Luna the Moon Wolf (3 page)

“H
OLD ON
!”
CRIED
E
LENNA, SCRAMBLING TO
her feet.

A rat threw itself at Tom's legs and he was just able to kick it away before its teeth sank into his thigh. Tom was still pinned to the ground by Silver. He glanced over to see his friend dragging the rope from her quiver. Her hands moved rapidly, looping and knotting the rope.

“Hurry!” gasped Tom. Storm had cantered over and reared up on his back legs to keep the rest of the wild dogs, foxes, and other vicious creatures at bay.

“There!” said Elenna. In one quick movement, she threw something over Silver's back. She'd knotted the rope into a loose net! Silver snarled and bucked, trying to shake the net off. But the more he struggled, the more entangled his paws became.

With Silver distracted, Tom had the chance he needed. With a mighty effort, he rolled out from under the wolf. His knee struck something. It was his sword! He snatched it up and with all his force thrust the blade through one of the loops of the net, deep into the ground. Now the net was pegged down, but only in one corner. Silver was still struggling and might free himself at any moment.

Elenna fitted an arrow to her bow and aimed it at the opposite side of the net.

Thunk!

Silver howled in anger.

Thunk!

Thunk!

In rapid succession, Elenna sent two more arrows into the earth, pegging the net down securely. Silver was trapped. He jerked and kicked, trying to thrust his muzzle through the loops. But there was no way out.

His struggles gradually subsided and he lay still, panting. He was defeated.

Storm whinnied. Tom turned to look at the wild animals that surrounded them. With the defeat of Silver, their excitement had died down. They retreated a little, back into the darkness. Luna's burning red eyes still shone, slowly encircling the camp as the Beast moved about.

Tom let out a shaky breath. “That was … close!”

Elenna stared at Tom in bewilderment. “I don't understand,” she said. “I've never seen Silver like this!”

“It's not his fault,” Tom reassured her. “It's the Beast's magic — she turned Silver mad.”

“The Beast?” Elenna asked with a start, looking around.

“Can't you see the eyes?” Tom said, pointing. The twin red coals still burned in the darkness. But as Tom and Elenna watched, the eyes receded. Then they turned away and vanished.

“Should we chase after Luna?” said Elenna.

Tom looked at Silver. He shook his head. “We have more important things to deal with.”

They sat down next to Silver. Elenna put her hand on his back, stroking his fur through the net. He twitched and growled.

“Do you think he'll be all right again?” she asked anxiously.

“I hope so,” Tom said. “All we can do is wait.”

Above their heads, a white moon sailed through tatters of cloud. It wasn't quite full. Storm snorted and stamped. The wild animals surrounding them finally melted away into the darkness.

Tom and Elenna watched the fire die down.

“I wonder,” said Elenna after a while, “why Luna only turned Silver mad. Why not Storm as well?”

Tom scratched his head. “Silver — and those animals that came out of the forest — they're all wild predators. Storm is a bred and trained animal. And … well, Silver's a wolf.” Tom remembered the eerie wolf howls that had rung out from the invisible Beast.

“So is Luna!” said Elenna. “That would explain why Luna had the power to control him!”

“That's what we're up against,” said Tom somberly. “A wolf like no other. Capable of turning wild animals even wilder.”

“Why didn't she attack us herself?” Elenna wondered out loud.

“I'm not sure. Maybe this was just a warning. To scare us off.”

“But we won't be scared off!” Elenna said, driving a fist into her open palm.

“No,” said Tom quietly.

Worn-out by the fight, they both dropped off to sleep.

 

Tom awoke early. The sky was lightening in the east. The sun showed over the horizon.

Silver whimpered. Elenna reached out to stroke him through the net. This time Silver didn't growl, but whined softly.

Elenna turned to Tom. “What do you think? Is it safe to let him free?”

“Let's try,” said Tom. Together, they pulled the arrows from the ground. Tom uprooted his sword and sheathed it at his belt. He and Elenna looked at each other. Then they each grabbed a corner of the net and eased it away.

Silver didn't move at first. He appeared utterly exhausted — as weak as a newborn puppy. But after a moment he turned his head and looked at Tom. All the fury had gone out of his eyes. He looked subdued and even slightly ashamed. He inched forward and put his head in Elenna's lap. Elenna stroked him.

