It was finally the first day of summer. After a long day of sleeping in and eating ice cream, Odette skipped her way to her favorite park in Lagogne. Her older sister, Ariane, was far ahead of her, pretending Odette didn’t exist (as usual). But today Odette didn’t care; Ariane wasn’t paying attention so she couldn’t stop Odette from going into the woods.
The woods were close to the park, which was why Odette loved it. She had always loved the outdoors and everything related to it, especially the wolves. For as long as she could remember, Odette had loved wolves. She envied the people who lived hundreds of years ago because they had lived with wolves. In present day France, however, there were few.
“There haven't been wolves up here since La Bête du Gévaudan,” Ariane would say, rolling her eyes. “They killed them all because of it. Didn’t want them eating more children.” Sometimes she would say, “Although I wish one would come and eat you!”
But Ariane was wrong (as she usually was). Cyril had spent most of the last day of school bragging about how he had seen a wolf. A huge one. Odette knew she shouldn’t try to find it… but she did anyways.
♦ ♦ ♦
Ariane didn’t pay any attention to Odette. She was too busy texting her friends, gushing about how they were finally going to be starting their first year of lycée. She spent two hours sitting on a bench texting them and scrolling through social media. She hadn’t realized it was almost seven o’clock in the evening until her mother called her.
“Are you two on your way yet? I’m just finishing up supper,” her mother said.
“Yeah let me just find Odette.” Finally. The bench was uncomfortable and the only reason she went to the park was because her mother made her go with Odette.
She lazily glanced around the park… but didn’t see Odette.
“One second, maman,” she said. She put her phone in her pocket and cupped her hands around her mouth. “ODETTE!” No reply. She tried again, as loud as she could, but the little girl did not come running as usual. Nervously, Ariene started walking through the park, looking for an eight-year-old girl wearing a white dress and pink glasses.
She heard the dim voice of her mother from her pocket: “Ariene? What’s wrong?” Ariene started running, screaming for Odette. She only stopped when her lungs screamed for air and there was a cramp in her side. She grabbed her phone, nearly dropping it from her shaking hands. “Maman I can’t find Odette.”
♦ ♦ ♦
Night had fallen when Odette saw her first wolf. She stifled a gasp. It was standing in a patch of moonlight, its gray fur appearing to sparkle in the ethereal light. Its yellow eyes bored into hers.
Then came a second one, walking slowly up to the right of the first wolf. It was jet-black, but its eyes were yellow like the first’s.
Then came the third.
Then the fourth
The fifth.
Soon Odette was surrounded, and she suddenly realized why she shouldn’t envy her ancestors.
♦ ♦ ♦
Ariene’s mother was screaming at her. “How could you lose her? What is wrong with you? I gave you a simple task: keep an eye on your sister. How could you not follow that one simple task?”
“Maman, I’m sorry,” Ariene said, still frantically searching for her sister. She saw the woods and headed towards them, thinking about how much Odette loved them. In her panic, she didn’t realize how deep she had gone until her mother was cut off mid-scream. She glanced at her phone; no signal. Then she glanced at her surroundings.
“Oh, shit.”
♦ ♦ ♦
Odette squeezed her eyes closed and tensed up, waiting for the wolves to tear her apart, preparing for the pain. But the pain never came. Instead, she felt a cold hand on her shoulder.
“Open your eyes, my child.”
Odette did as she was told. Next to her was a gorgeous young woman, no older than twenty. Her skin was pale and her hair was long and black. Her eyes were yellow, like the wolves’, and her lips were as red as blood. Odette stared in shock. Where had she come from? And why weren’t the wolves attacking them?
“You are far from home, my dear,” the woman said, smiling. Odette shivered; it was the smile of a predator staring at their next meal.
“Who are you, child?” the woman asked.
“Who… who are you?” Odette replied.
The woman laughed, although to Odette it sounded more like a cackle. She bent down until she was face-to-face with Odette.
“What a pretty girl,” she said. “A pretty girl with a pretty name… Odette.”
“How did you know?” Odette gasped.
The woman laughed again. “I know many things my dear. As for who I am, call me Erecura.” She stood up and spread her arms. “And this is my pack.”
“They’re… they’re yours?” Odette’s eyes widened. The wolves were just sitting there, staring at the two humans.
“Yes,” Erecura said. She held out her hand. “Come. Let me show you something.”
Odette hesitantly took it. She knew she shouldn’t trust strangers, but this woman was, well, cool. Who else had a whole pack of wolves under their command?
The wolves parted as Erecura and Odette started walking. They trailed behind them and Odette could feel their eyes boring into her back.
“What brings you here, my love?” Erecura asked.
“I wanted to see a wolf! They’re my favorite animal in the whole world. I know everything about them!”
Erecura laughed again. It still sounded like a cackle. “Do you know about La Bête du Gévaudan?”
