Moon's Shadow (Crimson Moon)
#2 of Moon's Shadow
A low humming turned into a thunderous roar. Shadow groaned as he looked up into the sky. Overhead multiple airships flew over their forest. Every once in a while a larger, and louder, airship would accompany the others.
Shadow was preparing his cart. It was evidence of how far he's come since celebrating his 250th moon.
The morning after receiving the moonstone Shadow woke up earlier than normal and headed into the forest. He used his sense of smell to track his prey. Rabbits and squirrels were the most common game in the forest.
Using his claws he would capture the prey and then snap its neck with his fingers. Normally he would just slit the throat with his claw, but he needed to make sure his prey was as clean as possible now.
He ended up with seven rabbits and fourteen squirrels by the time more of the villagers started their hunting. He stuffed all of his game into a leather rucksack.
He left the village without telling anyone where he was going. He ran through the forest with clothes he had traded three of his squirrels for, the rucksack filled with his remaining game, and the moonstone hanging around his neck.
He sprinted north. There was a town in the mountains north of the forest. From what he knew, the villagers would often commute there back when the town belonged to Ruqi. However, long before Shadow was born, the town was taken by Lomia. No one dared travel there again.
Twenty minutes of running later and Shadow emerged from the forest. He marveled at how spacious the fields were, and how high an actual mountain was. Speaking of which, he spotted the mountain where the town must be. He dashed off again.
After much running Shadow stopped. He sat down with his legs hanging over the side of the cliff as he looked down. The fields he just ran through were now below him. He could see his forest in the distance. He couldn't see any traces of the village, but that was a good thing. He just sat there, enjoying the view.
Shadow cautiously entered the town. He passed by a large sign and noted that the town was called Ivu. There were some people walking around, but not as many as in his village. When he walked by the stores people would stare at him as if he were a ghost. It made Shadow feel a bit nervous.
He walked through the town until he found something he was looking for; an apparel store. When Shadow walked in a bell rang above him, causing him to flinch. He looked around. The store was filled with a variety of clothing he'd never seen before, made of material he never knew existed. There was clothing everywhere, but not a human in sight. Was the store actually closed?
"I'm sorry!" a voice cried out. "I thought I was hearing things again." Around the corner came an elderly man. He looked at Shadow for a moment. "It's been ages since I've gotten a customer."
"Has business been bad for you?" Shadow asked.
"It's been bad for everyone!" the man said as he took a seat behind the desk. "The only thing that keeps this place running is that military base and all of its soldiers." The old man sighed. "That's the problem with a trading town. We're so dependent on the things outsiders bring into this town, but when no one comes... well things get a bit depressing around here." The old man eyed Shadow. "You wouldn't happen to be here to buy something, would you?"
"Sorry." Shadow shook his head. "But I do have something you might be interested in." Shadow opened his rucksack and pulled out a rabbit by its ears and a squirrel by its tail.
"Oh my..." The man said as he knelt forward to take a closer look. "I haven't had fur in here for a long time."
"Is it hard to come by?" Shadow asked with a smile.
"It's expensive to get. All the clothes you see are cheap to buy, but nobody wants cheap." The man looked the animals again. With this stuff I could make something that would actually be worthwhile to buy." He looked at Shadow again. "How much do you want for them?"
Shadow was silent. In his village those that were able to hunt were able to trade their game for goods. However, he wasn't sure what humans traded for.
"Hmm..." The old man said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a sack that made a rattling sound. "I'll give you two pieces of silver for each rabbit, and a piece of silver for each squirrel." The man emptied out Shadow's rucksack. "So that'll be 25 silver or..." the man reached into his bag. He pulled out seven coins. "Two pieces of gold and five pieces of silver."
Shadow stared at the pieces of metal. What good were these things to him? He didn't want to seem suspicious, however, and accepted the pieces of metal.
The old man smiled as he examined the fur. "Did you catch these yourself?" he asked.
"Yes." Shadow replied.
"You did an amazing job making sure not to stain the fur with blood. Did you use traps to do this?"
