by Raquel Paiva
He looked into her eyes and remembered Beatriz. Why had his sister been so afraid of him to the point of setting the house on fire and yet this young girl reacted as if she already knew him?
“There is just so much that you will not be able to understand.” he said. “If I tell you that I abhor myself above all creatures, would you believe me? I see you do not fear me. Don’t you suspect that I may be trying to trick you into killing you later?”
Lúcia remained silent.
“Aren't you afraid of me?” Luvinus insisted.
The young woman took a step back. However, she didn't do it out of fear, she just wanted to see the creature better.
“Where's my father?” she asked again, a defiant tone in her voice.
Luvinus bowed his head. How to tell her that those of his kind had brutally murdered her father? On the last Full Moon he had fled. He had felt Shorath and the others launch themselves after the naive men, dragging them to their deaths. Luvinus had been hidden in a cave, refusing to take part in the carnage. He listened to his brothers' fierce growls, the tearing of flesh, the gurgle of blood and the final screams of terror coming from the victims. When werewolves killed on nights of a Full Moon, they were uncontrollable. They could spend the New Moon and all the other phases without feeling thirsty for human blood but on those nights, they were able to devour them in huge pieces, with bones as well, without leaving a trace. They were real killing machines. And yet, Luvinus felt that he was not a killing machine. Over the one hundred years he had lived under the skin of a monster, he had tried to find a meaning for his existence. He needed something to prove that he was not a murderer. While his unfortunate sister was alive, he had felt some happiness. After her tragic death, though, peace abandoned him to the point that he almost went mad. He wanted to die but he couldn’t.
“Lúcia... I am so sorry. Your father was a brave man but he died fighting my brothers.”
How he hated himself for his sincerity. Now she would go into a hysterical fit, she would scream for help and he would be forced to flee. However, Lúcia just stared at him with tears in her eyes.
“I finally know.” she whispered.
"I'm sorry ..." Luvinus stammered again, tilting his ears backwards. “My brothers... We are horrible, we should all die and burn in hell.”
Lúcia grabbed his paw, confident now that the creature meant her no harm. Luvinus shuddered. It had been so long since he had felt any kind of human touch. How could that fragile human being not be afraid of him and even show compassion? Was he imagining the conversation?
“You are kind, I read it in your eyes. You look like a huge and ferocious wolf, but your eyes reveal your true nature. If you wanted to kill me, you would have done it already. It wouldn't be difficult for you to drag me down by my throat into the heart of the forest.”
“No, I don't want to kill you. However, you have to understand that my nature is fierce. Tonight I am perfectly under control as we are under the New Moon. This does not mean that my brothers cannot attack under this phase of the moon, if they choose to just for the fun of it. But it is on a Full Moon that we are uncontrollable and at our most powerful selves. Never look for me on a Full Moon night. My human side cannot do anything against the beast in me at that time.”
“We are expecting men to arrive from Lisbon at any time now. Unfortunately there will be no more New Moon before the next Full Moon.”
“Yes, it's true.” Luvinus agreed. “I hope it won't take too long to organize an attack plan. In a few nights, the first quarter will begin.”
That said, he moved away but before disappearing into the bushes he said:
“I'll be back to see you. In the meantime, shut yourself up at home and don't come out alone at night, even if it's not Full Moon. My brothers are not like me.”
Lúcia watched him go, thinking to herself if that creature was real or if she was just in her bed sleeping, having a crazy dream. She walked back into the house and sat at the wooden table in the kitchen. She was wide awake now and it didn’t take long to accept that everything had been real. That huge wolf, which walked on two legs as if it were a man, had spoken to her. By God, where could such a creature have come from? And how was it possible that she had spoken to him as if he were a real man? However, what amazed Lúcia the most was her own reaction. She had not been afraid, not for a single moment. And even when the huge wolf had told her that her father was dead, she hadn't been able to hate him or even feel slightly disgusted.
She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice the sound of footsteps coming from upstairs. It was only when a candelabra landed on the table where she was sitting, that she looked up startled. Pedro was in front of her, staring at her inquisitively.
“Pedro, what are you doing awake at such late hour?” she asked.
“I could ask you the same.”
“This is my home, I can walk whenever I want.” was her answer, sharper than she had wanted. But she was still too distressed and had no desire for questions.
Pedro sat on the other side of the table.
“Why such aggression? Do I offend you for being worried about you? Do I bother you?”
Lúcia sighed and looked down, embarrassed by her unfairness and foolishness. He was right. It was not fair to make Pedro pay for all the antagonistic thoughts that were simmering in her mind.
"I'm so sorry..." she murmured. “Please forgive me.”
Her father was dead. Even if that wolf was not aggressive, if he wanted to he was perfectly capable of killing a man caught off guard, who had no idea what kind of enemy he was facing. If only her father had been found by this particular wolf. Perhaps he would have been spared...
“Is something disturbing you?” Pedro asked, daring to hold her hand.
Lúcia looked at him. Her hand was cold, but Pedro's touch quickly warmed her fingers. She didn't push him away. She liked that physical contact.
