The Timekeeper’s Tale

Lina was frozen in place as she stared in terror at the wolf-man. She shook her head, fighting through her fear, and sprang her body into action. Reaching into her quiver, she loaded her bow, aiming it at the great wolf’s chest. Her hands were still slick, and her arms were shaking so badly she couldn’t keep a steady aim. She sucked in a deep breath and furrowed her delicate brow, steadying her weapon. Pulling the bowstring taught against her cheek, she released her breath with the arrows’ flight, exhaling a cloud of smoke.
In the same moment, the great wolf succeeded in extracting Remus from his shoulder. He held him aloft, directly in the arrow’s path. Lina screamed and lunged toward them. Remus howled with the impact of the arrow, which lodged beneath his right arm. Tears seared Lina’s eyes, and her scream ripped through the clearing as she fell to her knees.
Remus peered at her for a small moment, before his body went limp, and his head lolled forward. The great wolf snarled at her with glee and bared his teeth in a gruesome smile, casting the small orange cat aside. Remus landed in a small heap on the ground, the arrow protruding from his right chest. He was still and made no sound.
Lina fell onto her hands over Remus and sobbed great tears onto the ground. She braced his small body and removed the arrow’s tip, staunching the flow of blood with the hem of her dress. He opened his green eyes briefly at her touch but closed them soon after.
 Lina scratched her fingernails against the cold ground and glared up at the vile creature through watery eyes. Her breath came in short bursts and her brow knit together as she bared her teeth. A guttural sound escaped her throat, and she swiped furiously at the traitorous tears streaking down her cheeks. Her hair was escaping its plait and ran down her back in long golden rivulets, sticking to her wet, dirt-stained cheeks.
A growl rumbled from the great wolf’s throat, and he dropped onto all fours to face her. She fumbled her stiff fingers, quickly reloading the arrow and gathering herself to her feet. He stalked her quietly. The only sounds in the clearing were the chuffs of the great wolf, which curled past his black teeth in tendrils of smoke, and the faint hum of the gate somewhere behind her.
The air was freezing, and it vaguely occurred to Lina that snowflakes had been falling for some time. The ground around her was spotted with patches of snow. The beast stalked her around the clearing in a crescent shape, until her back was facing the Ash Oak. He began to edge towards her, now, backing her further toward the rippling gate. He snarled and snapped, baring his black fangs at her arrow’s tip. The hum in her ears grew louder, and the gate pulled softly against her cloak, drawing her backward towards its surface.
The great wolf roared and lunged at her neck, toppling her backward as she let her arrow fly. The light in his knowing eyes dimmed, and his clawed hand reach for the arrow protruding from his chest. She yanked it free, and black blood spewed from his wound. His eyes lolled backward, and he fell heavily to the snowy ground. On impact, his body began to disintegrate, melting to ash. The ashes floated upward, swirling in the air before blowing away in the breeze. Then he was gone, and the soft humming of the gate was overcome by a great metallic rip as she passed through the surface.
She squeezed her eyes shut and brought her hands to cover her ears. Her body was being sucked backward and she was falling, falling in darkness. The pull on her back was strong, and she was moving at an incredible speed. Her hair blew up over her head and her dress billowed as she tumbled, struggling to find which way was upright. Soon, she would surely make impact. She reached her hands below to try and catch her fall, but there was nothing beneath her but open air.