CALL ON A DISTANT PACK

Evelyn had just woken her up from her nightmare. Her chest was constricted, and her heart was pounding fast. Her hands shook wildly, the sheets wrapping around her legs as if holding onto her. She lay there for some time, trying to shake off the remnants of the dream that still lingered above her like an omen.

Light and labored were her breaths. She rubbed her eyes, trying to compose herself in front of the world. The room was quiet, still, and silent, with no sound but her rapid breathing and the squeaks of the house. Long and eerie, the moonbeams stretched down through the curtain onto the floor.

Everything was familiar to her-the carpet worn underfoot, the pile of books on the table-but tonight, nothing was right. She couldn't think: the dream was still there, above her like a cloud. The forest of her dreams?

No, not as she knew it. It's dark.

This is a perversion. The trees... They were bad. They weren't just trees. She felt like she was being watched. Wait. And the wolves... She had never seen one like it before. The red eyes glowed in the darkness and followed her every move.

She could feel his breath on the back of her neck, warm and heavy, with almost every step she took. Her stomach twisted with fear. She took her feet off the bed and placed them on the cold floor. She tried to breathe, to calm down. She walked to the window, gripping the lock with her hands until she finally let go. The air outside was cool and refreshing against her skin, but the night was different.

The night was surprisingly still. The forest was visible just beyond the courtyard, its outlines clear in the moonlight. Usually, it was quiet; you could just watch the trees whisper in the wind. But tonight it was like a horror movie. The shadows between the trees moved as if they were alive.

She shook her head, trying to clear her head. It's just a dream. Well heard. But the scream broke the silence. The sounds began to become soft and distant, like the howling of a distant wind. Then the noise grew louder and faster. It started soft, almost like a distant whisper, but it grew louder and louder. The voice sent shivers down his spine. "Evelyn?"

The voice made him jump. Steve!

His eyes moved to the door. There it was, his silhouette silhouetted against the light, worry written all over his face. The same expression he always had when he knew something was wrong but wasn't sure how serious it was.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly, as if he didn't want to interrupt something so simple. Evelyn's breathing had stopped, still shaky. She couldn't explain. "Yes. Just..." It was a bad dream. She didn't believe it. She saw it in his face. He entered the room, his tall figure blocking the door. "I heard you scream."

Evelyn's throat was dry. She didn't know what to say. "It wasn't just a dream," he said. Steve raised an eyebrow, looking very serious now. "Who do you think?"

She ran, she said, looking out the window as if the answer might be there. "Through the forest." But it wasn't like she knew them. The trees were different. Wonderful. Very close. And the wolves... He paused, feeling his pulse quicken again. - Their eyes...-And they were real. "I could feel them. If they were right behind me

Steve gritted his teeth. He didn't answer right away; he just stared out the window with his eyes closed. Then he asked, "Are you sure they were wolves?" Evelyn frowned. "What else could they be?"

Steve didn't answer. He walked over to the window, staring out at the night. "I don't know," he finally said, but the way his voice sounded made her stomach churn.

Before Evelyn could ask what he meant, a scream ripped through the air, closer this time. She froze. Steve suddenly came back.

"Stay here," he ordered in a tense voice.

"What's going on?" Evelyn asked breathlessly. "Wolves don't come this close to town."

"I don't know," Steve replied, his face serious.

He ran a hand through his hair, visibly nervous. "But I didn't want to take any chances."

The screams pierced the night again, sharp and urgent. His nerves were on edge.

"Stay with me," Steve told her, clasping her hand and pulling her toward the door. "No matter what's going on, don't stop."

"Don't turn around."

Evelyn nodded, her mouth dry, her heart pounding. She said nothing. She didn't need to. She simply followed him to the door.

The cold hit him like a slap, but he hardly noticed. Screams echoed around them, coming from all sides. They rushed towards the car parked in the street, but something was wrong.

They couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. And then they saw him. A figure stood beside the car, its red eyes glowing like fire in the darkness. Evelyn stopped suddenly. "It's them," she whispered. Steve's body tensed, his grip on her hand tightening. "Let me go," he shouted in a low, defensive voice.

The creature took a step forward, revealing dark, mottled fur, its teeth bared in the moonlight. It made no sound, but its eyes... Those eyes stared at Evelyn, watching her.

Steve didn't hesitate as he approached, lowering his body like a warrior preparing for an attack. "You don't," he complained. The creature's lip curled, revealing sharp teeth, and it rushed toward her.

And then the world exploded. Evelyn couldn't even breathe, didn't move, or think-it had all happened too fast. She saw Steve crash into the wolf, a vague mass of fur and limbs. But the wolf stopped.

