Night Creature

by Rodman Philbrick

  Above me, a family of baby robins cheeped in a nest as their terrified mother flapped away. A sleeping snake woke and slithered off into the cold mud. I could hear everything alive, right down to the heartbeats.

  I was a monster again.

  I began to run through the night, my muscles flexing and stretching with pleasure. But this time the joy was spoiled by the thought of the night creatures. If I didn’t hide soon they would find me. And this time they wouldn’t let me escape.

  If they got me tonight they’d make me kill in the moonlight, whether I wanted to or not. And that would make me a night creature forever.

  I ran like the wind, faster than the birds that fled before me. Deeper into the swamp I went, deep into the bog, following my nose. I found my old hiding place, slipped into the water, and ducked beneath the cypress knees.

  I was safe. If the werewolves followed my scent, they would lose it here. Maybe they’d think it was last night’s scent they’d tracked.

  Shivering in the icy water, I felt alone in the world, and hopeless.

  The hours ticked by. Was I wrong about the night creatures? Maybe they’d forgotten about their “little one.”

  But sure enough, when the moon was high overhead, the foul beasts returned, snarling and screeching. They trampled the mud around my pool, snapping at each other in frustration.

  “Little one, we know you are here,” howled the one called Ripper. “Once you have tasted blood you will not want to escape us. Come out, little one, come out!”

  His cries hammered at my soul. I longed to leap out of the cold, murky water and join the night creatures in their dancing and howling. The power in me hungered and yearned and battered at my insides.

  But I couldn’t become one of them. I wouldn’t!

  Just before dawn the creatures melted away and I finally fell asleep.

  This time the sun was higher in the sky when I woke up as plain little Gruff again. A weakling who was glad he hadn’t turned into a night creature forever.

  Off in the distance I could hear the “Oooooooh!” howl of Wolfmother calling me back to the den.

  When I finally dragged myself back to the only place I’d ever called home, Wolfmother was there to greet me. She rubbed her furry coat against my chilled skin to warm me and whimpered that she’d been worried.

  I crept into the den and slept most of the day. Leaper and Snapjaw curled against me, nipping at my ears to wake me for play. But I was too tired.

  One more night of the full moon. I shuddered to think of it. Warm as the den was, I still shivered with cold. But after tonight, I would be free.

  Sharpfang woke me with a growl at sunset. He skipped out of reach when I tried to pat him.

  This is the last night, I told myself as I trudged away from my family into the swamp.

  Already my bones ached at the thought of more long hours hiding in the deep chill of the muddy pool. But it was the only way to make sure I didn’t end up a monster forever. For some reason the other werewolves wouldn’t enter the water even though I could. I knew I was safe there.

  But that night I never made it to the safety of my pool.

  Chapter 21

  Darkness fell and at first nothing happened.

  No tingling in my hands and feet, no jolt of energy. Maybe two nights was enough? Could the wereing be over?

  I kept on, deeper into the swamp. But it was harder going as an ordinary Legwalker, without special powers and strength. Branches whipped at my face and roots kept catching at my feet.

  It was so dark I couldn’t see a foot in front of me.

  Dark. Of course! My heart sank. The moon was rising later. The wereing wouldn’t start until the light of the moon touched me.

  I tripped in a mud hole and banged my knee on a rock as I went down. Dejected, I sat on a tree stump, rubbing my knee, noticing that all the normal night noises of the swamp had stopped.

  I looked up just as the first rays of moonlight penetrated the trees. The shooting pain in my knee suddenly vanished. There was no tingling this time, just the rush of energy.

  The wereing. It was happening!

  Huge muscles roped my arms and legs, stretching and puckering the skin. Shaggy hairs sprouted on my back, chest, and belly. Curved claws sprang from my fingers. What was I so scared of?—it was great being a monster!

  I threw back my head to howl at the moon. It seemed to shine for me alone.

  As the satisfying howl died away, I breathed deep, tasting the richness of the swamp. The trees were outlined in silvery light. The night was mine.

  “Arroooooooooooooooh!”

  The faraway chorus of bloodcurdling howls reminded me of what I had to do. I had to hide myself in that miserable pool until the moon set and the wereing was over.

  But I hesitated. This was the third night of the wereing, my last chance to experience my new power. And besides, I wasn’t like those monsters of the night, right? I was beautiful, my body strong and sleek.

  It was the night creatures who were evil and ugly, not me.

  Why should I hide in a muddy pool, miserable and shivering, when I could be racing the wind and tasting all of life in the air?

  Because, said my Gruff-self, glum and practical, if I didn’t escape the wretched werewolves, they would make me one of them. Ignoring my raging heart, I pushed the desire for freedom out of my mind and set off for the hiding place.

  “Aroooo-rooo-rooooh!”

  The horrible yowling of the monsters grew louder with every step. They were right in my path! Listening carefully I could hear them dancing in a circle in the darkness. My ears picked up a splash and suddenly I knew what had happened.

  The werewolves had discovered my hiding spot and had it surrounded! If I tried to get to the water they would capture me. Besides, what good was the muddy pool if they knew about it?

