Obscure

sixty six

THE WORLD AROUND them continued to quake. The trees trembled violently, a mixture of leaves and branches tumbling to the ground. Another building fell to the ground, creating a small explosion of dust and rubble. A violent smile stretched across Headmaster's face, his pearly white fangs glinting against the moonlight. Sophie stared at Aubrey, horrified, and then the trees parted.

A creature emerged.

It was larger than the ancient oak trees themselves. Its body was covered in thick black hair, and a pair of blue eyes ringed with black surveyed the scene. It panted heavily, its eyes wild. Its head snapped back and forth, distracted by the world around it. A tree branch snapped. The dust from the buildings settled. Each individual detail seemed to overwhelm the monster.

Headmaster snapped his fingers again. The monster winced, pain evident in its eyes. It lowered its head. Four sets of claws scraped against the earth as the monster crouched low. Headmaster gestured to the army of students and rebels in front of him. "Kill them," he ordered.

The creature snarled. The sound ripped through the air, louder than a gunshot. Sophie staggered back in shock, into Eli. His arm coiled around her, holding him tight to her chest. He jumped backward just as the creature launched forward. Screams erupted as bodies crunched beneath the monster's paws. Its jaw snapped around a hunter. Blood spurted and gushed from its muzzle. It threw the corpse away and bit at another one.

Over the terrified screams, a distinctive laugh could be heard.

Sophie felt sick to her stomach. She watched as the creature chewed on a student. Their screams exploded in her ears, their hands outstretched for help that wouldn't come. She wanted to refuse to believe that that creature was Wolfe, but a part of her knew, deep down, that it was. His eyes were the same vibrant shade of bright blue, despite the crazed taint that plagued them. He was just overwhelmed with sensory overload. He couldn't handle it. And Headmaster had done something, something that made Wolfe listen.

Eli gathered their weapons. Her heart raced inside her chest and something that felt like adrenaline pumped through her veins. She was reluctant as she took several daggers. "Don't try to kill him," Eli mumbled low enough for her to hear. "We just need to stun him so he can calm down."

The first dagger sang through the air toward Wolfe and his head snapped toward the sound. It embedded itself deep within his shoulder and blood seeped out of the wound, staining his already dark coat. An outraged growl tore through the air as he searched wildly for the dagger's origin.

Another dagger was thrown.

Wolfe's attention snapped toward Sophie and his eyes darkened. He let out another snarl, dropping the carcass in his mouth. The earth rumbled as he darted toward her. Sophie jumped out of the way, rolled, and landed on her feet several feet away from him. As Wolfe whipped around after her, Eli threw a dagger, drawing his attention away from Sophie.

Sophie threw another dagger. Wolfe paused, paw mid-air. His powerful jaw snapped at another hunter that ran by, a broad-sword in hand. The sword slashed at Wolfe's arm and a gush of blood rained down.

A pained sound escaped Wolfe –a whine mixed with an agonized roar. It made Sophie grimace and hesitate. Her next dagger zipped through the air just above his torso and buried deep within the trunk of a nearby tree. He thumped against the ground, unable to walk on his injured leg. Her chest ached at the sight. It wasn't like she still crushed on Wolfe. She didn't care about him like that. But the image of a poor animal in pain never failed to break her heart.

"Don't you dare hurt him!" Aubrey's voice rang out above the chaos, and it cracked with pain.

Sophie halted, the last dagger in her hands poised. Aubrey shoved her way through the crowds, through the carnage, and kept her gaze focused on Wolfe. "Stop it! Stop it right now!"

Wolfe howled and tried to stand. His mouth snapped at Aubrey as she approached. Her eyes gleamed with a mixture of anger and worry. She slapped his muzzle away and grabbed a fistful of the fur on his chest. The creature keened as she yanked his face closer to hers and screamed. "I swear to all that's holy, if you don't stop this shit right now!"

His eyes focused on hers. His heavy pants softened, and then paused all together. His eyes focused and unfocused. A wounded sound escaped him as a sigh shuddered through his body.

"That's it!" Sophie shouted. "He's starting to calm down!"

Aubrey ignored her. Her hand stroked the side of Wolfe's face and her lips moved around unheard whispers. Slowly, the crazed look in his eyes dissipated. His muzzle began to shrink. His body grew smaller and smaller, less animal. His black fur retracted until pale skin replaced it. His right arm was sliced open, blood trailing down in between his fingers. Tears streamed down his cheeks and Aubrey wiped them away.

Eli appeared beside Sophie. His expression was pained, heartbroken, and his gaze remained focused on his sister. From where they stood, both could hear Aubrey. Wolfe's head rested on her lap. Her hands cupped his cheeks, thumbs stroking his skin and she pressed her forehead against his. "It's okay," she told him softly. "You're okay."

"Bree," he groaned and reached for her.

Aubrey dissolved into a puddle of tears. She sobbed and pressed her lips against his. He stroked her hair with his good hand and smiled.

Sophie reached for Eli's hand. Her gaze scanned around for the Headmaster, hoping that either her mother or another hunter had already captured him. Then an outraged roar exploded from behind her. Sophie whirled around, scrambling for her dagger.

Just in time to see the Headmaster lunge at her, screaming, "You. You ruined everything!"