“No, no... I'm just not sleepy. This has all been too much for me. Again, please forgive my harsh words.”
Pedro felt it wasn't just that, but he didn't insist. He did not remove his hand. Since Amélia had died he had never loved anyone. His grief had taken longer than he had ever thought possible. Especially because he had never really found out what actually happened to his young wife. But now that he was there in Sintra facing a similar situation, he felt that he was close to discovering the truth.
“Well, I am off to my bedroom, if you will excuse me.”
He let go of her hand, albeit with some reluctance. He got up to light her way back to her room. They walked in silence but when Pedro left her by her bedroom door, he realized that she was crying. He asked no questions. He pretended he hadn't noticed. When she felt like sharing she would. Just as he would only tell her Amélia's story when he felt the moment was appropriate.
Luvinus had not rejoined the pack. After that encounter which had been both magical and strange, the last thing he wanted was to return to the company of Shorath and the other werewolves. He felt more and more human and less and less savage. That giant wolf skin was becoming more and more disconnected from his werewolf nature. Shorath hadn't really killed his human self. He was only Luvinus on the outside, inside he was still Ludovico, who had loved his family and fought so hard to help them. He looked at the moon, which was only a small line of white luminous light. It would start to widen and soon it would be completely round. On such a night Luvinus would have to stay far away from Lúcia. He didn’t trust he could have his human side win over the beast he would become under the effect of the Full Moon. He knew he could kill her. He let out a whine of sadness. What kind of curse was this, that made him feel so human and yet so distant from his own kind? Why would he have to carry that grey fur, that long snout, the rustling tail and the claws and sharp teeth for all eternity, if inside he was a simple and humble man? Could he ever dream of regaining his human form? Was that even possible? Would he ever find someone who took pity on him and help him reveal himself to the human
world without scaring anyone or risk being killed? And in the meantime, what would be the meaning of his desperate existence? He wished he was a normal wolf. At least he wouldn't feel all these troubling doubts, he wouldn't even know he was a wolf, he would just obey his natural instincts. Luvinus, however, was guided by reason and reason opposed his natural instinct. That was what drove him mad.
X
The village of Sintra woke up again in shock the next morning. This time a young girl of only twelve was found dead. The body was left, partially devoured, in the churchyard. Father Antero was extremely busy sprinkling the entrance with holy water, while obsessively praying against the demon who had left such a hideous mark of his work at the entrance of the house of God. People were crowding around, curled up against each other. The body of such a young woman torn in half in front of the church could only be the Devil declaring war on the Lord. Some children started to cry. Nobody dared approach the body and remove it. It was this scenario that Lúcia, Pedro and Adélia found when they left home, alarmed by the buzz and prayers of the priest, who could be heard from a great distance.
“Oh my Lord, have mercy and protect us from Satan.” groaned the old maid, blessing herself at the same time when she saw the dead girl.
Lúcia looked at the body, in a mixture of disgust, confusion and horror. Luvinus could not have been the perpetrator of that crime, it could only have been one of his brothers. His words echoed through the walls of her mind: "This does not mean that my brothers cannot attack under this phase of the moon, if they choose to even if just for the fun of it." She was unable to calm the thoughts that furiously revolved in her head. One of those beasts, or maybe several, had definitely found that poor defenceless child. Despair choked her. This carnage could not go on, people were completely terrified, each fearing being the next victim whether it was the Full Moon or not.
Pedro Fernandes, however, was the most disturbed of all. His face was pale despite his dark complexion, almost lifeless. He looked at the body. It reminded him of something. However, some voices caught his attention, bringing him back into the moment.
“Where are the Lisbon soldiers? You said they would be arriving at any moment.” squeaked an old woman with coarse hair and no teeth.
“I am sure they will be here soon, something must have delayed them but I am sure they will come. Soon we will be more protected and...”
“Tell us they are going to catch this creature.” shouted another old woman.
“They will do everything they can.” Pedro tried to reassure them as commotion started rising. “I need to ask you all to calm down.”
Father Antero approached him.
“You are one of the few men present in the village. I ask you to remove this body from here and bury it, it cannot be left at the entrance of the house of the Lord.”
The tone was adamant. Pedro looked at the priest and, as calmly as he could he said:
“It is unfortunate but the body must remain there, as abominable as it may seem, Father Antero. Doctors will come with the soldiers, they should have the chance to see the body so that we can find out more about how this young lady died and what did this to her.”
Father Antero shuddered with indignation and looked at Pedro furiously.
“Do you not believe that these are the acts of the Devil?”
“We will be sure of that when specialized doctors tell us. Until then, we're not sure, Father. Please be patient.”
“You insult me!” the priest protested. “How dare you say that we are not sure yet? No animal, however fierce, could ever tear a human being apart like this.”
“Father Antero, it is not my intention to insult you, but we need men of science. Now, with your permission, I must withdraw because I have work to do.”
Pedro turned his back on the religious man with a slight nod and walked away. Lúcia immediately went after him, while Adélia remained with the group of terrified women.
