Wolf Girl - Magic, Monsters and Men

                He pulled the hood of his green cloak over his head as he sat silently in the tall grass. The wind was cool and caused the sea of blades to sway gently. He breathed deeply as the still night took hold of his senses. This was freedom, he thought to himself as his hands ran through the grass. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply.  He had been waiting for over an hour with no sign of anyone, and was about to give up hope when a sudden rush of air brushed past him.

“What are you just sitting around for?” an overly happy voice asked.

He opened his eyes and sighed.

“Sam, do you have any idea how long I have been waiting for you?” he replied as he stood and turned to face the man who had appeared.

“If I had to guess from your tone I would say it has been a while?” Sam replied with a smirk. “Honestly, Trent you need to lighten up!”

Trent did not return Sam’s smile but instead began walking down the hill he had been perched upon. He quietly made his way through the tall grass into the wooded area below. Sam followed behind in an almost skip run. Trent had always found it surprising how gracefully Sam could move given his plump frame. He attributed it to the magic coursing through Sam’s blood.

Sam caught up to Trent and slapped him on the back.

“I have met a number of woodland soldiers before and I have to say you are by far the surliest!”

“We have a task to see to Sam, let’s just get it over with, shall we?”

“Ah but of course! Murdering a child in the night is very serious business and I must not make light of it what so ever. It is not as though I feel sick to my stomach thinking about it and would rather just disappear!” Sam’s words were drenched in sarcasm as the true weight of their job sunk in.

“It must be done. How would we explain a girl born a werewolf come the first full moon? Her fate was written and sealed the moment she was conceived.”  

“It doesn’t make sense though, does it?” Sam questioned. “A girl is born to human parents neither of whom are carriers of the virus? It has never happened before. What if she isn’t a blood thirsty monster? How can we know unless she is given a chance?”

Trent did not question his orders. He acted upon them. As a soldier he knew that the more you thought about what it was that was asked of you the more difficult it becomes. It needed to be black and white without any emotions.

“You need to stop talking Sam.” He said sternly. “I can see the human homes.”

Sam bit his tongue as questions continued to run wild through his mind. When the council of elders had requested he help Trent he had agreed. Yet now after thinking more and more about the situation he was having second thoughts.

They made their way to the end of the tree line which bordered the back yard of a small home in a dated sub division. There was a rusted swing set in the overgrown yard. Trent crouched slightly and began climbing the nearest tree to the home. Sam watched as Trent jumped from the tree to the roof of the house.  Once there, Trent looked back to see Sam who promptly disappeared from the forest’s edge in a puff of smoke.

“Where did he go?” Trent whispered to himself.

He expected Sam must have gotten cold feet and run away.

“Coward” Trent growled.

He slowly crept along the roof to the farthest window of the home and lowered himself down.  With one hand holding onto the lip of the roof he used his other to slowly open the window out towards him. Once it was wide enough he swung himself into the room and landed silently on the carpeted floor. Still crouching he scanned the room. In the center there was a wooden crib. His heart began to race as he saw the outline of someone standing over the crib.

“I don’t think I can do this” a familiar voice whispered.

Trent sighed as he stood and walked towards the fat fairy.

“Thought you ran away” Trent stated as he walked over the crib and slowly drew a silver dagger from his belt. “This should go smoothly, just give me a heads up if you sense movement within the house.”

Sam hesitated as he watched Trent approach the crib.

“Wait, can’t we…” he began but was silenced by a glare from Trent.

Trent raised the dagger above the sleeping infant and took a deep breath in. He had to remain focused on what needed to be done. This was not easy, but he could not be distracted by his mind. Just as he prepared to plunge the dagger into the chest of the wolf, she awoke.  Trent was frozen by the child’s soft blue eyes as she stared silently up at him. His hand slowly fell to his side. She continued to stare up at him as a smile crept across her face. Everything he had done to mentally prepare himself for this moment, all the emotional walls he had built up were crumbling around him.

“I can’t believe I am doing this.” Trent whispered as he sheathed his dagger.

Sam looked from the child to Trent in astonishment. The soldier bent down into the crib and took her into his arms. Holding her in one arm he made his way over to the window.

“What are you doing?” Sam questioned in a panicked whisper.

“I don’t really know.” Trent replied. “What I do know though is if we leave her here the elders will just send another assassin to kill her.”

“So you are taking her? Where?”

“No idea.” Trent replied as he began climbing out the window.

“Wait. Here.” Sam stated as he stopped Trent and took the child. “I know where we can take her. Meet me on the hill tomorrow evening and we can decide what to do from there.”

Trent hesitated. He did not necessarily distrust Sam, but rather had not always had the best experiences with fairies as a whole. He begrudgingly agreed and began making his way out of the window. As his eyes adjusted to the bright moonlight he leaned back into the room.

“We are going to have to figure something out quickly.” He stated to Sam who was whispering softly to the baby who was laughing. “The full moon comes in two days. We still have no idea what will happen with her then.”

Sam looked up at Trent with a worried expression. A forced smile broke the uncertainty.

“It will be alright.” He said unconvincingly as they disappeared.

Trent pulled himself up onto the roof and began running silently across it. He jumped into the forest and disappeared as a wolf howled in the distance.