Lycanthrope Marth

• Narelle Chong, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2009

The bitter cold wind blew during the long night, while drops of rain sparkled in the beams of radiant moonlight between the clouds...

The bright moonlight illuminated the room. Marth could not sleep well; he sat up and yawned loudly, as well as rubbing his half closed eyes. The young warrior stood up and walked to the courtyard, and then sat on the stone bench. He stared at the fountain and its flowing water. The water reflected the mystic full moon, and wispy sheets of fog surrounded it. The night seemed magical. Marth started to ‘daydream’.

Marth immediately snapped out of his dreams when he realized that his breathing seemed to have changed. His breathing sounded much heavier than before. Marth ran his fingers through his hair, thinking. Well, he felt more hair than normal and it was slightly thicker, like the fur of an animal. The puzzled warrior felt for when is ‘hair’ would end. But strangely, it went past his shoulders. Startled, Marth rushed to the fountain to see his reflection in the water.

As soon as he saw himself, Marth’s piercing eyes opened widely as he examined his shocking appearance. It couldn’t be- it must have been the distracting mist. Marth splashed the water with his hands. The sight of them caught his eye. Marth looked at his hands, they were all covered in snow white fur, and his fingernails were now large and sharp claws. Raindrops trickled onto his hands, and his dark claws glimmered. Marth felt his damp head; it was also coated in fur, and between his two pointed ears, was a single horn- like a unicorn’s. He studied his body, and realized that he had three long, bushy tails. And not long after, Marth saw feathered sheets of light developing from his back. They were vast wings.

Marth, shocked to see what he was, tried to scream, but instead, a spine-chilling howl replaced it.