Blood of the Werewolf: What is Life?

1

The first light of the sun was beginning to break open the dark sky. Selena of the Wolf Clan yawned and shivered, her breath dissipating before her eyes. “This is boring,” she thought, sitting high off the ground in a tree looking out over the field before her, “Still, better this than school”.

Selena hated school. Her classmates at Martin Van Buren High were fools, always arguing over music and television. On Fridays, they would all talk about what they would do over the weekend; who was going to who’s party, how much they would drink, and most annoyingly, how much fun they would have. On Mondays, they would all talk about what parties they went to, how drunk they got, and most annoyingly, how much fun they had. Selena was never a part of these conversations. Mostly, everyone at school ignored her. When they weren’t ignoring her, they were laughing at her. Except for Marko.

Marko didn’t ignore Selena. He didn’t laugh at her. Marko lived in the same building as Selena. His family and Selena’s family came over from Europe together and, as the last of their people, everyone stayed close together. Marko was accepted by the others at school. He was not laughed at. He was not ignored. He went to the parties sometimes. He drank sometimes. At school, everyone called him Mark. Selena didn’t like that. His name was Marko, and Marko is a good name. A strong name. A proud name.

Also, she hadn’t done her homework for English class.  She spoke English already, so what did she need a class for? She also knew Romani, Greek and Hebrew fluently, though none of her teachers seemed to care about that. Mister Kendrick thought it was more important that she know the deeper meaning behind a story where a boy quits his job at a supermarket than being able to skin and cook a rabbit. 

“Not even a year since the war ended, and they act as if nothing has changed. They hide their heads in the sand, ignoring what is right in front of them. These people have a fantastic ability to ignore their own deaths. I will not die so easily.” Selena caressed her crossbow. She had made it herself, and while it wasn’t the fanciest crossbow, its aim was straight. She had named it Bane a Padurarul, Bane of the Woodsman. Her mother laughed at the name. “We haven’t been a bane to the Woodsmen for a long time, Selena.” 

Selena’s mother, Ioana, was a frail woman with a proclivity for illnesses. Headaches were the most common, but you could be sure that Ioana would be bedridden for at least one week every two months. The trip from Europe to America was not easy on her, nor was giving birth to Selena. “You did not want to come out,” Ioana would tell Selena every year on her birthday, “just like now. You have never liked waking up, and you have always been a fighter, just like your father.”

Ioana, when she was young, was the beauty of the Clan. All the men wanted her, but she was in love with Petru, the son of the Clan’s șef, and Petru loved her. Their lives would have been perfect; Petru would take over as șef when his father stepped down, and they would marry soon after, but the fates had another plan. Petru died in the Noapte de Foc, along with most of the Clan.  It was then that Petru’s brother, Nikoli, took over and moved everyone to America. 

With only seven members of the Clan left, Ioana wed Nikoli.

There was no room to be concerned with love; the time had come to think only of survival, their people were facing extinction. After many attempts, and many losses, it seemed as though Ioana could not bear a child, and with each failed pregnancy, Ioana became weaker. Still, she refused to stop trying and, in time, Ioana gave birth to Selena.

2

The sun continued to rise, beating the darkness back and covering the clouds with a red hue almost as vibrant as Selena’s hair. Selena yawned again. From behind her, there was a low growl. Selena turned quickly to see the beast, a wolf the size of a bear, looking back at her, its eyes as dark as onyx, its fur stained with blood. 

“I thought you would never show up,” Selena grabbed her crossbow and jumped down from the tree, landing without a sound, disturbing only the dew under her feet, “I have been here all night waiting. I am hungry and I have to pee. How long will this take?”

The sunlight stretched out, connecting with the wolf, which began to howl. Its stomach tore open and from inside came out a man, almost as large as the wolf itself. He shed the wolf pelt, which began to dissolve into the ground, and stretched. He looked around and smiled. 

“Looks like it’ll be a very nice day. You know what they say; red sky at morning… or wait… is it red sky at night that means a nice day?” The man scratched at his beard. “Well, either way, I’m sure today will be grand.”

Selena moved closer to Nikoli, “Are you going to answer me?”

“Are you going to complain the whole time, Selena?” The man asked. His voice was like rocks rubbing together, but his tone was light. He stood well over six feet and, next to Selena, who was tall for her age, the man was a mountain. His cracked skin showed the battles of a hard earned life, but his smile was soothing. “Or can you spare a moment to give your father a hug?”

Selena let out a frustrated sigh and hugged her father. “I do not like to be kept waiting.” 

“Selena, my love, you are becoming more and more like me every day. This is not a god thing.”

Selena pulled away, “Why should I not want to be like my father?”

Nikoli sighed and rubbed his eyes. This was a conversation they had many times before. “We did not come to America for you to live our lives, Selena. It is important that you make friends who are not like us, that you learn their ways. Their traditions”

Selena crossed her arms and huffed, “I like our traditions.”

