Write A Short Story (no more than 1000 words)

Select a book on your shelf and pick two chapters at random. Take the first line of one chapter and the last line of the other chapter and write a short story (no more than 1000 words) using those as bookends to your story.

Just a note: the book I picked out was “Beyond The Summerland” by L.B. Grahm. I replaced the original characters with a couple of my own characters though, just because I can and want to. And I am a super proud to announce that I was able to keep this short story UNDER 1000 words! I am ecstatic!  And I only stayed up until 2:30am to do it...

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The Black Wolves

The next morning, a distant rumbling in the north woke Weylin and Elord just before dawn.

“Rain?” Weylin asked, slowly sitting up from his bed next to the smoldering camp fire.

“I don’t know.” Elord replied, standing to his feet “It sounds like thunder, it don’t think it is thunder.” he said as he looked to the north, peering through the breaking darkness at a mass of clouds that were only illuminated by rapid bursts of lightning.

Weylin listened for a moment in silence “No. It’s not thunder. There is no pattern to it.” He said as he stood to his feet “It continues on and on.” he took his place next to Elord, and they both stared to the north at the phenomenon.

The lightning increased, and the mass of swirling clouds turned red and blue as the lightning became continuous. Then, one giant bolt of lightning struck the earth, sending a small earthquake through the ground.

The two men watched as a black pillar formed around the lightning bolt, and then it instantly vanished and the clouds broke up and disappeared.

The rays of the sun broke across the sky then, casting a soft glow across the land and illuminating a mass of squirming shadows that began to bay, yap, and howl.

“Black Wolves!” Elord gasped.

Weylin instantly rush to the smoldering embers of the camp fire and dumped water over it followed by kicking dirt into it.

Elord grabbed the hides and blankets that they had slept on and rolled them up.

The two of them saddled their horses and packed them, and they mounted just as a beastly howling began to grow closer.

The horses shrieked, and the two men let their mounts have their heads. The horses bolted away from the black horrors, but not fast enough.

The dark, shadowy canines rolled across the land at an immortal speed, baying and howling, gaining quickly on the fleeing horses until they were at their flanks. One of the hideous black brutes jumped in front of Weylin’s horse with a snarl. The horse screamed and tried to jump over the predator, but its hooves caught on the beast, and both rider and horse spilled to the ground.

The horse groaned and then screamed as 5 more shadowy wolves suddenly convulsed on it, tearing into its flesh.

Weylin staggered to his feet and looked helplessly as his horse was torn to shreds by the Hellenic creatures. He turned and started to run at a limping pace from the pack of dark predators.

Elord turned his horse and charged back for his friend. He drew his sword as he saw more wolves approaching, making their way toward Weylin with fiendish jaws gaping. He let out a battle cry and swiped his sword across the neck of one of the creatures just as it leaped into the air for Weylin. The beast yelped, exploded, and disappeared in a mist.

Weylin spun around, drawing his sword, and cut another black wolf down, watching in shock as it too exploded.

Elord, knowing that they could no longer outrun the foul creatures, dismounted and sent his horse away, standing back to back with Weylin.

3 more wolves appeared with mad snarls. One of them snapped at Elord’s feet. He nimbly jumped over the snapping teeth and stabbed his sword into the creature while Weylin cut across the hides of the other two wolves, killing one, and badly wounding the other.

More wolves began to pour over the hill, and the ones that had taken down Weylin’s horse began to join the throng, ready to spill more blood.

It was not long before both men were surrounded. They jabbed and hacked, but some of the smarter creatures avoided the blades with their unnatural speed, and more continued to join the pack, baying and glaring at the men with blood red eyes.

“This isn’t working!” Weylin said as one of the creatures avoided his blade nimbly, snapping at him every chance it had.

Suddenly, a bright light hit one of the creatures from an unknown source. The beast screamed and shook as the light penetrated it, then the blinding light began to spread.

“Elord! Weylin! Close your eyes!” a voice called.

Both men shielded their eyes with their arms.

The blinding light expanded across the area, penetrating and killing the wolves, but not before one of the beats grabbed Weylin by the leg and pulled him to the ground in a final attempt at sating its bloodlust.

Elord heard Weylin scream, but he could not lower his hand from his eyes until all was silent.

 “Elord. You can uncover your eyes now.” A strong voice said with a comforting tone.

Elord lowered his arm to find the normal light of dawn once again. He looked down to find Weylin lying on the ground with a shocked expression, and next to him knelt an older man: Numark.

Elord dropped next to Weylin, acknowledging Numark, then he ripped his shirt and packed the piece of cloth against a bleeding gash on Weylin’s leg.

Weylin jumped and sat up “OW!” He yelled “Be gentle!”

Elord chuckled and patted his friend on the shoulder “I am glad to have that over with.” He said, looking around. He was disappointed to see that both horses were dead, but very relieved to see that all of the wolves were dead and gone. He looked at Numark then with a questioning expression, not really sure what to ask or how to ask it.

Numark sighed “I feel in my bones that time is short. The Black Wolves have brought more than death to this land; they have done more than disturb the tranquility of this peaceful haven. As I listened to them come, I heard in their footfalls the sound of doom.”