"Yeah" Shadow nodded. He needed to go along with anything he said. If traps were the common method among humans, what would the old man think if he found out Shadow snapped the necks himself?
"Well thank you, young man. Perhaps I'll get some business when it starts getting cold around here."
"Can I ask you a favor?" Shadow asked.
"Sure. Go right ahead."
"Could you skin them now and give me the meat?" The old man looked at Shadow with confusion. "I was going to go to the meat shop next."
"Ah, you want to sell the meat to the butcher?"
Shadow nodded, noting that the humans call them butchers.
"Well sure, but I doubt you'll get much for something this small..."
At the buthery.
"I'll give you eight pieces of silver for the whole bag" the butcher said after dumping the contents onto his table."
"Eight pieces of silver?" Shadow asked. Again it was all about those pieces of metal.
"That's the best I can give ya. Rabbits and squirrels don't have that much meat on them to sell individually, but I'll be able to make them into stew."
"Alright" Shadow said as he accepted the silver.
Shadow walked through town, the clanking coins in his pocket seemed to be perking everyone up. He was being invited into every store. Shadow checked out each one.
He eventually entered something called a jewelry store. He was amazed by all of the stones and metals that they had. Stuff like this was extremely rare for his people.
"That moonstone looks fabulous on you... but that piece of string holding it is ruining it..." the store owner said as she examined Shadow. "I have this silver necklace that'll make it so much better!" She brought Shadow over to a mirror and held the silver string over around his neck.
This was the first time Shadow was able to see himself clearly. Was this really what he looked like without fur? The pitch-black hair was still there, but the rest of his body was covered in smooth, slightly pale skin.
Something else caught his eye in the mirror. He turned around and saw a blue gem hanging off a silver necklace.
"Interested in that?" The woman asked. "That's imitation sapphire. It's man-made, and is a cheap alternative to the real thing."
Shadow didn't care what it was. The color of the gem was the same color as his eyes, and more importantly his mother's eyes.
"I'll take this!" Shadow said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out all of the coins. "This is all I have. Is it enough?"
Her eyes went wide. A smile formed across her face. She knew that necklace wasn't worth as much as she was getting but...
"Deal!" She said with giddy. "I'll even give you the silver necklace for free!"
"Thank you very much" said Shadow.
With nothing left to sell and no more metal in his pocket, Shadow raced out of the town with a smile.
When he was out of sight from the town Shadow stopped and removed the moonstone from his neck. He watched as the patches of fur reappeared all around his body and his hands turned back into paws. His tail came back wagging from his excitement.
He removed the old string and inserted the silver necklace through the hole. Once finished he placed the moonstone back on, except in reverse, with the white side of the stone pressing into his chest. All bits of skin were covered in fur and Shadow suddenly had the energy he felt this morning. He wished he could look at himself in that mirror now. He'd seen himself as a human, but now he wondered what he looked like as a Fur.
Shadow dashed off down the mountain.
It was only the middle of the day when Shadow returned to the village. It seemed like barely anyone realized that he was gone. He removed the moonstone and reverted to his normal self.
He waited until that night to surprise his mother. She had the same look on her face that shadow had when he saw the moonstone. Shadow wrapped it around her neck. He backed up and marveled at his mother's beauty. She wouldn't be able to look at herself like he had the chance to, but he knew it would catch the eye of others in the village.
On his first day Shadow managed to turn seven rabbits and eleven squirrels into two necklaces. He definitely called it a success.
As Shadow traded with Ivu more and more he became more accustomed with their use of currency. He even managed to expand his opportunities.
Weeks after his first visit to Ivu, Shadow was approached by the town doctor. The doctor owned one of the few businesses that were used all throughout the year. He asked Shadow if, while hunting, if he could be on the lookout for certain herbs in the forest. He even gave Shadow a book and marked what he wanted Shadow to look for.
Shadow became very familiar with the flora in the forest thanks to the book. He learned which had beneficial effects and which were hazardous. He would find the items marked by the doctor, who would then buy the herbs for a considerable price.
