I am Wolf (The Wolfboy Chronicles) (24 page)

“Bring them over here,” I heard General Mantin say.

I felt hands on my body again as I was dragged across
the gravel. Then we stopped. My blindfold was removed. I blinked my eyes and
spotted a figure in front of me. A man it seemed to be. Then I heard growling.
I blinked again and realized it was Caspian who was in front of me in his
wolf-form. He was being held back in a chain around his neck. His eyes were
manic and wild, his mouth white with froth. He growled and barked at me.

“Caspian?” I said.

Caspian snapped his teeth, trying to drag himself
towards me like he was ready to attack at any moment.

Mantin clapped his hands in delight. He smiled and
looked at me. “Now you fight.” He turned and looked at me.

“A fight to the death.”

I
stared in disbelief
at Mantin.

“He is sick, can’t you see that?” I yelled.

Mantin laughed. “Well that’s the fun part, isn’t it?
Caspian the holy has become like the rest of us, given in to the desires of the
human flesh. Now he hasn’t satisfied his wolf’s cravings for days. And look at
you right there in front of him in your human form. Tastier than ever. He will
do anything to sink his teeth into you, well into any meat, human or animal, it
doesn’t matter any longer. He is maddened with starvation.”

I struggled against the arms holding me. Catalina was
brought out as well and placed next to me. Her blindfold was removed. Mantin
clapped his hands in joy again. “Look now there are two of them. What a feast
for dear, old Caspian,” he exclaimed. “If you want to survive you’ll have to
kill him. If you want to save your girlfriend, you’ll have to kill him.”

I stared at Caspian with desperation. He growled and
groaned in madness. I really didn’t want to kill him. I cared for him. Even if
he wasn’t the same any longer. He had been my mentor, my friend. Caspian stared
at Catalina and snapped his teeth at her. She pulled back with a gasp. “No
matter what happens.” Those had been Caspian’s own words to me. I had given him
my word on it. I exhaled deeply as the soldiers released the chain holding
Caspian back and he leaped forward with a huge growl. In less than a second he
jumped Catalina and caused her to tumble to the ground. Filled with anger and
desperation I let my wolf out. Right before I leaped towards his back I saw his
teeth sink into the pale skin of Catalina. I screamed as I leaped on his back
and forced him to get off her. We tumbled into the gravel, biting, growling at
each other and soon we were both on our feet again. Catalina cried and
screamed. She was bleeding from her neck where Caspian had bitten her, the
smell of her blood was intoxicating to me, causing me to lose my senses. The
smell seemed to make Caspian even wilder and stronger. He ran towards her again
with his mouth open showing his fangs preparing them to once again sink into
the soft human flesh of Catalina. I jumped in front of him and blocked his way,
showing my teeth, snapping at him, growling from deep within. He growled back
trying to force me to back off. I stared into his eyes trying desperately to
find just a glimpse of the man and wolf I had known before, before this madness
had taken control of him. But I found none. I heard Catalina moan behind me and
fought against the scent of her blood. It was depriving me of my strength, it
was luring me, calling for me to drink it and every cell in my wolf-body craved
it passionately. To just taste it one time, just one drop.

“Don’t be weak.” I heard Caspian’s words again and
again in my mind. Alexandru, Mantin and the soldiers were cheering for Caspian
to kill us both. The smell of blood drove Mantin’s wolf out and soon I heard a
huge growl behind me. I turned and realized he had turned and now an enormous
black wolf was in front of me, staring at me, staring maniacally at Catalina
who had lost consciousness and lay pale and lifeless in the gravel while red
blood flowed slowly down her throat and colored her white dress. I looked at
Mantin and the madness in his eyes, then at Caspian who was licking his teeth.
I breathed heavily fighting my own desire to drink the blood as well. I shook
it, fought it with my every sense and tried to block their way as they slowly
came closer and closer to her.

I searched frantically for a solution for some way out
for the both of us when Caspian suddenly jumped through the air and landed
right next to Catalina. He was snarling and growling, froth running from his
mouth. Mantin was close now too. I felt my heart race in my chest as Caspian
bent down over her face and started licking the blood from her throat and neck.
Mantin growled and walked faster to get his share of the feast. He was circling
her body, staring at it with manic lust and desire. Everything inside of me
screamed and cried out when suddenly something truly amazing happened. Somehow
I saw it in Caspian’s eyes as he turned and looked at me. The manic in his eyes
was suddenly gone and I spotted a glimpse of the hero, the mentor I had known
and loved.

In the second before he jumped onto Mantin’s back I
heard Caspian whisper in my mind.

“Go! Run! Get the both of you out of here now! Go find
the book. Keep it safe.”

Startled and desperate I answered through my thoughts:
“But ... But I failed. I couldn’t keep your secret. It’s too late. They know
where it is. Mantin has probably already sent his soldiers to find it.”

My eyes looked into his and I saw no condemnation from
him. Then he spoke.

“No. It’s not too late yet. I lied. They don’t know
where it is. I knew they would pick your mind for it, so I lied.”

“But how do I find it then?”

“You already know where it is.”

With those last words I watched Caspian jump into the
air and sink his teeth into the back of Mantin. Within a matter of seconds
Mantin was bleeding from Caspian’s bite. Blood poured from the bite and I saw
Mantin fall on his front paws groaning and whining. Knowing I had few seconds
to react before Alexandru and his soldiers would interfere, I stormed ahead and
grabbed Catalina. I lifted her with my teeth and as I did she woke and somehow
managed to climb on my back and grab on hard to my fur.

I took off towards the forest while yelling and
gunshots sounded in the icy air behind us.