“So do I, but there is so much more for you then the stories of dead people. Look at Marko, he knows our stories, but he also finds time to interact with people his own age.”

Selena’s heart jumped at the mention of Marko. It was a feeling she didn’t understand. What was it about that boy that she could not escape? She shook off the feeling quickly, and returned to pouting, “I care not for what those fools enjoy. I care not for the stories of Sam and Diane.”

Nikoli laughed “Diane left the show years ago, Selena, when you were six. No one in your class is talking about Sam and Diane. Honestly, I have no idea where you could be hearing people talk about Sam and Diane.”

Selena’s eyes widened. Tears welled up. “Diane leaves?”

“Yes.”

“When?”

“I don’t know. Season four I think.”

“Does Sam leave too?”

“No.”

The tears began to fall from Selena’s eyes. She couldn’t hold them back any longer. “Sam and Diane do not end up together?”

Nikoli laughed again, which didn’t make Selena feel any better. “You care about Sam and Diane, don’t you Selena?”

Selena nodded. She had begun to watch the show on WPIX late at night after her parents had gone to sleep. Repeats of Sam and Diane, followed by Ralph and Norton, “I want to have friends, father. I just… I don’t know how.”

Nikoli hugged his daughter tight, “Well, one thing that may help is if you caught up on what’s in these days. When we get home, I’ll show you Seinfeld. For now, we need you to kill something. It’s your Renastere day.”

3

The sun was higher now, and the morning dew had dried up. Selena was still hungry.

They had been walking for what felt like hours to Selena, headed towards the woods nearby. The man hummed a song to himself, one that Selena recognized, but couldn’t place. Selena listened carefully, trying to place the tune, but it was to no avail.

As they reached the edge of the woods, the man stopped Selena. “This is an important day, Selena, more important than I can properly express. What we do today, our people have done for centuries. Soon, you will have your first change, and you will understand what power truly is, but in order to master that power, you must be able to take care of yourself when you are at your weakest. Do you understand?”

Selena nodded. She had been training for this for years. Renastere is when a child in the Wolf Clan becomes an adult by taking the life of another living thing. When the tradition first started, it was a human life that had to be taken, but over time the Wolf Clan came to better respect the lives of others, and changed the kill to an animal. When a pup completes Renastere, they are given their Deținător al Sufletului, the sigil of the Wolf Clan, which they must carry with them until death. When a Werewolf dies, the Deținător al Sufletului transfers their soul to Rai, where it will exist in peace. Marko had completed his Renastere in the winter and already had his Deținător al Sufletului. Once Selena had hers, they would be equals in the eyes of the Clan, though Selena was already sure that she could beat Marko in a fight. Marko never took the training as seriously as Selena had.

“Today you will become an equal,” Nikoli tried to keep from smiling, but his pride in his daughter was too strong, “You will have as much say as everyone else in the Clan’s future.”

“But not as much say as you.”

“No, not as much as me. Not yet, but when I step down, you will be made șef.”

Selena smiled, “And then everyone will have to do what I say.”

“Yes, but if you abuse the power, they’ll take it from you. By force if needed.”

“I’d like to see them try. I can beat any of them in a fight.”

Nikoli stepped away from his daughter, “Can you beat me?”

Selena’s stomach turned. Her throat clenched up. Suddenly, she had to pee again. She answered sheepishly “No.”

“No, you can’t. And you may like to think you can take the others, but you can’t. They wouldn’t come at you one at a time, it would be a revolt. The one is always weaker than the many. Remember that, Selena.”

“Yes, father.”

Nikoli scratched at his beard and looked to the sky. The red sky of dawn had given way to dark clouds on the horizon. “Red sky in morning is the bad one. I remember it now.”

Selena looked into the woods, “Father?”

“Yes?”

Selena returned her gaze to Nikoli, “Do you think I could beat Marko?”

Nikoli kept his eyes on the clouds. He stood silent, his head tilted to the left as he thought over Selena’s question. “I think you would destroy him.” Nikoli looked at his daughter and smiled. 

Selena ran into the woods, crossbow in hand.

4

The rain had started as a light drizzle, but it quickly became an endless downpour, cutting Selena’s visibility to just a few feet in front of her. The deer tracks she was following were gone now, muddy ground replacing any hope of getting this done fast. At home, laid out on the end of Selena’s bed, was a windbreaker with a hood. Selena decided against wearing it, choosing instead for a wool sweater. It was a choice she deeply regretted. The rain had soaked her, and with each step she could feel her toes pruning up. The sweater had become too heavy to bother with, so Selena left it behind. She tore off a piece to use as a hair tie. She wanted short hair, but her mother wouldn’t hear of it. Walking through the rain with the sleeve of a wool sweater holding her long red hair back, Selena swore to shave it all off when she got home. 

