of after-shave, it reminded her of the horses she'd grown up with, of her mother's dogs, of.. wildness. Breathing it in, she felt her mood changing. How could she trust this man who'd dragged her off the streets of Stonehaven, but...? The girl tried to pull free, but the strong hand stayed firmly over her mouth. “They're still too close, can't risk you shouting out. Be calm, it'll all make sense soon.” She listened for a moment, and she could hear soft growls somewhere, dogs.. or wolves.. communicating.

He continued to tell the tale, “Her and her wolf-pack - yes, they're all wolves, just as I am, and those folks outside too. You can sense that now, can't you? Aela and her pack, they watch over some people in this part of the world, and those folks have been vanishing. And next time she see's one of the vanished people, they're running with this Stonehaven pack.”

He paused to listen for a moment, then looked directly at the girl. “I know how it is. You've been seeing things that aren't there, or maybe just feelings of being haunted. Your senses are becoming sharper, you're hearing things, smelling things other people can't. Suddenly, nothing feels safe any more. Everything's different. You're not going mad, though, you're just waking up. Everything in this world of ours is alive, everything has spirit, and you're starting to see it. All the other changes that are going to happen to you, they're less important than that one. Never forget that - everything is alive.”

The girl's eyes flickered with recognition, and she tried to say something again, but he wouldn't let her.

“You see, they never know when this is going to start. But somehow, this Stonehaven pack know. And somehow, they lure you here, so they can snatch you up when you change. This time, though, Aela spotted the pattern in their movements, and tracked you here. Only, Stonehaven's a fortress to her - the four of them can't just come in here and rescue you. But me, I'm a new moon… and I'm already making a delivery. So, they want me to be sneaky. They got things I want too, so we cut a deal. I come find you, they make a distraction, I take you somewhere safe.”

The girl seems calmer now - there was something familiar about the way he held her, the softness of his voice. The shadows that had been haunting her peripheral vision were gone too.

"It's never so simple though. Getting here with you has meant bluffing, sneaking, tracking, laying a false trail, hiding, waiting for the distraction, and of course grabbing you without the big major freakout happening. Not just hiding from the wolves, either - there's spirits following you too, had to deal with a couple of them."

He stopped to listen, “Few more minutes, and we should be able to go. Hope you like motorbikes, coz we're gonna be moving fast. Can I trust you to be quiet now? I'll get you out of here safe, if you're quiet, I promise.”

The girl nodded.. and Ruairiadh studied her for a moment, then took his hand away from her mouth.. “I'm taking you to Aela and her pack. They're good folks, and they'll keep you safe. This'll all make sense soon, I'm sure. Just remember, it ain't my fault - I'm just the messenger and not looking to get shot.”

He held her hand tightly and they sprinted to the motorbike across the street - trying to ignore the sound of howling in the distance.