BOND OF THE FULL MOON

"You're bleeding... You need help. Let me help you," I said, my voice trembling as I tried to mask my fear. My hands shook, but I forced myself to take a step closer.

He growled, low in his throat, a sound that sent shivers down my spine, and recoiled as if my hand were a venomous snake. There was something unsettling about the way he reacted - like the mere touch of my fingers sent an electric pulse through him. I froze for a moment, confusion swirling in my mind. Was I imagining it?

But I couldn't afford to hesitate. Without thinking, I grabbed a handful of herbs from my basket, my hands moving with practiced urgency. I squeezed them quickly, the sharp scent of the leaves filling the air as I placed them before his nose. "Inhale," I murmured, praying the mixture would calm him.

His breath hitched at first, then slowly began to stabilize. I felt a sense of relief as his rapid, shallow breaths softened into steadier ones. I didn't dare move too quickly, afraid that if I did, I would ruin the fragile progress I'd made.

With a sigh of relief, I pressed the rest of the herbs gently against the deep cuts on his hand, my heart pounding in my chest as I worked quickly but carefully. For a moment, he didn't move, just lying still and watching me with those intense emerald eyes that seemed to pierce through me. I felt the intensity of his gaze, as if he were trying to read my very soul, and I held my breath, unsure of what to do next.

"What's your name?" I asked, my voice steady despite the turmoil within. I held his gaze, searching for something - anything - that could explain the strange tension between us.

"Elis," he muttered after what felt like an eternity of silence, his voice rough, as though speaking took effort. His emerald eyes never left mine, darkened with some unexplainable depth. "What's yours?" He asked, his words barely audible but laden with an urgency that made the air around us feel thick and charged.

"Lily," I answered, the name slipping from my lips with ease, though my heart raced at the weight of his stare.

"Lily," he repeated softly, his voice sounding almost... pained. Then, his gaze hardened, the urgency in his voice becoming more pronounced. "Leave this place!" he commanded, his voice now laced with warning. "You shouldn't be in the woods, especially during the full moon."

His words sent a chill racing down my spine. My pulse quickened, a cold shiver creeping up my back. The echo of my grandmother's warning came rushing back, as vivid as if she were standing beside me: "Don't wander off, Lily. The woods have secrets, especially during the full moon."

Fear gripped me, and my instincts screamed at me to run. Every fiber of my being urged me to turn and flee, to escape the haunting feeling that had settled in my chest. But no matter how much my body screamed to move, my legs felt like they were made of stone, rooted firmly to the earth beneath me. I couldn't move.

The trees loomed around us, their branches twisting and creaking in the wind, casting strange shadows that seemed to shift with the moon's pull. The air was heavy with something mysterious. And still, I stood there, my heart pounding, frozen in place, as Elis's gaze intensified, as if he could see the battle raging within me.

Elis's restlessness grew with every passing second, his breathing was ragged and shallow as if there was a violent battle inside him, threatening to tear him apart. I could see the strain on his face, the muscles in his jaw clenched, and the dark shadows under his eyes deepening.

"Leave now, Lily!" His voice was no longer just a plea - it was a desperate roar that shook the very air around us. "Run!!!" The command echoed through the trees, and I didn't hesitate for a second. My legs moved before my mind could process the fear. I took off, my feet pounding the forest floor in frantic haste.

I ran, my heart hammering in my chest, the cool night air rushing past me as I desperately sprinted towards home. My thoughts were a jumbled mess of panic and confusion, the forest behind me feeling like an ominous presence that was slowly closing in. The trees blended together, their dark silhouettes flashing past me, and the distant glow of my cottage finally came into view, offering a sense of safety.

But just as I was nearly within reach of the familiar warmth of home, something stopped me cold. The realization hit me like a thunderclap. The herbs.

I froze, my chest tightening with guilt. I'd left them in the woods. The precious herbs, the very ones my grandmother depended on for her health. They weren't just plants - they were life-saving, used for her pain, her ailments. I had promised her I would gather them. It was the only excuse I could come up with to wander off into the woods, but now I had failed her.

