CHAPTER 3 :The Hike

“Wake up, Luna. Don’t bail on me now. Don’t tell me you’re backing out now.”

Luna stirred upon her best friend’s nagging. It was five in the morning and the first thing she heard before even opening her eyes was Alicia’s nags.

Can’t she have peace for a while before actually starting the day? She thought, her eyes still shut close.

“Ugghhhh. Yes, mum. I am up. Tone it down a little, I’m going to get deaf because of you.”

“What? I am not actually shouting, Luna. What are you saying?”

Alicia’s response befuddled Luna because it was really loud in her end. So, she jolted up right away and faced her best friend, but also very wary about her surroundings. Something’s not right with her today, her wolf senses were heightened. She can hear everything even from 20 meters away.

Worried with Luna’s reaction, Alicia asked, “Why are you staring at me like that, Luna? Are you okay?”

“I’m okay” Luna lied, “Just still sleepy.”

Something was wrong, but Alicia didn’t want to press Luna more. If Luna wanted to share it, she would. So, Alicia tried to lighten up the mood instead, “Maybe you need to, you know, stand up and take a bath to wash away that lethargic feeling. A hot guy wouldn’t want a smelly lady.”

“Hmmmm. No one can resist my beauty.” Luna joked back, flipping her silky dyed black hair. She was acting cute and pretty, trying not to mind the uneasy feeling.

Standing up from Luna’s bed, Alicia played along and gave Luna a curtsy while saying, “Yes, mi lady. You are as beautiful as the moon.”

Alicia’s response made the both of them laugh, they then started poking fun at each other. After that mini fun act and teasing, they finally started getting ready for their hike. Nonetheless, even though Luna tried shaking the bad feeling off, she was still very keen and cautious.

All geared up, they were off to the notorious hike trail that they planned on taking. It was just a twenty-minute drive from their apartment.

“I only signed up for the hike on the trail, walking to get there is not part of the contract.” Luna said, playfully.

“Fine, fine. We’ll drive, princess.”

They were, for a brief moment, debating if they’d just walk towards there to kind of condition their body, but ended up driving instead. It was just a short drive, so they arrived there at around 5am. The sun didn’t shine, yet, and the vicinity was still dark, that kind of threw Luna off. She was worried the moment she woke up and the ambiance of the area didn’t help in easing her worries.

“Why are you walking so slow? The sun will shine soon and it’ll get very hot.”

"With the trees here even if the sun will set, it wouldn’t get hot. I just hope we wouldn’t run into a wolf territory here. It’s better to let the sun shine to kind of illuminate the darkness in the woods." Luna thought to herself. She didn’t bother answering Alicia, she was too on guard and alert from everything around them to even speak to her.

Too focused and slow, and anxious if something might happen, she didn’t notice Alicia walking fast, leaving her behind. Eventually, she found herself alone in the woods.

“Alicia?”

“ALICIA, WHERE ARE YOU?”

“DON’T DO YOU DARE PLAY A PRANK ON ME!”

They loved playing pranks and scaring each other, but the situation and mood didn’t call for that kind of games as of the moment. It got her more uneasy and vexed.

“THIS IS NOT FUNNY. WHERE ARE YOU?” Luna shouted again, torn if she should shout a bit louder for her best friend to hear her, but someone or something else might hear her.

All the infamous stories about the trail came into her mind, she started having cold sweat and felt like throwing up. Just thinking about the stories and what could’ve happened to her best friend made her start blaming herself.

If only she didn’t agree to go with her, then the hike wouldn’t have happened. Her best friend would’ve been safe. They would’ve stayed home and enjoyed their weekend. She couldn’t meet up to her family’s expectation, she couldn’t save their pack, and now she put her best friend in danger. These were the thoughts that kept lingering in her mind as she searched more and more for Alicia.

All that searching got her lost and deeper into the woods. Then she saw a silhouette in front of her, she still couldn’t figure out the shape of it yet and she wouldn’t want to know, but she already had a gist of what was it.

It must’ve been a werewolf, it might be a long time since she last saw one, but she knew it’s a werewolf. That thought made her more frantic, her instinct told her to run, so she started running away from where she saw the silhouette, but also kept checking if the mysterious creature was following her and it was--just keeping a decent distance not to be exposed.

Luna kept looking back, the mysterious creature was still tailing her from behind and was about to catch up. She finally saw what it was, and it was indeed a werewolf--a shapeshifter. The kind that she was trying to stay away from--her kind. She felt helpless and defenseless, so she just remained stationary and shut her eyes close, hoping she’d come out alive from all of this.

The consequence of her not paying much attention on what’s in front of her, she found herself sliding down into a ravine. She was trying to regain her balance and find something that she can hold on to, unprepared, panicky, and desperate she tried holding on to some branches and roots, but the path was so rocky and slippery. There was nothing to break the momentum of her fall, she found herself rolling now and bumped her head once.

Everything she did was futile, but she didn't stop trying. She still tried to grab on everything her hands can reach. She was about to hold on to a misshapen area, but her knee hit a big rock with a sharp edges.

"OOOUCH!" She shouted as she felt the impact and the blood flowing from her freshly wounded knee. The whole thing made her lost her grip, so she started sliding fast again and got a few scrapes on her shoulders and arms until she finally reached the bottom.

The bottom of the ravine had a stream, Luna winced in pain as all her bruises and wounds got soaked into the water. She was trying to catch her breath and tried checking if the mysterious creature was following her. Thankfully, the creature stopped following her, but it dawdled a bit as if it was checking she was still alive or not. She was relieved for a second until she thought of the creature meeting Alicia on its way back.

“Alicia. No, I must save her.” She muttered, trying to catch her breath.

“I need to find her before it’s too late.”

Determined again to find her friend, she tried getting up from her position, but she couldn’t. She was stuck and felt pain in her ankle. The fall injured her, she’s having a hard time to move and stand up.

“Who would save Alicia? What will happen to her? I need to get out of here. These bruises will heal soon and I won’t feel any pain later on. Alicia safety is the priority right now, not mine.”

Luna stood up, wincing in pain and holding on to the tree near her to support her. She needed to find a way to get back to the main trail and start searching for her best friend again, but the bushes beside her made a sound as if something was walking towards her. With her senses still heightened, she tried to figure out of it’s a wolf or a human. The strides were more like a human than an animal.

“Hello? I need help, please.” She cried.