Chapitre 12: Cherrywood
Chapter 12: Cherrywood
After breakfast, Michael and Maleva took a walk outside.
It was finally daytime, which was a welcomed change of pace for the two of them since they both felt like they were stuck in this eternal night cycle during the recent hunt that, unfortunately, went so wrong.
"So, just to make sure I was not dreaming—werewolves are real?" Michael asked Maleva just to be a hundred percent sure. Naturally, he left The Drago Inn with a couple of bacon pieces in his hands, which he was munching on as they walked together around the modest and welcoming village.
"Werewolves are real."
"And you, my childhood friend, have been one since you were born?"
"That's right, and you're one as well now."
"Right. I still have to wrap my mind around that fact. From what I can remember, you were born a wolf because you're a pureblood, right?"
"You understood it all! Congratulations!" Maleva honestly clapped her hands for him. She was so happy and proud of him.
"And that makes me?"
"A cursed one," she declared.
"Oh great…" He sighed, "And we're both going to transform every full moon or what?"
"That's not exactly how that works. What you're talking about is more of a misconception…"
"A misconception?"
"It is true that all of us transform during the full moon, but this is not the only night we do. We can turn a lot more often than that. Pure-bloods can also resist transformations, but it is, unfortunately, rarely the case for bad-blooded-cursed-ones such as you," Maleva went on to explain to him.
"So, this means that I don't have any control over this shit?"
"No. I'm afraid you don't…"
"That's just great. Before I forget, I want to know what happened last night. We had collapsed on the ground. I thought the both of us were going to die. So, how did we end up back at the village and alive and well? Who brought us to the inn?" He desperately wanted to know.
"I did," she declared.
"You did?"
"I woke up not too long after you pierced the werewolf's heart and defeated it."
"Oh right! Speaking of that fucker!—"
"—It wasn't anywhere when I woke up. It was gone. So, I grabbed you in my arms and brought you back to the village myself. Thankfully the inn was still open when I arrived with you," Maleva swiftly interrupted him to tell him everything she knew.
"You were able to do all that on your own?"
"I guess so… Why?"
"..."
"Why?" She asked him again.
"You did so much. You saved my life countless times."
"You did too…" Maleva stopped him and attempted to make him realize that he also did the same thing for her.
"I'm not too sure about that. You did all the work," Michael shut his eyes and shoved another piece of steamy bacon in his mouth.
Then, as he munched on it, he spun around and re-opened his eyes to take one good look at the village that saw him get born…
"... Ah! Cherrywood! Our home!" Michael uttered as he raised both of his arms in the air. It felt great to be back home.
"Don't tell me—you're not leaving the village in a while, right?" She teased him.
"Ha-ha! You're right about that, Mal! You're sure right about that!"
Then, as the both of them were laughing and having fun, a dark presence was suddenly felt right behind them…
"Hey… What is that…?" Michael immediately sensed it.
"You felt it as well?" Maleva frowned.
The two nodded at the same time, and this was right before the two of them also spun around at the same time.
There was definitely something behind them…
After turning around, they both saw the same thing: There was an anomaly in the Cherrywood village.
It was a shadow.
A tall shadow that resembled the silhouette of a man. It was slowly going up a wall and it felt like it was staring right at them.
"It's the werewolf we fought while we were lost in the woods! I won't let it get away this time!" The brave, but quite headstrong man immediately jumped to conclusions and rushed toward the shadow!
"No, Michael! Wait! Wait a second!" Maleva desperately attempted to stop him or slow him down at least, but she, unfortunately, wasn't fast enough.
"I've got you!" Michael was already up to the wall where the shadow was. The young man intended to punch the brick wall with his right fist. Why would he do something so stupid? It was too late. It had already done it.
Boom!
Michael punched the wall with all of his strength.
Dust everywhere.
There was now a hole in the brick wall.
The shadow was gone… Did he get it or did it get away before his strike?
In any case, Michael had to pull his fist out of that hole in the wall, but he was stuck in there.
He pulled once… No effect. He pulled twice… Still no effect. He pulled on his arm for the third time, but this time it worked! His arm finally came out of the hole he had made in the wall.
Although, there was only one little problem now… His right arm was no longer the same as it was before: His arm was covered in fur and he had claws for a hand. Michael recognized this… This was his werewolf arm!
Michael was still in his human form, but his right arm was now werewolf-like for some reason. Even if it wasn't night or a full moon or anything like that. What was going on?
"Mal? Did you see this?"
"Look out, Michael! Behind you!"
He barely had enough to turn around that the shadow, which attacked him earlier, was back for more. Attempting to surprise him.
It did.
The flying shadow rushed at him and hit him right in the face, cutting his left cheek.
Slit!
"Michael!"
However, what truly hurt the young man wasn't the cut at all. It was the fact that the shadow also accidentally made him drop the piece of bacon that was hanging out of his mouth that he still meant to finish.
The piece of delicious bacon then dramatically fell down to the ground in slow motion without Michael being able to rescue it in time.
"No!" Michael shouted!
It was too late.
The bacon strip had crashed in the grass down below…
Michael looked up at the shadowy shape in front of him and frowned.
"You did this…"
The next moment: Michael suddenly leapt toward the shadow creature and delivered a fatal blow to it—swinging his werewolf arm right at it!
"Ahhhh!"
The shadowy shape was instantly cut in half.
The shadow was no more.
What replaced it was a doll.
The shadow was gone, but a fractured doll sculpted in the shape of a wolf came down to the ground.
Rolling for a while before stopping…
When Maleva rejoined Michael, his werewolf arm was already gone and his human arm came back.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah. I'm fine."
"The transformation was only partial and only lasted for a little bit it seems," she commented.
"Yeah. What was that shadow thing all about? What is that wolf doll?" the hot-headed man desperately wished to know.
"I'm not sure what it means yet."
Then. They both heard rambling. Folks heard this loud commotion involving the exterior wall of this house getting demolished. Pretty much everyone in the village heard this.
People were coming this way!
"We should probably not stick around," Michael mentioned.
"You're right. Let's go!"
Maleva kindly placed her arm around his shoulder as they left.
"Let's go somewhere calmer…" she tried reassuring him.
They then both left in a hurry.
The strange wolf doll soon subtly and slowly moved by itself after they left. Bobbing from left to right.
L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS 
CamilleJuteau
CamilleJuteau Thank you for tuning in again to read this new chapter of Moonlit Sins! Please leave a comment and tell me what you think about the story so far! Thank you for everything!
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