1 The one that hides in the shadow

For as long as I remember, human has been scared in the dark. Seeing things that aren't there, creatures of the night if you will.

But when a person is afraid of the dark they start to see things they are afraid of and manifest themselves and that's when all of this story came to be.

Going back a few millennia, I remember when people started making a story to simply scare their kids so they won't wander far from villages at night. But one fateful night, when fantasy and reality collided.

It all started in a small village in the mountains.

In front of the village lies a wide field filled with several types of crops then beyond that just a thick forest surrounding the village.

The village is fortified with a wall to protect them from wild animals and bandits.

Then one night.

Guard 1: Another peaceful night huh?

as he sips on his hot drink.

Guard 2: I hope so, I heard from one of the hunters that they saw animal corpse closer and closer to the village.

Guard 1: Oh yeah Igor, mention something about some wolves are hunting closer and closer to our village. Alek was getting worried about that too.

*rustling leaves*

Guard 1: You heard that?

pointing out at the open and putting the torch on his hand higher so he could see better.

Guard 2: You're just hearing things.

as soon as he looks at the other guard something leaps over him from the shadow with red hazy eyes.

A huge figure stood in front of the small fence acting as the gate, the figure slams its body to the fence and it broke like it was nothing then a group of wolves slowly making its way inside the gate.

*BONG BONG BONG BONG*

Guard 2 rang the bell as fast as he could and started yelling.

Guard 2: WOLVES, wolves are attacking.

yelling on top of his lungs.

The bell could be heard all the way to the other side of the village.

People started waking up, panicking. Some people started barricading themselves in their house, some started looking for something to protect themselves with and started walking towards the village center.

*screaming everywhere*

Some people manage to defend themselves, but some weren't so lucky. Wolves getting into people's houses and started screaming.

The village was filled with screams as the night goes on.

People who manage to find weapons slowly gathering in the center with torches on one hand and random weapon on the other. A ragtag of people were welding pitchforks, bows, and mostly axes. The village center was slowly filling up.

Alek: Is this all of it?

while scanning around him

All of them looking around and nodded agreeing.

Alek: Alright Grigory, take some folks with you and man the gates. We want to make sure no more wolves get it.

Grigory nodded and pointed at a few people in front of him

Alek grabs Grigory's shoulder before heading out

Alek: Try not to play hero tonight, just try to reach the gate and barricade it to stop anything from coming in.

Grigory: Don't worry, I won't. Besides, Fenya will kill me if I die out here tonight.

he let out a small chuckle.

Alek's group started walking the opposite direction from Grigory's group and you can see their torches getting further and further away.

Grigory and his group slowly walk towards the gate while killing every wolf they see.

They finally manage to reach the gate but they were greeted by a dead body hanging off the watchtower and another one on the ground missing a leg.

Grigory: This is not looking good

as he looks around and stumbles at a broken gate.

Grigory: Hey Igor can you get on top of the tower and survey the area?

Igor nodded and proceed to climb the watchtower. The tower wasn't that tall, but tall enough to see everything outside the wall and almost every house in the village.

Igor: There's nothing else outside, and I'm seeing Alek's group splitting up.

*HOWL*

It was loud enough that everyone by the gate sent shivers down their spine.

Grigory: You sure there's nothing else outside Igor?

pointing at the general direction where the noise came from.

Igor: No, I heard it but I couldn't see anything else out there.

THUD....THUD....THUD

Igor: Hold on, I think I heard something from off some distance Greg

he then quickly aims his bow towards the distance.

Grigory motioning at everyone to get ready, people shuffle around and took formation.

Grigory: What do you see Igor?

Igor: I'm not sure yet but it's huge.

THUD-THUD THUD-THUD THUD-THUD THUD-THUD

a creature is finally visible under the moonlight.

Igor: ITS AN ALPHA

yelling at everyone while letting five arrows in quick succession at the creature.

The creature is dodging every arrow as it closes the gap between it and the gate.

whoosh whoosh-whoosh whoooooooossshhh whoooosh whoooosh

every single arrow missed its target

the creature managed to catch one arrow

crrraaack

Igor: Hold your ground it's getting closer.

as he let a few more arrows while yelling at Grigory.

Grigory and his group readied their weapon and peeled their eyes for the upcoming creature.

The creature is running towards them at incredible speed as if its feet were gliding on the ground.

tack

an arrow finally reached its target. Hitting the creature on its left foreleg

GRRRRRRRR

the creature still didn't stop even it was struck by an arrow

Igor: It's getting closer Greg.

as he let a few more arrows loose but missed their mark completely

the creature jumped and suddenly was engulfed with black mist and vanished without a trace.

Igor frantically looking for the creature and couldn't seem to find it.

Igor: The Alpha is gone, Greg.

as he keeps looking around to confirm.

Greg noticed his group was at ease

Grigory: This is not over guys, just keep your guard up. Not every day an Alpha would just vanish without a fight.

Then suddenly a black mist slowly manifesting behind Grigory's group.

Igor's eyes widen and a mild panic set in

Igor: BEHIND YOU GUYS!

yelling at them while aiming at the mist.

*growl*

*****

Meanwhile in on the other side of the town where Alek's group split into two

hheeuukkkk

One of the villagers stab one of the wolves on the chest and throw it on the ground

Lev: I got one pinned down here

as he yelled at another person with him

swiishh

the wolf's head fell from its body and slowly roll on the side.

Stevan: That's the last of the wolf here

as he looks at the dead creature's bodies around them

eeeeeiiiiiiihhhhkkkk

Both of them look at each other

Lev: What was that?

Stevan: I'm not sure but let's hurry.

motioning to Lev where the scream was coming from.