Chapter Twenty-Three
T he sounds of angry howls and snapping jaws intensified once Rowena and I made it to the other witches.
They cheered in shock and relief as soon as they saw us. Because the fact that we’d made it out of the cage signaled the first part of our plan had worked. It meant I was able to pull both myself and another werewolf out of a full moon frenzy using my powers.
It filled me with glee. Their reaction to us was quite different from when we’d shown up at town hall half a day earlier.
Rowena slipped off my back as soon as we approached the barrier. From a distance, it appeared almost invisible, blending naturally into the scenery. But up close, I could see it take shape – a shimmering, translucent wall that pulsed with so much magic it seemed alive.
And it kept the werewolves out. They growled and snarled on the other side of it, their eyes blinded by the white light of the moonglow. Every time a stray paw or snout scratched at the barrier, it bounced off like rubber.
Then I saw them. Even in the darkness, without the sunlight glinting off their bright red fur, their remarkable size and ferocious temperament made them immediately distinguishable from the other werewolves.
So did the fact that their body sliced through the barrier like butter.
The witches had been doing their best to fend off Big Red.
Nina’s vibrant flames were enough to startle them, as werewolves naturally hated fire.
Another witch, one with earth magic, levitated rocks off of the ground and hurtled them at the angry werewolf.
Some of them were as large as my head, yet they did little to slow the Big Red down.
The wolf would recoil backwards, dazed and in pain from the blow, but they’d be right back to charging the barrier within minutes.
Werewolves, like witches, had magic running through their veins, though ours was far more subtle. During the full moon, it gave us supernatural strength and power, our wounds mending quickly and our pain tolerance vastly increased.
In other words, it was going to take a lot more than a few rocks to slow down Big Red.
“Alright, everyone,” Rowena announced. I was still in my wolf form, my fur standing on end and my body braced for action, as Rowena explained the next steps.
The witches, who had previously been guarding the holes in the barrier that Big Red created, stepped back.
Because now, they needed to let Big Red through.
And I was the bait.
Once the witches were out of the way, Big Red burst effortlessly through the barrier. They must have been shocked that they were able to get past the witches, because they ended up running past me and skidding on their heels.
The red wolf whipped around, moonglow-filled eyes beaming on me like spotlights. The glow consumed the wolf’s entire eye, shrouding their iris and pupil and making it look like nothing more than a milky abyss.
I gulped. I’d never realized how terrifying we moon-glowed wolves truly were.
Big Red’s nostrils twitched as they took huge, deep inhales that made their belly bulge. They gave a low growl and drew back their lips, revealing curved yellow fangs.
I braced myself, pushing my shoulders up and digging my claws into the earth.
Come get me, you big red bastard .
Big Red charged. Deep, guttural growls echoed from the wolf’s throat as they sprang toward me. But just a few feet before they reached me, I darted out of the way, and a dazzling burst of fire sent Big Red reeling backwards.
Nina leered toward the wolf, the conjured flame in her hand blindingly bright against the void of the night sky. Big Red turned, a hint of panic flashing in their eyes, as they attempted to escape to Nina’s left.
But the earth-wielding witch stopped Big Red with a wall of dirt, pulled up from the earth with a great tremble that made my paws shake.
The other witches gathered in a circle, using their powers to either intimidate or restrict Big Red. The wolf spun from left to right, panic rising in their glowing eyes as they realized they were trapped.
Finally, once Big Red slowed down, Rowena stepped in front of the exasperated beast and extended her hands.
Vines burst from the ground, wrapping around Big Red’s giant paws and weaving themselves in tight formation around the wolf’s legs. Big Red stomped and thrashed, their howls morphing into whimpers as they realized they were trapped.
Rowena let the vines crawl all the way up to the wolf’s shoulders, until she was confident they would hold. That Big Red wouldn’t be able to escape.
Now it was my turn. As I bolted around Big Red’s flank, the red beast craned their head over their shoulder, desperate to keep their glowing eyes on me.
Once I reached Big Red’s tail, and they had to stop and twist their neck the other direction to maintain their gaze, I made my move.
Deep breaths.
I had to time this perfectly.
I sprang into the air, pressuring every cell in my body to please, please shift. I needed to be in my human form before I hit Big Red’s back.
