Chapter Sixteen Mist

I ce cold fear burned through my veins, filling me from head to toe. Suddenly all the heat from my meal and the fire was gone. And Baldr was just as chilled beside me, the horrendous screeching noise piercing us down to our bones.

My heart pounded in my chest as I strained to hear where the scream and footsteps were coming from. Baldr was tense beside me, his eyes darting around in the darkness beyond our little camp. I could see something flash in them, a sort of gold glimmer. I wasn’t sure if it was his wolf side or the witch, but I didn’t have time to worry about it.

“What was that?” I whispered, my voice quaking with fear.

“I don't know,” Baldr replied softly, keeping his voice low. “But we need to move. Now.”

He started to stand, but I grabbed his arm. “Wait! The fire - won't they see it?”

Baldr cursed under his breath. “You're right. We need to put it out quickly.”

We scrambled to our feet, kicking dirt over the glowing embers as fast and quietly as we could. The forest around us had gone eerily silent after that initial scream. No birds, no insects, nothing but the sound of our own ragged breathing and the crackle of leaves underfoot.

Baldr grabbed my arm, pulling me toward him. “We need to move,” he whispered urgently. “Now.”

I nodded, too frightened to speak in the eerie silence. We quickly gathered our meager belongings and shouldered our packs. The crunching of leaves and snapping of twigs resumed. And this time, it was much closer than before. But this time it was accompanied by an unsettling chittering sound.

“This way,” Baldr hissed, grabbing my hand and pulling me deeper into the ruins. “And stay quiet.”

We moved as silently as we could through the crumbling stone structures, ducking low to avoid being silhouetted against the night sky. My heart pounded so hard in my chest that I could hear nothing but the rush of blood in my ears.

We’d managed no more than fifty feet before another ear-splitting screech tore through the air. Somehow I knew the creature had found our camp site and the remains of our dinner. But then another screech rose up to answer it. And another.

Apparently there was more than one.

Baldr’s hand trembled as he pulled me through the labyrinth of buildings in the dark. Now and then, when his eyes caught the moonlight, I saw the greenish animal-like reflection in the back of his eyes. It seemed he’d let the wolf take over, at least a little bit, to help guide us through the darkened maze. However, as the crunching of leaves and echoing cries grew louder, I realized with a sinking heart that we were not going fast enough. And I had a feeling that even if we were running at a full sprint, those creatures, whatever they were, would still catch us in the end.

As the movement through the leaves got closer, I finally realized why the footsteps had sounded so strange from afar. They weren't footsteps at all. Instead it was a constant rusting that seemed to shift back and forth, ebbing and flowing with intensity as the creature moved. It almost sounded like slithering. And that threw me off completely. Before I thought they might be draugr, mindless zombies stumbling through the forest in search of prey. But now I had no idea what was after us and the fear seemed to clutch its cold claws around my heart.

One thing was for certain though, they were not our friends.

Panic threatened to overwhelm me as we ran. But I forced myself to focus, to keep moving forward with Baldr. We weaved through the crumbling ruins as quietly as we could, ducking behind walls and darting between shadows. The moonlight only illuminated us once, but a screech tore through the air the moment it did. Baldr skidded to a halt in the dry leaves, his grip on my hand tightening painfully. I followed his gaze and my blood ran cold. There, slithering between two fallen pillars, was a creature unlike anything I'd ever seen before.

It was massive, easily ten times larger than me or Baldr, with a long serpentine body covered in iridescent scales that shimmered in the moonlight. However, where I expected to see a serpent’s head, I saw something more akin to the dragons Baldr had read to me about in his books. Its mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth and bony spines protruded down its back. Multiple frills and spikes jutted out in every direction. Even if it didn’t manage to bite, a single hit from its head would prove fatal.

“Oh my god…” I muttered, holding tightly to Baldr.

“Nidhogg,” Baldr whispered. “Or one of its children at least. Usually they only feed on the sap of Yggdrasil, the world tree.”

“Well it looks like it wants to feed on us right now…”

Another screech rose up behind us and both of us turned to see a second serpent rise up easily ten feet off the ground like a cobra. Its neck flattened into a wide hood, two bright iridescent eye-like patterns on its scales that struck me to the core with fear.

Baldr pulled me close, his eyes darting between the two massive serpents that were slowly closing in on us. I could feel him trembling slightly. But regardless of his fear, he kept himself between me and the serpents, shielding me with his body. I watched as his muscles flexed, his body seeming to grow against his will.