The shirt Dumitru gave her for her birthday last year, with the cartoon drawing of a sailor with a deformed face, was flimsy and only slightly better than wearing nothing at all, but it would have to be enough. Her loose fitting cargo pants were a good call though, her jeans would have become too uncomfortable in the rain and cause chaffing.

This was not how Selena had thought her Renastere would go. When Marko did his, it had snowed the night before, and he simply followed some deer tracks, killed the deer, and was home before sunset. That night everyone feasted on venison, and the adults drank wine. Marko, now a man in the eyes of the Clan, drank too, and finished off a bottle on his own.

After the feast, Marko and Selena went to the roof to look at the stars. It was cold, and they huddled together for warmth, a blanket wrapped around them, sitting with their legs hanging off the side of the building. Marko gazed at his sigil and spoke of his future. He would get out of the city and have a farm where he would grow wheat. He was excited for his first change, but worried too. Adi told him that the first time hurts, but it gets easier after that. Selena was worried about that as well, but she kept her fears to herself. Besides, Adi was in his nineties and thought electricity was the work of evil, what could he remember from his first change?

And then, under the night sky, Marko looked at Selena. He looked deep into her eyes, and she into his. In that moment, Selena saw her life with Marko. She saw their children, a boy named after her father with dark hair like Marko, and a girl named after Marko’s mother, with red hair like hers. Maybe they would even have a third child, another boy. They would name him after Jean de l’Ours, and he would have red hair too. It would be a good life.

Then Marko vomited a bottle’s worth of red wine.

“Still, that was a better Renastere than this one,” Selena thought.

5

The rain continued as the sun fell, and before long Selena would lose what little visibility she had. She looked for a place where she could camp for the night and found a small overhang to hide under. It wasn’t dry, but at least the rain wouldn’t hit her directly.

Selena sat under the overhang and pulled off her sneakers. She had bought them a week earlier just for Renastere, and she liked them quite a lot. They were simple sneakers, white with three black stripes on the side, but they were ruined now. Selena placed them aside, “No sense in being upset about them now,” she thought. She then tended to her socks, taking them off and twisting them over and over again to get the water out. Selena looked over her feet; both heels had formed blisters. She took out one of her crossbow bolts from her quiver and used it to puncture the blisters and pushed against the raised skin to eject the serum from her feet. Her stomach rumbled, angry at Selena for failing to fill it in the last day. She sucked in her stomach, hoping that by forcing it into a smaller area, maybe she wouldn’t be as hungry. It didn’t work.

Selena pulled herself into her shirt, hiding as much of her body within the thin cotton as she could, closed her eyes and listened to the rain hitting the leaves. It was a hypnotic sound, a relaxing endless series of taps and plinks and plonks. In the city, the sound of rain was different. It made blints against gutters, pwicks against the windows, and fplabs against the brick. She liked the sound of the rain in the woods more, but would have happily traded it for the warmth of her bed. She would miss Sam and Diane tonight. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be Diane’s last episode.

“I should have set the VCR,” Selena thought as the taps and plinks and plonks faded away, replaced by the silence of sleep.

6

Selena woke to the sound of breaking branches. The sun had not yet risen, and the rain clouds blocked the moon, making it impossible to see more than a few inches away. She reached out for her crossbow and listened carefully.

After a moment, another branch cracked.

“Hello?” She called out, her hand slowly moving to her quiver for a bolt. There was no response. “Father, is that you?”

A third branch snapped.

Selena stood up and walked out from under the overhang, her bare feet sinking into the muddy ground, “I have no time for games. Either come out, or I will find you, and if I must find you, you will not like what happens next.”

“What happens next?” A voice hissed. It echoed through the trees, between the rain drops. The air became stale.

Selena raised her crossbow to the darkness. “I am Selena of the Wolf Clan. I am here for my Renastere. My kill can be a deer, or it can be you.”

The voice laughed, and the ground erupted with worms. “You cannot kill me, child.”

Selena’s hand trembled, “What should I call you?”

“You shouldn’t,” The voice answered, “You should leave here, child. These woods are not for you.”

Selena couldn’t figure out where the voice was coming from. It was as if it came from every direction at once. She spun around, looking for any sign of movement, “I cannot leave here until I have my kill. These are the rules of Renastere, either I kill something in these woods, or I die in these woods.”

“Then I am afraid you will die in these woods.”

With those words, Selena felt a breath on the back of her neck. She turned quickly, but there was no one there. “Will you not face me?” Selena asked, her voice shaking.

“I mean you no ill. I am here only to warn you. These woods are not as they seem. There is evil here, and it is watching you.”

Selena raised her voice, “Let this evil come at me, I do not fear it.”  

The voice laughed again, “I fear it, child.”

Lightning lit up the sky, and Selena’s eyes opened. She was under the overhang, her head still hidden under her shirt.

