Falling Feathers Book 1 ~ UNEDITED~

Chapter XXV

>>> Autumn Rose <<<
    I thought for sure I was going to die.  I looked around quickly for anything I could use to my advantage.  As I looked to the right, a glimmer of silver caught my eye.  It was the dagger I threw before!  It stuck out the wood, the blade was what caught my eye, but I didn't have time to observe it.  I felt as if time was slowing down.  I could hear my heart beating, and I could feel it.  I thought for sure it was going to tear free of my chest.  I grabbed the dagger and turned to face Danny.  He raised his arm, and I gripped the dagger firmly in my right hand.  His arm started coming down.  I closed my eyes and I stuck my right arm out, praying silently that I was faster.  There was a grunt, and a force pushed against my right arm.  Something warm ran onto my hand, and the weight was lifted.  I let the dagger go, and slowly opened my eyes.  Danny dropped his axe, and it grazed my left arm.  He stood up, the dagger now stuck in his chest instead of the wood.
    His face was twisted in a grimace, his eyes were wide and frightened.  In that moment, when my eyes met his, I didn't see a cold murderer.  I saw a confused and hurt man, who had lost his way.  I began to regret what I'd done.  Danny stumbled back and fell down.  The thud made the crowd turn around.  There were a few gasps and whispers.  Danny's last words were, "You've done it."  He coughed a bit, then everything was silent.  No one said a word.  You couldn't even hear a man breathe.  I wasn't sure if they were quiet out of shock that I killed Danny, mourning him, or both.  I thought I was dreaming.  I was alive!  I looked around at everyone.  Some people whispered to each other.  It was nothing I could hear, partially because i didn't care enough to listen.
I had no idea where to go or what to do. I looked down at Danny's dead body, the dagger in the same place I left it. Where else would it go, I reminded myself uncomfortably. In that moment, everything sunk in.
    I looked at my right hand, and saw Danny's blood. I was a murderer now. I felt so disgusted with myself. I wanted to run away and hide. I wanted to save him I didn't want to hurt anyone! I just wanted revenge and I thought it was the right thing. But now I was terrified with myself.  You're a murderer, a voice in my head sung over and over.  Pressing on for something else to think about, I remembered that now I was the leader of the werewolves who lived in Shepherd's Rest. All these folks who stood in front of me, there must've been thirty or forty of them. But even though I was their leader I still had to prove it. I don't want to be like Danny, I've got to be better.  But how do I act differently but still convince them to follow me?  My parents are dead, they'd been dead for three years now.  Three years...  It felt like an eternity. My mother's dragon necklace is a key, and not just any key.  It's the key to a stone that lets the holder become a dragon.  As if my world wasn't already twisted enough now there are dragons too! But I knew that lost somewhere in the woods, there was that stone.  And I had to find it before everyone else.  I had to do something with it, but what?  Maybe I could give it back to the nymphs.  Nymphs! There are nymphs! There are werewolves and vampires!  When I lived in the village, before it was burned, I never could have imagined any of this.  They would've said a demon had possessed me and had me burned to death to set me free.  But here I am, now embracing it, the cold truth.  You're a murderer, the voice sang one last time.  Murderer...
People began walking away, some to the tunnels to get out and some to the ladder to leave.  Others walked towards the hall that led to all the bedrooms.  Few remained, including the stranger.  He didn't move at all.  I looked one last time at Danny's body.  A pool of blood had formed around his body.  What're we going to do with it, I wondered.  Will we bury it or throw it for the animals to eat?  The stranger began to walk towards me, very slowly.  I didn't walk towards him, or anyone.  I just stood there, staring at his body.  You're a murderer...