The book also taught Shadow how to create certain medicines and poisons from the plants.
With three sources of income Shadow soon found himself having more and more gold and silver. While most he spent on his mother, there were times he bought something for himself. He bought himself a steel dagger from the blacksmith, some nicer clothes from the old man, and larger rucksacks to carry his stuff.
Many moons passed and Shadow was finally able to purchase two things; a horse and a large wagon. As strong as he was when completely lupine, Shadow couldn't carry so much, so far, so quickly. This new addition allowed him to bring larger game such as deer, moose, and sometimes bears to Ivu thanks to his dagger. These would bring him more money from the old man and the butcher. The added space would also allow him to bring more herbs for the doctor.
The horse was at first a nervous wreck when Shadow brought it to the village, but eventually it became accustomed to the smell. The children really loved to play with the horse, often asking Shadow if they could ride it.
Shadow was soon able to afford buying a variety of furniture. He bought new beds, a new table, new chairs, and even a large mirror. He bought decoration such as curtains and a lamp. He didn't realize it needed electricity to run, but it looked nice. Eventually his house was the best in the village.
And that finally got the villagers' attention.
Some of the villagers started asking Shadow to buy them stuff from Ivu. Shadow refused. Perhaps it was his improved understanding of economics, but he had to work for the stuff he buys. He did compromise with the villagers that he will sell anything they bring to him. He would keep track of what brings in how much, and buy accordingly.
Every day, from then on, some of the villagers would bring him a sack full of game. Shadow had to constantly remind them that he would not take anything that was stained with blood, which most was. The villagers eventually got the picture and started snapping necks.
Shadow stopped hunting for game from then on. He would just focus on collecting the herbs, and the newest addition: flowers. There was a girl who seemed about his age who ran the flower shop in Ivu with her mother. The flower shop was one of the self-sufficient stores in Ivu since she would occasionally pick flowers from a small grove in the mountains. Shadow had offered to bring her some flowers from his forest.
Shadow found himself spending the most time at the flower shop. He would listen to her talk about all the things she wished could see across the nation. She was an adventurer by heart, but her mother's health kept her in Ivu. Listening to her stories made Shadow want to explore the world more and more, but first he had to make sure that things would be alright for his mother in Sonir.
And so now, thirty moons (2years, 3months) after receiving the moonstone, Shadow was once again ready for his trip to Ivu. His friends, and the villagers who had dropped off their game were there waiting. His mother was also there, wearing the sapphire necklace. She'd seen him off every day after that. She gave Shadow a hug before he jumped onto his horse. He waved back at the villagers as they said goodbye.
Shadow sat back and relaxed as he rode through the fields. He watched the clouds drifting in the sky as the wind blew through his hair. Going this slow, he had to make sure he was a human at all times.
Shadow closed his eyes. Tonight would be a full moon. His village was going to have the same festival it had every full moon. You would think Shadow and the others would get tired of it, but who could get tired of an all-you-can-eat feast and a party that lasts the whole night?
The wagon came to a stop. Shadow opened his eyes. The horse was whining, but there was nothing in front of them. He looked to his left and saw nothing. He looked to his right and was suddenly knocked off the wagon. Something heavy had just tackled him and now the two of them were rolling on the ground.
Shadow kicked his feet up and pushed the figure off of him. He stopped on his hands and knees and looked up. The figure impacted into the ground ahead of him. It quickly got to its feet and gave Shadow a clear view of it. Silver fur covered its entire body. "A silver wolf?" Shadow watched in shock as the wolf shifted. Now standing on two feet the silver wolf now resembled a Fur. "But Furs can't shift their bodies..."
The silver wolf charged at him. Its razor sharp claws were aimed at Shadow's throat. Shadow jumped back just in time for the claws to miss his neck and unfasten the silver necklace. As the moonstone fell to the ground Shadow reverted to his normal appearance, and felt his strength and agility return to him.
