Marked By Moonlight

Crossing the boundary felt different this time. It was like something had changed. The boundary that I am talking about is the boundary that I cross every day. This time, crossing the boundary felt really different. I do not know why crossing the boundary felt this way. Maybe it is because I was thinking about the boundary and what it means to cross the boundary.

The forest did not. Pull at me. It did not test me either. Instead, the forest opened in silence, like the forest had already accepted my presence long before I had decided to step down. The air cooled instantly, carrying the scent of earth and pine from the forest. Every sound in the forest became sharper. My breath, the shift of leaves beneath my feet, the distant call of something, in the dark of the forest.

The village was behind me. It faded away from my sight.

I did not feel it in a way. I knew it was still there. I felt it in my heart. It was like a door closing quietly without making any noise.

The Alpha moved ahead of me. He was slow and he was deliberate. He gave me space without leaving me behind. The Alpha was really grounding. The Alpha was steady, in a way that words just cannot be. I followed the Alpha without saying a word. I trusted the way the Alpha walked and the rhythm of the Alpha's steps.

We did not go far before the forest changed. The forest is really different now.

The ground had marks on it. Deep holes pressed into the dirt. They were not even. They looked heavy. I got down low. Put my fingers near one of the marks without actually touching it.

These are not mine, I said quietly.

The Alpha stopped moving. The Alpha's ears flicked up once.

Agreement.

The tracks were all wrong. They were too deep and really erratic. Whatever made these tracks did not walk through it on purpose. It walked through here because it was hungry. My chest felt tight as I started to feel a little uneasy. The tracks just looked like something that was made by something, with a lot of hunger.

I said this thing does not belong to either side. I said it very softly.

The Alpha looked back at me. I saw Alpha's eyes shining softly in the dark.

A voice inside of me said that I do not either. It was not being mean it was just stating a fact.

We walked further into the woods, the trees getting together, their branches crossing over our heads like a shield. The feeling in my chest changed. It was not telling me to hurry. It was telling me what to do. I understood then that my instinct was not screaming at me anymore, the trees and the feeling in my chest my instinct were all very calm. My instinct was very calm.

The music was. I was listening to music.

A strong smell hit me all of a sudden. It smelled like metal. It was not right. I stopped walking away. The smell was metallic. It was really wrong.

Blood.

Not much. But enough.

The Alpha got really tense, his muscles tight, and then he calmed down when I put my hand on his shoulder. When I touched him, it was like we understood each other in a calming way. The Alpha and I just felt steady.

No, I whispered. Not like that.

The man took a breath, and then he let it out, slowly stepping back.

We walked on the trail until it took us to an open space. The moon was shining down on us. It looked like silver dust all over the place. In the middle of this space we saw a fence post that was broken, and the earth was all churned up. It looked like the trail had been disturbed by something. The trail and the clearing and the broken fence post all seemed to be telling us that something had really struggled in this spot.

Something had gotten out. It was something that had escaped.

I got down on my knees. Closed my eyes.

The world has just started to unfold. It was, like a book that was closed and now it is open. The world is a big place, and it has a lot to offer. The world. It is still unfolding.

This is not something you see in pictures. Something you feel inside. It is the feeling of fear that grips you. The confusion that clouds your mind. The pain that hurts a lot. Under all of these feelings there is a very strong sense of loneliness that feels so real it makes my throat hurt. The loneliness of life is what I am talking about. This loneliness is what affects me deeply it is the loneliness that I am feeling.

I said that it is wounded. It is also lost. The thing is really. It does not know where it is. The wounded thing is alone. It is lost.

The Alpha lowered his head and his ears went flat. This was not because he was being threatening. Because he recognized something. The Alpha was showing that he knew this thing and his ears flattening was a sign of that recognition of the Alpha.

"This is not a hunt," I said. "It is a mistake."

A branch snapped behind us. It was a noise and it scared me. The branch was from a tree. The tree was ancient. The branch was dead. A branch like that can snap easily.

I spun around. My heart was racing really fast, but it was not because of the creature.

It was Elder Corvin.

I told them, You should not have followed me, and I stood up fast.

He said that he did not do it. He spoke in a voice. He said that music was not the issue. The music was not what he was talking about. He was talking about the fact that he listened to the music.

He looked around the clearing. His face was really serious. "You felt it," he said.

"Yes."

He nodded one time. "Then the meeting is already running behind schedule because we are late."

Fear was back. It was even stronger now. What was I supposed to be late for?

To decide, Corvin said, whether the village sees you as a bridge or a threat. The village is going to make a choice about you. It is about one thing. Are you a bridge to the village or are you a threat to the village? That is what they have to decide. Corvin is talking about the village. How they see you as a bridge or a threat.

The forest was really quiet. Then I heard this sound from far away. It was not a howl. It was not a growl. The sound of something was echoing through the trees in the forest.

A cry.

The Alpha turned toward the thing instantly, its muscles got really tense. The Alpha was ready, for something. It was all because of the thing that caught its attention.

I said that is it. The thing is calling for help.

Corvin looked at me. His eyes stayed on mine. "What if the people who live in the village find out about it before we want them to?"

I did not hesitate. Then they will come with fire.

There was silence, between us. It was a quiet moment. The silence was pretty uncomfortable. Silence settled between us. It felt weird.

Then Corvin stepped aside. He cleared the path for the people who were waiting. Corvin made sure that the path was completely clear.

The man told him to go. He said that he would slow them down.

My heart was beating fast as I looked back and forth between him and the Alpha.

This changes the things I said in a voice.

Corvin said yes, he agreed with that. The point is the point.

I turned around. Ran. My feet felt really light. My senses were totally awake. I was not scared anymore. The forest was, like my guide now. It was moving around my steps. Making new paths for me where there were none before.

This was a thing. For me, I was not reacting for the first time.

I was trying to make a decision. The thing is, I was choosing between things. What I mean is I had to pick something. I was choosing.

I had no idea what was coming next, but one thing was very clear to me: whatever was there, whatever hurt, and lonely thing was calling out in the darkness, I was going to face it. The thing that was waiting for me was the wounded and forgotten thing that was crying out in the dark. That was what I was thinking about. The darkness was hiding something. That something, the wounded and forgotten thing, was what I was worried about.

The balance is going to be restored. It is going to start tonight with the balance being the main focus. The balance will be the key to everything that is going to happen from now on. The balance is what will bring things back to normal, so balance is really important. Tonight is the night when the balance will start to be restored.

Not with claws.

Not with fire.

But with understanding.