>>> Chase Ashfield <<<
I couldn't believe she'd done it.  She'd killed Danny, and now she was our leader.  She needs training, but one day she'll be great I told myself with confidence.  A nagging part of me said I was lying to myself, but I knew she would be strong.  Her father was a good leader, after all.  I was sure she would be just like him.  As I walked towards her I passed Danny, who was dead on the ground.  I was almost satisfied seeing him like that.  You got what you deserved.  A death like this was merciful for someone as cold as you, I thought to myself.  I grabbed Dragon's Tooth out his chest, not stopping as I walked.  The red blood dripped off the blade, on the ground.  I stood in front of Autumn,  I slid my hand from the hilt of the dagger to the tip of the blade and passed it to her.
"It's yours now.  I want you to have it."  I murmured in a low voice.  She grabbed the blade hesitantly, and held it for a moment.  I looked her over, hastily.  She looked nervous, and held the dagger at a distance almost as if she was afraid of it.  She's shaking, I noticed.  I didn't blame her.  This was probably her first time killing. She probably hasn't even hunted, excluding her times as a werewolf. But I didn't count those times. You're not yourself when you're a werewolf. And the full moon is in two days, I reminded myself. Maybe this time I'll stay in the caves, instead of going out in the woods like I normally do. But I preferred it in the woods, I stayed out there for a reason, after all.
    Autumn cleaned the dagger off with her fingers and flicked the blood to the ground. She shivered, and pocketed Dragon's Tooth.
    "What do I do?" She asked. "How am I supposed to prove to a band of ... Murderers," she uttered that word with disgust in her voice. She paused and took a deep breath. "That I'm fit to lead them? I don't even think -"
    "You don't have to prove it to yourself, you just need them to believe it." I interrupted her. She groaned.
    "I still don't know how I'm going to prove that to them..." I thought for a few moments, then gestured to her.
    "Come on, we'll talk it over a drink." She walked with me to the ladder. As we walked I whispered,
    "Maybe raid somewhere. We have a map with some small villages and towns if you want to go to one of those."
    "Shouldn't I like ... Make a speech or something to these guys or something?" She asked.
    "Oh yeah, sure a speech or two might help you. But not too many. Look at the band you're talking to, and remember that. They don't like big words, and they sure don't like lots of them either." By now we were at the door. I twisted the handle and nudged it open. Felix was standing next to it, with an unsatisfied look on his face as always. That kid reminds me of myself, when I was his age, I thought. He grunted.
    "Well I guess since our fairy princess here is walking she beat him?" He grumbled. Autumn didn't reply. She didn't so much as nod or stop walking. She didn't even rush her pace to get away. Following her lead, I kept walking with her. She climbed up the ladder first, and I followed. Once we were outside, I said to her, "you could've taken that as a chance to prove something to him." She looked at me, puzzled.
    "Like what?" I chuckled to myself, and in a low voice replied.
    "Remember the company you keep. We're like animals, bloodthirsty animals. In a real wolf pack, the alpha wolf proves its dominance by attacking anyone who questions it. They make examples, and show no mercy. If you're going to prove and maintain your leadership here, you're going to have to do the same."
    "So what are you saying that I should've killed him?" She scoffed. I sighed to myself.
    "No, but you could've punched him or pushed him against the wall. You at least could've said something menacing to him." I replied. This time, she sighed.
    "I'm going to have a lot to learn."

>>> Soren Hawethorne <<<
    Tomorrow I was going to set up the traps. I was mapping everything out in my head. At dusk, I would start walking. I'd pull them out from Antony's shed, and spread them around. Rather many traps than one, incase the thief doesn't quite want chickens. After laying them all on the ground, I'd cover them in grass and twigs and leaves. I wouldn't put any in front of the gates to the animal pens, since I was sure an animal wouldn't come that way and also because I still had to get in and out to tend the animals.
    But what if nothing came? I mean, it isn't like I'd be wasting much, I planned on returning the traps after using them. Of course something is going to come I scolded myself for being so foolish. Something always comes on the full moon. The full moon. I'd heard stories of witches and such but I thought the full moon was when werewolves came out. What nonsense, I told myself. Werewolves were creatures created to scare children. What was I thinking, believing a child's nightmare? Even for such a short moment what could I possibly have been thinking? Witchcraft and werwolves.. My my, what has our world come to?
    At that time, I was sitting in the Drunken Hog drinking some rum. I was about halfway through it, and planned on going back to my inn and sleeping after finishing it. There was a low hum in the room from other folks talking in hushed voices. I sat on a bar stool, as I always do. Behind me I could hear the door opening. Four footsteps sounded on the wooden floor, meaning two people had entered.  I didn't look over my shoulder to see who it was, I didn't think it would matter.  The footsteps went off to the right, meaning they weren't coming up to the bar.  They must've been taking one of the booths.  I let my mind wander to who it might've been, but quickly turned it back to my rum.  I have no real reason to meddle in a strangers' matters.  I thought.  However, naturally I was curious about who was there.  I tried my hardest to convince myself not to look but the harder i tried the harder it became not to look.  After much futile resistance, I turned over my shoulder and looked for a second.
    It was Autumn and Chase, who was wearing his usual cloak and hood.  I wonder if she knows who he is, who she's keeping for company.  Then something dawned on me.  He stole her from me!  The girl who helped me in my inn, who cleaned and cared who I called a friend, now stood with Chase.  She wasn't the same girl anymore!  She looks sick, I observed.  Not ill sick, she looked queasy and unsettled.  I turned back to the bar, afraid of someone thinking I was staring.  She's with him every day, when I see her she is rarely alone anymore she's often accompanied by him.  Is that why she stopped coming to my inn, cleaning and working?  What could he possibly of offered her?  I gave her a job!  I saved her life!  I rescued her from those woods three years ago!  I took another sip of my rum.  So what does he now have that makes him so special?