The silver wolf appeared shocked for a moment before charging at Shadow again. Shadow withdrew his steel dagger and held it in his right hand. He waited for the creature to get close. As it came to swipe its claws at Shadow, he side stepped and slashed the creature in the side.
Blood sprayed from the wound, and the creature howled in pain. Shadow expected the creature to charge at him again, but instead the creature dropped to its knees and started crying.
"What the..." Shadow slowly approached the creature. The creature saw him coming and slowly backed up. It turned around and started to run, but it collapsed after a few steps. Shadow picked up his stone and approached the strange creature.
The creature was still crying on the ground, clutching its body. Shadow knelt down. The wound he inflicted was deep, but he realized it wasn't the only cause of this creature's pain. There were several wounds covering its body, and the slash he caused had reopened some of the wounds. Some of them looked fresh, and some looked like they never fully healed.
"Wait here." Shadow said as he went to the back of the wagon. He sorted through the herbs he collected and pulled out a few. He then took an apothecary mortar and pestle out of his rucksack. He grinded the herbs together until they made a paste.
He knelt by the silver wolf. "This might sting a little." A took some of the paste onto his fingers and started rubbing it into the wounds. The wolf flinched. The paste acted as a disinfectant, but would also soothe the areas after a while. "Have to take you to the doctor to fix this..." he said as he applied some of the paste over the cut. Disinfecting and soothing the pain was all he could do for that.
He wrapped his shirt around the creature to stop the bleeding. "I'm afraid there's no room in the back, so you're going to have to ride up front with me..." Shadow couldn't believe what he was saying. This creature had tried to kill him and yet he's being friendly with it? Perhaps he was a sucker for crybabies.
The trip wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. The creature just sat there clutching its side with the occasional sob. Its eyes were closed so it wasn't paying attention to Shadow.
Shadow noticed something gleaming in its fur. He leaned in and took a look.
"Zil? Is that your name?" It was written on a gold tag around its neck. The creature didn't answer. "Hello?" Shadow asked waving his hand in front of the creature.
"What!?" The creature opened its eyes and glared at Shadow. Shadow's hand was gripped around the handle of his dagger.
Shadow asked again, this time slowly and calmly. "Is your name Zil?"
"Name? Zil?" the creature looked at him with confusion.
"It's written on that tag around your neck." Shadow said, pointing.
The creature, having seemed to forget about the pain, looked down at its neck. It held the tag in its paw. "That's my ID number, 21L"
"ID number? 21L?" Shadow looked at the silver wolf with confusion. "So your name isn't Zil?"
The creature remained silent. "...A name? I don't have a name."
"Well I'm going to call you Zil. 21L doesn't make sense to me." Shadow said as he looked forward, noticing they were almost at the mountain.
"Alright... and... what is your name?"
"Shadow."
"Shadow..." Zil repeated.
The two remained silent for the rest of the trip. When they arrived at Ivu the entire town was staring at Zil. Perhaps they thought he was a Fur from Ruqi? It looked like some of them wanted to charge at Zil, but it was probably only because of Shadow that they stayed away. Shadow had become a key person in getting the economy running in Ivu again.
The doctor was surprised to see something like Zil in his clinic. "You should know that their kind isn't allowed to be treated here."
"Their kind?" Shadow asked as he laid Zil on the table.
"Furs. They're outlawed to be in this country and it's a crime to assist any of them."
"I don't think he's a Fur though..." Shadow said.
"Oh? How so?"
Shadow couldn't just say that Zil shifted from a wolf. "Um... take a look at this tag."
"Tag?" the doctor approached Zil and lifted the tag in his hand. "It's an identification number, but I hardly see what it has to do with..." he stopped when he turned the tag over. "Oh..."
"What is it?" Shadow asked curiously.
"It's the seal of Lomia... this... thing is the property of Lomia's government."
"So what does that mean?" Shadow asks.
"First of all, it means I need to stitch him up. Second, it means I must inform the military base that one of Lomia's possessions is here in my clinic."
"And then what happens?"
"That's up to Lomia to decided." The doctor turned to Shadow. "Now I'm going to have to ask you to leave so I can get to work patching this thing up."
