The Last Full Moon

The moon illuminated the night sky, making a clear path through the deep brush. Susi ran, faster, faster, faster, her heart pounding loudly in her chest. Her eyes darting wildly as she desperately tried to control her blind hunger. She was hot on its trail now, she could smell it. She let out a deep growl as she leapt over a fallen oak tree. Her concentration was unbreakable. The strength and agility in her legs carrying her closer to her target. Every fiber in her being was begging her body to stop, but she couldn’t. Not tonight. Tonight her desire to hunt, to kill, to eat, was too strong for her to handle. The moon was full and she had no choice, her instinct had already taken over. Suddenly, everything went dark.

Susi woke to the sound of water rushing. She batted her eyes open, the sun beating down unforgivingly through the canopy of trees above. The memory of last night’s kill lingered in the back of her mind. Flashes of flesh being ripped apart, loud squeals, and blood. So much…so much blood. She held her head in her hands trying to forget it all. It had been a while since the last full moon and Susi had forgotten just how out of control her hunger could get. She looked down at her body as she attempted to stand. The first few steps after a transformation were always the hardest. Going from all fours to standing on two legs was quite the difference in weight distribution. She nearly fell trying to regain her balance. Her body was painted a sticky scarlet from whatever poor animal she feasted on. She scrunched up her nose at the sight. At least she managed to fall asleep by a river this time. It makes cleaning up much easier, she thought. She released her hair from the bun that had now turned into a long mess of jumbled curls. The mop of hair fell gracefully down her back, like a waterfall of aged mahogany, deep and rich in color and yet slightly ashen. Susi stepped into the water, the coolness of the river shocking her senses. She gasped, but kept moving deeper into the water until it reached her stomach. She washed off all the dried blood stains from her body, revealing the honey colored skin underneath. Small streams of red drifted through the water and disappeared as she cleaned herself off.

“Hey, Susi!” a thundering, yet cheerful voice called out. Susi jumped and nearly tripped on a rock underneath her feet. She looked behind her to find a tall, rail thin, young man waving at her. Rolling her eyes, she turned back to finish washing off the last bits of blood and fur from underneath her fingernails.

“Aubrey! You jerk! You couldn’t have given me a couple more minutes to find my clothes?” she yelled back, suddenly remembering that she had taken off her clothes the night before to prevent them from getting destroyed during her transformation.

“I have some for you! Mom told me find you and bring them to you. Also, to tell you to hurry up and get inside before everyone wakes up!”

“Okay, well you’re gonna wake everyone up yelling like that! Just leave them where you are and I’ll get them when I’m finished” she looked back, but he was already gone. It was safe now to get out without being seen. Susi hoped no one had woken up from all the shouting her brother just did. She quickly grabbed her clothes and clumsily put them on as she tried to walk back to the house. It was a long ways away from where she was currently, but she didn’t mind the walk. She needed time to clear her head anyway before she came home to a lecture from her mother. Diana hated transformation nights for Susi. They made her worry that Susi wouldn’t be able to control her hunger and end up killing one of the faerie folk instead of an animal.

The house sat in a clearing in the middle of the forest, between several other houses that looked quite similar. The cobblestone was worn, and the house was in desperate need of a paint job, but it was home. Susi could smell the sweet scent of honeysuckle buns being baked, a signal that the faeries were beginning to wake up for their morning meals. The curtains on the house were still drawn making it appear as though no one was awake. She knew that wasn’t true from the fact that her brother had just dropped off her clothes. Just as she reached for the door handle, it opened.

“And just where have you been, missy?” a tall, thin woman stared back at Susi. Her eyebrows furrowed, creating the only wrinkles in her unflawed complexion. Her skin was radiant and as fair as porcelain. The only imperfections in her face being the light blue traces of veins that branched out like trees beneath her skin. Her eyes glowed a pale bluish-green and her hair was as white as snow, pulled back into a waterfall braid and swooped into a low bun. Her ears came to a dramatic point at the top, the trademark sign of the faeries. She would be scary if she wasn’t so stunning. Diana was hardly ever happy to see Susi after a hunt. Susi knew she would have to go through the same tedious discussion they always had after a full moon.

“Oh, ya know, just killing all the faeries in Willow Bell. The usual” Susi’s voice dripped with sarcasm. Diana crossed her arms and pointed inside the house.

“Get inside NOW. I swear! I don’t know what to do with you. Ever since-”

“Ever since you found me wandering in the forest twelve years ago, you felt like I’ve just made life around here so much harder” Susi interrupted, smiling at her mother. She obeyed and walked in the house, allowing Diana to walk in after her.

