14.2| Where Sleeping Dogs Lie (2)

"Yuè," Gunter's voice called out to him in his sleep. "Yuè, wake up."

Yuè swatted at the person talking, snuggling deeper into the arms holding him. "Five more minutes." He mumbled tiredly.

"Yuè. Please wake up. The men that Marcellus went to fight at the border are coming. We need to go!" Gunter shook him again, his voice in a harsh and fearful whisper.

Yuè awoke with a start in the dimly lit cave, the faint sound of angry voices and heavy footsteps reached his ears, and he instinctively knew trouble was brewing outside.

Their torchlight flickered ominously in the distance, casting eerie shadows that danced upon the cave walls. Beside him, Gunter stared at him, dark eyes wide in alarm as they exchanged a silent understanding.

"We need to go." Gunter repeated.

Yuè nodded sharply, shuffling closer to Gunter. "We'll have to swim back to the other side." He whispered quietly, grabbing hold of Gunter's hand for comfort. "What would they be doing here?"

Gunter guided Yuè toward the entrance of the cave after the torchlight faded from the walls, leaving the darkness as their advantage. "Emery told me, the ones that get past the borders look for kills. Pelts. They like skinning us alive. Our kind doesn't like theirs, and theirs doesn't like us. They're turds."

When they reached the waters edge, he ushered Yuè to go first so he could no doubt be the temporary lookout in case someone tried to attack from behind.

Yuè slipped into the water, pushing away from the water's edge into the deeper part of the water only to turn at the sound of a grunt, followed by a shout.

Gunter was wrestling with a man who had managed to sneak around them. "Gunter!" He went to swim back to the shore when he spotted two more men arriving, bows in hand and fear shot through him. "Gunter, look out!"

Gunter, now locked in combat with his assailant, barely had time to react. Ducking, he managed to evade a swing aimed at his head, then turned toward Yuè with fierce determination. "Run, Yuè! Head for the tree lines!" He ordered. "I'll hold them off!"

Yuè hesitated for only a moment, his eyes locked with Gunter's, before he turned and began swimming with all his might toward the distant sanctuary of the looming trees, praying that they would find safety amidst the darkness.

He tried not to think of the last time Gunter had told him to run which resulted in him being hurt so severely. Guilt bubbled in his stomach, and he was determined not to have another repeat.

Emerging on the opposite side of the lake, Yuè clambered out of the water, his white dress clinging wetly to his trembling frame. Cold seeped into his bones, but to stop and find warmth would mean bumping into those men. His only thought was to put as much distance as possible between himself and the approaching danger.

The men's enraged shouts and the sound of their splashing footsteps reached his ears, a relentless reminder that they were on his trail. He understood that they had witnessed his escape and were now hot on his heels. Time was not his ally, and unless he could outmaneuver them, they would soon close in on him.

Frantically scanning his surroundings, he spotted a large tree with a canopy of thick red foliage that seemed promising as a hiding place.

Making a split-second decision, he darted toward it and crouched low behind its massive trunk, praying that its dense cover would shield him from prying eyes.

He held his breath, listening to the menacing pursuit growing ever closer. Each step of the men reverberated through the forest, and their voices carried on the night breeze, sharpening the edges of his anxiety.

"Where did she go?" One of them asked.

"I don't know, she disappeared into the woods." Another one answered, annoyance clearly in his voice.

"Damn it, we can't let her get away. She might warn the lord of the lands." A third one said. "He only thinks there's one attack at the border and while he's dealing with that, we're waiting to ambush him while he's weak.

Yuè clamped his mouth closed tightly, eyes widening at the information revealed. They had to make it back to warn Marcellus. He might be upset with the man, but he didn't deserve to be hunted down in such a way.

"Why do they call him cursed?" The first one asked once more.

"You don't know? Marcellus' people were cursed by a witch, his bloodline had it the worst though." The third man chipped in on the conversation.

"A witch?" The first one asked.

"Clearly you didn't get much training before they threw you out in the field. They were all wolves once but she cursed them with human hearts and forms." The second one explained.

"Wolves? Like animals?"

"Yeah, like animals. Savage and bloodthirsty animals that kill anything in their path." The third one said.

It was a tale that Yuè had heard many times, but the certainty of how much of it was true always lay in mystery to him up until recently. It seemed the stories were more widespread than he'd thought.

"And that's why we're here. To capture Marcellus and bring him to our king. He wants to use him in his own war."

"How?"

"The royals have magic. If King Razel triggers his rage on the day of the crimson moon, he'll be able to control him."

Yuè froze as the branch underneath his foot snapped in half under his weight.