  The wild part of me leaped in the air for joy. Whatever happened, it wouldn’t mean another night of freezing with nothing but my tormented thoughts for company.

  The Gruff part of me was only a tiny voice in the vast night. The little voice kept saying there were lots of other pools in the swamp and that only in the water would I be safe from the powerful senses of the night creatures.

  But the wereing had taken hold of me. I wasn’t thinking like Gruff, but like the werewolf he had become.

  The swampy wind felt delicious, ruffling my fur, and the moon bathed me with cool light. The night beckoned me to taste all it had to offer—for one last time.

  I turned my back on the slavering night creatures and began to run in the opposite direction. They’d never catch me. I could outrun the wind! Faster and faster I went, my feet scarcely touching the ground. The moon filled me with magic. I cleared trees in a single graceful leap and the grassy bogs were no more than puddles to me. I never even got my feet wet!

  To keep out of the clutches of those monsters, I could outrun the moon.

  The only thing I couldn’t outrun was myself.

  Chapter 22

  In no time at all I came to a place in the woods I had never been before. The ground was drier and I could sense all sorts of creatures who lived here. I started to feel even more excited—a whole new world to explore!

  I sniffed carefully but found no sign that any of my wolf family had ever been here. Why? It was a perfect hunting ground. I would bring them here, I thought proudly. This was my discovery!

  I sat on my haunches a moment, sad that my family couldn’t be with me on this wonderful night. If they could only see, they wouldn’t be frightened, they’d be proud. I was no monster like those other beasts. I was magnificent!

  Leaping straight up into the air, I landed high in a tree for no reason except it felt so good.

  I looked back toward my home. But though I could sense Wolfmother curled around the cubs in the den and Thornclaw and Sharpfang prowling the edges of the clearing nervously, even I couldn’t actually see that far.

  I swung around on my branch to look the other way—the way
I was heading. And what I saw there surprised me so much I almost fell out of the tree.

  In the distance mysterious lights twinkled, like stars fallen to earth. But where the lights were, there was no swamp, no woods.

  The swamp came to an end! Never having left it, I hadn’t thought about what might lie outside our swamp. I just figured it went on forever, some parts boggy and dangerous, other parts dry and covered with trees.

  What magical place was this?

  One light, brighter than the others, drew me. It was like a beacon, shining just for me.

  But instead of jumping from the tree, I climbed down slowly. I had to go to the light, I could feel it tugging at me. But I was frightened, too. What could it mean, twinkly lights out here at the edge of the swamp?

  Could this be where stars were born? A little whine rose from my throat. That would be magic even too great for me. I hesitated. Maybe I should come back another night with Wolf-mother. She would know what to do.

  Growling at myself, I shook off these useless thoughts. Wolfmother had never been here before, my nose could tell me that much. And, as a puny Legwalker, it would take me half the night to reach this place, if I could even find it.

  I ruffed out the fur along my shoulders and stood tall. What did I have to be afraid of? I, a being so powerful that all the creatures of the swamp fled the instant they sensed me.

  Lifting my head, I howled at the moon. Its light poured down my throat, energizing me from within.

  I began to run toward the light.

  The ground was a blur under my feet, and the light grew brighter and brighter. It winked and sparkled at me, almost calling out for me to run faster, come quickly!

  And then, as the trees began to thin, and odd bulky shapes loomed, the light grew so bright, it dazzled my eyes. I wanted to get up close to it and let it pour into me like moonlight.

  The forest began to thin out until, finally, there were no more trees. The swamp ended.

  I had come to the place of sparkling lights.

  I slowed, slipping into the shadows, my ears twitching. Suddenly I heard a strange noise, like nothing I’d ever heard before. A thumping, rhythmical noise. The hairs along my ears prickled. I felt a shiver down my spine.

  The mysterious sound was doing something to me, stirring me inside. It made my heart beat faster.

  I moved closer.

  Beyond the trees, out in the open, were things I’d never seen before. Huge, square-looking things. The things seemed to be made of pieces of wood. Light shined through square holes in the wood. And out of one of these giant things, the sound was coming.

  Suddenly the sound stopped. In its place came a voice, which spoke to me, making Leg-walker sounds.

  “Come on down!” it commanded. “Hurry now for the best prices!”

  I didn’t know what pry-ces were, but the voice made me feel eager to find out.

  I obeyed the voice and stepped out of the safety of the swamp, into the light.

  Chapter 23

  My body felt horribly exposed out in the vast world with no trees to hide me.

  Quickly I ran for a patch of darkness beside the nearest of the giant wooden things. My nose filled with hundreds of alien smells, things I had no names for.

  I looked around in amazement. Many of the big wooden things had lights shining from inside—and in some of them I could see Leg-walkers. These must be the Legwalker dens! But so many of them!

  Whichever way I turned I saw more of the wooden dens, arranged in rows side by side. And all of them were so big. How many Leg-walkers lived here? Each den was big enough for a pack of twenty, maybe thirty.

  My mind boggled. So many wolves could never live together. There wouldn’t be anywhere near enough hunting territory.

  The Legwalkers must live more like bees than like wolf packs, I thought. They must make their own honey and have no need to hunt for food. I was glad the wolves had found me. I wouldn’t want to live in a hive with millions of other Legwalkers!

