"Ignited" Book One of the Autumn Trilogy

Chapter Eleven

Autumn yelped and fell backwards in surprise. Drake followed her lead, jumping away in what could have been fear and took a defensive stance. Oliver was the only one who stood still, watching as Autumn shook her hand vigorously, trying to put out the flame.

Oliver knelt down and took hold of Autumn's wrist, "You won't be able to put it out like that," she told her. Autumn's face was like that of a child, scared and confused.

"I'm sorry," she pleaded, looking at Drake's clear mistrust and Oliver's motherly expression, "I didn't mean to."

"Don't focus on that right now. Try putting it out."
"I don't know how," Autumn's voice began to quiver. She hated her power, she didn't want to be the fire elemental. She didn't want them to be so scared of her. She didn't want to be scared of herself.

"Yes, you do." Oliver replied assuringly, releasing her grip on Autumn, "Just focus. What does it feel like?"
Autumn took a deep breath, looking at her hand. She could feel the heat around her wrist and down her arm, but not on her hand.
"It feels cold."
"So try to bring back that warmth."
A howl ripped through the air. Autumn felt the heat rise with her panic.
"They found us," She said, looking at the two. Drake said nothing as he dropped his bag and bolted in the direction of the sound. Autumn almost called out to him, but Oliver grabbed her shoulders.
"He's gonna buy us a little time. Focus."
"I can't!"
"The more you say that, the more you'll lose control. You know now what you are. You can and will control it, you have to." Autumn looked back at Drake, and saw a long wolf tail disappear into the trees. There was a loud roar, followed by silence. Drake appeared once more, blood dripping from his teeth and down his chest. He had stopped them effortlessly.

"We have to go!" he exclaimed, his voice was deep and throaty in that form, "Shift, now!"
Autumn opened her mouth to object, but realized he wasn't talking to her. Oliver stared back at him with wide eyes of fear. Instead of fighting him, she hurriedly slipped his bag over her shoulder.
"You have to carry me."
"What? Just shift you damn fool!"
"I cant!" Oliver finally admitted, "I dont have the power anymore! You have to carry me, it's the only way!"

Drake obviously didn't understand, but he knelt so Oliver could climb onto his back. They looked expectantly at Autumn, still on the ground with her hand aflame.
"You have to shift!" Drake yelled, as figures emerged from the trees. There was a whole pack worth. Oliver leaned down and aggressively pulled Autumn's hair, yanking her to move.
"Run!"

Drake spun and ran in the opposite direction. Autumn followed, breaking into a sprint while her hand burned brighter. She felt it climbing up her arm in her rising panic. Drake should have been able to outrun her easily, but to everyone's surprise, Autumn's full speed in human form matched his. It felt unnatural, her legs seeming to bounce and move so fast she thought she would tumble over herself. Autumn looked over her shoulder at the wolves pursuing them, and saw one leading the pack. It was larger than the rest, with blonde fur and glowing red eyes.

It was Arcus. He seemed to recognize her too, and let out a bark like he was amused. He wouldn't lose to her again. But Autumn felt a sudden weight in her chest at the sight of him.

Rage. Coming after her once wasn't enough? Destroying and murdering an entire pack, a family, wasnt enough? He just had to keep pushing, keep moving in the worst way possible. Autumn felt nothing towards him but anger anymore. He wasn't her brother anymore. All she saw was a stranger.
She stopped in her tracks, her feet sending dirt flying at her sudden stop. He caught up to her within seconds, and Autumn drew back her arm. He leaped, nearly pouncing on her, but Autumn flung her arm forward with all the strength she had. She caught the look of shock in Arcus's eyes before the flames collided with the side of his head, sending him flying back at Autumn's deadly punch. He flew, his fur quickly catching up in flames, backwards into his companions. He rolled, knocking them over and sending them tumbling to the ground. The flame crawled up Autumn's arm as her rage grew, burning her clothes and consuming the bag on her shoulders, before her whole body was on fire. Her hair rose into the air and shook, not burning, but seeming to show her anger as it flicked back and forth.