“There, there,” she whispered comfortingly. Silver licked her gently on the arm.

Tom climbed to his feet and looked out to where the Dark Wood lay, still shrouded in shadow. That was where he was destined to encounter Luna again — it was where she was headed, Tom was sure. He and Elenna would go after her. And next time, he knew, the encounter would be more testing still.

“You won't beat me,” he said into the dawn air. Luna would not get the better of him a second time.

T
HEY HAD WATER FROM THE SPRING AND APPLES
for breakfast. Silver didn't eat anything, not even the biscuit Elenna tried to tempt him with. He lapped a little water, then lay with his head on his front paws.

“He's still not himself,” said Elenna.

The fight had taken it out of Tom, too. He felt shaky.

“Well, we need to get moving anyway,” he said. “Luna arrived last night when the moon was high in the sky. We have to face her before the moon comes up again, Elenna. It's the only chance we have of defeating her.”

Storm neighed, as if in agreement.

There was no time to waste. Tom and his friends headed toward the Dark Wood. Elenna rode in Storm's saddle, and Tom and Silver walked alongside them. Soon, the huge woods reared up, dark and ominous. The trees seemed to have a reddish tinge.

It was still light when they reached the edge of the Dark Wood, but only just. The sun was getting low in the sky. When Tom glanced back to see the distance they had traveled, he noticed their shadows streaming out behind them. Ahead, the sun's rays made the trees look even redder — a bright, glistening crimson.

“Ugh!” said Elenna, dismounting Storm. “It looks like blood!”

“It's just an illusion,” said Tom. “A trick of the light. Come on, let's go. Luna's in there — and we must find her before it gets dark!”

Tom shifted his shield on his back and gripped the hilt of his sword. Then they stepped into the woods. Twigs and dry leaves crackled underfoot. The trees grew close together, and as Elenna passed between two of them, she put out a hand to steady herself. She cried out in disgust.

“What? What is it?” said Tom, pushing through the undergrowth.

“My hand! Look!” Elenna gasped.

Tom stared. Her hand was covered in sticky, glistening red blood! And all the other trees were covered in the same liquid.

They had stepped into a forest of gore.

Tom shuddered. Storm was whinnying uneasily, and Silver whimpered.

“We need a plan,” Tom said, looking around him. “You can
feel
the evil magic in this place. And we've got to face a giant ghost-wolf with supernatural powers in here! We need something to fall back on. A place to run to, a way out, something to protect ourselves with —”

“Or a weapon,” interrupted Elenna.

“Yes!” said Tom. She was right. He had his sword and Elenna had her bow, but he knew that would not be enough. Against such a formidable enemy they would need something extra. Something unexpected.

He stepped back out from the woods and scanned the arid plain of the Forbidden Land. Was there anything there they could use?

But there was nothing. Just dusty earth, a few rocks, and dry grass that was barely alive.

Twilight was descending. Time was running out.

From among the bloodstained trees of the Dark Wood, Tom thought he could hear noises. Faint, intermittent sounds, but gradually growing stronger. Scuffling, snuffling, rustling. And there! His heart thumping, Tom was sure he had heard the lonely howl of a wolf in the distance, echoing through the trees.

The sun was setting, and the Dark Wood was coming alive.

T
OM LISTENED TO THE RUSTLING NOISES
coming from the Dark Wood, and a memory surfaced. Back in his home village of Errinel, there was sometimes trouble from wild animals — foxes and the occasional wolf. In winter, when food was scarce, they would creep into the village by night and take hens, lambs, and goats. The village elders' solution was to dig a deep, wide trench around the village and fill it with brambles. Tom recalled helping out the digging parties.

“How about if we dug a pit?” he said. “If we could lure Luna toward it …”

“… we might trap her!” finished Elenna. “Yes, it could work. But what can we dig with?”

“How about this?” said Tom. He dug the pointed end of his shield into the ground and shoveled up a chunk of earth. The ground was dry and hard, but once the surface was broken, the earth beneath was easy to dig.

With the strength given to him by the golden breastplate, Tom quickly shifted the earth. He had soon hollowed out a fair-size crater.

“Let's see if I can find something to help with!” said Elenna. She went to the outskirts of the Dark Wood and found a broken branch, stout and strong, with a sharp end.