7

Selena spent the remainder of the night listening for every sound. There was no breaking branches, no cracking of sticks, just the falling rain, and Selena wondered if the voice was just a dream. Still, its words stayed in her head, its voice so hollow, and its laugh devoid of emotion.  If it was real, the voice carried a grave warning with it, that Selena was in danger. Something in these woods was watching her, and was intending to harm her.

As the sun rose, the rain continued unabated. Selena tried to wait it out, but it was clear that the rain would continue for at least a few more hours. Her second day would be no easier than the first. Selena put on her cold, wet socks and forced her feet into her cold, muddy sneakers. She looked out from beneath the overhang, chose a direction, and then began to walk. Her legs were stiff, and her stomach had moved from rumbling to near revolt, the hunger becoming so bad that she felt nauseous. Growing on the trees were some mushrooms, and for a moment Selena considered eating a few, but her mind won out. “There are few bark mushrooms that won’t make you ill, Selena,” she thought, “This is no time to risk it.”

Selena watched the trees for movement, both for the chance of spotting anything that may be watching her, and hoping for at least some sign of life. While she had found deer tracks early the day before, she had seen no sign of any wildlife since then. Even in the rain, some animals would be moving about, but as far as Selena knew, she was the only living thing in the woods. Selena whistled, just to hear something besides the rain. When the other members of the Wolf Clan would leave the city for the nights of the full moon, and Selena was in the building alone, sometimes the city would become so quiet that Selena worried that she had gone deaf. To make sure her ears hadn’t suddenly stopped working, she would whistle to herself. It comforted her; let her know she still drew breath.

Something whistled back.

Selena took out her crossbow and loaded a bolt onto the track. She stood silent, pushing the taps, plinks and plonks of the rain away and focused on the sounds that shouldn’t be. A heavy breathing. The stomp of something large moving across the woods. A crackle from a fire. Whatever was out there, it was watching Selena, but she could not find it. The voice was real, and it was right, there was an evil in the woods.

“I know you are there,” Selena called out, “and I do not fear you. It is you who hides from me, and if you dare attack me, I will end you.”

The sounds that shouldn’t have been stopped, almost as if they never were. The taps and plinks and plonks of the rain came back, along with another sound, a sound Selena was happy to hear; the scratches of a squirrel scrounging for food. Selena’s eyes followed the sound and found their target. It wasn’t a big squirrel, likely less than a year old, but it was something to eat. Selena tightened her hold on the latch of her crossbow and set the bolt free. It was a good shot, straight through the squirrel’s head. A quick death for the creature, one it would not feel, and while it wouldn’t be the greatest meal, squirrel was better than nothing.

The rain made it impossible to get a fire going, but still Selena skinned the animal fast, cutting the skin behind the haunch legs and pulling the meat free from the flesh, then cutting it open from the stomach to the neck, grasping the inner membrane and pulling out its entrails. Selena checked the liver; it was a deep, dark red. The squirrel was healthy. 

Selena tossed the skin and entrails into a tree, then without hesitation bit into the raw meat. It was still warm, and it took everything Selena had to not vomit. She choked down as much as she could, her stomach equally happy to have sustenance, and angry at what that sustenance was. This was a meal her body would certainly make her pay for later, but that didn’t matter at the moment. Selena needed to keep her strength up.

Selena looked at what remained of the squirrel and considered throwing it away, but decided it was better to keep it for later. She couldn’t leave these woods without a kill, a real kill, and who knew how long it would be before she found something that fit the rules of Renastere. Squirrels, birds and fish didn’t count. Deer, bears or mountain lions would do, but not something as weak as vermin. Marko’s deer was a ten point buck, weighing a hundred and seventy pounds. Marko’s father hung the antlers in their living room to ward off evil spirits.

Selena wouldn’t leave the woods without something better than what Marko came home with. She had to be better if she wanted to be a șef the others respected. Though how many would be left when Selena became șef? She was the youngest of the Clan, and the rest of the women were past the age of birthing. Some of them still tried, but Grandmother Moon did not bring them children. The last days of the Clan were close; they all knew it, though they rarely spoke of it. What was once a million strong, the Wolf Clan was down to less than a dozen. The blood lines of those who brought Macedonia to its end would soon be joining Perseus.

The rain slowed, then stopped. “A good omen,” Selena thought. She looked up, stretched out her arms, and let the warmth of the sun breaking through the clouds and tress to envelope her. For the first time in two days, Selena smiled.

8

There were no deer to be found on the second day, and Selena could not find the sounds that should not have been. As the sun began to set, she turned her attention to making camp. She found wood that was dry enough that she could use it to get a fire going, and soon after was cooking what remained of the squirrel. By the time the sun had vanished and the sky changed from purple to black, Selena had finished eating and was drying out her sneakers and socks.