“Pedro, calm down.” she said, trying to reach him.
Pedro only stopped when they were far enough from the group. He looked at Lúcia in the eyes and then grabbed her hands. Lúcia offered no resistance. She was sure that she was falling in love with Pedro. He smiled at her and said:
“Everything will be fine, Lúcia. You will see.”
After the morning terror, the afternoon was much more optimistic, when one of the women spotted a group of men riding on horseback around the Volta do Duche. The soldiers had finally arrived. She immediately called Pedro and in a few minutes, the crowd gathered to welcome the men from Lisbon. It was as if the Messiah had arrived in Sintra.
“Praise the Lord.” people could not stop crying in relief.
When they arrived at the village, one of the men, who seemed to be leading the group, dismounted his horse. He was a very tall and stout man, with a moustache and dark, red hair. His eyes were stern, typical of someone in a position of authority. Pedro immediately approached and greeted him.
“Captain Nogueira, what an honour and joy to finally see you here.” he extended his hand for a handshake.
“I see you are in good health, soldier. I do apologize for our delay, but it was difficult to stay on schedule. How are things here?”
“Unfortunately not well, Captain. This village has suffered many attacks, the last one this very morning.”
It was Lúcia's turn to approach.
“Captain Nogueira, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lúcia Bastos and...”
“Augusto's daughter, you do look like him. We worked together before he was assigned to Sintra.”
She smiled and continued:
“Please be kind enough to accept tea at my house and Mr Fernandes will inform you of all events.”
“I shall gladly accept. But tell me first, where can my men settle? Altogether we are eighty.”
Some women immediately offered to host them in their homes and provide them with food and fresh water. Gradually, the soldiers settled into the different homes where they could finally have a proper rest. They were too tired from the long journey and longed for freshly prepared food instead of the flavourless provisions they had eaten along the way.
Lúcia and Pedro took Captain Nogueira home. While Adélia was busy heating water for tea and heating bread, Lúcia placed plates with cheese and chorizo on the table. Pedro told him everything he knew, including the details about the young girl’s body that was still lying in the churchyard. Nogueira praised his common sense for having declined the priest's request.
“We have three excellent doctors with us. I will ask them to examine the victim. Only then will we be able to know more about the attack. We will start investigations as soon as possible. And tonight we'll be on the lookout.”
“Captain, while waiting for your arrival, I was committed to study a book that I brought with me and in which I discovered some information I consider relevant to this strange case. I would like you to come upstairs to my bedroom after you’ve freshened up, so I can show you some of my discoveries.”
Lúcia listened to each word, curious. However, she realized that the conversation would leave her out. Something Pedro had discovered would be kept from her, perhaps for professional reasons. For a few seconds, she feared that he might have been aware of her conversation with the strange wolf and would now update Captain Nogueira with what Luvinus had told her. She felt uneasy but helped Adélia clean up the kitchen while the two men met in Pedro's bedroom.
Pedro closed the door behind him as soon as the captain entered and hurried to the spread old books and scrawled sheets on his desk, some of which were just some of his own conclusions. Nogueira approached and watched carefully. One of the books had an illustration of a huge wolf attacking a man on the cover. He picked it up and opened it. Inside there were images of huge wolves and some writings in Latin.
“Captain, I'll get straight to the point. I have reasons to believe that a creature - or several - that until now we thought was just a folklore character, is terrorizin
g this village.”
“On what do you base your theory, soldier?”
There didn't seem to be any irony in his voice.
“Only today did I have the opportunity to see a torn body, but from the descriptions of Lúcia and the other inhabitants of the village that I inquired when I arrived, it immediately seemed to me that the attacks could not have been carried out by mere wolves or bears. Besides, wolves and bears don't attack men that easily. Those who went after this strange beast have never returned and it would take a pack of hundreds of wolves to kill them all. It has to be a much more powerful creature. Sadly, I also have an unfortunate personal experience that made me bring this book with me as soon as I heard what was going on in Sintra. In fact, that's why I asked you to come first. I don't think it's a coincidence.”
“A personal experience, soldier?” Nogueira stared at Pedro and realized that it would not be a pleasant subject to recall. “Do you want to tell me?”
Pedro sighed.
“I have to. It can help save the few people who still live here.”
Pedro told Captain Nogueira about the tragic event that had occurred in his life two years ago and how he related it to this wave of violent deaths. In the end, he just added:
“You may think I'm crazy, but I can't help thinking about this association. So I asked you to bring silver bullets and blades. I hope you listened to me.”
Nogueira scratched his moustache, still in shock from his soldier's revelations. It all seemed so incredible and yet it was perhaps the only possible explanation.
“Yes, I made sure we brought weapons and silver bullets. Does young Lúcia already know what happened? Have you told her?”
“No, I did not tell her what happened to me, but Lúcia is a bright, young woman. She knows that what we are dealing with is no ordinary beast.”
“We will have to call the doctors and go check that body. You will have to stay with us, soldier, to confirm that the attack was similar to what happened in your family. I trust you are fine with that?”
