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optimisticallyunemployed-blog · 7 years

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The Silver Sea

Wrote this because of a writing prompt that I came across on a @sparkingstoryinspiration post from a while ago “Write a story including a set of three things... 7) A very old letter, a wolf, a family heirloom”

So thanks for the inspiration, this was fun to explore!

She walked with a steady purpose through the forest that night. Climbing over felled trees and under low hanging branched like she had done many times before. The letter had very specific instructions as to where and when this had to be done. She knew she had to pick up her pace if she were going to get there in time.

The full moon shone in fractures beams where it managed to penetrate the dense canopy overhead. The leaves shaking on their branches seemed to wave her forward, encouraging her to hurry down the barely visible path up ahead.

The old letter, which was already showing signs of wear around the edges and in the fading of the ink, became a crumpled mess as it was being crushed in her left fist. From her right hand swung a pendant on its silver chain. Even though the necklace was found folded inside the old letter, it did not show the same signs of age, it looked as if it were cleaned that very morning. It glinted and shimmered whenever the moonlight fell upon it, briefly illuminating the four legged creature engraved into one side of the disk.

A sudden dip in the forest floor caused the girl to stumble forward a few steps and catch up hard against the trunk of broad tree. This brief disruption in her momentum allowed her to glimpse movement between the trees to her right, movement which had since gone unnoticed. The form was merely a shadow pressed against blackness of the forest, nearly impossible to see, but the way it slunk through the underbrush on quick feet gave the distinct impression of a predatory animal.

After she righted herself, the girl set off at a haste that had nothing to do with the moon soon meeting its zenith in the night sky. The shadow kept pace with the girl but never came any closer than when she first registered its presence. She knew the creature could be upon her whenever it chose to do so since it far outmatched her in speed, sight and strength. What worried her the most was that it didn’t appear bothered to take this opportunity of easy prey as she continued her way through the trees.

Finally the girl burst into an opening in the trees; if she wasn’t as familiar with this landscape as she was she might have been surprised by this sudden sense of space after hours of traversing a dense wood. Fortunately, she had been here before, many times in fact. As a child she was always inexplicably drawn to this clearing and the ancient oak that grew out of the center, its long roots pushing through the soil and preventing other trees from growing too near.

The full moon and cloudless sky caused the meadow surrounding the large tree to turn into a shining silver sea as the tall grass swayed in the breeze, bending in waves rolling across the surface.

A few steps after breaking from the cover of the forest, the girl spun around on her heel to try and catch sight of her shadowy pursuer. The creature was nowhere to be seen, presumably preferring the dark cover of the trees to the well-lit field. Feeling slightly safer for the moment, the girl turned back to face the ancient tree and check the position of the moon. It was now perfectly balanced atop the highest branches of the oak, looking like it was cradled in a nest of soft green leaves. It was the right time.

After she spent the better part of the last month studying every word the old, unsigned, letter had to offer, the girl knew exactly what had to be done. As she made her way across the open expanse of grass, blades flattening under the soles of her shoes only to spring back into place after she has passed, she pocketed the letter to replace it with a hunting knife that was kept in a sheath at her side.

Reaching the old tree she immediately sought out the indentation in the trunk that should perfectly fit the pendant that still hung from the chain clutched tightly in her right hand. She had seen this divot before, had actually carved her initials into the bark on one her adventures to the meadow as a child.

Looking down she took the circular piece of metal in hand, laid across her outstretched fingers. The lit clearing showed the silhouette of a wolf that shone in bright silver against a backdrop of deep crimson red. She then placed the sharp edge of her hunting knife against the fleshy part of her hand where thumb met palm. As the moon reflected itself in miniature size on the surface of both objects, the girl hesitated for a moment. Though it was just for a moment as she felt what she was about to do was right even without fully understanding the reason for it all, this was just something that she needed to do.

The blade quickly passed over her palm as the pulled the hilt towards her body. It did not hurt as much as she had assumed it would, or even should, the moonlight felt like a cooling balm against the heat of the fresh blood that welled up out of the cut and into the creases of her palm. She quickly folded her over into a fist, the face of the pendent met with the pooling liquid.

Concentrating as hard as she was on the actions of the ritual and the sharp pain that formed as she pressed the metal against the new injury, the girl completely missed the hushed sound of branches brushing against fur as a shadow exited the forest.

Relaxing her fist revealed a pendant that was now fully crimson in colour, the silver wolf rendered almost invisible as it was covered in the girls blood. Placing the knife back in its holster, the girl took the metal disk into her uninjured hand and gently inserted it into the indentation in the trunk of the moonlit tree.

While she held her breathe in anxious anticipation, the sound of soft footfalls finally became audible to the girls ears. She whirled around, clutching her bloodied hand to her chest, and saw the sleek figure of a large wolf standing not far from her in the meadow. The wolf’s black fur rippled like the silver grass it stood in, its eyes glowed as if they were two small moons floating high on its dark face.

“Blood of my blood,” a voice echoed through the clearing, a gentle tone that rustled like the leaves and held the coolness of the breeze. “I knew one of you would eventually find my letter.”

The voice circled through the meadow but seemed to originate from the direction of the wolf as it slowly began stalk towards the girl. Its eyes held her within their soft glow and she stood transfixed as the blood from her hand soaked into the front of her shirt. The blood from the pendant soaked into the wood of the ancient tree.

“Come along daughter,” the voice resonated through the girl’s chest. “We have a lot of work to do before the storm.”

As soon as the wolf turned its back on the girl the trance like feeling faded and she stumbled forward, slightly off balance, as she did so her injured hand shot out in front of her body, prepared to catch herself if need be. She froze once more as she noticed the dense black fur that had sprouted out of the back of her hand and began to crawl up her arm.

#mine #writing #creative writing #writing prompt #excerpt from a book i'll never write #wolf #forest

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