"All right." Shadow said. He faced Zil. "I'll come back to see you later Zil, try not to cry while I'm gone." Zil's eyes widened when Shadow walked out the room with a smirk.
Shadow went on to take care of other things on his agenda. After selling the fur and meat he went to buy a new shirt. He bought the items from the list the villagers gave him. Finally he went to the flower shop to drop off the flowers he had picked. He listened to another story of the girl before the sound of an all too familiar humming was heard above.
He dashed out of the shop and looked up. In the sky was an airship just like the ones that pass over his forest. It was slowly hovering over the town towards the clinic. Shadow quickly rushed over.
By the time Shadow arrived at the clinic, it was too late. Shadow was being lifted to the airship by a platform. The platform sealed in with the bottom of the airship's hull. The humming soon turned into a roar as the airship took off at full speed. Sam stood there, disappointed that he couldn't say goodbye.
The girl from the flower shop approached Shadow from behind and asked him if he wanted to visit the grove with her. Shadow had plenty of time to spare and agreed.
"Subject 21L has safely arrived at my lab" said a woman over the intercom.
"And the results?" a voice asked from the other end.
"Negative. Subject has incurred damage, though."
"Anything serious?"
"No. His wounds were already treated before he was picked up."
"I want him ready and able in three days."
"Understood." The intercom went silent.
The elderly woman turned around. "It's good to see you safe, 21L." She walked over to a cabinet. "When I heard about the call I thought somebody had found your corpse. I'm glad I was wrong."
She didn't get a response. "Not in the mood to talk, huh? Well allow me to just extract some of your blood..." she said as she inserted the needle into his arm."
"Doctor Jill..." he finally said.
"Yes, 21L?"
"Do I have a name?"
"Your name is your ID: 21L." She looked at him with suspicion. "Why are you asking."
"Well... there was someone who called me Zil..."
"Zil?" she thought about it for a moment. "It's somebody who mistook numbers for letters. You should not concern yourself with him."
"But..." Zil said nervously.
"But what? 21L." she emphasized the last part.
"I kind of liked being given a name by him..."
Dr. Jill's eyes widened.
"I thought he was bad at first... when he gave me this wound." He traced his side. Dr. Jill's eyes filled with rage. "But then he treated it and then gave me a name. He even told me his name as well."
"And... what was his name?"
"Shadow." Zil smiled.
"Could you describe him for me?"
"Well... there was that red glow around his neck... and when I removed it his appearance changed."
"Changed? Changed how?" Dr. Jill asked with urgency.
"At first he looked like you... and then he looked more like me..."
Dr. Jill was silent. She walked over to Zil, removed the needle, and placed the vile into the fridge. "Wait here, 21L." She stomped off.
Dr. Jill burst through a set of doors. Two figures sat in the room.
"What is the meaning of this!?" one of the men asked. It was the same person she talked to over the intercom. Supreme General of Lomia's military, General Veo.
"We have a problem concerning 21L." Dr. Jill said.
"Is he already expiring?" the other man, President Metis, asked.
"No, Mr. President, but he seems to becoming attached to someone. If not fixed soon I'm afraid he might lose all interest in our goal."
"Then we shall dispose of him and create the next one." General Veo remarked.
"I'm not going to let 21L die because of some stupid werewolf!"
This caught the attention of both men.
"Please explain, doctor" President Metis motioned.
"21L described the person as wearing a moonstone around his neck, and when it was removed his form changed from human into something more beast-like."
"Interesting..." President Metis scratched his chin. "What are you proposing?"
"Kill the werewolf named Shadow, and 21L will go back to his normal self."
"It would be easier if we just replaced your little pet." General Veo retorted.
"Are you willing to delay this by another nine months!?" Dr. Jill lashed back.
"Out of the question..." President Metis said. "General..."
"Yes sir?"
"Call the military base in Ivu and ask them on the whereabouts of this Shadow character.
Moments later. "Sir, they report that he left the town not long after 21L was extracted."
