The howl stalked through the darkness as Mason floated. It sounded distant, close, in his head, in his throat, his chest, his being. There was no up, no down, no left, no right. Just the howl around and through. Calling.

Silence.

Orientation found as an unseen force pressed Mason down in the darkness. He could feel the soft ground and crisp grass beneath his body. His heart pounded as he remembered this feeling. A pair of golden eyes cut through the darkness carried on the wave of a low growl and stalked closer.

See. The growl gave a command.

Light and vision flooded Mason?s eyes in time to see what he knew was coming. It was only a second that he could see his hand clenched in a fist at the end of his arm straining to break free. Then the axe fell. The bit of the black axe cleaving his hand from his arm and sucking at his soul. Nothing was seen as the blinding pain consumed him.

See. The growl commanded.

Again and again the command was growled and the axe fell.

Light and vision flooded Mason?s eyes. His first sight was the snarling face of The Wolf. It?s golden eyes locked with his. See.

Mason saw his hand clenched in a fist at the end of his arm straining to break free. The axe fell. The bit of the black axe cleaving his hand from his arm and sucking at his soul. There it was, quicker than the blink of an eye or beat of a heart. That moment when the brain was flooded with input and sifted through what should register most. The cool of the air upon exposed flesh and bone, the heat of blood gushing into the cool open, the scream of nerves severed.

In that moment Mason saw the profile of a man beyond the head of the axe.

Then Mason's brain gave the screaming nerves top position and the blinding pain consumed.





Mason jolted awake.