He looked at her. For a moment, time stood still. She heard a strange noise. Something deep, something she couldn't explain. The wolf didn't just stare at him. I knew it. And then everything went black.

Evelyn's eyes flew open to a screaming pain in her head, so relentless that it clouded her thoughts. A few moments struggled by, and she fought for her bearings, trying to discern fragments of memory. Where was she? Still, the pain persisted, clouding her ability to concentrate.

Although she felt disoriented, it wasn't the first time she had felt such a sensation. But why did it happen again? Without an answer, anxiety began to creep in.

Her first instinct was to move, but her body felt heavy, almost foreign. Punctuated by the sound of tyres on asphalt, it tore through the fog in her mind. Slowly, she was aware of the world around her.

A dark green light (the one on the dashboard) illuminated the interior of the car. Trees stood outside the windows, shaded and visible in the pale moonlight. The air smelled a bit of damp earth and... something metallic.

"Evelyn?" A familiar voice interrupted her disorientation. He turned his head with an effort. Steve

. His face was pale and tense with worry; his eyes moved from her to the road in front of him. Relief shone in his eyes when he saw her looking at him. "You're awake," he said softly, but tense with worry. "What happened?" Evelyn's voice came hoarse, her throat dry and scratchy.

"You're crazy," Steve said, glancing briefly (before returning his attention) to the road. "I had to get back to the car. Let's go into town." As she spoke, her memories began to come back to her in irregular flashes: the terrifying screams, the glowing red eyes (in the darkness), and the moment she froze, unable to escape.

Her heart beat fast at the memory. He stood up slowly, every muscle in his body protesting the movement. "Wolf," he whispered, his voice trembling. "It was right there"-near the car. Steve's jaw tightened. "I saw it too," he admitted in a deep voice.

"But it didn't attack. - That's right... he was looking at us, I don't know why Evelina was trembling.

The thought that the wolf had spared her didn't comfort her; it was more unsettling because you lowered your arms, trying to escape. The persistent cold had settled in. Just then, he felt a strange warmth emanating from his shoulder. It wasn't painful, but it was impossible to ignore, like a burning sensation under the skin.

His hand instinctively moved to that spot, his fingers moving closer to her shoulder. A tingling sensation ran through his body, and he shivered. Although it surprised him, this strange warmth was strangely comforting. "Evelyn?" "What's wrong?" Steve's voice was high and worried. "I don't know him," he whispered, pulling the fabric of his shirt to get a better look.

What he saw made his blood boil. His birthmark (the intricate wolf-shaped mark he had had his whole life) glowed. A soft, eerie light emanated from the lines of the mark, illuminating his skin in the dark confines of the car.

Steve's eyes widened when he saw it. "What the hell..." She pulled back (moving closer to get a better look).

"It's just a birthmark," Evelyn managed to stutter. "It's always been there, but it's never done this before."

Steve stared at the glowing sign, not quite sure of how to react. "This isn't normal, Evelyn.

None of this is true." She couldn't help it. The glow seemed to pulse in time with her heartbeat, each beat sending a wave of warmth through her body. It was alive, somehow.

A feeling of terror took hold of her as she saw the mark. This was no accident. She wanted to say something. "What's happening to me?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Steve shook his head, his grip on the steering wheel tighter and tighter.

"I don't know," she said in a low, strained tone. "But we still need to get to a safe place." The car was moving swiftly down the deserted road; the trees outside turned darker and darker.

Evelyn felt they were being watched, that something was there just beyond the reach of the headlight beams, waiting for them. Automatically, her eyes went to the window as she peered into the shadows.

A figure stood at the side of the road, its unmistakable silhouette: the wolf.

Its red eyes glowed like twin embers in the darkness, piercing the night and watching her. "Steve," she whispered (her voice trembling).

"Look!" However, the air was heavy with tension (because of this), and it felt cold. if she tried to move, for fear of scaring Steve turned her head in time to see if the wolf might react to her absence.

Her car, disappearing into the shadows as if it had never been there, cursed under its breath and slammed on the brakes, and Evelyn found herself thrown forward against her belt.

In panic. "Yes," Steve replied, his voice tight.

"I stared for a moment, the car's engine idling, trying to understand what they had seen. But before they could speak, the headlights went out. The engine stopped and disappeared into the darkness.

The silence that followed was oppressive, a heavy weight pressing down on my chest. The faint sounds of the night-the chirping of crickets, the rustling of leaves in the wind-faded, replaced by an eerie silence. "Steve?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

"I'm here," she said, her voice strong despite the tension around her. She felt his hand find hers in the darkness, holding her warm and comforting. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Evelyn squeezed his hand, but her fear grew and rose like a wave inside her. She felt it - the presence. It was there, around them, coming closer. And then, at first, she heard it faintly and grill. The voice started soft, an unpleasant sound that sent shivers down his spine.