"Oh God!" I whispered, my hands trembling at the thought. What had I done?

My mind twitched in confusion, torn between my grandmother's needs and the warnings Elis had given me. I could already feel the cool night air beginning to settle deeper into my bones, the urgency in Elis's words still echoing in my ears. Run. Leave now.

But my grandmother's frail health took priority. She needed those herbs. I couldn't go back empty-handed.

I hesitated, standing at the edge of the clearing, my feet still and my heart in turmoil. The fear in Elis's voice haunted me, but I couldn't abandon my promise. With a deep breath, I turned around, my resolve hardening despite the dread clawing at me. I needed to go back.

I retraced my steps, the once-familiar path now a maze of shadows and eerie stillness. The moonlight barely reached the forest floor, casting everything in an unsettling glow. My breath quickened, and every rustle of leaves seemed to whisper warnings, but I pushed forward.

Besides my grandmother's herbs, I must confess - something else drove me to press on. It was him. Something about Elis lingered in my mind, pulling at me with an unexplainable force. Those eyes - piercing, agonized, and yet hauntingly captivating - held a depth that made me want to understand him and to help him. I couldn't shake the feeling that leaving him like that had been wrong.

My steps quickened as anxiety gripped me tighter. The night seemed darker now, the forest eerier, as though it had secrets it wasn't ready to reveal. The rustling of leaves overhead became louder, almost deliberate, and the wind carried a chill that gnawed at my resolve. Still, I pushed forward, clutching at the sliver of courage that remained.

Is he alright? The question played on a loop in my mind, twisting my insides. Had I left him to suffer alone? Was he still crouched on the forest floor, struggling against whatever had overtaken him? Or worse - had something else found him?

My heart pounded in my chest as I hastened my pace, determined to return to that spot. The image of Elis flashed in my mind - his anguish, his warning, the mysterious energy that seemed to surround him. There was more to him than what I had seen, and I couldn't let it go.

As I approached the spot where I had last seen Elis - where he had been crouched in agony, his breaths labored and his body trembling - I felt an unnatural chill creep through the air. The coldness wasn't from the night but something deeper, something that seemed to seep from the ground itself. The weight in the atmosphere was palpable, pressing against my chest as I took careful, deliberate steps forward.

My movements faltered as my eyes swept over the clearing, half-hoping, half-dreading that I might see him there. But the spot was empty, the silence deafening. I swallowed the lump in my throat, my heart sinking slightly. Elis was gone.

My gaze dropped to the ground, and relief flickered briefly when I spotted my small basket of herbs, resting where I had left it. I stooped to pick it up, clutching it tightly in my trembling hands as though it could somehow offer comfort. But as I straightened, my relief was short-lived.

Something caught my eye on the forest floor, just beyond where the basket had been. Impressions in the dirt - deep, unmistakable footmarks. They weren't human. The prints were massive, clawed, and irregular, leaving no doubt that they belonged to some kind of animal - a very large one.

My heart jumped into my throat as the realization hit me like a wave. What has happened to Elis? My mind raced, a whirlwind of questions and dread. Had he been attacked? Was he hurt, dragged off by whatever creature had left these marks? Or - an even more horrifying thought - had he somehow become the thing that made them?

A gasp escaped my lips as my knees wobbled beneath me. My legs felt like they might give out, but I forced myself to move. My curiosity and fear tangled into a reckless determination. Against every rational instinct, I followed the tracks, my breaths shallow and quick. The trail led me further into the woods, the darkness growing thicker with each step. The moonlight barely penetrated the canopy now, leaving me to rely on faint glimmers to guide me.

The footmarks wound deeper into the wilderness, leading me to a small clearing near a shallow pool of water. The air here felt colder, sharper, and my skin prickled with a sense of foreboding. Then I saw it.

Just a few steps ahead, lying in the dirt, was something that made my blood run cold. I froze, my basket slipping from my hands as I stood rooted to the spot, unable to move, unable to breathe.