Moon Lit Night
by Robert M. Velkym

   He looked up at the sky. The light of the moon bathed the ground and trees in a iridescent white magic. He could feel the light upon his skin, cool and relaxing. The stars shinning bright upon the earth as they had for millions of years. He lay on his back. The gentle breeze whispering nothing to everyone patient enough to listen. He was listening, probably for the very first time in his life.

   He breathed a long sign of pain. His body growing bumpy as the cold wind swept around him. He looked up the sky and dreamed about places he could go and things he could see. The longer he look the colder he got, for he was alone. He stood slowly and stretched his sleeping muscles. His eyes watering slightly as the stretch invigorated him.

   He turned to the trees, the darkness underneath them holding no malice, just peace. Peace for those who were brave enough to go in and get it. He dreamed he could sit in that moonless shade and look out upon the world in silent bliss. He was humbled, he breathed in the cold air and began to walk. It was a brisk walk, were in the mind questions and stories spin, and the ground falls away slowly as the unconscious leads on.

   He walked for hours, the sky opening up with each step, the night air clearing his head. He turned to walk back home, the brilliantly lit greenbelt winding into darkness. He walk down the cement, the lights guiding him until he reached a spot where no light aided his vision. He stopped and looked around.

   The blanket of darkness surround and consumed him. He smiled as the goose bumps came again. The sound of crickets chirping, the far off howl of the wolf. He was in utter darkness, the way he had come was gone, there were no electric lights in any direction, the wall he had been walking alone for the past half hour had fallen away in his trance.

   He looked up at the stars through the canopy, his was truly dazzled. For up in the sky there were more stars than he had ever seen. The sky was lit as a bright sunny day, the milky way striping the sky, the moon hanging sentinally by the horizon. He was in a world he had only dreamed of, a world of freedom.

   He sat down to listen to the world of the wild the baying of the wolves, the sweet lack of civilization. He sat up and looking into the infinite darkness. A beacon showed out in the distant trees, the flickering and twitching that could only be fire. He was draw toward the light of man, the flame taking clear form to that of a torch being swung frantically by a young maiden.

   As he neared the woman he began to her sobbing and pleading. "Please god make them go away…" He go closer to investigate, the trees were much more dense and travel was considerably slowed, but there, over the pleas was a definite growl of the wolves.

   The woman was beside her self in grief. She stood over the body of a small girl who was covered in blood. The woman’s tears ran down her face as she cried out at the ominous wolves. Then as if on cue the wolves attacked. Two leaped out from be hind the woman knocking her ton the ground, then a third and fourth came out of the darkness in front of her snapping and growling. The all attacked I one lung, their teeth stripping flesh from bone; soul from life.

   He felt around himself for a weapon of some sort, his eyes never leaving the ghastly sight of the feast. He could hear the crunching of bones and he dying sobs. He felt his back, for it was if as he neared the wolves a weight had been placed there. His hand closed around the pommel of a weapon, he pulled at it and it slid lightly off his back.

   He looked at what was there, and was totally bewildered. In his hand was a gold encrusted long sword. He looked on in awe as he turned the blade which seemed to glow of its own power in the moon light. He steadied himself and yelled out from his hiding place at the wolves, there was no reply.

   He walked out in the open with the sword poised and ready. The clearing became dark as the moon passed behind some new cloud. He looked over at the woman, she was badly hurt, with gashes across her neck and arms, and bent down to help her. He lifted her head and looked into her eyes. They we green as emeralds and flickered with life.

   She whispered something. He cocked his head an leaned closer, she began to cough and gurgle blood.

"What is it?" He questioned, petting her matted hair.

   "The wolves…"she tried to speak but her message was cut short by another spasm of coughing.

   "What happened the wolves? You kneed help and medicine. Try and breath honey, your going to make it." He said trying to soothe and calm her.

  

   He looked up at the sky, no longer was it a clear winter sky, but one of storms and fear. He looked for the moon, it was illuminating around a cloud and he felt a certain calming in the fact that it was still there. The cloud seemed to be moving rapidly toward the horizon, the gaps allowing the moonlight to fall upon her frail sleeping body. As the first light hit her she stirred a little and moaned he rose to check on her wounds.

   The bandages were soaked in blood, but the wounds underneath had stopped blooding and had acually began to heal. He looked at her, she was smiling in that magical light he could see her sqirm slightly as if unseen hands moved across her body. Her hair stirred by some unfelt wind, her smile widening across her blood streaked face, her eyes struggleing to open.

   He jumped back and pulled out the sword. He held it aloft, swinging gently in preparation for any attack. It was then that her words made sence. They were werewolves, and so was she. He looked closely at the woods. Five distinct half-human; half-wolf creatures were circling him.

   He began to weave the sword about his body in a figure eight. The wolf people began to close in. The first jumped for his sword, he turned and chopped the swords pommel upon the creatures head, crushing the skull and stopping the body, dead. The next two turned and fled, leaving two behind.

   These two were circling, snapping at him. He would chop at one then the other would advance only to be met by a easily dodged back swing. He was waiting for an opening, and the wolves just kept him occupied. He had no idea their only goal was to tire him out, them kill him. This game of cat and mouse went on for about a hour.

   Already his arms felt like Jell-O, his shoulders ached, and he had only made one wound on a wolf. He lowed his sword in a last attempt to confuse the attackers, he stumbled, and knelt. The wolves took the bait and attacked. He was up in two shakes and the first and largest lay bleeding with its head many yards away. The other now limped due to a large laceration on its left leg. He was regressing, he snarled at the wolf, taunting it to fight. He advanced and the monster snapped at him. Two seconds later and two well placed swings and the monster looked out from one eye and breathed through the ventilation in its chest.

   He walked up to the struggling creature, and thrust the blade into the ground through its head of course. He turned toward his sleeping mystery woman. She was changing now, much more rapidly than before, her body was already covered in gray fur. He pulled his sword from where it was lodge in the cranium, his boot held its head steady. He held the point towards her and closed his eyes as he pieced her chest, the sound of her screams filling his head with dread.

   Many hours passed as he stood there, sword in hand looking for the rest of the pack. The sun was rising in the west, and he was to exhausted to stand. He fell into a deep sleep, the deepest he had ever known. The sun rose high into the sky, and he slept. The wind had picked up and it was a cool breeze of the ocean. He stirred, blinking his eyes at the sun. His back hurt, his arm hurt, and he was still tired. He looked around, the cement path lead into the greenbelt, to his home. He stood and rubbed his arm, he loved those nighttime walks on the moon lit nights.