  But I couldn’t help being curious. And the sweet noise coming from the nearest den still drew me. I gazed up. It was coming from a lighted square at the top of the den.

  All of the dens had these square holes. The holes were covered with some kind of hard see-through material. A word came into my mind, a word from the distant past: windows.

  So far none of the Legwalkers seemed to have seen me or sensed me. Suddenly I felt overwhelmed at the thought of being in the midst of so many of them.

  The hair bristled up all over me and I shrank deeper into the shadows, my eyes darting every which way.

  Did they all have bows and arrows? If one of them looked out and saw me, they could shoot me with an arrow before I could dive for the trees.

  My stomach churned.

  I might have left then, gone back to the swamp where I was happy and safe. But the wonderful sound coming from the lighted square suddenly got louder. The jangly, frantic pulse of it gripped my heart.

  I had to get up there—had to see what was making that noise!

  But as I lifted my head toward the lighted square, a chorus of alarm erupted.

  “Ark-ark-arkark-ark!” Howling, yapping, and yipping noises came from many of the wooden dens. I could sense that the noisy animals were like harmless cubs, but they were frantically calling the Legwalkers to come with their dangerous weapons.

  I pressed myself against the side of the den. There was nowhere to hide. The din of barking hurt my ears.

  I could smell the confusion of the Legwalkers. Their noses were useless but they kept these tame creatures in their houses to warn them of danger.

  Inside the dens, Legwalkers began to shout.

  Doors opened.

  I was strong but not mighty enough to fight off the Legwalkers’ arrows.

  Any second the Legwalkers would have me surrounded.

  The trees were too far away.

  My muscles clenched with fear.

  The first Legwalker came rushing out of his den.

  Chapter 24

  I flattened myself against the wall of the den.

  At first the Legwalker was alone. Staring out into the night but not seeing me—his eyes were too weak. Then another Legwalker emerged from a den on the other side. “See anything, Ed?” he called out.

  I curled into myself, trying not even to breathe.

  “Nah. Probably a fox from the woods. Everything seems quiet,” said Ed.

  “We had raccoons in the yard last night,” said the other one. “I thought Misty would bust a gut barking.”

  “The dogs aren’t used to living so close to the woods yet,” said Ed. “Seems anything will set them off. One starts yowling and they all go crazy.”

  “Right. Another week or so they should be used to this place and settle down. Meanwhile, it’s pretty nerve-wracking.” The Legwalker laughed and started back to his den. “Well, good night, Ed. Let’s hope that’s all the excitement for tonight.”

  In the dens all around, Legwalkers were shouting at their animals to stop their noise. The smell of the animals’ confusion and fear was overpowering, but eventually they quieted down and stopped barking.

  After a little while, I felt safe enough to think about the light coming from that one particular den. The strange, wonderful noises had started up again, drawing me closer. I had to get up there! I had to see what was inside that light, what made that marvelous noise!

  All around me were dangerous Legwalkers. And their animals quivered with loathing and fear of me.

  But I was going to find a way to get to that light. Or die trying.

  Chapter 25

  It was too high up for me to reach in a leap. The wall I was huddled against was part of a smaller structure with a low roof.

  Inside the structure was a large dark thing with wheels and a sharp unnatural smell. The thing wasn’t alive, but it had this smaller den all to itself.

  Something about it nudged my deep memories of that time before the wolves. Some sort of fast movin
g blur. Another word came into my mind: car. But the rest of the buried memory wouldn’t come.

  I growled in annoyance and immediately the animal in the next den started yipping and whining again. The hair on my neck stood stiff.

  In a panic I gripped hold of the wall and found I could easily leap to the lower roof. I scurried across and lay flat just in time.

  The Legwalker banged out of his den again. Irritation rose off him in waves. “Okay, you kids, knock it off!” he yelled into the night and went back inside, banging the den opening again.

  After that it was easy. I scrambled up the wall until I was on a level with the lighted window. Then I began to move sideways, like a spider.

  I had to keep myself pressed to the wall and the going was slow. Suddenly I realized that if the Legwalker came out again, he couldn’t possibly miss seeing me.

  A sweat broke out on my brow and my pulse began to race. Anyone could see me here! But I was so close.

  A scratchy, secretive sound close by startled me. I froze, my stomach curdling with fear.

  The awful scratchy sound stopped.

  I whipped my head around and as my hand moved, my long claws scraped against the wall. I almost laughed, I was so relieved. The scratchy noise was nothing but my own claws.

  I came to an empty, darkened window. Curious, I cautiously leaned over to peer inside.

  A horrible monster stared out at me! It showed horrible yellow teeth.

  I lost my grip.

  My claws skidded, scrabbling for a hold as I slipped.

  The monster scowled at me, baring huge, dripping fangs.

  Its eyes glowed ferociously.

  There was a werewolf inside the den!

  Chapter 26

  I managed to stop myself before I fell to the bottom. Clinging with all twenty claws, I looked up.

  The window was dark and blank. Empty.

  Then I understood. I shrank back in horror. I had seen—myself! It was my own reflection in the window, just like I’d seen in the pool the first night.