The Werecats: Creatures of the Night (Book One) (Revised)

- Twenty Nine: Eyes the Color of Blood -

- Twenty Nine: Eyes the Color of Blood -

"Eran." I breathed.

Instead of a reply, Eran emerged from the darkness. A lump of cloth lay at his feet.

"What- What are those- those things out there?" Nick boomed, throwing his hand to gesture at the door.

"Wondla and I have discovered that with the proper enchantments with fire can produce extraordinary soldiers." Eran answered dully, as if he were explaining math to a toddler.

"Extraordinary? Those were people! They were human beings! With futures, with-" Nick boomed.

"That's just it!" Eran said as a wicked laugh escaped, "Human beings." He walked to Nick and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, "Expendable."

"What is that?" Nick spat, throwing away Eran's arm and gesturing to the lump with his head.

"Just a game I was playing." Eran said with a chuckle.

Suddenly I was back on the surface, watching the shack burn and listening to Willow's story:

"He-" she muttered, "He told Misty to come with him. She ased why and Eran told her that he wanted to play a little game."

I ran to the other figure and was terrified about how dead Misty looked. Her eyes were closed and she was still breathing, but it would've fooled me. She was so pale. It was as if she had been barried in a January snowdrift for days with no hope of survival. Her clothes were gone, and all that was covering her was the blanket wrapped around her.

"Misty?" I asked, giving her a little shake.

"She's unlikely to respond." Eran said, looking down and kicking Misty with his boot with a chuckle.

"What horror have you put in her dreams, Eran?" Nick said as he came by my side.

"Nothing unlike the things happening to your other friends right now." Eran responded.

At that I lost it and the fight began. I knew I had no chance but I sprang for his throat with sharp fangs and claws. Eran twisted before I could get my jaws around to crush his windpipe and I clamped down on his arm instead. He yelled and shook me onto the floor, kicking me hard in the stomach. I grunted and tried to get back up but another kick greeted my gut again.

Nick and Sam attacked then, each of them attacking a leg. While Eran was distracted I got up with a groan and dragged Misty's unmoving body to the other end of the room.

Eran screamed then. The scream was filled with such pain that I could almost feel it myself. Sam fell from the fight with a bloody ear grasped between his jaws. He spit it out and we were both fighting again. Eran punched Nick in the face with a hiss and while he was distracted I tore my claws through Eran's hair. Most of it came off with my fierce grasp and Eran bounded across the room towards Misty. Before I realized what he was doing he had already done it.

He took Misty's limp body in one hand and wrapped his arm around her neck, breaking it. Misty crumbled to the floor, eyes finally opened but unmoving. They had glassed over like the eyes of the dead fish my aunt used to buy to cook with when I was young. Dead. Lifeless. Nothing.

Misty

They had surrounded me by now, the panthers. The scents of smoke and fear radiated in the burning forest around me. I watched the panthers, each one I knew, stalking ever closer every second. Riley and Dom led them in this hunt. They stalked closer than all of the others dared. Riley's Catalyst eyes were overcome with the thrill of the hunt and her muscles switched for a fight.

The two parted then and the panther than came between them shocked me. I felt the tears roll down my cheeks as I recognized David's silver eyes piercing my own. There was no recollection there. No rules. No past. There was no forgiveness. All that was there was bloodlust. The eyes of an animal.

"David, please." I reached my hand out.

David, Riley and Dom pounced but before they could land on me they melted into pools of blackness at my feet. The fires engulfing the forest around me melted as well, mixing with the wax-like mixture my mate and friends had become. The trees melted next into puddles of all different shades of brown and green, but mostly ash grey and black.

Instead of terrifying me more, however, a certain peace settled over me. In the far distance of the still melting forest I could see a white light coming closer to me. Slowly at first but picking up speed the light was taking all of the colors as prisoners. It was just yards away now and the pools of color at my feet dripped inside. Finally the light was at my feet and I watched as they were sucked in. Inside the light I could see them twirling and dancing in a form of mist.

"I'm sorry, David." I whispered. The light was up to my waist now but instead of waiting I thrust myself forward into the light and landed in complete bliss. I was free.