I felt my fingers hit fur just as Big Red bucked beneath me.
I slammed into the wolf’s back, nearly banging my teeth on the back of their huge skull. Despite having the wind knocked out of me from the landing, I had no time to collect myself. I reached my arms up, pushing my fingers onto the fur around Big Red’s neck so I wouldn’t slide off.
The wolf writhed and protested as much as they could, but Rowena’s vines had their legs bound like they were stuck in cement. It only took a few seconds for Big Red to give up their thrashing, and for me to get a hand on the back of their head.
I dug my fingers into the short fur of the wolf’s forehead, right between its two furry ears. With my other hand, I ferociously gripped the loose scruff of Big Red’s neck, and I squeezed my legs around the wolf’s belly as tight as I could.
I was determined not to fall off. Right now, I was out of reach of those huge jaws, and I wanted to keep it that way.
I pressed my palm deeper into Big Red’s head, imagining that my arm was a conduit. That through it flowed a current of electricity, pouring from my mind to theirs.
I breathed slowly, methodically, as if I were meditating. I was desperate to be calm, transmitting nothing but happy, gentle thoughts into the wolf’s mind.
But despite my best efforts, I couldn’t calm myself.
My heart was thumping like a drum, my legs were shaking, and the palm against the wolf’s forehead was clammy with sweat.
I knew adrenaline was surging through my body like a roller coaster, and it would take a lot more than just some deep breathing to slow it down.
That was the part of this whole mission that scared me the most. I was on top of a massive wolf’s back, trying not to get thrown off and end up clenched in those hungry jaws, while both my own fate and the fate of the entire village rested on my shoulders.
How could I possibly be calm?
I felt the wolf’s shoulder muscles shift beneath my thighs, and the murmur of the surrounding witches grew from concern into panic. I tightened my grip on the wolf’s head, desperate to not lose control.
Please. Calm. Calm down.
But it was no use. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t send soothing thoughts into Big Red’s mind. Instead, the wolf felt my fear and anxiety, which exacerbated their stress from being restrained. Big Red’s agitation grew, snowballing out of control until they were in a full-on rage.
There was a loud scream of panic from one of the other witches, and the sound of ripping roots crackled through the air.
Big Red was breaking free.
In the midst of my struggle to hold onto the wolf’s shifting back, I spared a quick glance over at Rowena.
She was frantically trying to re-summon the vines, her arms waving wildly with her fingers flexed into claws.
But it was no use. Every time new vines wove around Big Red’s legs, they snapped before they could grow large enough to immobilize the wolf.
All the other witches were scrambling out of the way, preparing for Big Red’s inevitable escape.
But Rowena wasn’t. She remained locked in place, desperately trying to re-summon the vines even with Big Red nearly free.
I knew she wouldn’t stop. Even once it was too late.
”Please, Rowena!” I shouted, though I wasn’t sure if she could hear me over the chaos. “Run!”
A final, horrific ripping sound, as if Big Red were tearing apart the earth itself, was the last thing I remembered before the giant wolf lurched forward.
Right toward Rowena, who was still desperately trying to recast her vines.
Oh no you don’t. I removed my hand from the top of Big Red’s head, curled both hands around the scruff of their neck, and pulled with all my might.
The wolf let out a panicked howl, tossing its head and stomping in place as it tried to fight off my grip. I pulled even harder, determined to get the wolf away from Rowena, and the big red beast reared up on two paws.
The witches shrieked, scattering like panicked ants amidst the dark field. I fought back a yelp as I leaned forward, pressing my torso flat against the wolf’s back. I clung even tighter to their neck scruff, squeezing my thighs as firmly as I could around their belly.
I would not fall off.
But with Big Red now free, getting me off their back was their top priority. I continued tugging on the wolf’s neck every time they bolted toward the panicking witches, forcing their head back and making them even more agitated.
Deep down, I could feel my heart sinking.
This wasn’t working. I was supposed to be calming Big Red down, not sending them into a rampage. But I couldn’t dwell on it. Right now, my focus was solely on getting Big Red away from the rest of the witches.
I feared them getting hurt.
But mainly, I feared them being bitten. A single fang puncturing their skin would be enough to turn them. Shattering their world forever.