They fell into a rhythm, alternating their digging. Every now and then Elenna stopped to take a breather. Thanks to his magic strength, Tom dug tirelessly, without a pause. The hole widened and deepened. Soon they were both standing in the pit, throwing the earth over their shoulders.

Storm and Silver came to the edge, peering down at them curiously.

“That'll have to do!” said Tom. “It's almost dark.” He interlaced his fingers so that Elenna could use his hands as a foothold and scramble out. Then she let down the rope so he was able to climb free.

Working fast, they placed slender branches across the top and covered them with reddish leaves. No Beast would ever know a trap was waiting.

“This might be just the advantage we need,” Tom said, gazing down at their work. The moon was out now. It was full, but not at its brightest, and not yet high in the sky. Twilight lingered in the western sky above the trees.

Tom flashed a glance at Silver, who sat patiently beside Elenna.

“I know what you're thinking,” said Elenna as she took Silver by the scruff of the neck and pulled out the rope once more. She knelt in the grass and looked into her pet's eyes.

“I have to do this,” she told Silver as she tied the wolf to a tree trunk. With a sigh, she climbed to her feet. Tom put a hand on her shoulder.

“Thank you,” he said. “I know how difficult that must have been for you. But if Silver comes under Luna's spell a second time, we can't risk what might happen.”

Elenna nodded sadly. Tom released a long, drawn-out breath. “Let's go and defeat this Beast,” he said. “It's time.”

Warily, they stepped into the Dark Wood. Tom and Elenna led, Storm following close behind. They took care to avoid touching the bloodied trunks of the trees. Tom could feel menace pressing upon him. The woods were quiet now. The only sounds were their own footsteps and the occasional snort from Storm. It was as if all the woods were listening to them.

There was no sign of Luna. Yet Tom felt sure that she must know they were coming.
Perhaps she's waiting for the moon to rise to its full height?
he thought. Then he heard a noise. He touched Elenna's arm and she stopped. Storm drew to a halt behind them.

“What is it?” mouthed Elenna silently.

Tom lifted his finger to his lips. They stood still, waiting.

The noise came again. A high-pitched yelp. And another. And another.

Elenna nudged Tom and pointed.

There, half-hidden beneath the gnarled roots of a tree, was a bundle of fur. Tom saw damp snouts poking out, pointed ears, and several tiny pairs of gleaming red eyes.

It was a nest of wolf cubs. Their scent was carried to him on the evening breeze: the same strong, musky animal scent he had smelled the previous night.

Tom and Elenna drew closer. They had seen a nest of wolf cubs before, when they went to do battle with Cypher. Those cubs had been cute, with blunt, round faces and big paws. But these cubs looked ferocious. Their snouts were narrow, their eyes a fiery red; they glared at Tom and Elenna, snapping their jaws.

“They could be useful to us,” breathed Tom. “They must be Luna's cubs — I'm sure of it! They have the same scent. The same red eyes. If we could get these cubs away from here, she'd follow, wouldn't she? Maybe we could lure her out of the woods. Then we could fight her in the open — where we might trap her in the pit!”

“If you try to pick those cubs up, they'll take your hand off,” warned Elenna.

But Tom wasn't going to be put off that easily. What would tempt such fierce creatures from their nest? They clearly wanted to attack. He could use that to his advantage. “Watch,” he said to Elenna.

Tom bent over the cubs. They growled and the largest cub leaped at him. Tom swiftly brought his shield up. The wolf cub's fangs crashed against its surface with such force he almost dropped the shield.

“Come on, then,” he said, shifting the shield on his arm. “Come and get me!” The other cubs swarmed out of the nest. There were four of them in all. Yapping and snapping, they advanced on Tom. And in the empty nest behind them, Tom saw something glinting in the moonlight. His heart jumped. He recognized the fragment of silver, with the shard of blue enamel at its heart.

“There, can you see it? It's a piece of the amulet!” he called to Elenna.

“Can't we just grab it?” she cried.

Tom tried to circle around the cubs so he could get to the nest, but they rushed at him, their tiny jaws snapping. He was only just able to get his shield up to protect himself.

“I can't get close to the nest!” he gasped to Elenna. Desperation plunged through him. The silver of the amulet gleamed in the moonlight. If Tom couldn't retrieve it, he would fail in his Quest. And his father would never be returned to life.

What was he going to do?