The moonlight began to dwindle. Pulsing as it grew dimmer to the rhythm of a slow beating heart.

Beat. Beat. Beat.

The pearly white shine began to dull and when the light was almost gone, the heavens were suddenly alight with a flash of red. The sky was on fire, tints of cherry and orange flickered all around as far as the eye could see and the moon was alight with dancing flames, burning with menace at the human like face which looked down so fondly upon the earth. Like flesh, the surface began to bubble and boil, peeling back the skin to reveal a circle of blood and there was a piercing scream from a young girl in the distance, but no hint of another in sight.
The moon which had all but shed its skin began to drip; the ball of concentrated, crimson liquid that had been contained within the skin begun to fall; faster and faster from above. As it touched the terrain it began to spread; writhing like snakes as it took on a life of its own and raced around the clearing. Over bones and fur, grass and dust. Faster and faster it went, until what had once been the moon was all but empty. As the last drop fell the tentacles of blood stopped writhing and receded back towards where they had first kissed the land. The clearing which had been littered with bones was now nothing but a blank canvas... a red, stained canvas; sticky and wet.

At once the blood began to pool and it looked as though it was climbing up itself, perhaps heading back into the sky… no.
Instead it began to mould into a shape which was oh too familiar in the land of lore. First a set of four legs formed; stocky and long, perhaps overly so. Onwards, the blood travelled upwards, thickening itself to form a shape at an almost snail like speed – dragging out what Naira must have already known was happening. A chest, heavy and deep where the depths of a low toned, southern accent might linger. Spine and tail came next, starting as bone-like shapes before they filled out with flesh and red fur. Upwards the blood went, rising above shoulders, forming the shape of a strong neck to finally outline a skull. A wolf skull of course, the rest of the torso would draw you to that conclusion but no face formed, no flesh covered the bones as it had the rest of the body- yet in the eye cavity two shards of ice like balls appeared and fixated on the tawny queen.

Nothing was said as the creature merely looked upon the regal female. Expressionless as any skull might be. No words were uttered and a thick, suffocating silence fell all around the clearing. Without hesitation, the creature began to move forwards. Taking each powerful step with a confidence and a swagger that seemed far too familiar. As he drew closer, the vivid red of his body began to fade, as if he were the wick of a snubbed candle, changing from crimson to the darkest of blacks. The skull which sat atop his shoulders solidified into stark white bone, yet did not deter from the eerie stare where his eyes might have been.

”Naira…”

The clearing suddenly whispered. The she wolf’s name filled the air in a voice which she knew well. A voice which had once breathed her name fondly into her ear, but there was no love in the tone now. It was cold, clear cut and perhaps a little chilling.

”Naira, Naira, Naira.” the voice began again. Repeating her name over and over until it was a dizzying white noise. Still, the creature came forward until it was almost before her. Only then did the skull begin to grow skin. The blood which had formed the creature was now black, thick like oil as it streaked across the stark white bone, covering every fissure in black until the face finally became recognisable. When the face was whole, he stopped, though his eyes had yet to leave her face. As the final hair on his face fell into place and the tips of his tattered ear formed, the voice stopped and a profuse silence followed once more.

”You have forgotten me.” he finally said.