Fire & Flood

Chapter 18

"I need to rest! I am tired!" Whined Leslie. "We've been walking forever!"

"We need to keep going," said Emily decisively.

"We need to get you out and we need to find Sam."

"Your cat?" Asked Leslie. "It's just a cat. Why bother."

"We just need to find him, okay!" Snapped Emily. How could she explain the world that she found herself in? The druids and dryads, magical beings and the enchanted forest, everything about her situation screamed insanity. Emily felt that if she told Leslie any of this, she would think that her friend has gone crazy. Although, Emily thought, Leslie has been acting kind of strange herself.

"Geez!" Said Leslie. "Don't bite my head off!"

"Shhh, listen," said Morgan suddenly. "Do you hear it?"

"Oh no, you are hearing things too now!" Exclaimed Leslie with a tone of fake concern.
But there was a sound in the distance. Emily could hear it too. Piercing, mournful, hungry. At first it was just one sound, then another, and soon a chorus of howls broke the silence of the snow covered forest.

"Are there many wolves in this forest?" Asked Emily. Her heart sounded like a war drum in her ears.

"A few, but they mainly keep to themselves," said Morgan. He sounded anxious. "But they are hunting now."

"What are they hunting?" Emily dared to ask.

"Us," said Morgan quietly. "We can't stay here, but I don't know which way to go. The pack is splitting up, they are coming for us from several directions.

"Up!" Said Emily. "We need to go up!"

The minute Emily spoke, she saw them through the sparse trees. Large wolves stalking closer to them, their coats blending seamlessly with the white landscape. Their breath hanging in the frigid air, forming fleeting clouds before dissipating. Snarls escaping their hungry maws. Golden eyes gleaming with predatory focus as they moved closer with silent grace between snow-laden trees.

"Climb!" Morgan yelled before his body shredded and his black wolf emerged.

The large breast stood guard as the girls climbed as fast as possible up the spindly pine near by. Emily looked back and saw five large wolves closing in on Morgan.

Morgan's colossal black wolf stood his ground. His yellow eyes, emanating menace, followed the movement of each wolf.

Don't come down, no matter what happens, Emily heard Morgan's voice echo in her head.

One of the wolves charged at Morgan, its teeth bared and a snarl coming through his opened jaw. Before the wolf could even reach Morgan, the black wolf swatted it away. Emily heard a sickening crack as the wolf was flung through the air and hit a close by sapling.

Seeing the opportunity in Morgan being distracted, the wolf pack advanced all at once. Emily heard howls, yelps and the tearing of flesh. Emily couldn't quite see what was happening, but she instinctively knew that Morgan was hurt. Fear and worry gripped her heart. Once again, she felt powerless.

In a desperate attempt to distract the wolves, she snapped a branch and threw it in to the fray. She heard a wolf yelp as the branch hit its body.

"Like that'll help," Emily heard Leslie chuckle. Leslie's voice stayed calm, which surprised Emily. "Why don't you go down and help him," she said and Emily saw Leslie's features twist unnaturally. Her face changed and morphed until Emily was face-to-face with a large mountain lion.

I insist, Emily heard a woman's voice inside her head.

"Laura!" Emily half shouted in shock.

Get away from her! Emily heard another voice. She got the sense that Laura heard this voice too and that it was mainly meant for her. It sounded angry, scared, and desperate.

Oh! Lover boy is here to help, chuckled Laura.
Emily didn't have long to look, she saw a large golden mountain lion charging at the wolves and knocking them one-by-one with its colossal paws.

"Sam!" Emily shouted and tears started pouring down her face. She was relieved and scared.

Looking down she could now see that Morgan we badly hurt. His black wolf body lay unconscious in a pool of blood that coloured the white snow around him.

You know, I could snap you like a twig, Emily heard Laura's voice in her head. She saw her move closer, her body agile and lithe moving from branch to branch.

Before Emily could even form a thought, she felt a sharp pain and saw Laura sinking her teeth into her flesh. A taste of blood filled her mouth and suddenly, she felt herself falling.