“Ugh! No, not that. Well… you know I love you, but- I- I just-” Diana shut the door and walked over to her daughter. “It would’ve been easier if I knew you were half werewolf before I took you in. That’s all” she stated, in a hushed tone. No one in Willow Bell knew of Susi’s secret other than her family. If they were to know that her mother had taken in the enemy, they would have her whole family killed for betraying the faerie folk. She hugged Susi and held her tight. Susi looked around in confusion at the sudden display of motherly affection. Her mother was not very affectionate toward her or Aubrey. Faerie folk in general lacked affection toward one other. It was seen as beneath them and as something only mundane humans were allowed to do.

Diana pulled away, realizing how awkward this was for both of them. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me. Go sit down at the dining table and I’ll be in there in a minute with breakfast”.

“Alright, mom” Susi went upstairs to wash her hands properly before returning downstairs to enjoy some honeysuckle buns with her family. I wonder why mom got so overcome with emotion, she thought to herself. I’ve been out to hunt so many times before, what is different about today? Thoughts raced through her head as she sat down at the table.

 Aubrey was already sitting down, a green mug in his hand filled with steaming hot green tea and honey. Everything seemed normal, but something felt off to Susi. She tried to ignore it and just wait for her mother to finish up with breakfast.

“You’re awfully quiet this morning” Aubrey teased, his eyes glimmered with glee, the same color as Diana’s. They could’ve been twins if he weren’t her son. His long hair carefully braided down his back and his green bellflower hat covering his ears.

“I’m sorry, I’m distracted by that stupid hat you’re wearing” Susi joked back.

“Hey, this thing is awesome!” he cried, folding his arms and pretending to pout.

“That’s enough you two” Diana said from behind a large stack of pastries and buns she carried in from the kitchen. She sat them down in the middle of the table. “Now, Susi, would you like some tea?”

“Yes, actually. I’m still cold from washing off in the river” she hugged herself, feeling the goosebumps that still lingered on her arms. Diana left and returned after a few minutes with another steaming mug of green tea. Susi could feel the warmth of the tea as she reached for the mug. She breathed deeply as the steam danced under her nose, the heat warming her. There was a slight pain in her right temple, and then her left. She ignored it, thinking it was only her imagination. Taking a sip, Susi’s eyes shot up to her mother. Wolfsbane. Susi dropped the mug and it hit the table, shattering. Diana and Aubrey stood up next to each other, watching as Susi fell to the ground. The world melted away and then there was only darkness.

**************************************************************

The sound of distant drumming grew louder and louder as Susi began to wake up. Her body jumped up quickly as she remembered her mother poisoning her. She looked around frantically. She was outside and it was dark. The faerie king, Oberon was chanting loudly to a crowd of faeries. It was too dark to make out anything other than torches held by the large crowd in front of her. She must have been on some type of platform of stage because the torches were far below where she sat. Susi felt around to see what was around her. Her hand collided with metal, all around her, metal bars. She was in a cage, a small cage. She screamed. Oberon stopped chanting and turned around to look at her. The crowd grew silent. Oberon walked closer to her, torch in hand. She could see as he drew closer that he was wearing his ceremonial robes. The ones he wore whenever there was going to be some kind of political event taking place. Confused, Susi cried out “Where is my mother?! What am I doing here?!” She could feel herself getting angry. She couldn’t transform now, not in front of all these faeries.

“It lives!” cried Oberon. An angry roar came up from the crowd of faeries. Oberon put his hand in the air and the crowd went silent once again. “I ask, Diana and Aubrey come up to the stage and make your presence known!”

Susi’s eyes adjusted to the darkness enough to see the crowd part and watch as her mother and Aubrey came up to the stage to stand next to the faerie king. “Susi has been among us for twelve years. Hiding among us, I should say. Hiding a horrible secret. That she is in fact, kin to our enemies” the crowd answered with angry shouts and roars. The king silenced them once again. “Our dear Diana was kind enough to take her in until she was eighteen years of age. Susi is in fact, the daughter of the werewolves’ pack leader, Maicoh.” Gasps and hisses ran throughout the crowd.

“What, what? I’m the daughter of a pack leader?” Susi said, not realizing she was speaking aloud.

“Oh, so it wants to speak. Well, let’s see how much you want to keep talking after I do this” Oberon pulled out a small sack from a pocket in his robe. He walked over to the cage where Susi sat, afraid. Susi backed up into the furthest corner of the cage and covered her face. He pulled out a shimmery powder and blew it from his hand onto Susi. She screamed in pain as the powder touched her skin, burning her where it landed.

“Powder, ground from silver” he laughed. Susi looked up at Aubrey and Diana for help, but there was no remorse in Diana’s eyes. Aubrey, however, had tears in his eyes as he watched his sister be tortured by his king. The crowd laughed as the king placed the sack back into his pocket. Aubrey walked over to the cage and stood by his sister.

“I’m so sorry Sus. I’m so, so sorry. I had to do it. Mom made me betray you” he sank down to his knees, putting his face in his hands.

All Susi could make out was “what are they going to do with me?”

Aubrey sank even further down, unable to look at her as he spoke.

“TELL ME!” she demanded.

“Kill you.”