"Tears and Wolf Blood - Prologue" by Melanie J. Teichroeb

It was a cold night, the kind of cold that seeps into your lungs and wrenches the breath out, sending it away in icy plumes. Stars hung in the sky, twinkling like diamonds on an endless plain. Naked trees, heavy with frost, desperately reached for the warm face of the moon but received little solace. The air was still, with a slightly intimidating silence. The only sound heard was the crunching of hard leather boots over snow.

“Why in the name of Ai’mon did Artemis send us out tonight?” Nathal grumbled through chattering teeth. He was one of the twenty troops sent out to patrol the perimeter of their encampment. Nathal was a young man, just barely nineteen years old, and a rookie in the Türamin army. He joined partly because he wanted to be brave and strong, defending his kingdom valiantly, and partly because he could think of no other job to do. The pay was good, the food plentiful enough, and the weapons of fine quality. Nathal’s reasons were pretty much the same as the rest of the men for joining. But now, as they tromped through the crusty snow and hugged themselves for warmth, they all found themselves wishing they were back at home in front of the stove with their lovers and dogs.

The fellow next to Nathal sighed, shouldering his rifle. “You know full well why we’re out here. Just pull your skins on tighter,” he muttered. Nathal shook his head and wrapped his thin bearskin more tightly around his body, yet it did little to ease his trembling.

“But this is so pointless,” he griped, staring off into the distance. “The damn wolves aren’t even out tonight! Why are we on this godforsaken ice shelf anyway? ” He sensed that a few of the others shared his views on the matter. The soldiers were sent out to investigate a mysterious noise, but so far there was nothing to be seen. Mirroring the other man’s sigh, Nathal played with a red band on his arm to pass the time.

A young man named Jarod answered from ahead. “Because Artemis is going to Dervish to meet with Saralina, supposedly to discuss a peace treaty between our nations. He claims we are his honorable guards. Load of rubbish if you ask me.” He looked through the scope on his gun into the darkness, grinning impishly. “The old man probably fancies her.” There was shocked laughter and murmured agreement amongst the group.

“Who wouldn’t fancy her?” another man hooted. “Quite the pair of legs on her!”

“How romantic…traveling across the barren plains for his love…”

“Ha! Old Arty is going to get some at last!”

Nathal grunted at these rude outbursts but held his tongue. True, it was blasphemous to disrespect Artemis, but if he spoke up the men would pound him. He was smart enough to know that. Sighing, he prepared to go numb and follow the entourage once more. Suddenly, he sensed an ominous presence. He froze in his tracks and allowed the men to saunter past him. Now at the back of the group, Nathal cocked his rifle and pointed it toward a bare forest a hundred yards to the east. A slight breeze ruffled his dark hair. He consciously set his nerves to hair-trigger. Nothing was going to sneak up on him.

“Hey, Nathal! What’re you doing?” Jarod asked, one hand straying for the sword in his belt. The man answered through clenched teeth,

“I sense something in the woods.” The soldiers tensed, slowly reaching for their weapons.

“What is it? I don’t see nothing,” the ‘hooter’ muttered, blinking like an owl. His next words were lost as an almighty howl tore the landscape. Yelling filled the air as weapons were raised at the oncoming threat, but it was too late. A wolf of monstrous proportions was upon them, rending and tearing with all the ferocity of its species. Moonlight and flashes of gunfire lit the grisly scene; bloodstained snow, men begging, screaming, cursing, warm corpses quickly freezing in the bitter air. The wolf leapt and bit until its fur was red. It was slaughter; there was no hope for the well-trained army of Türamin.

Too soon, the carnage died down. The beast began to devour what it had wrought. Nathal stood frozen in place, his nerves dead. The rifle in his hands shook slightly as he tried to absorb what had just taken place. The wolf had missed him completely…staying behind the group had saved his life. But now, it was only a matter of time before the evil canine noticed him. In his slightly crazed mind, he acknowledged that this was no ordinary wolf that was now grasping Jarod’s body between its paws, deciding the best place to bite. It had the same markings as a werewolf. It was the same size as a werewolf. It moved the same way as a werewolf. Therefore…

“It is a werewolf!” Nathal giggled insanely. He dropped his gun in the snow and fell to his knees. The murderer turned eyes black as coal on him. Nathal continued to laugh like a crazy man, eyes rolled back in his head. It was a clear sign of shock. Cautiously, the wolf trotted over and gave him a sniff. It then moved to tentatively lick his face. That seemed to bring the young soldier back to reality. Gasping at the feel of the rough tongue on his cheek, Nathal blindly groped for his sword and jabbed it into the monster’s side, catching it between the ribs. The werewolf yelped in surprise, clamping dagger-like teeth into Nathal’s shoulder by reflex. Nathal screamed wildly and stabbed until there was no life left in the killer’s body.

Falling back to the snow, he panted under the light of the moon. Sorrow washed over him. There was nothing left for him now. He was lost in the middle of nowhere, his companions all dead… likely Artemis as well. He would surely starve if he didn’t freeze first. All because of one errant werewolf. He had specifically told them to stay away tonight!

With one last stab at the limp mound of fur, Nathal tore across the landscape, covered in tears and wolf blood. He was now doomed to live the life of the cursed, as pronounced in the tooth marks on his arm. That’s what you get when you make deals with wolves…