Chapter 13

                                    

                                          
Chapter 13
                          
Licht stared at Lark in absolute fright as his bones began to snap and his body starts to reshape. Furs grew from his skin and his face elongated to form the muzzle of a wolf. It happened in a blink of an eye but to her it felt like watching everything in slow motion. When the transition finished, she gazed at the obsidian eyes of the wolf that was staring at her.
                          
Memories from her childhood assaulted her mind and the familiar paralysis caused by fear snaked along her limbs. But it did not stop her from letting out a scream that woke the whole area.
                          
She trembled where she sat, not even registering that she had fallen. Her knees must have gave out without her knowing, and she just laid there helpless. The wolf growled lowly, but whimpered soon after when she remained in her horror-stricken state.
                          
She stared at it her mouth agape but the constricting invisible force was starting to coil around her neck cutting off her air supply. The gigantic wolf put one foot forward in advance but a strangled cry from her stopped any movements.
                          
Licht wanted to run, or do anything but she can't feel her limbs and the lack of air in her body was making her dizzy. Her eyes were in tears and blurred as dark spots lined her vision. The large animal sensed her distress but every time it moved the more stiff she become until it was all too much and she fainted just as noises entered her buzzing ears.
                          
--
                          
Clara was awoken by a piercing scream and she was jolted out of dreamland. Seating up from her slumber she noted the lack of her friend on her bed. Remembering the fear stained scream that woke her up, her heart thudded violently inside her ribs as terrible imagery flashed in her head. She had always been a scaredy cat.
                          
Shaking the horrible thoughts from her mind, she stood up from the bed outside to inspect where the scream came from. It sounded like it was from the west and she remembered the greenhouse. Licht might have been there. But why so late and what's with the loud scream?
                          
With staggering breath, she clutched her thin dress to herself as the cold air seeped through her skin causing goosebumps to appear. The evening was so silent that every step she took thudded loudly and the sounds ricocheted off the walls giving a sinister feeling.
                          
When she was finally outside, she spotted the said greenhouse, and in that distance she could make out two figures. Squinting her eyes to see better, a loud gasp escaped her lips and she immediately trembled from where she stood. 
                          
There, standing in front of a visibly frightened Licht was a bear sized wolf, easily dwarfing and filling the small greenhouse with its presence and cornering the poor girl inside. 
                          
At the sight of Licht staggering and slowly falling down the ground unconscious, Clara woke up from her stupor and with a shot of adrenaline from what she witnessed, her feet crossed the distance, unaware of the sounds coming from the house behind her.
                          
Instead, the cowardly Clara saw the urgency and the threat that the monster pose for her vulnerable friend. Looking around she saw a bunch of sticks and stones, she gathered some, using her dress to carry them. When she looked up, and to her horror, she saw the beast moving forward Licht and without thinking, she started hurtling the stones she picked up at it.
                          
"Get away from her you monster!"
                          
She shouted, her feeble hands continuing to throw items held in her clothes. Some of them reached the beast but seemed like it didn't even fazed him. It was still steadily advancing towards the unconscious girl.
                          
Seeing this, Clara took one of the largest sticks in her possession and run towards the beast and attacked its back. It did the trick, seemingly irritated at her disturbance. It turned around snarling at her making her jump back in fright and letting out a scream.