"Then he must be heading back to his village." Dr. Jill said.
"Prepare the fleet, General... I have to make a call..."
It was late in the evening when Shadow finally arrived back at Ivu. After planting the flowers he had brought in the grove the two of them just talked. She learned that Shadow would set off to explore the world soon, and wished she could go with. He promised to tell her all about it whenever he came back.
The sun had set and the full moon begun to illuminate the horizon. Shadow began the journey back. At the cliff overlooking the forest he could barely see the glow of flames and smoke rising from deep in the forest. The party had already begun, and he was late. He noticed something shining on the horizon.
"Oh great... it's those stupid airships again. What timing..." Shadow took a deep breath. "You guys are just trying to ruin the fun aren't you!?" he chuckled as the familiar sound of humming reached him. He noticed it was one of those days where they were escorting a huge airship.
He started to turn when he heard a new sound. Shrieking. He turned and watched as the airships passed over the forest, and the area below them was suddenly illuminated. "What the..." Shadow didn't know what was going on. Soon enough the sound of multiple explosions reached his ear. "What the hell!?" Shadow shouted as he watched the entire forest engulfed in flames.
"No!" Shadow screamed as he made the horse run at full speed.
By the time he reached what used to be part of the forest and fire had moved southward, leaving only burnt trees. When Shadow arrived at the village there was nothing standing. There were craters everywhere but not a trace of any building. Everything had been blown away by the blast or incinerated.
Shadow dropped to his knees. "How... they were all just here this morning waving goodbye..." The faces of the villagers popped into his mind. The children playing with the horse, his friends, his mother... "Mom!" he shouted, hoping there would be some kind of response. But none came.
Ashes. His home and everyone he grew up with were now ashes.
"Why... Why!?" Shadow punched at the ground, stirring up the ashes beneath him. "Why... what did we do to deserve this..." The rage in him was now overpowered by his sorrow.
He felt a soft shove from behind. He turned, hoping it was a survivor. Instead, it was the horse nudging him. "You think it's easy?" Shadow asked the horse. "You think it's easy to move on after losing your family, your friends, and your home?" The horse nudged him again. "I can't..." Shadow was no longer able to suppress the tears. He dropped to the ground and cried.
He was in the same position Zil was in earlier, and he thought of him as a crybaby... how cruel.
Whining was all the horse was doing now. 'Stupid horse' was all Shadow could think. He opened one of his teary eyes and noticed a soft orange glow. Were the fires coming back to claim him? No... the glow was far away and really high on the mountain. Shadow sprung to his feet. He wiped his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. There on the mountain were more flames erupting. "You can't be serious!"
Shadow unhooked the wagon and jumped on the horse and galloped back the way he came.
When he arrived he stared in shock as the buildings still burned. This was different from what happened to his village. There were bodies littered all throughout the street. Each of them was lying in their own puddle of blood. The crimson reflected the full moon above them.
There were no signs of survivors. The clothing store... the butchery... the jewelry store... the clinic... the flower shop... they were all ablaze. He didn't know whether there had been people in those fires, but he didn't have the stomach to look at all the faces of the people on the ground.
"Looks like we've got ourselves a straggler..." Shadow turned when he heard the voice. A survivor? No... Shadow could immediately tell they weren't survivors. There were no Furs in Ivu...
"What the hell happened!?" Shadow shouted.
"This one's got a mouth on him" said one of the Furs. In his hand he held a sword, it glistened with blood. "Lomia has made an attack on our soil, and we've been ordered to slaughter every human in this town." The group of four Furs approached him.
"But... I'm not..." Shadow couldn't even finish his sentence as they started charging at him.
"Die filthy human!"
Shadow's instincts kicked in as he jumped back and onto his feet. He was surprised his instincts were this high in his human form. Shadow looked up. Perhaps the full moon is helping him out.
The four Furs charged at Shadow again. Shadow unsheathed his steel dagger and held it at eye level. There was no time to hesitate. These Furs killed the humans- the humans he spent the past thirty moons with. If he hesitates, they will kill him as well.