But it grew louder, more persistent, echoing through the trees and poisoning him like a physical force. "Steve," he whispered, his voice trembling.

"He's coming." Steve tightened his grip on her hand. "We have to get out of here," he said in a low, urgent voice. But when he reached the door handle, the screaming stopped.

The sudden silence was deafening, more disturbing than the noise itself. Evelyn's heart was beating rapidly in her chest, with a bright sign. Then the shadows outside the car began to move. Three wolves appeared in the darkness with red eyes.

They moved with terrifying precision, their bodies low to the ground, as they surrounded the car. Evelyn's breathing became short and shallow. "Steve, what should we do?" Steve didn't answer right away. His eyes remained fixed on the wolves, his jaw clenched. Finally, he spoke in a low, strong voice. "Stay here," he said. "What?" Evelyn's voice rose in panic. "I can't..."

"I won't let you do this," she said, interrupting him.

"But I need to distract him. If I can get away, maybe you have a chance to escape."

"Steve, this is crazy," she hissed, grabbing his arm. "They're going to kill me!"

She looked at him with wild eyes. "I won't let you get hurt, Evelyn. No matter what happens, you have to stay alive."

Understand? Before she could protest any further, he opened the door and left. "Hey!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the silent night, "Come get me."

The wolves turned their heads toward him, a noise that made Evelyn's blood boil and distracted the car.

"That's true," he smiled.

"Oh!" One of the wolves rushed toward him, but before the wolf could reach Steve, the light was warm, clear, and powerful in the night, casting long shadows on the trees.

The wolves froze, their howls breaking as they stared at Evelyn with a strange mixture of fear and reverence. Evelyn's body seemed weightless, her vision consumed by the luminous signs. She felt herself receiving an energy from deep within herself, an energy she didn't know she had. "Evelyn!" Steve's voice cut through the fog, causing her to fall to the ground.

The light went out as quickly as it had appeared, leaving Evelyn breathless.

The wolves were gone, their absence almost as unsettling as their presence. Steve rushed to the car, his face pale and his eyes growing dark. "What happened?" Evelyn shook her head (her hands were shaking). "I don't know," she whispered, her voice breaking.

"Anyway, I think... I think so.

Steve looked at him, his expression a mixture of fear and intimidation. "Evelyn, this is not normal; you are not normal."

Tears welled up in his eyes as he watched his hands tremble. "I don't know what's happening to me, Steve. I don't understand any of this." Steve held out his hand (over his shoulder).

"We'll find a solution," he said firmly. "Together."

However, as the faint sound of screams faded (again) into the distance, Evelyn couldn't shake the feeling that her time was (effectively) running out-and that what had happened to her was (only) the beginning.

The shoulders continued, as fear was not an option.

Evelyn's boots sank into the damp, soft earth of Drigh Forest, each wrapped in a dark cloak.

The silence was strange and precise, as if the whole world had stopped breathing.

Even the buzzing of insects and the rustling of leaves seemed silent today. Evelyn had come here to clear her head, but the silence seemed unnatural, as if the forest itself was waiting for something to happen.

Her thoughts returned to the previous night: the strange glow of the mark on her shoulder, the howl in the distance, and the mysterious wolf that had appeared near the car. And then there was Steve, the worry etched on his face, his words barely comforting him.

What was wrong? What did the wolf mean?

And why was the mark glowing? The forest had never been so threatened. Above them were tall trees, their thick branches twisted into a canopy that blocked out most of the sun.

The path below was almost invisible under the thick cover of leaves and moss. Every shadow seemed to hide something, every rustle of wind like the whisper of something that escaped her sight.

Evelyn shivered, pulling her jacket tighter around her as she continued walking. The air was cool, and the ground was soft underfoot, but something was eating away at her insides, a worry she couldn't shake.

She had never been afraid of the forest before. In fact, it had always been a place of comfort to him, a sacred place. But today she felt trapped. She could no longer hear.

She breathed in short gasps and her pulse seemed to quicken, as if the air itself had thickened, pressing against her chest. There was no smell. No sounds of birds or animals. Just an overwhelming silence. His eyes darted nervously around the trees, his instincts screaming that something was wrong.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. She wasn't alone. A strange chill ran down her spine and she turned with her heart.

Nothing. Only the deep shadow of the forest.

But the feeling didn't go away. She didn't know exactly what it was, but something was watching her. It probably felt like eyes were watching her. Every inch of her body screamed to turn and run.

