Several hours later, a blood-curdling scream jolted Hayden from the depths of his sleep.
Dazed, he sat up, his eyes struggling to make sense of his surroundings in the dark. Moments after, the stream of moonlight pouring through his window came into view, along with hundreds of snowflakes drifting in. As he stared blankly, wondering why his window was left wide open, Hayden's foggy mind worked to decipher the noise that had jerked him from his sleep. It sounded shrill and terrifying, the kind a person unleashes when they're faced with a terrible choice of death. But, in the moments Hayden sat awake, the only thing that threatened the prevailing silence was the howling wind.
"You're not even king for a day and you're already losing sleep," he scolded himself faintly. Sighing, he fell back on his bed as he was prepared to dismiss it as a figment of his imagination.
Then he heard it again.
Not just a cry this time, but the alarmed shouts of several men, all echoing from outside.
Quick as a viper, Hayden shot out of his bed with renewed vigor and bolted to his window. His eyes caught the metal armor of several guards below, gleaming under the moonlight as they sprinted across the forecourt, heading east towards the stables. A chill travelled down his spine when he heard a monstrous roar from a distance, and the outburst that followed it.
"Sound the alarm! We need more men! Don't let the creature escape!"
What? Hayden asked himself.
Still in his undergarments, he quickly jumped into his boots, threw on a coat, and snatched his bow and a quiver full of arrows hanging above the fireplace as he dashed out of the room. The full blast of the cold wind hit mercilessly as he rushed outside the palace, with snow falling more rapidly. Regardless, Hayden joined a handful of men who charged towards the stables, all of whom were barely in full armor as well.
"You shouldn't be here, my king!" One of the men yelled, trying to keep up.
"I have as much right to be, just like the rest of you," replied Hayden, without breaking his stride. "Can someone tell me what we're dealing with here?"
"We're not sure, my king," another spoke up. "All we know is that it's dangerous and just appeared from nowhere. It has to be stopped before it kills the horses."
A few feet from the stable doors, he skidded to a halt. As did the men beside him. Numerous bodies littered the ground leading to the entrance of the large wooden structure, most of which were bloodied and unconscious. Some remaining guards positioned themselves before the demolished doors, pointing their spears to the darkness within the building. Too stunned to speak, Hayden caught his breath as he watched yellow eyes glow menacingly from within the stables, accompanied by a low, dangerous growl.
"What in the King's name is that?" A guard whispered, with unmistakable fear in his voice. As if eager to respond to the question, the creature began to move.
Hayden's eyes widened to their limit as it lumbered forward, causing the men to stumble back. As it stepped into the moonlight, they all found themselves staring up at a massive werewolf standing on its hindquarters, fully covered in white fur, and sporting razor-sharp claws the size of knives.
"It can't be," Hayden muttered in disbelief. The beast suddenly unleashed a deafening roar—displaying fangs that were half the length of a man's arm—as if to prove its authenticity. Then, with speed that betrayed its size, it attacked.
The guards closest to the werewolf couldn't move fast enough before they were swatted away like troublesome flies. Chaos ensued as some men chose to charge at the creature, while others ran away frantically. For a moment, Hayden remained rooted on his feet, amid the pandemonium, trying to force himself to wake up from the nightmare he'd run into. It was when a guard was sent flying towards him, however, that he found the strength to move. He rolled to the side, narrowly dodging the human projectile, and came up quickly with his bow in grip and arrow in place. Surprisingly, as the beast tossed another unfortunate man high into the air, it dropped to its four limbs and began to run off.
"No!" Hayden cried, believing it was heading towards the palace. Then he watched it change its course swiftly and realized it was sprinting towards the gates. The beast was making a run for it.
Without thinking, Hayden brought his fingers to his lips and released a shrill whistle. Almost instantly, a black steed sped out of the wrecked stables, thundering towards him. Not waiting for it to slow down, Hayden grabbed the reins and allowed the horse's momentum to pull him up to the saddle, a dangerous stunt only a few could pull off.
"Good to see you weren't eaten, Midnight," he said with genuine relief. The horse simply snorted in response. It failed to register in Hayden's head that Midnight was already strapped in her gear, as if someone else had planned to take her for a ride. No, that wasn't his immediate concern. He had only one objective at the moment.
"Alright, then," he said, with determination burning in his eyes. "Let's catch that thing."