A strong grip seized his shoulder, and he was roughly turned around. The man who had discovered him glared down at Yuè with cold, unfeeling golden eyes, a cruel smile twisting his lips—pointed ears peeking from his long red hair.

"What do we have here?" The man sneered, his grip on Yuè's shoulder unrelenting. "Looks like we've caught ourselves a little eavesdropper. Come look at her!"

He shouted for his comrades, their voices drawing closer as they approached, eager to see what their companion had captured.

Yuè's breath quickened as he was quickly surrounded, eyes darting to take in each one of them. Elves. They were mere stories in children's books back home, yet here they were in the flesh and staring at him coldly. "Release me!" He demanded.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? A pretty girl who shouldn't be out so late at night?" One of his comrades walked around the tree, three others following behind. This one had dark blue hair, midnight eyes, and light gray skin.

"Shh, don't be shy," The red head elf cooed out. "We just want to have some fun with you."

"A pretty girl." Another said.

"Mn. A pretty girl." One chipped in.

"A pretty girl, Kain." The last one chuckled out, echoing the others in mock.

"You'll like it, trust me." Kain, the red head grinned, lifting a silver strand of Yuè's hair. "We can make you feel good, then you can tell us if you've seen a big, black, scarred wolf."

Yuè snatched himself away, picking up a small tree branch and holding it like a weapon. "Do not come any closer." He demanded.

'Calm Yuè, in battle your emotions can be your greatest advantage or your biggest downfall.' He could hear his father's words in his head as he took a deep breath.

He remembered the cold mornings in the woods when he was younger as his father walked him step by step through movements he had long become familiar with.

'I teach you now so that when you are older, you will not need me to protect you, but Yuè, we do not use these moves to harm others. We use them to protect and defend. Remember that.'

Yuè had never fought against anyone besides his father, but he felt that he would have no choice now. He would protect himself and those being hunted. "I'm warning you."

The red haired elven man's lips curled into a mocking smile and drew his sword and pressed it firmly against Yuè's throat causing him to tense even more before he forced himself to relax. "How cute, going to give me a splinter, girl?" He shoved Yuè back against the bark of the tree. "We aren't asking. Lift your gown."

The others cackled and watched in amusement, waiting, wanting as they fumbled with their belts—ready to take turns.

Yuè's fist tightened around the stick he held. Even the smallest things could be used as a weapon. The strength was not in the blade, but in the one wielding it.

The world slowed as he narrowed in on the man, ducking beneath the sword with a graceful spin as he lashed out with his stick, slamming it into the side of the elf's neck hard enough to send him flying.

The other elves closed in, their menacing intent clear. One of them snarled, "You little wretch! Think you can fight us all?" He brandished his own sword.

Then another drew a wicked looking knife from his belt. "You're in over your head, girl," He hissed, circling Yuè with predatory intent.

As Yuè stumbled back, heart pounding in his chest, his assailants closed in on him, their weapons and swords glinting in the dim moonlight.

But just as the blade wielding attackers were only a few centimeters away, a bone chilling roar shattered the silence of the night. The moon bled red, a deep scarlet hue casting an eerie glow over them and the forest.

The elf who'd been struck in the neck by Yuè's stick, was clutching his wound and glancing around in confusion. His gaze darted nervously into the shadows of the forest where the moon's light barely reached.

A pair of crimson eyes glowed like fiery coals in the distance.

Yuè's heart raced as he too followed the man's gaze, his eyes widening in recognition. It was Marcellus. But not in his human form—fur as black as the night itself.

Marcellus lunged at Yuè's attackers with a bloodthirsty fury. His massive jaws snapped shut with devastating force, teeth as sharp as daggers ripping through the flesh and bone of the red headed elf's shoulder and neck.

He jerked his head around, dragging the man back into the shadows he'd come from; the sounds of crunching, gurgles, and screams the only thing they could hear as the man was being torn apart.

Nausea churned in his gut alongside fear. That had almost been him. Torn to bits anr devoured without hesitation.

The others fumbled with the bows on their back, pulling them free and notching their silver tipped arrows before shooting one by one into the shadows, their desperate eyes filled with hope that they would manage to strike him dead.

"Did we get him?" One asked when even his comrades screams abruptly stopped, his bow still aimed

The man next to him eyed Yuè, his long midnight blue hair blowing in the wind behind him. "You go check it out. Now." He barked out, brows lowering threateningly.

Yuè glared at him, taking a shaky step towards the darkness that Marcellus had vanished into.

Fear gripped his heart, but not a fear of Marcellus he found, but a fear for him. The closer he got to the piercing blackness, the more his heart accelerated. He wanted to call out to the man, but who knew if he could hear him in the enraged state he'd been in.