The Cleanse

12

Do any of you know when the wattys deadljne is? If so, tell me in comments please.

I was panting when I slowed to a stop, blood covered. How many people had I killed? Five maybe? Close to that.

I drank water from a clear stream before wadding into it and cleaning my fur. I wasn't hungry, the mean from my victims keeping me full, and curled up to sleep soon later.

____

The air was cool that night as we walked, me at the front with some other high ranked people. We needed to keep moving, get there as fast as we could.

Everyone looked so tired. Kids cried as we walked, dragging their feet, animals panted as they walked along. We couldn't walk for much longer.

There was no moon tonight, leaving it hard to see. We had the larger animals guarding the outsides of our group, not that anyone or anything would dare approach with out size.

We walked for a little longer when someone ahead of me stoped, me almost bumping into them. "You hear that?"

I listened but couldn't hear anything over the miserable children.

"A stream. There's water, food. Let's stop and rest." At third words everyone who heard seemed to relax, sighing in relief.

Soon later we were all asleep on the cool ground, huddled together. I was laying with Luna, Blitz pressed against my legs, and other children around me with their parents.

It took a while to fall asleep, but when I did I didn't wake.

____

The sun rise sooner than I agreed with, but I slowly got up and helped the little kids get up. Once we were all up, we started walking again. We would get water and food on the way.

As we walked I had nothing to think about but what Reese had told me.

The queen must die? What kind of omen was that.

As I thought about that, my mind wondered to how the castle caught on fire. Maybe the queen? Was that why she had to die? That was a bad revenge plot though.

Yet again, Reese did die because of it. The queen also was the one who started The Cleanse, so that was hundreds of lives plus Reese with a death wish to her.

That was a good enough reason to kill her.

We walked for a while longer, stoping for the little food and water we found.

A scream pierced the air and I whipped my head around to see what caused it.

A little girl was sitting there, an arrow poking out of her abdomen. She looked down horrifically, and fell to the ground.

Arrows. My leg.

Terror shot through my body, and I instantly looked around for the archer who shot the arrow.

Just as many more arrows were shot from everywhere. We where circled.

So many people were getting hit. So many were calling to the ground.

A lot more arrows came from one certain area than the other, so I ran toward them. It likely meant that the head of the attack was there.

I docked around arrows and people, swerving violently as I moved. My would was staring to hurt, as if it knew I was in trouble

An arrow hit my arm but I kept moving, and surprisingly the archers moved and let me through. Why?

And there was the queen. She was sanding there, glaring at me. She had beautiful blond hair, a crown sitting on her head that was covered in sparkling diamonds. She wore handsomely made leather pants and a perfectly tailored shirt.

"You're supposed to be dead," she said, her voice deep and devilish. "Ash is meant to kill you. Not fall in love with you."

How did she know?

"You ruined my life! Why are you killing all these people? Why did you kill Reese?" I held back the tears that threatened to spill.

"Reese was housing you. These people were keeping you safe. You're a danger to the spell, and I need you dead."

"The spell? What spell?"

"For years I've been trying to tear open the folds of the world, to let in the powerful magic that once ruled us."

The ancient kings. That's what she was talking about. How the kings had traded that powerful, dangerously powerful magic into the other realms, sealing our world from the others.

"I found a way to open the world. 600 sacrifices, more, and the world will be opened temporarily. Enough for the magic to fill in. And if you survive, it won't work. Though, I guess I'll this's children getting killed out there will work."

I realized it just as two guards jumped into the clearing. She had been stalling.

"Time to die." She smiled, and the guards jumped forward.

I tore off my cloak and ran, letting my terror run wild.

____

Terror. Terror took over me, stoping me in my tracks.

Eve.

Before I could even think, I jumped into my wolf form and followed that bond at full speed.

____

Please tell me he was coming. Please tell me he was close.

I couldn't run for much longer, my leg burning and lungs fighting for air.

The guards were close on my tail, their long legs taking them farther than I was moving.

I was tackled to the ground, the guard twisting me around and pinning me down so I was facing him.

"Pretty princess. To bad daddy isn't here to save you." Then he smiled. "Any last words?"

I spit into his face, kicking my knee up into his sensitive spot.

He doubled over, letting go of me, and I jumped up and spun around.

Only to run into the other guard, more surrounding me. "Let's make this slow, boys. Slow and painful." They all smiled, and every one of them flicked a knife out of their belts.