“We're trapped,” I whispered, my voice barely audible even to my own ears.

“Not yet,” Baldr replied, his voice low and strained. “I have an idea, but you need to trust me completely. Can you do that?”

I nodded without hesitation. “Of course.”

“Good. When I say run, you run as fast as you can toward that fallen pillar.” He nodded toward a massive stone column that had toppled onto its side, creating a sort of ramp. “Don't look back, don't hesitate. Just run. Understand?”

“But what about-”

“Promise me, Mist.”

I stared at him for as long as I dared, knowing I didn’t have any other choice. “I promise.”

Baldr let go of my arm, stepping out in front of me. Both of the serpents raised their heads with a screeching hiss, their fangs extending. Despite their enormous size and their obvious ill intentions, Baldr didn’t falter or back down. Instead, he stood his ground. To my surprise, he kicked off his shoes and unbuttoned his jeans. It would’ve been almost comical if I wasn’t sure we were going to die.

But then his body began to change. Muscles rippled as Baldr arched his back, a cry echoing from his mouth that slowly turned into a howl. His body swelled, expanding in all directions. The tearing sound of fabric filled the air as Baldr grew to nearly twice his human size. Dark claws sprouted from his long fingers, massive fangs dropped into his mouth, giving him a permanent snarl. His gold eyes began to glow in the dark as fur sprouted all over his body.

It was with a sinking feeling in the gut that I realized why Baldr wanted me to run. This was his Alpha form, one he said could be unpredictable when emotions were running high. In that form, he and the wolf were one. But something about his witch powers caused the wolf to become crazed and almost mad when he let it take over. However, his Alpha form, unlike those of his brothers, could do magic too.

“Run…” he growled through heavy breaths. “RUN!”

I didn’t wait to be told again.

I took off running as fast as my legs could carry me, heading straight for the fallen pillar Baldr had indicated. Behind me, I heard a deafening roar that shook the ground beneath my feet, followed by the angry screeches of the serpents. The sounds of battle erupted - snarling, hissing, the impact of massive bodies colliding. Within seconds there was a blast of heat against my back and the ruins around me were suddenly illuminated by a bright golden light.

Every instinct screamed at me to look back, to see if Baldr was okay. But I had promised him I wouldn't stop, so I forced myself to keep my eyes forward and my legs pumping. The fallen pillar loomed ahead, a faint glimmer of moonlight reflecting off its smooth surface.

As I neared it, I realized it was even larger up close than I'd initially thought. The pillar was easily twice my height in diameter. How was I supposed to climb this thing? But I didn't have time to worry about that. Instead, I dove into some of the brush near the base, concealing myself as best I possible. From that vantages point I could watch the battle unfold as werewolf and monstrous serpents fought to kill.

From my hiding spot, I watched in awe and terror as Baldr battled the giant serpents. His massive werewolf form moved with incredible speed and strength, dodging strikes and retaliating with vicious slashes of his claws that drew dark silvery blood from their slithering bodies. Golden magic swirled around him, occasionally bursting out in blinding flashes that seemed to sear the serpents' scales. From my perspective, it looked like he was winning this fight all too easily.

One of the creatures lunged at Baldr, its fangs gleaming in the moonlight. He caught it by the neck, muscles straining as he held it back. With a roar, he slammed it into a crumbling wall, stone cracking under the impact. The serpent screeched in pain but quickly recovered, its tail whipping around to knock Baldr off his feet. I thought he would dodge it like he had all their other attacks, but it seemed the snakes were working as a team. The second lunged, forcing him to dodge. But that spelled disaster as his feet were swept out from underneath him.

As he fell, the second serpent redirected and struck, sinking its fangs into Baldr’s thigh. The Alpha werewolf cried out in pain, his voice filling the forest for miles. The first serpent took its chance to attack as well, sinking its fangs into Baldr’s opposite shoulder. For one sinking moment, I wondered if the Nidhogg juveniles were venomous. But before I could form my panic properly, golden light began to spill from the Nidhogg’s mouths. They pulled back, but not fast enough to avoid the blast.

Magic of a previously unseen magnitude erupted from Baldr in a bright flash. The force ejected the Nidhogg venom from his body. And, just as I lifted an arm to shield my eyes, I caught a glimpse of both serpents disintegrating from the hood up, their heads blasted clean off their bodies. By the time the forest went dark and I blinked the blindness out of my eyes, all I saw were their headless bodies slowly writhing to a stop. Silvery blood covered every inch of the clearing, the moonlight glinting all over the ruins as it caught the gore’s surface. But my eyes were fixed on Baldr.

