Wolf Moon

On 17 January 2022, the full wolf moon lights up the winter sky. A big wolf was on a snowy hill in the silence of the night accompanied by the beautiful moon and stars. The wolf was lonely. He looked at the moon with his eyes as blue as the lake in the mountains. Gradually, the wolf transformed into a human who stood on his two feet. But unfortunately, his face, hands, feet, and entire body were covered with grayish black hair. He howled so loudly that his voice echoed in the Alpine mountains.

"Oh... the moon goddess. Why did I have to descend to this world?"

--------

On the one hand, inside the inn, there was a conversation...

"Eh... Did you hear that?" asked a lady.

"A wolf howl, right?" replied the other.

"Yes. I heard that." Said the other lady.

"As I know, the wolves howl because of hunger during winter. It's related to wintry weather, so it is hard to get food."

"Eek. Will they come here in groups?" She said fearfully.

"No... No... It's tradition. But now, we know that wolves howl to define territory and coordinate hunting." Said the other lady.

"Rose...." They called her when Rose came over to them.

"We're here to have fun. So, don't scare yourself." Answered Rose.

"Yes, what Rose said is true. We shouldn't think too much," replied the other. They agreed with Rose.

I'm Rose. Like my name, I have long straight red hair that flows beautifully. I work in the entertainment industry under the company name Snow Light as a support staff member. We have an annual gathering. This year I turned 25 years old. It doesn't feel like time has gone by so fast.

"Hey, what are you guys talking about?" a man's voice.

"Kyaaaa. Dean...," shouted the excited women.

Dean is an actor. He's one of the new rising actors along with Carina. Dean is a handsome figure with short brown hair and gray eyes. Meanwhile, the beautiful artist beside him is Carina with a slim body, light blonde hair, and chestnut brown eyes. They are a perfect couple. No doubt they have a lot of fans. Of course, I also want to be like them. Moreover, they were my classmates at school. But unfortunately, I'm not a popular person. I just work as a staff member. Exactly, my job is to serve Carina's needs. But what can I do? Fate says otherwise." Rose said in her heart.

"Oh. Wolves... Instead of thinking about that, how about we go skiing tomorrow morning? said Dean, who smiled warmly at them, making the women's hearts melt.

"Yes. We haven't played in a long time." Answered the other.

"Hey, Rose. Why are you silent? Will you join us?" asked Dean, who looked closely at Rose.

Rose thought," Actually I don't want to deal with them. However, because my job often requires me to meet with them. And what is this? Why is Dean's face so close to me? My heart is beating fast."

"Y-Yeah..." Rose answered with a blushed face.

"That's good then," Dean replied.

Carina was annoyed to see Dean's behavior.

---------

Inside the room, "What the hell are you behaving so well with her?" asked Carina grumpily.

"Calm dear..."

"How can I calm down?! Could it be that you secretly love Rose?"

"However, she is your assistant. So, I also should treat her well, just like the others. I was just teasing her and wanted to see that expression." Dean tried to calm Carina down.

"That's why I don't like it if she still has feelings for you."

"Since school, I've loved you. What should I do to make you believe?" Dean said softly while stroking Carina's cheek.

"I also don't like it if she loves my handsome self. How could I like that woman more than you? If I do, it's like throwing away gems and replacing them with stones."

"De...an... You can always make me helpless."

"I'm serious..." Dean lifted Carina's chin and kissed her lips. Carina embraced Dean and returned the kiss affectionately.

---------

Next morning at the ski resort...

Rose played together with her friends. Meanwhile, Carina was with Dean.

"It feels good and relief!!" said Rose happily.

Carina noticed Dean who was watching Rose. Then Carina intends to prank Rose, which she had previously planned. After they were done skiing, Carina and her two friends approached Rose and took her for a walk. At first, Rose didn't want to, but she saw Carina's sincerity, so she agreed.

"Okay...."

Ironically, it was a misfortune for Rose. Finally, they arrived at a small hill.

"Look at the scenery, it's beautiful, isn't it?" Said Carina.

"Yes. The stunning white expanse of snowy mountains" replied Rose admiringly.

"There is no doubt that this mountain view is famous." Explained Carina's friend.

When Rose was enjoying the view on the hill, Carina fell and screamed for help, "Help..."

Rose and her friends were shocked and immediately headed toward the source of the voice. She saw that Carina was still able to stand on a small foothold and hold a tree branch beside her. Rose stretched out her hand, "Take my hand."

"Well..."

However, Carina, who had bad intentions from the start, deliberately pulled Rose's hand firmly while her two friends pushed her from behind.

Rose was shocked.

"Eh???"

She was rolling down like a snowball. Gruduk... gruduk... gruduk... Rose tried to stop that pace but couldn't. Even though the hill wasn't high, she hit a few small rocks. It caused injuries to her hands, feet, and face.

Finally, she fell at the bottom of the hill.

"Brak!"

For a moment she lay face down and said, "How stupid I am to believe them. But I am bullied like this because I'm weak." Rose muttered with teary eyes.

With pain all over her body, she struggled to stand up. The intense feeling of dizziness made her want to vomit. So, she sat up and closed her eyes to relieve the dizziness. After she had enough, she tried to stand back up and walked slowly. But not long after that, she heard a voice around her.

How shocked she was like a bolt of lightning when she turned to the side because there was a black bear by the river nearby.

"Did I wake it?" said the frightened Rose.

"I haven't finished one problem; another problem has appeared in front of me. What should I do?" said a confused Rose.

She saw the bear was unfriendly and roared. But Rose steadied her heart as she said, "I must fight to the end!"