W
e fled through the
forest all night. Catalina
was moaning on my back and barely holding on.

Just a little further, my love, I thought.

I can’t Sami. I can’t hold on any longer.

I found a small clearing and stopped. Carefully she
slipped off my back and landed on the cold ground. Her face was torn in pain.
She was sweating heavily despite the cold wind. I knew that wasn’t good. It had
to be fever. She opened her eyes slowly and looked at me with glassy eyes. Then
she reached out and touched my face gently, letting her fingers explore my fur
and snout. She smiled gently.

“I love you, Sami the Wolf,” she whispered. “You were
always there, in my darkest hour, in my pain when I couldn’t see anything, when
there was nothing but darkness and I felt forgotten and left, you were all I
could see. I heard your thoughts, I followed your concerns, your worries. In
glimpses I saw what you saw or had already seen. I was with you, Sami. Did you
know that? I was with you on that journey and it gave me such hope. Knowing I
hadn’t been forgotten, knowing that you were out there.” Catalina coughed
heavily, then moaned and closed her eyes.

“Shh,” I said. “You need to rest now. We will continue
when you’re rested.” I grabbed her hand and held it tight. She smiled as she
dozed off.

I watched as she slept for several hours. Night became
day and I watched over her. Every now and then I touched her and felt how the
fever grew stronger and higher. Soon she was burning hot. It worried me.

Near nightfall she finally opened her eyes. I was so
relieved and caressed her cheek for a long time not saying anything, just
staring into her beautiful emerald green eyes.

“We need to get you back to your mother,” I said.
“Slavia will be able to help you, but the forest of Hoia-Baciu is far away from
here.”

Catalina stared at me in disbelief. “My mother? But I
don’t understand. My mother was killed ... I saw it. Who is Slavia?”

I looked at her and smiled. I had forgotten she didn’t
know anything about her own origin. I caressed her cheek again. I wasn’t the
one supposed to tell her who she really was.

“Just someone I once made a promise to.”

“Oh, okay. What promise is that?”

“To bring you to her.”

Catalina looked at me and I could see she was confused
but she didn’t have the strength to ask or fight me on this. Then she closed
her eyes and I could tell she was in pain. The wound on her neck was almost
gone, but the fever was getting higher by the hour now. I touched her forehead.
She was burning up. I was torn. The forest where the Wind-People lived was
hundreds of miles away and I didn’t think Catalina would survive a journey like
that with her fever being this high. Yet I knew we had nowhere else to go and
we couldn’t stay here. Catalina needed care and a bed to lie in.

I thought about Caspian with great sadness and knew
there was no way he had managed to survive. I remembered the last look in his
eyes and felt so grateful for what he had done for me and Catalina. I would
always remember him for that. Then I remembered his last words.

“You already know where it is.”

What had that meant? I knew he didn’t want to say
where the book was since Mantin would have been able to hear it as well. He
wanted me to figure it out on my own.

Catalina moaned in her sleep and grabbed my hand while
I wondered and worried. I had to bring her home. There was no way other than to
run with her all night towards the North and hopefully reach Transylvania in a
day or two. It was a dangerous journey but it was the only way out. I could
only hope that Catalina would survive the ride.

I sighed as the transformation came upon me. Then I
got up on my legs. I felt the hunger from many days of starvation and knew I
had to satisfy my wolf before we took off. Luckily I heard a rustle in a bush.
I sneaked up on the sound, attacked and dragged out a fox that I ate.

I pushed Catalina with my snout and woke her up. She
moaned but understood. She climbed my back with much difficulty due to her
weakness. When I sensed she had grabbed on to my fur I left the forest and ran
with all the power and strength left in my big wolf-legs.

I
ran through forests
,
on roads, across fields,
avoiding villages, houses, cars and people. With her on my back, knowing she
was sick I gathered the strength to run across the country in just one night.
Almost three hundred miles in one stretch. Then we reached Transylvania. Part
of the region was now in the hands of Hungarian troops, I had come to learn,
but I didn’t know which parts. All I knew was I had to be careful not to be
seen, especially by soldiers. If I knew General Mantin well he had all his
troops looking for me. Therefore the trip was further extended since I had to
avoid any checkpoints guarded by soldiers. Yet I still managed to come close to
the forest of Hoia-Baciu before dawn came upon us. I was exhausted and barely
able to run anymore when suddenly Catalina slid off my back. I turned and
looked at her. She was lying on the ground completely lifeless. At the same
time dawn was upon us and I changed back. Once the wolf was gone I kneeled
beside Catalina.

“No!” I cried and tried to shake her to wake her up.
“Catalina. You have to come back to me. You have to wake up!” I cried.

But she didn’t respond. I looked up the hill in front
of me. Up there, on the other side of the hill just about five - maybe seven
miles away was our destination, the haunted forest of Hoia-Baciu. In there she
would be safe and they would know how to treat her illness. I grabbed her body
and held her tight. I could barely hear her heartbeat.

“No!” I cried again. Frantically I searched for
answers. I cried and held her tight. There was no way I could carry her all the
way to the forest. I was so weak, so tired, I wasn’t even sure I could manage
to force my wolf to appear.

Catalina’s fair skin became even paler. I put my head
on hers while I cried. So close, I thought. We were so close.

Then I heard a voice behind me. “Hey! What’s going on?
What’s all this commotion about?”

A figure was walking towards us in the dim light
carrying a lamp. I hadn’t realized I had stopped this close to a village, this
close to a house. That was when I realized I knew this house and the village. I
had been there before and I knew this woman walking towards us yelling.