She felt relaxed as she looked at the stars above. The moon was full, and her father was sure to be out there somewhere, likely having a better meal than she did. “He best not kill any deer tonight. I need as many of them running about as I can get,” she thought. It was the third and last night of the full moon for the month, and Selena imagined her father would take advantage of it as much as he could. The rest of the pack was in the woods near Syracuse, where they usually went during the full moon, and Selena and Nikoli where at least a hundred miles away from them. It was rare that a werewolf would be found alone, they preferred to travel in packs. As șef, Nikoli rarely had time to himself, and he relished it when he could get away, even if it was just for an hour. Nikoli had taken to walks through the neighborhood, and had made quite a few friends along the way. Sometimes Selena would join her father on his walks, and she was amazed at how many people knew him. 

There was Mister Everett, who owned a music store, and the Bellissimos, who owned the deli across the street. Misses Maguire owned ABC My Shoes, where Selena got her sneakers. James Callan owned the bar next to the Bellissimo’s Deli. It was his brother’s bar before that, but his brother died. Ahmed Sadiki owned the dry cleaners and always called Nikoli “Wolf King”. Nikoli called Ahmed “Djinn Master”. They told each other stories of their lives before coming to America, often over tea. Ahmed was very different from Nikoli. He was not tall, and his hair was dark and slicked back. He was always clean shaven and dressed in a suit. His right hand was missing, and in its place was a wooden one with Arabic writings carved into it. Selena once asked Ahmed what the carvings were for and he said they were the names of the people his hand saved, “So if I get sad that my hand is gone, I can look and see the good it did, and I can smile knowing my hand made a difference in the lives of so many”.

Ioana said that Ahmed was not a good looking man, but Selena disagreed. He was confident in himself, and he was happy. He was always happy. To Selena, these aspects were more important than Ahmed’s bulbous nose that Ioana was so caught up on.

With a belly full of cooked squirrel and her socks finally dry, Selena put out the fire, climbed up a tree and found a strong branch to rest on. She stretched out as best she could and closed her eyes. “Tomorrow,” Selena thought, “tomorrow I will get my kill.”

9

The mournful moan, like the songs of whales, woke Selena. It was dark, but the moon created enough light that she could see clearly. Beneath Selena was a Greenman, a sentient piece of nature that protects the Earth from those who would harm it. It had come across the remains of the fire and the bones of the squirrel. Selena had learned about the Greenmen, but seeing one so close took her breath away. The creature stood on its hind legs and kept its head bowed as it sang. Straight up as it was, the Greenman was at least twelve feet tall, and its green skin, with a texture not unlike a leaf, shone in the light of the moon. 

Selena was so focused on the Greenman that it took her a good five minutes before she noticed the other Greenmen walking by. They moved slowly and made no sound, walking on all fours, each bowing its head as it passed the singing Greenman. Selena watched in silence as the Greenmen held a funeral procession for an animal of no importance to the world. The site made her heart hurt. Selena felt sorry for killing the squirrel. “I could have gone another day without eating,” She thought, “It was selfish of me to kill it.”

It was then that the singing Greenman looked up, straight at Selena, and the tone of the song changed from one of sorrow to one of anger. The other Greenmen stopped and looked at Selena as well. Selena couldn’t move, even one Greenman would be a deadly challenge, but she would be facing well over two dozen of them. 

“Please,” Selena whispered, “I’m sorry. Please.”

The singing Greenman went silent. Its eyes glowed and Selena felt her breath pulled from her body and everything went white. Slowly, her vision returned, but there was something different. She was in a different tree. She felt odd. Nervous. Twitchy. Selena looked around, hoping to get her bearings. The sun was out and she saw, in the distance, a girl with her back to her. The girl was standing still, listening for something. Then, as quick as lightning, the girl turned and fired her crossbow, its bolt headed directly for Selena. A sharp pain took over Selena’s body as everything went dark.

Selena opened her eyes and she was on the ground. She had fallen from the tree and landed inches away from the singing Greenman. It stared at Selena, the glow from its eyes fading away. The singing Greenman turned away from her and joined the others. After a moment, their procession began again, all of them silent. Selena sat up, her head throbbing. She watched them pass in silence, then, when they were out of sight, Selena ran as fast as she could in the opposite direction.

10

The sun had risen, and a light fog covered the ground of the woods. Selena drank from a small stream. She had run for what felt like hours, and the further she got from the Greenmen, the less her head hurt. Selena could feel a sickness coming on, though if it was from the raw squirrel she had eaten the morning before, or from being in her wet clothes for two days she wasn’t sure. She searched around the stream for fennel, if she could find some, it would help stave off the cramps and ease her nausea, but there was none to be found. Selena cursed her luck and moved on.

Near the stream, Selena found fresh deer droppings. Selena followed the trail, moving carefully to keep from creating too much noise. Not long after, she found her prey; it was a buck, a big one. Selena counted its points, and then she counted again to be sure. Fourteen. A fourteen point buck. “That is far better than Marko’s,” Selena thought.

