Moonlight and Shadow
The forest floor crunched under Elias’s boots, pine needles sticking to the damp wool of his coat. Moonlight sliced through the canopy, painting silver streaks across the moss. He froze when the growl rumbled—low, guttural, so close it vibrated in his bones.
“Come out,” he said, fingers brushing the silver dagger at his belt. “I can smell the pine sap on your fur.”
A shadow shifted. Then the wolf stepped into the light—huge, its coat the color of storm clouds, eyes like smoldering amber. It didn’t charge. It just stood there, chest heaving, jaws glistening with saliva.
Elias tilted his head. “You’re not here to hunt me. Not tonight.”
The wolf’s ears flattened. It took a step back, and for a heartbeat, Elias saw it—not the beast, but the man beneath: a flash of brown hair, a scar along the jaw. Then the fur rippled, bones cracking softly, and there stood Kael, bare-chested, jeans torn at the knees, breath coming in ragged gasps.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Kael said, voice rough. “The moon’s full. I can’t… control it.”
Elias smiled, sharp and cold. “Control’s overrated. I came to talk.” He pulled a leather pouch from his pocket, tossed it to Kael. “Wolfsbane. Dried. It’ll take the edge off.”
Kael caught it, stared at the pouch like it might bite. “Why?”
“Because the villagers are talking. They found the sheep—ripped apart, throats torn. They’ll blame the wolf. But we both know it wasn’t you.” Elias leaned against a tree, fangs glinting in the moonlight. “Vampire tracks. Fresh ones. Smell like iron and rot.”
Kael’s jaw tightened. “You expect me to team up with a bloodsucker?”
“I expect you to care about not being burned at the stake.” Elias pushed off the tree, took a step closer. “That vampire’s hunting in your territory. It’s killing to draw attention—to you. And when the villagers come with torches, do you think they’ll stop to ask if you’re ‘the good one’?”
Kael clenched his fists. The moon glowed brighter, and Elias saw his fingers twitch—fur starting to sprout at the knuckles. “What do you want?”
“To find it first.” Elias nodded toward the east, where the trees grew thicker, the air heavier with the stench of decay. “It’s been preying on travelers. Last night, it took a family. A kid, no older than ten.” He paused, watching Kael’s expression soften. “I know you don’t kill humans. Not on purpose. But that thing? It likes it.”
Kael closed his eyes. When he opened them, the amber had faded, replaced by something harder—determination. “Fine. But if you so much as bare those fangs at me…”
“I won’t.” Elias held up his hands, palms out. “We have a common enemy. For tonight, that’s enough.”
They walked in silence, Kael’s boots thudding against the ground, Elias moving like a ghost, barely making a sound. The forest grew quieter—no crickets, no owls. Only the wind, whispering through the trees.
Then Kael stopped. “I smell it,” he said, voice low. “Up ahead. In the cave.”
Elias nodded. He could feel it too—the cold, the hunger, the malice. It practically hummed in the air. “Stay back until I signal. Vampires don’t like fire, but they hate silver. You’ve got the dagger?”
Kael patted the pouch at his waist. “Ready.”
Elias slipped into the shadows, moving toward the cave. The stench grew stronger—rot and blood, thick enough to taste. He heard a low chuckle, soft and cruel, from inside.
“Come in, little vampire,” a voice purred. “I’ve been waiting.”
Elias stepped into the cave. The vampire stood in the center, tall, with black hair and eyes like coal. It held a girl in its arms—pale, unconscious, her neck marked with a tiny bite.
“Let her go,” Elias said.
The vampire laughed. “And miss the fun? She’s so sweet. Like honey.” It brushed a strand of hair from the girl’s face. “You’re too late, anyway. By the time the sun comes up, she’ll be one of us. A little pet.”
Elias’s fangs dropped. “Not if I kill you first.”
He lunged. The vampire dodged, tossing the girl aside. She landed with a thud, and Elias saw her eyes flutter open—frightened, confused.
“Run!” he shouted.
The girl scrambled to her feet, tears streaming down her face, and fled out of the cave. The vampire snarled, turning on Elias. “You’ll pay for that.”
They fought—claws against fangs, speed against strength. The vampire was fast, faster than Elias had expected, but he was smarter. He ducked a swipe, grabbed the vampire’s arm, and sank his fangs into its wrist. The vampire screamed, a high, shrill sound that made Elias’s ears ring.
“Silver!” Elias shouted.
Kael burst into the cave, the silver dagger in his hand. He didn’t hesitate—he drove the blade into the vampire’s chest. The vampire howled, its skin smoking where the silver touched. It crumpled to the ground, dissolving into ash.
Silence.
Kael stood there, chest heaving, the dagger still in his hand. Elias wiped the blood from his lips, staring at the ash.
“The girl?” Kael asked.
“Gone. She’ll be safe.” Elias nodded toward the cave entrance. “The villagers will find her. They’ll think a wolf saved her. Or a ghost. Doesn’t matter.”
Kael laughed, a short, rough sound. “Yeah. Doesn’t matter.”
They walked out of the cave together, the moon still high in the sky. The forest was quiet again—crickets chirping, owls hooting.
“Tonight was… different,” Kael said.
Elias smiled. “Yeah. It was.” He paused, then added, “If you ever need help. With the moon. Or anything else.”
Kael nodded. “Same to you. If you ever need a wolf to watch your back.”
They parted at the edge of the forest—Kael heading west, toward his cabin, Elias heading east, toward the town. The moon cast their shadows long, stretching across the ground, almost touching.
Maybe, Elias thought, they weren’t so different after all.