Till The Sun Was Gone

Werewolves, as they so aptly called them, were not something you saw every day in your life. They didn't come out of the shadows and kill people or attack innocent bystanders on sight. No, this was a secret society, one that existed underground among humans to keep safe their existence as a group, from hunters.

This world wasn't normal. Not many people lived there; only a few thousand lived inside the mountain range that ran parallel with the river running through the town that had been settled upon by humans hundreds of years ago.

There were more people in this place than in most of the other communities within the city walls. And if you knew how to read the signs, you would know why these werewolves were not allowed to live amongst the humans who populated it. These men and women are not human. Their minds have been changed by magic and twisted by evil. Their lives are not the same as ours... that's why they killed my parents when I was young.

And now that I'm already 18, I will hunt down every single one of them when I saw at least a single fur of them.

"Going out again?" dad who was not my real dad asked me as he crossed his arms across his chest. He wore a dark grey suit and black shoes and had an uninterested look on his face while standing next to the wooden stair with some considered vines on its fence.

I nodded as I strapped my bag over my shoulder.

The sky was still light and it promised to be a sunny day as I can feel the slight breeze blowing at my hair as I stepped outside. The trees swayed with the wind and I could see birds flying through the sky above my head.

It was beautiful. However, it was also dangerous. There was a lot of death at night when no one was around.

I looked down to see my shadow straightly beneath me signaling that it was already noon.

I again stepped inside the house and grabbed my sword lying at the table not far from the door before going outside and heading towards the forest that bordered the town. It took a bit of time but I arrived at the edge of the woods and headed north until I stopped right before a huge boulder.

I sat behind it and waited.

My heart was beating faster with each passing second as I could tell what would happen next. I couldn't believe I got this far, but I guess nothing can stop me from reaching my goal. And they will never will.

I gazed up at the sky as I squinted my eyes to watch the clouds move slowly with the wind blowing softly on my face. I was so lost in thought that I didn't even notice that someone was sitting beside me until he spoke which startled me a bit.

"You know, there aren't many wolves in here." I heard an unfamiliar voice which made me gaze to the right side.

As I look over to the side, I froze. The person next to me wasn't a wolf. Instead, he seemed almost a human.

He was wearing a white dress shirt with dark grey slacks. His hair was pulled back and his blue eyes were staring into mine in the darkness like a predator ready to pounce on its prey. He had the look of a hunter.

"Why did start talking about werewolves?" I mumbled as I continued looking at the sky.

"You brought so many defense tools and even swords. I don't think that you're here just to travel," he replied then added after a pause, "you know this forest is surrounded by magic. Even the hunters won't go near it."

"Oh really?" I turned my attention to him as I raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly do you do?"

He stood up and brushed some grass off his pants before replying, "I'm just a humble man of nature living here with my family until our crops are harvested. Why? You want me to introduce myself to you?"

I scoffed as I placed my arm across the boulder to lean my head against the cold surface. "Of course not. But I'd love to know someone in here. I mostly don't know any person except the hunters that my dad works with."

"I see," he shortly replied as he walked forward until he was standing right in front of me. Then he extended his hand as if it was about to shake mine. "Well, it's nice to meet you! My name is Ziel."

I stared at his hand for what felt like hours before grabbing hold of it and shaking it. Then I dropped his hand back on his lap. "It's nice to meet you too."

Ziel smiled and turned around, walking away from where we had first met.

"I hope you'll find peace in this forest. There's more than you thought," he said as he was walking away.

"I hope so."

I watched him leave and after a few minutes, the sound of rustling leaves and twigs filled my ears.

Ziel had vanished.

I sighed and looked at the sky. A ray of sunlight peeked through a gap in the tree branches and shined down on my face as I let out another sigh.

The breeze gently caressed my face as I stared at the distant horizon. Everything looked peaceful. Peaceful enough. If only that were true.

"If only it was just a dream."

After spending half of the day wandering in the woods, I found it difficult to make sense of where I was going. Every path I came across ended in dead ends and was like a loop to me, or in small creeks that were much deeper than the ones I had passed before. Eventually, I decided to follow a random dirt road in hopes of finding a village or maybe an inn.