It was as if the gods put the buck there for Selena. It stood motionless, warming itself under a ray of sun that had broken through the trees, looking straight ahead at nothing. Selena was in a perfect position to pierce the buck’s heart with a single shot. She thanked the gods for this moment of good luck, pulled back the bowstring, placed a bolt on the track, and took aim, holding her breath for a perfect shot.

Selena started to squeeze the latch, and as she did, a searing pain shot through her brain. Instantly, she was seeing what the Greenman had shown her. She turned away from the buck and vomited. The pain subsided. 

“Damn you, Greenman!” Selena cried out, sending the buck running, “you have cursed me, haven’t you! You’ve ruined me!” Selena fell to her knees, exhausted. “How can I complete Renastere if I can’t kill,” She thought, “How long would the curse last? At least a day. Please, no more than a day.”

Selena returned to the stream to wash away the taste of regurgitated squirrel that filled her mouth.  She cursed the Greenman again, the last thing she needed was a curse. She didn’t know of anyone that could remove a Greenman curse. Sometimes their curses lasted years, sometimes only a few days. It all depended on how badly your intrusion into nature upset them. “How upset could a Greenman get about a squirrel?” Selena wondered, “Or could it have been the fire? I put it out; I did not endanger the woods with it. It couldn’t be the fire”.

Selena sat at the edge of the stream, letting the water dance around her fingers. For the first time, since entering the words, Selena heard the birds chirping, and she was quite sure they were laughing at her. She spit on the ground, still working the copper taste from her mouth. It was a losing battle. “Stupid Greenman,” she thought aloud, “it was just a squirrel. Not worth all this.” The birds laughed harder, angering Selena, “Shut up!” They ignored Selena and continued their mirth.

11

Her stomach was rumbling so loud, Selena could not sleep. Having vomited up her only meal in the last seventy two hours some twelve hours earlier, and being unable to even think of killing an animal without getting a sharp pain in her head, Selena was left with no choice but to go without. She had made another fire and rested next to it, watching the ambers float into the sky, listening to the hisses and pops from the still damp wood.

Before this, Selena loved to camp. She enjoyed nature previously, enjoyed sleeping under the stars and cooking by fire. But now, after all she had been through, Selena came to see the microwave in a new light. It was a device not to be taken lightly, but to be treated as something holy, something to be thankful for every day. Indoor plumbing, too, was now underrated in Selena’s opinion. She would never camp again, not if she could help it. “I’ll stay in the apartment when I change, I care not. The open fields and acres upon acres of woods are for the others, I want chocolate chip cookies.” Selena’s stomach rumbled in agreement.

She felt the vibrations first, just a brief moment before the sound. The hurried and hard landing of hooves headed towards her. Selena grabbed her crossbow and stood up. She braced for impact, still unsure of what would come from between the trees, or if, with the Greenman’s curse, she would be able to kill it if necessary.

There was one last large vibration, like an impact, followed a moment later by the sound of running was replaced with the cries of a deer. Selena peered into the distance towards the cries, but saw nothing. “Is it a wolf?” she thought, “Maybe a bear?” Selena kept her crossbow ready. She could hear whatever it was that took down the deer eating it now. It gnawed and slurped and chomped with an eagerness Selena could understand. She imagined many of the same sounds came from her when she first bit into the raw squirrel meat.

Selena’s stomach rumbled and the eating sounds stopped. The air went stale as the pops and crackles from the fire stopped. The only thing Selena could hear was her heart, which was beating fast. She could feel the blood rushing through her veins, and her eyes focused on the darkness ahead of her. She could make out a shape, something large, nearing seven feet. Selena raised her crossbow and aimed at the shape. There was no pain.

The shape turned, its glowing red eyes locked onto Selena. Her heart beat faster still. A sound not unlike nails on a chalkboard filled the air as the shape shot into the sky, its wings spreading out twenty feet. As the creature cleared the treetops, Selena was able to get a better look at it. It appeared that the creature was suffering from proptosis, it’s large, glowing red eyes bulging from the sockets.

Fitting between the eyes was a beak similar to an eagle’s. Its body was primarily white, with the area under its head stained red from the blood of countless animals. The wings came from the creature’s back allowing its arms to have full movement. It had three talons as sharp as razors protruding from its halluxes.  Its legs were short, likely not used for movement, ending in very humanistic feet. 

The creature shrieked again and went into a dive bomb headed directly for Selena. Her instincts took over and without hesitation; Selena jumped away from her attacker, but was not fast enough to completely get away. The creature’s talons tore into Selena’s right shoulder, splitting the tendon in two, forcing her to drop the crossbow. Selena darted up from the ground and pushed the pain away. The creature stood ready for a second strike. It puffed its chest and gave a low chirp, almost a taunt. Selena took a deep breath, licked her lips, and spit, the saliva landing less than an inch from the creature’s foot.