He was not covered in blood like everything else and while the bit wounds remained on his body, I could see the venom splashed across the ground in front of him. He was bleeding freely, but he didn’t look like he was about to die or pass out for that matter. In fact, as he pulled himself back to his feet and tipped his head back toward the moon, he seemed almost invigorated.

His lips parted and a long, high-pitched howl filled the air. Even before he stopped, I could hear it echoing through the trees, down the valley, and through the mountains. Everyone in that world knew a werewolf was on the loose now, I was sure of it. I stood up, pushing the branches aside so I could see him better. As soon as he turned back, he was going to need my help. He was so weak… he hadn’t eaten nearly enough to recover just yet. But that’s when one of the small branches snapped in my hand, the sound cutting him off mid-howl.

My heart pounded in my chest as Baldr's glowing golden eyes locked onto me. There was no trace of recognition in them - only a primal, predatory hunger that sent chills down my spine. This was exactly what he had warned me about, why he had told me to run and not look back. In his Alpha form, consumed by the magic and adrenaline of battle, Baldr wasn't fully in control. He’d gotten a taste for blood with the serpents, but the look in his eyes told me he needed more.

I held perfectly still, barely daring to breathe as the massive werewolf stalked toward me. His lips were pulled back in a snarl, exposing long, razor-sharp fangs. Blood - both his own and the silvery blood of the Nidhoggs - matted his light fur. He moved with an eerie grace despite his injuries, muscles rippling beneath his skin with each step. Cold fear filled my chest as I realized there was no escaping this monster. But… he wasn’t just a monster, right? Baldr had to still be in there somewhere.

“Baldr,” I said softly, my voice shaking. “It's me. It's Mist. You know me.”

A low growl rumbled from his chest as he took a step toward me. His claws flexed, still dripping with silvery Nidhogg blood.

“Please,” I whispered. “Come back to me. I know you're in there somewhere. And I know you don’t want to hurt me. That’s not who you are.

He stalked closer, a snarl still curled over his face. I stood up fully, knowing there was no way to outrun him. Instead, I backed up against the base of the broken pillar. My back pressed against the stone as I tried to find my footing in the loose gravel and dry leaves all around me. I felt stone under my fingers, searching for something, anything to defend myself with until Baldr came to his senses. His adrenaline fueled rage couldn’t last forever, right?

“Baldr,” I said again, sliding my back against the stone as I inched to the right. “I know you can hear me. You saved us both from those serpents. You can let go of the wolf now.”

There was a strange glint in his eye, like the wolf lost control for a split second. I couldn’t help but feel a sudden surge of hope. I was getting through to him! If I just kept talking, maybe he would come back to me.

“That’s right,” I said softly, holding out a hand. “You did it. You saved us. Everything is okay now. Why don’t you just take my hand and we can curl up together for the night side by side?”

He shook his head again, the affectionate words clearly sinking in. Maybe that was it. Maybe I had to appeal to his emotions to get the wolf to back down. Hopefully it didn’t make things worse. Either way, I was willing to give it a try.

“Wouldn’t that be nice? Me spending all night wrapped in your arms? Honestly… I’ve been dreaming about it for a long time.”

The wolf seemed to shrink slightly, the muscles a little less tense and full of rage than before. His snarl faded and a look of curiosity took its place. I was getting somewhere.

“I know this probably isn’t the right time to say it, but I’ve always had a crush on you. And now that I’m free… I don’t know… I guess I wanna know what it feels like to be kissed, you know?” I looked up into those big golden puppy eyes of his. “To be kissed by you.”

Baldr took another step forward, his feet crunching in the leaves. However, there was a strange clicking noise as he full weight leaned onto the ball of his foot. Baldr’s head swiveled as if he was listening for something. Then, without warning, a loud crack split the air.

Suddenly, the earth dropped out from under me. My stomach was in my throat as I fell into darkness, hands flailing but finding nothing. However, I’d only dropped a handful of feet before I saw the massive Alpha werewolf form of Baldr hurtling toward me. His body collided with mine, he wrapped me up tightly in his arms, and we plummeted into the darkness together not knowing when the final blow would rip our lives away in the blink of an eye.