He angles the blade and watches as the moonlight reflects off its surface and into the eyes of the Fur closest to him. Shadow watches as the Fur grunts and covers his eyes with his arm. Shadow strikes. He leaps forward and slashes at the Fur's neck.
The Fur makes a slight gurgling sound before collapsing to the ground. The other three Furs stand in shock. Shadow stands in front of them, illuminated by the moonlight, bloody dagger in hand.
"On nights like this..." Shadow said slowly. "My people celebrate and have fun to suppress the feeling that arises within us. Shadow grabbed the moonstone with his free hand. "Because if we don't..." Shadow takes the moonstone from around his neck and places it securely in his pocket. The three Furs watch as the human before them changed into a wolf as black as night. "Well... we get a bit crazy..."
Shadow charged at the Fur closest to him and kept slashing him left and right with the dagger. The Fur screamed in agony before Shadow slashed him across the face, nearly splitting his head in two. The remaining Furs stood in fear as they watched Shadow lick the blood from the blade and sheathed it.
"Enough with toys... let's use what we were born with..." Shadow jumped into the air and landed on top of one of the Furs. He gave him a devilish grin before showing him the razor-sharp claws on his paws. Before the Fur could react Shadow started slashing him across the face multiple time. First off came the fur, and then the flesh, and then muscles and bits of bone. Somewhere in between the eyes had flown out, but there was no place for them to go back to now.
The last Fur dropped his weapon and started running. Shadow watched for a moment before dashing after him. He leapt onto the Fur's back.
"No, please! Don't kill me!" The Fur pleaded.
Shadow laughed. He brought his muzzle to the Fur's ear. "How many times did you hear that tonight?"
The Fur's eyes widened as he felt Shadow's teeth dig into his throat. Shadow yanked his head back, nearly tearing off the Fur's head.
Shadow stood there. Four new bodies now lied in pools of crimson. Shadow didn't feel satisfaction, he didn't feel remorse; just emptiness. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the moonstone. He placed it back around his neck and felt the fur disappear.
"You! Stay where you are!" Shadow turned and saw another group of Furs heading his way. He really didn't want to turn back again. He looked at them more closely. In their hands weren't sword or axes, those were guns!
Shadow turned around and quickly ran back to the entrance of the town. The sound of gunfire sounded off behind him, burning wood shattered around him.
He spotted the horse and quickly hopped on. It took a moment for them to turn around, but then they were off.
The sound of gunfire was still present behind him. He kept low and focused on getting to the cliff.
"Almost there, buddy... almost what!?" The horse let out a loud whine before tumbling to the ground. Shadow flew off and tumbled onto his side. He slowly got up and saw that there was blood pouring down the horse's leg.
"No, no!" Shadow shouted. "You can't leave me too!" You're the only thing I have left!
The horse let out a neigh and nudged Shadow. "You think it's that easy?" Shadow turned and could see the armed Furs running at them. Shadow stood up and stared down at his horse. "You were a great companion..." Shadow reached for the moonstone and placed it in his pocket.
"Flee... fight... flee... fight... Flee! Fight! FLEE! GODDAMN FLEE!"
Shadow took off at top speed down the hill. He could still hear the neighing of the horse before the sound of a gunshot silenced him forever.
Shadow figured he was safe when he reached the foot of the mountain and hid in the tall grass. He quickly put the moonstone back on to suppress his urges. He collapsed onto his back. The grass rose high above him. Only someone standing over him could see him now.
Shadow's eyes were heavy. He was exhausted both physically and mentally. He starred at the full moon in the sky. He was supposed to be celebrating now. Partying, feasting, and howling at the magnificent white moon.
But now the smoke from the two fires filled the sky and all that could be seen was a crimson moon.
"Aroooo..." Shadow let out before his eyes fell shut.
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Second chapter complete.
I find myself to actually enjoy writing violence in my stories (I'm sleep deprived right now so that might be a reason).
Any comments would be appreciated ^-^