The creature lunged at Selena, and she leapfrogged over it, landing near the fire. She reached down and pulled out a burning log. The creature was slow to turn, its legs indeed not meant for movement. As the creature completed its turn, Selena shoved the burning log into its eye. The creature shrieked in pain and lashed out at Selena, its talons connecting with her stomach, but just barely, causing only scratches. Selena pushed the log harder into the creature’s eye.

The creature’s wings spread and it took to the air again. Its flight was erratic, the eye injury causing it to have trouble maneuvering. Selena watched the creature carefully as she moved to her crossbow. She was losing blood quick, and needed to end the fight before she lost consciousness.  Without her right arm, her dominant arm, her aim would be off. She had learned to shoot with her left, but she was never as good at it as she would have liked, and with one, maybe two shots before she collapsed from blood loss, Selena didn’t have the option of taking her time to aim.

The creature started its attack, dropping from the sky as streamlined as an owl. Selena didn’t move this time. She needed to wait until the beast was too close to miss. So close that almost any shot would be a kill shot. The monster put its arms out, its talons spread apart. Selena aimed her crossbow and squeezed the latch. The bowstring released with a wiff, no bolt was to be found. Selena looked to where the crossbow had landed. Lying there was the bolt, it had been dislodged when she dropped the crossbow.

Selena looked back to the creature just as it made contact with her. Before she could breathe, the creature brought her up above the trees, and continued climbing. Selena struggled to break free from the creature’s grasp, but with her right arm out of commission, she didn’t stand a chance. Even if she was able to get away, she would be facing a forty foot drop. “This is my death,” Selena thought, “I have only to choose how I leave this world.”

Selena bit into the creature’s right tarsus. One of her teeth shattered, but she drew blood. The creature shrieked, and its right arm released Selena’s left. The creature quickly pecked at Selena’s face, cutting open her cheek. She reached into her quiver and pulled out as many bolts as her left hand could hold. With all her might, Selena drove the bolts into the creature’s neck, puncturing its windpipe. The creature gasps for air and tried to shriek again, but nothing came out. Selena pushed the bolts in deeper, so deep that they pierced the other side of the creature’s neck. Together, they fell from the sky, two comets entwined, making their descent from the heavens.

12

Velvet darkness surrounded her, warm and relaxing. Selena did not want to open her eyes, she was relaxed, more relaxed than she had felt in a long time. She could hear voices, low voices. “Mother and father,” Selena thought, “If I open my eyes, it will be time to get up, and if it is time to get up, it will be close to time for school. I do not want to go to school”. She inhaled deeply and smelled things that didn’t make sense to her; wheat, burning wood, spoiled milk, blood, rotting flesh, and pumpkin. In the distance she could hear a baby crying and a man begging. She struggled to make out the man’s words, his voice so familiar. Her eyes fought to open, but Selena would not let them. Something around her was wrong, was off, and she was afraid to see it. “Please,” she whispered, “don’t make me look.”

Light crept into Selena’s vision, the sun forcing its way through the darkness. Everything was blurred, and her mouth was dry, so dry that her tongue felt like sandpaper. Her arm began to throb. Selena blinked, her eyes felt as dried out as her mouth, and everything began to come into focus. She was on the ground surrounded by broken branches and leaves. A few yards away was the creature, the bolts still impaling its throat. Selena tried to sit up, but her strength was gone. The area surrounding her right arm was stained red with her blood, the wound still open. Selena pulled the torn wool sweater sleeve from her hair and wrapped it as best she could around her injured shoulder. She tightened it until the pain was unbearable, tied it off, and then slipped back into unconsciousness.

13

Droplets of water woke Selena. It had begun raining; the familiar taps, plinks, and plonks overtaking the sounds of the woods once more, but this time Selena was happy for it. She opened her mouth and let the rain fall in, swallowing the cool water. Selena sat up slowly, her head screaming as she did, the pain making her nauseas. She pulled herself to a tree and rested against it. 

Next to where she had been lying Selena could now see her crossbow, its lath snapped in two. She had spent two months learning to make a crossbow, and a week on that one alone. When she completed it, she showed it to Fierar. Fierar was a large woman who moved slow and spoke fast. Before coming to America she was the blacksmith for the Clan, now she spent her days fixing pipes and unclogging toilets. 

Fierar looked over the crossbow, checking its shaft and turning the catch. “It is a good crossbow, Selena. You should be proud of what you have made.” 

Selena smiled, “I have named it Bane a Padurarul.”

“That is a good name.”

“My mother laughed at it.”

“Your mother doesn’t understand. So many of our kind forget what those bastards did to us. You will remember, won’t you Selena?”

“I will, Fierar. I will remember what those bastards did.”

 “Good girl. A good girl with a strong crossbow. The Woodsmen do not stand a chance against someone like you.”

