Wind Runner

Chapter Twenty-Five; Wind Gripped

{dedicated to @lovewolves2 as the second place winner, thanks for entering!}

I'm asleep on the other side of the bed from Adam. We must have rolled apart in the night.

Suddenly a breeze whispers across my skin and I'm wide awake.

Memories play in my mind. Running free. Being free. I move around. Suddenly wanting to be outside. Running. Away. I sit up, eyes glowing.

Adam is awake in a second, and rolls towards me and pins me underneath him. My wild instincts take over and I fight, ferociously trying to escape, I screech and buck, trying to remove the weight keeping me pinned. Adam just presses down more and lightly places his hand on my collarbone and looks into my eyes, catching my gaze.

"Ryder, Ryder, hey, it's okay. It's okay. Pull away from your instincts, you're not wild. You're here. You're mine."

I stop thrashing, panting lightly as I calm down. I sense an angry silent howl from the wind, then it makes a lunge for me, and succeeds, as my horse instincts take over fully and I suddenly lunge forwards, out of Adam's arms and by the door to the balcony. My mind is animal. My instincts cannot comprehend the locked door and I howl in frustration. Adam lunges for me, and my mind reisters two things at once.

My mate.

And something flying towards me.

I panic and lunge downwards. Under the bed. I pant lightly, then screech as I am pulled out from under the bed. Suddenly I am in Adam's arms and his hands are running along my skin, and he whispers things to me, calming me. My horse mind registers the safety my mate provides and I move closer to him, trembling. I close my eyes tightly and whimper.

Then I howl out in pain as my mind fights itself. The wind yanking to keep me animal, and myself fighting to be human. I realize I need to pry myself from the winds clutches and I do. Imagining myself as an object and yanking it from the wind. It works. The wind howls as I free myself, and then it is gone.

I whimper and lay limply against Adam, chest heaving. Adam just runs his hands along my skin, pressing kisses along my neck, throat, and collarbone. When my trembling is gone, Adam moves me to where he can look into my eyes.

"Ryder, what the hell just happened? I was sleeping then I sensed something in you change, for the bad. I thought I managed to calm you but suddenly you leap away and you were animalistic. Your eyes were wild and you were everywhere. What happened?"

I take a breath and prepare to tell him something that even my mother didn't know.

"I'm wind-gripped."

Adam's eyes widen in horror. And I continue.

"When my mother went feral, the wind touched her, but didn't take her. Instead, when I was born, it took me. This has happened before during my journey, usually leading to me running through the night. But it's never been this bad though. And I don't know how to stop it."

My voice breaks and I look away, tears filling my eyes. Wind-gripped is like a disease. It's when the animal in you grows so strong that it breaks your mind, and you completely loose your human form, along with your mind. You become a danger to anything and everything. And that is what will happen to me.

"No. I will not loose you. I refuse to."

"Adam. It can't be stopped. If I were to hurt you, I would never forgive myself. I-" my voice cracks, and tears spill down my cheeks."I have to die."

Adam snarls loudly, pulling me close to him.

"No. You will be okay. I will not loose you, and you would never hurt me. I know you."

"Adam, we can't sto-"

"No."

He stands, carrying me to the bed and setting me down. He curls around me, wrapping his arms tightly around my waist and putting his head in the curve of my neck.

"We will fix it. Maybe the Fallen will know what to do. We will go to them and learn how to save you. I haven't even marked you yet. I haven't even had you for three months. I am not ready to give you up so soon. According to what they say. About four months after the worst attack, is when you are truly wind gripped. That is plenty of time to save you."

I open my mouth to argue, but Adam silences me, pressing his lips against mine aggressively.

I start to protest. But I know Adam will not stand for it. So I say nothing let Adam's kiss drown out my worry. Wanting my last few months to be spent with him.

.

.

.

We are traveling with less than half of our herd warriors and we are halfway to Canada.

I am in my horse form alongside Adam. At first he had wanted to travel by plane and I said that if I had an attack in the air things would be bad. A car or train was just as worse.

So here we are traveling by hoof. I lope contentedly alongside Adam, who keeps his ears turned to me.

I have a bad feeling about this. But I dismiss it as the wind-grip.

I am even feeling optimistic about this. It makes sense that the Fallen would know how to solve this.

A/N: I'm sorry this is short. But I cannot reveal much more in one chapter. Anyways, yeah! Ryder is hurt! But I have a plan. A plan that may get me torn to pieces by angry fangirls and boys, but a plan. So I shall work on the plan.

Peace!

~Silver_Storyteller