But Evelyn wasn't running. She was determined to deal with whatever was happening. He needed to know what was happening to her. What had changed in her after that night? And then he saw her.

Trembling in the shadows, moving too fast to be human, too wet to be an animal. He took a breath, opened his eyes, and his heart began to beat fast. There, behind the tall trees, two bright yellow eyes stared at him, piercing the darkness.

They were bright, very bright, a frightening glow that sent a wave of cold fear crashing over him. She couldn't move. She couldn't speak. His eyes were fixed on her without hesitation, never wavering. The silhouette of a wolf slowly began to emerge from the shadows.

But it didn't look like any wolf she had ever seen. Its fur was dark, like the night itself, its body soft and powerful, its movements almost too fluid, as if it were not completely connected to the natural world.

There was something ancient in the way it moved, something that chilled her blood. The wolf's eyes shone with an intelligence she couldn't understand, a silent recognition that made her pulse beat even faster. The wolf's gaze met hers, and Evelyn felt a magnetic force pulling her towards him.

She couldn't look away. It was as if the wolf was inside her mind, peeling back the layers of her thoughts, searching, testing, and reading her soul. And in that moment, she realized that this was no ordinary animal.

It was something more. Something old. Something powerful.

The forest seemed to grow even quieter, the air thick with tension. The wolf didn't come any closer. Instead, he turned her slightly, his eyes never leaving her. Evelyn wanted to scream, to run away, but her body wouldn't listen.

Her feet were cold, and her legs were frozen.

The wolf stood before her, crouched on its hind legs, its yellow eyes fixed on her. Evelyn felt a sense of fear creep into her, and her heart pounded. Who wants this? Why is he here? What has he brought? As if to answer his unanswered question, the wolf opened its mouth and let out a deep roar that seemed to shake the ground beneath its feet.

The sound resonated in its bones, and it instinctively took a few steps back, its heart pounding. But as the wolf advanced, its expression did not waver. A sudden, sharp pain shot through his shoulder.

Evelyn gasped, clutching her arm as the mark-a symbol that had appeared the night before-came to life. It burned with an intensity that made her knees buckle as if the flesh beneath her skin was alive with energy. The glowing mark pulsed in time with her pulse, and she could feel the energy rippling through her veins, spreading from the mark and flooding her senses.

The wolf's eyes seemed to glow brighter as if the glow of the mark was feeding it, giving it strength. She stood up, her movements fluid and deliberate, but she didn't move. She stood there, watching, waiting.

Evelyn's breathing deepened as the pain in her shoulder intensified. The mark was more than a birthmark. It was alive and connected to something.

To this wolf. In this forest. For this force that stood in the shadows, watching his every move. At that moment, the ground beneath his feet seemed to tremble. The trees creaked, their branches swayed, but it was not the wind.

It was something else. A presence. Something ancient and powerful that had been hidden in the forest for centuries.

Evelyn's vision blurred, and her knees buckled beneath her. She barely caught herself before she fell, her hands shaking as she tried to get up. The wolf's howl grew louder, vibrating in the air, and Evelyn's thoughts became chaotic.

She had to get out. She had to run. But her body didn't react.

The wolf seemed motionless, its eyes fixed on the ground. And then, as if by magic, the ground shook again, this time more violently.

The trees around her seemed to move, their trunks unnaturally twisted.

It wasn't just the forest; something else had happened. Something bigger. More dangerous.

"Evelyn!" The voice echoed behind her, cutting through the silence like a knife.

She turned suddenly, searching frantically for Steve with her eyes. She ran toward him, her face pale and wide with fear. Behind him, a shadow, massive and dark, like a storm cloud, hung over the forest.

The wolf's howl intensified, his body tensing as he turned his gaze to Steve. Evelyn wanted to scream, to warn him, but the words wouldn't come.

The mark on her shoulder throbbed, sending a new wave of pain through her. She felt something stirring inside her, something dark and primal, rising to the surface. Steve was approaching now, but he didn't see her.

He didn't see the wolf and the shadow in the tree. He was completely focused on her. But Evelyn knew that whatever was here, whatever she was looking at, was behind them. A low, drawn-out howl rose from the darkness, joining that of the wolf. It wasn't just one voice.

There was so much screaming, a chorus of screams that seemed to come from all sides, surrounding them. Evelyn's heart was beating fast, her breathing quickened with panic.

Whoever it was, was coming towards them.

"Evelyn! Move!" Steve shouted, but Evelyn could barely hear him over the screams.

Her body trembled, an uncontrolled force pulling her forward, dragging her into the heart of the forest. Steve's voice, now distant, continued to echo as she walked deeper into the forest, drawn by an invisible force to a destiny she could no longer ignore.

The noise in the distance grew louder.