Now, like her, the crossbow was broken. It would never be used to kill a Woodsman. It would never leave the woods. “Goodbye Bane a Padurarul,” Selena sighed, “you fought well, and I am forever grateful to you.” She rested her head against the tree, its bark digging slightly into her scalp. 

The creature had not moved. Selena felt sure that it was dead.

14

When Selena next woke, the sun was gone and the rain had stopped. In the distance she could hear a voice. She tried to call out to the voice, but her throat refused to cooperate; all she could muster was a low, scratchy whine, her arm extended towards the voice. She tried to stand, and only then realized that her left leg was broken. The pain shot through her leg and up her spine, and Selena fell back to the ground.

The voice was closer, but still hard to make out. Selena smacked her hand against the wet ground as hard as she could. The muddled splat served only to splash her face with dirty water. Selena slumped over. Tears ran down her face. She stared at the dead creature and smiled, “That is better than Marko’s deer.”

Selena could hear her father as everything went black.

15

Selena could hear a song, one she recognized. It reminded her of Sam and Diane. She opened her eyes, and they focused on the popcorn ceiling above; millions of tiny indents making the ceiling look dangerous, like it would scrape your flesh of you brushed against it. Her arm had been bandaged, and her leg was in a splint, raised up with pillows. She turned to see what else was around.

She was in a bed. Not a comfortable bed, it was lumpy and the sheets were scratchy, but one more comfortable than the cold wet ground of the woods. The blanket was a mess of colors seemingly splattered at random. Next to her was a bedside table holding a large phone, a glass of water, and a tacky lamp. Across from that was another equally uncomfortable looking bed.

On the other side of the room was a TV. Sam was on it with a younger blond man who was sitting at a piano singing the same name over and over, Kelly. “Who is that man?” Selena wondered. The TV sat on a cheap dresser. Behind it was a mirror covered in smudges. Sitting next to the TV was a pizza box. Selena’s stomach rumbled at the site of it.

The bathroom door was shut, and there was no light coming from under it. Selena was alone and confused, unsure of how she arrived at the motel. What if whoever brought her here meant her harm? She did not have the strength to fight, she knew that much. Selena reached for the glass of water, but her hand wasn’t willing to cooperate, knocking the glass to the floor. She laid her head back against the flimsy pillow and chuckled.

Sam was back at the bar, talking to Norm. The blond man was behind the bar with Sam, and there was a woman Selena didn’t recognize. She had dark hair and a raspy voice.

The door to the room opened, and Nikoli walked in carrying a bag stained with grease and a six-pack of soda. He saw Selena and smiled, “You’re awake! I was worried.”

Selena smiled and let out a breath, “You found me? In the woods?”

“Of course. I was worried for you. It had been almost a week, and I was sure you would have been out within two days. I went in after you and got lucky. I found your sweater first, then your campground. Then you.”

“I was cursed. A Greenman cursed me.” Selena felt ashamed.

“For what?”

“I killed a squirrel.”

Nikoli laughed, and Selena felt better. “Those morons are curse happy.”

Selena disagreed, “No, it was doing what it is meant to do. The Greenmen, they tried to warn me. They spoke to me, told me to leave the woods. I didn’t listen. The Greenmen protect, and I was there to kill. It saw what my intentions were, father, and it stopped me.”

“It allowed you to kill a Tineo Viro.”

The creature. Selena had forgotten about it. A Tineo Viro. The humans called it the Mothman, though now that Selena had seen one up close, she knew it looked nothing like a moth. “That is my kill, father. For Renastere”

“And a damn good one too.” Nikoli stood and went to the door, “I’ll be back. I have something for you.”

As Nikoli left, Selena’s attention returned to the TV. Sam and Diane were gone. It was the news now. Selena’s stomach rumbled again. The smell from the greasy bag was overwhelming.

Nikoli returned, this time with a bag. He placed the bag on his bed and unzipped it. “Selena, my daughter, one day you will be șef. It will be your duty to lead our people. To do that, you must be strong in both mind and spirit. Your Renastere has taught you the most important of lessons, that the weaker must be protected by the stronger. The mother fights for the pup.  I know you will grow up to be strong and wise. I know you will be a good mother to our people. To help you keep them safe, I present you with this.”

From the bag Nikoli pulled out a crossbow unlike any other. The Colți de Lup, a crossbow made by a mage for Alexandreina, and passed down from șef to șef for generations. Selena smiled as Nikoli handed the weapon to her. It was heavy, heavier than Bane a Padurarul. 

“Thank you father.” Selena was happy, happier than she ever thought possible. Still, her eyes moved away from her new crossbow to the greasy bag. She could smell the salty fries inside it, and couldn’t take any more. “Can I have those fries?”

Nikoli brought the bag to her. Selena dived in, grabbing a handful of the fires and shoving them in her mouth. Nothing, in the history of the world, had ever tasted so good. Selena was sure of it.