Odette hesitated. “A little. But I don’t think it was a wolf. Wolves are scared of humans.”
“Unless they are desperate… or are commanded to attack.”
Odette glanced warily at Erecura. Her yellow eyes stared ahead, a small smile on her face.
“Did you know when La Bête first attacked? It was here, in Langogne. It was a beautiful summer night like tonight. He first attacked a maiden attending to her cattle, but the bulls chased him off. Then he killed a young girl. She was only fourteen.” She glanced down at Odette. “You have a sister, correct? She is almost fifteen?”
“How do you know that?” Odette asked.
Erecura didn’t answer. “He tore out her throat and eviscerated her. Do you know what that means?” Odette shook her head. “It means he ripped out all of her organs. He didn’t even bother to eat all of her.”
They stopped in a clearing, the wolves surrounding them yet again. Erecura dropped Odette’s hand and walked in front of her, staring into the woods. “Five hundred dead, forty-nine injured and scarred for the rest of their short lives. Why do you think this happened?”
“He… he was desperate? He was hungry?” Odette’s heart raced. What had she gotten herself into?
Erecura laughed and shook her head. “My dear, sweet Odette. He didn’t eat all of them. He nibbled on a few but left their bodies to rot under the summer sun. And he isn’t done.”
Odette could hear thudding in the distance. It was getting closer and closer. “But he’s dead, right? That’s why he stopped…”
“He stopped because I told him to.” Erecura whirled around, her yellow eyes glittering. “Tell me my sweet girl: what do you know of gods and goddesses?”
“I… I don’t really know anything. My family and I are Catholic. We believe in God.”
Erecura laughed, louder than before. “Where is God now? Where was he when La Bête was ripping out the throats of his loyal subjects?” She sneered down at Odette, the thudding still getting closer. “Nothing can kill La Bête. You merely thought he was killed.” She spread her arms as the shadow of a wolf appeared behind her, towering over her. “I was worshiped and feared. I made the crops prosper and the women bear children. I led the dead to their heavens and hells. I ruled the land. I protected you. And then you all abandoned me.”
The giant shadow stepped into the moonlight. It was a wolf, entirely red except for a streak of black along its back. Erecura stepped aside and the monster stalked towards Odette, bearing its long, sharp teeth as it licked its lips.
“I’ve waited so long for my revenge,” Erecura said in a hushed voice. “My power waned long ago, but I’ve rested and now I shall take back what’s mine.”
La Bête stood over Odette and opened its wide mouth. She squeezed her eyes shut, ready for the pain.
“ODETTE!”
Someone grabbed her, covering her with her body. She couldn’t believe it; it was Ariane!
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” Ariane whispered, tears streaming down her face. She stood up to face La Bête and Erecura. “Take me, not her. She’s just a kid. She doesn’t deserve this.”
“Oh my dear Ariane,” Erecura sneered. La Bête glanced at her, waiting for its instructions. “Go ahead, my dear; feast on them both.”
Ariane and Odette screamed. Ariane grabbed Odette and hugged her close. “I’m so, so sorry.”
But nothing happened. Instead, Erecura cackled one last time and then… nothing. Crickets chirped. The wind rustled the leaves on the trees. In the distance, there was shouting.
Ariane and Odette stood up, arms around each other. The wolves and Erecura were gone. There was no sign of them even having been there.
The shouting grew closer, and the girls realized it was people calling their names. A police officer spotted them from a distance and hurried over. “Ariane and Odette?” The girls nodded solemnly, still holding one another. “You parents are worried sick. Are you two okay?” They didn’t know how to answer that.
♦ ♦ ♦
Ariane and Odette’s parents were crying tears of joy when they were brought out of the woods. It was already past midnight when they finally made it home, but the girls could barely sleep. They were plagued with nightmares of La Bête chasing them down and ripping them apart, and they awoke multiple times during the night. When they awoke for the last time, it was almost noon.
The girls wandered down to the kitchen, where their parents gave them big hugs and then set out to make them “the best breakfast they had ever had.” The girls sat at the kitchen table, exhausted. Their father turned on the TV; the news was playing a short segment on them.
“Something to talk about when you go back to school, eh?” their father said jokingly, causing their mother to slap the back of their head. Ariane laughed wearily. Odette sat staring. When the next news story came on, the girls snapped their heads up and watched in shock.
“In related news, the body of a missing college student was found today. Twenty-year-old Jeanne Beauvau was last seen leaving her job last night at eight o’clock. Her roommates reported her missing early this morning and an hour later her body was discovered in Mercoire Forest, near where the two Boudier girls were discovered last night. Sources say her throat was ripped out and her body eviscerated, with tufts of red and black hair found at the crime scene. Authorities do not suspect foul play, but believe it was actually an attack by a large wolf.”