As her attackers quickly crawled to their feet, and Arcus rolled desperately on the ground all the while pawing at his face, trying to put out the fire, Autumn felt an entirely different sensation about her 'gift'. She had already begun to associate the Fire Elemental with death and destruction, but right now all she felt was power fueled by anger, but also...something else. The cold that had swept over her felt natural, like it was what she had been missing all her life. She felt no fear towards herself, but as the wolves finally climbed to their feet and stared at her, she knew they feared her.

Arcus had finally gotten the flame out of his fur, like it had been simply tree sap, and looked up at her with bared teeth and charred skin. He was already beginning to heal, the skin slowly creeping back into an unsettling pink color that looked even more disturbing paired with his glowing rose eyes. His companions looked between him and their attacker, unsure. Arcus gave them the order as he charged forward with a roar. They followed, and Autumn found herself bent in a fighting stance. Arcus was the only one who managed to land a hit, pouncing on her as if it had no consequence. The others yelped in pain at the gentle graze from Autumn's flames. Arcus took Autumn to the ground, his fur burning up and his skin beginning to melt.

The others were barking, almost screeching at the sight, as if to tell him to get away, and Autumn couldnt help but join them with a yell leaking with terror. Her stomach knotted as he came down with his teeth and she held his jaws with her hands. His entire body was aflame, his eyelids beginning to burn away. Arcus was letting out a sound not of pain but of pure determination, a chord that repeated itself again and again like a vicious pant mixed with a scream. At that moment, Arcus was lost, as the Disease took complete control over his mind.

Autumn kicked him in the stomach, launching him into the air and away from her. She jumped to her feet. The others backed away, not from her, but from Arcus. He rolled on the ground, his body still was burning in patches, the other parts of his insides and skin completely exposed, his lips and eyelids gone, his claws and teeth burnt black, not a single strand of fur left on his skin. Autumn felt her power diminishing in her disbelief, the flames growing smaller. If the heat wasn't there, she knew that her face would be covered in tears.

"Stay away! Look at what you're doing to yourself!" She screamed at him. He launched at her again, Autumn swept him away, casting a long flame down his side. Her fire began to turn from bright oranges to deep blues as her flame grew smaller and smaller. "Please! Arcus!"

He ran forward, but this time was stopped by his own. They locked his legs in their jaws, dragging him to the ground. He turned his attention to them, gripping one by the neck and shaking vigorously. Autumn heard a disturbing crack and Arcus let the body fall to the ground. He began attacking them, no longer sure of who the enemy was. They came at him all at once, fueled by the irrationality of their sickness, tearing Arcus apart. He, again, wasn't screaming in pain, but anger.

"Stop!" Autumn pleaded, rushing forward, "Please!"
They backed away as she approached, now letting out their own irrational barking and growls of insanity. Arcus, barely having any life left in him, used the last of his strength to pin Autumn to the ground. His crazed look and random attacks sent a powerful sob out of Autumn.

Suddenly, she felt the air disappear from her chest, like a pop. Her flames barely an inch away from her skin, turned a dark blue, before Autumn sucked in a breath of air. The fire exploded out of her, consuming Arcus, and she watched in despair as the heat of her flames consumed him. He fell back, and gave her a last look. Autumn thought she saw a hint of blue in his eyes, their original color, like the Disease had left him for a split second. His body began to disintegrate to ash, and Autumn reached for him, like she was trying to stop what she had done. Her hand clenched around the ash that was left of him.

The fire coming out of her didn't stop there, it spread around her, latching onto the bodies of the wolves that were desperately trying to escape their deaths. It consumed everything around her, burning up the trees and life of the surrounding forest in an instant. Then it was over. The flames retracted to their home inside of Autumn, and she was left bare to the scene around her. A black circle of death, nothing but burning embers on the ground to recognize the lives she had taken in just a moment, a blink of an eye.
Autumn couldn't suck in a breath, staring in a disturbing awe of what she had done. She looked down at her hands, colored black with what was left of him. Behind her, Drake and Oliver watched from a distance. Autumn looked over at them, her hands shaking. She felt a pain in her chest, but managed to get some air into her lungs. She presented her hands to them, like a child, and managed to say one thing before the pain in her chest became too much.

"My brother."