Wolf of Stone novel Chapter 3

I turned my gaze back to the cave and squinted my eyes. The more I looked the more the entrance seemed to be pulsing as if it were alive. As if it was protected by magic.... A shiver of dread went down my spine. It was probably just my imagination anyway. Magic of all things shouldn't be in this town; I've already checked myself.... was I wrong?

I took a step back, "I'm not going into that cave with you. I'm sorry but this had to be the stupidest thing you've ever done! There is this dark energy coming off that thing."

Liza scuffed and hooked her hand through mine, keeping me rooted to the spot. "Dark energy? You need to stop reading all those fantasy books. I think it's all going to your head."

She pulled me along as I tugged at her to release me, eyeing the path away and the entrance of the cave, conflict pulling at my heart strings the closer we came to the source of my unease.

"I'm serious Liza, this isn't safe. You can get us killed."

"Then I'm sorry in advance but you need to loosen up. You can't possibly believe some silly superstition when you don't even believe there is a god."

I sighed, "it's not about the beliefs of mine or others. It's about the truth. There is truth to every story. The bodies that went missing were never found. The people blamed it on this stupid garden sight instead of apprehending the real culprit which means that there is a high possibility that the kidnapper is still roaming these woods. There are loopholes to the story and without trying to solve the puzzle you are diving headfirst into a risk!" I squeaked at the end of my rant as she tugged me inside the cave.

A powerful force knocked into me, and I stumbled back in surprise, losing my grip on Liza. My insides clenched in anticipation as blood rushed to my face and made me breathless. The strange force quickly caressed my body as if it were assessing me before it fled. Stars dotted my vision as this strange feeling of euphoria washed over me, and I flinched as Liza's hand landed on my shoulder.

What was that?

I looked up at her worried face, "are you okay?"

I quickly regained myself and straightened my posture, blinking away the stars. My unease for this cave was gone and for some reason my curiosity was sparked.

I gave a slight nod to Liza, looping back her arms and tugging her forward.

I didn't know what came over me or what it was that knocked the living daylights out of me, but the familiar feeling of excitement danced inside my gut, and I finally felt the urge to know more. This was no normal area, but I couldn't sense any malice either, so we'd probably be safe here.

Liza huffed and tugged her hand from my hold, "what the hell are you up to? The exit is that way and you're eagerly going deeper into the dark, murky cave."

I glanced back at her with a sheepish look on my face, "I think I want to help you find these loopholes now. It's quite interesting once you view all the logical aspects." I lied straight through my teeth. I wasn't the least bit concerned about the logical aspects of this stupid superstition the villagers had going on. Whatever it was that crashed into me seemed to have washed away my unease... as if urging me to explore more. As if it's been waiting for me for a long time.

I couldn't resist.

It was as the rumours said.

Garden of the wolves. 

Among the many trees and shrubs, there stood many statues of both wolves and people...which took me by surprise because I thought it was only going to be wolf statues.

Old vines clung to the statues as tree roots sprung from the ground and staked their claim around the foot of the statues. The area was strangely silent. No rustle of trees, no sightings of birds or the sound of any wildlife anywhere. It was as if the place was barren from all life except the lingering vegetation.

Liza moved from beside me in awe and started trekking away, her fingers sliding against the stone sculptors. Neither of us talked, afraid of breaking the peaceful silence that had befell this place.

I eyed the positions of each statue curiously. They all seemed so real. The features of the people were so enhanced and profound that if it were painted in colour, you would have mistaken them for real people. Their eyes were wide with terror and their mouths were gaping open in a silent plea for help. Some were frozen in running positions while others were stooped, cowering from an unknown force.

The wolves were a different scenario. Some were crouched on their hind legs, fur bristling, and lips curled back into snarls as they prepared to launch themselves at the enemy. By looking into their eyes, you could see the hatred and slight fear as they wrestled with whatever foe was harming them. Other wolves were on the ground, injured. Some with chunks of skin torn out and others with scratch marks across their face and stomachs. Why was this so realistic?