CHAPTER 21

The Secret Cave

That far-off howl stayed in my head.

It made me feel like I wasn't alone in this bad dream.

I really needed a place to hide, to keep the beast inside me and keep others safe.

I had to find a secret spot, a den.

For days, I just looked and looked.

I went deeper into the frozen woods, away from paths and people.

My stronger senses helped me find my way and know if danger was coming.

But being so aware all the time made me tired and jumpy.

The picture of Elara's frozen tears made me feel bad all the time.

I didn't want her to see me as a monster, or for the monster to hurt her.

That made me want to find a safe place even more.

Finally, I found it. Behind some thick, snowy trees, there was a small hole in the rocks.

It was low and hard to see.

I was curious and a little hopeful, so I went in.

I squeezed through the small opening and found a small cave.

It was cold but dry inside, not like the windy cold outside.

It smelled a little like dirt and rocks.

It wasn't great, but it was a hiding place.

This would be my den. My own prison.

A place where the beast could come out when the moon was full, without hurting anyone.

That thought made me feel a little bit better.

It was a start.

Over the next few days, I made the cave my home.

I moved rocks and stuff out of the way, using my new strength.

I found some fallen branches and pine needles to make a bed.

Just staying alive was my goal now, until I could control – or maybe stop – this curse.

Doing the same things every day helped me feel less crazy.

I would go out to find food, using my strong senses to find small animals.

The fight inside me was still there – wanting to hunt like an animal, but also remembering I was human.

So far, the human part won, but I was always hungry.

Back in the cave, the quiet was good and bad.

It was nice not to hear so much noise from the forest, but it also made me think more about feeling bad and scared.

Not remembering what I did when I changed still made me really worried.

Sleeping wasn't good.

I had dreams about teeth and claws and Elara's scared eyes.

I would wake up sweating and cold, still feeling the pain of changes in my bones.

One day, when I was looking at the back of the cave, I saw something strange.

Scratches on the wall, high up.

I couldn't reach them easily, even with my stronger arms.

They were deep marks in the soft rock.

My heart beat fast.

These weren't natural. I didn't do them.

Someone or something else had been here.

Before me? Or maybe even now? I felt really cold and scared.

I looked at the marks closely.

They were long lines with sharp ends.

Not exactly like claws, but… like someone meant to do it.

Maybe with a tool. Or maybe… teeth? But much bigger than my human teeth, even bigger than the sharp teeth I remembered when I changed.

I shivered. I remembered the far-off howl.

Was this the den of someone else like me? Or something much more dangerous?

The feeling of being alone that I wanted so much was gone.

Maybe my hiding place wasn't empty.

Thinking about meeting another beast like me made me really scared.

Would they be mean?

Would they be like the monster I became? Or would they… know things?

Could they help me? I had so many scary questions.

I stayed awake the rest of the day, listening for any sound that wasn't mine.

The quiet cave now felt dangerous, like someone was watching me.

When it got dark, the shadows in the cave looked scary.

Every leaf that moved outside, every little noise in the rock, made me jump.

My den, my safe place, now felt like a trap.

I couldn't sleep.

I lay near the entrance, my eyes open, listening.

The forest was quiet. And then, I heard it again.

The far-off howl. Closer this time. And then, a new sound.

A soft scratching from the back of the cave. The marks.

Something was here. With me.