At least it made me forget about the fact that I was walking in an unmarked, unnamed, forest that had probably been inhabited forever. That is until I noticed that it was getting darker and darker and the cold breeze gently caressed my skin which made me shiver as I rubbed my hand to the other hand creating warmth as I exhaled and pat it on my cold cheeks.

I kept walking on, hoping that something or someone would appear at the end. Finally, after hours of walking in circles, I found a building that appeared to be inhabited, judging by the lights shining brightly from the windows of the large building. It looked like someone was staying there though, which means I might have a chance to sleep or even stay there for a little time tonight.

A smile crept onto my face then I hurried along as fast as possible. Before long I reached the door of the building and knocked twice on the wooden frame.

"Coming!" a loud cheerful male voice called out.

Seconds later, the door opened and a middle-aged man wearing a red button-up with a pair of jeans appeared. His blonde hair was messy as if he had just woken up. His gaze was also friendly, but who knows? He might not be just as I expected him to be.

"Can I help you?" he asked curiously as he squinted his blue eyes at me in confusion. All of the fingers of his hands were crossed to each other as it makes his hands interlock while placing it at his belly.

I chuckled awkwardly before saying, "Yeah. I was kind of lost. Could you point me in the direction of the nearest inn?"

A place to stay is my priority first since there might be werewolves roaming around this hour.

"Sure thing," he replied before stepping back and adding, "You went to the right place. This place is where every room can be rented to be stayed in."

"Oh? Luckily, I'm here," I said before turning around and sitting down on a chair outside the building as he went to the table to find a key for a room. I rested my hands on my knees as I looked up at the sky. The moon was shining bright in the sky, lighting the surroundings up and giving everything a soft and calming feeling.

When I closed my eyes, I could imagine everything around me was peaceful, safe, and secure. It reminded me of a place I used to visit in the past, but that was way back when I was still living with my parents. I don't even know where that place is anymore.

As soon as the bell chimed, announcing the arrival of someone else, I looked over at the entrance and gazed upon a young boy with messy brown hair that was walking toward us. He held a bronze book with some considered golden pattern on it in his hand and as soon as he was closer, I realized that he was the man that I met recently.

"Good evening–" Before the man completely greeted him, Ziel's eyes widened in shock when he noticed me then he hurried and stuffed his handkerchief into the man's mouth before saying, "Good evening to me whose name was Ziel," then he laughed.

His mood from serious changes so quickly to cheerful which makes me want to question him.

I just smiled at him and bowed before grabbing the bronze key the man was holding that was supposed to be my room key in this place.

"So, you're staying in here?" he asked while nodding his head as he slowly looks around the

"Just for this night." I glanced at the man as he was still trying to remove the cloth from his mouth but Ziel kept staring at that man which makes the man not do it.

"Okay. If you want warm yourself up, there's a sauna at the back of this place. If you need to eat something, you can just ring the bell at the entrance to notify the owner to let him prepare some food for you. Do you need anything else?"

"No, I'm fine. Thank you," I replied politely.

I waited for him to nod once before taking a step to the stairs which lead me to the room I'll be staying in.

Isn't he a guest in here as well? Why is he acting like he was the one who's working here?

All of the rooms were locked except for the one in the middle. So it means that many people are staying in here too.

The door was already open as I approached the room. Just as I entered the room, I saw a bed placed inside with two blankets draped over it. There was a small chest of drawers and a small desk next to the bed. The window was slightly open allowing light to enter the room.

I looked back to see Ziel but he was already gone.

"Where has he been?" I asked the man who owns this place.

"He already went upstairs," he replied.

Well, that was strange. Only I can hear my footsteps when I went upstairs. The stairs and floors were made from planks so it makes a creaking sound whenever you step in.

"Or maybe I'm just too focused in this room that I didn't notice Ziel going upstairs." I shook my head before heading toward the bed and lying down to rest.

From what I remember is that I went out of my house when the sun was at the top which signifies that it was already half a day. So in my calculation, it was already 7 at night since it's not so long ago when the sun was gone.

I sat up from the bed and grabbed one of the blankets to cover my body with it, and I then got under the covers and laid back down. I sighed before slowly closing my heavy eyes then I drifted off into a deep sleep.