Ice and Fire, a dark guardian series fanfic

Chapter One: Discoveries

I stood in the clearing, the glowing eyes burning into my soul. They were a caramel color. The bright orbs were the only thing I saw in the shadows of the trees, which stretched upward towards the sky. The sun was setting. I glanced at the eyes every so often, but if I stared into them the creature who had those eyes would see that as a challenge; a threat. I stopped glancing and pulled out my backpack. It was large and held every thing I would need.

I pulled out the object that was at the top of my backpack: Steak with fresh juices. I held it firmly in my hands. I watched the red juices running down my hands. I looked back at the caramel eyes. They were glued to the raw meat. I walked toward the eyes. They flashed up to my gaze. The wolf's head pushed out through the shadows. Its fur was dark and had a bluish tint.

He slowly crawled out of the shadows. The moonlight washed over his fur. He was breathtaking. He walked over to me and took the steak. He gulped it down. I heard a growl. I looked to the end of the clearing and seven wolves stood there. There were eight animals, though. One of them was a black panther. The wolf in the front, the alpha, had a coat that had white, black, and brown. Next to him, a little further back, was a wolf with a red coat. I assumed she was his mate. Further behind them was another wolf couple. They contrasted. The male had pure black fur, while the female had a white coat, and looked like an arctic wolf. They were the beta wolves. After them were the panther and a wolf with a yellowish coat. Then, there were two males in the back. One had tan fur and the other had blackish- brownish fur. When I looked back at the wolf closest to me, he was gone.

In his place was a naked version of my best friend: Tanner. I looked into his caramel eyes. He took my hands in his. "Audrey, your parents aren't dead and they don't know you exist."

Tanner POV

She held out the meat. This would be a great time to tell her. I looked at Audrey's face. Her eyes were glowing amber and her auburn hair swayed with the humid breeze of Montana. I took the meat from her hands and swallowed it whole. Lucas growled. I looked over to him and the pack. Tell her already, Lucas ordered. I nodded my head swiftly and shifted to human. After Audrey looked away from them, they left. She stared at me with shock and fear. I took both her hands. "Audrey, your parents aren't dead and they don't know you exist." She took a minute to understand.

"No, my mom died when I was born, and dad committed suicide afterwards." I sighed.

"She didn't die. She got a concussion from fainting after they brought you home. Your dad didn't have enough time to take care of you while getting your mom to remember, so he dropped you off at your grandparents' house." I gave her time to let it soak in. "She remembered your dad, but she forgot you. Then, since she forgot about you, he forgot, too. They moved to Europe, and your grandparents didn't have any way to contact them. When you turned five, your parents were planning to tell you, and your grandparents didn't know if they should, since it wasn't theirs to tell."

"Wow, wait a second. Tell me what?"

I grabbed her shoulders. "Audrey, you're a Shifter." She stared at me with her mouth wide open. She knew about us before, because she had been in Mason's group, but when everybody was sleeping, she left because she was afraid of being killed.

"They weren't kidding?" I shook my head. Suddenly, she embraced me. "I have so many questions right now." I tightened my arms around her waist. This was no friendly hug. It was beyond friendly.

"Ask away."

"Why did my mom faint?"

"Lack of sleep."

"I wasn't born in a hospital, was I?"

"No, you weren't. You were born at home."

"How do you know this?"

"The elders told me. Your grandparents never told you about when you were born, did they?"

"No. Why?"

"Hold that thought." I went a little into the forest and grabbed my pants. I put them on. I went back into the clearing and sat down next to Audrey. "When you were born it was on a full moon."

"So?"

"So, you somehow knew it was a full moon."

"And?"

"And, you were howling when you were born. I was told I was crying when I was born. And then you started…" The next words were creepy.

"What did I do?"

"You started glowing the same color as the moon. You opened your eyes and they were amber. You were staring at the fireplace, which had a fire in it at the time. Your eyes turned ice blue and the fire went out. The room's temperature dropped twenty degrees and it wasn't from the loss of the fire. When your grandma held you…Your skin was feverishly hot. The room went twenty degrees higher then when it was at first." She put a hand to her arm.

"My temperature seems normal."

"Yes, but your entire body might be that temperature." I touched her arm. It was burning hot. I pulled back. She was staring at me and her eyes turned ice blue. She looked at a tree and its trunk shriveled. It fell over. "Audrey, are you okay?" She shook her head and blinked a few times as if she just came out of a trance. She stared at the tree in shock. She looked at me with normal eyes.

"Did I do that?" I nodded. She started crying. I picked her up and set her in my lap. Her skin was freezing, but she didn't seem affected by it.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm a monster," she wailed.

"No you're not. You just haven't learned to control what this is yet."

"Powers," she mumbled.

"Huh?"

"They're called powers."

"Then, you just haven't learned how to control your powers yet." She crawled out of my lap and sat next to me. She put a hand over my heart.

"You're my best friend, though. I don't want to lose you. I could kill you." The heat of her skin seeped through my shirt. My heart beat quickened. My chest was on fire. I bent over and coughed. She looked at me with concern and worry.

I coughed out, "Become angry or sad." Confusion flashed on her beautiful face and then pure rage. Her hand turned freezing cold. It was as hard as rock. I straightened and looked at her. "You just controlled your powers." She looked at me with confusion and cocked her head to the side.

"What do you mean?"

"You were right when you said you could kill me. You were killing me, but I asked you to get angry and you did. Your hand turned ice cold and rock hard. It extinguished the fire you put in my heart. When you are worried or loving, it ignites a fire within you that makes your skin burning hot and soft. When you are angered or sad it makes your skin freezing cold and rock hard except when you're sad, your skin doesn't become like rock. You need to not let your feelings affect your powers. If you controlled them you would be invincible." She looked in awe.

"Wow. It seems wrong to me that I'm more powerful than you."

"I wonder…" I closed my eyes and my mind was racing through the forest. I saw Lydia, a girl that was nearing her first shift, being attacked by a cougar. My eyes flew open and I looked at Audrey. "Lydia's in trouble. We need to go help her." I picked her up bridal style and ran in Lydia's direction. When we got there, I put Audrey on the ground. Lydia was cowering under some shrubs. The cougar stocked toward her.

Audrey POV

I felt an electrical current. I saw Tanner in wolf form ram into the cougar. They fought for a while. I ran over to Lydia.

"Are you okay?" She shook her head. "Where all does it hurt?" She pointed to her arms, wrists, shoulders, thighs, stomach, and her back. I nodded my head. I looked back at Tanner and the cougar. Tanner had shifted back and was trying to pin the cougar.

"Use your powers!" He yelled at me.

"How?" I yelled back at him. He couldn't answer. He was struggling with the cougar. I heard his scream and saw the blood gushing out of his shoulder. "Shift!" The cougar got up and was heading towards him. The rage boiled my blood. I started shaking. My hands curled and I pushed my shoulders back. I threw my head back and I produced a high shriek. My hair flew off of my neck and I knew it was on fire. I released another shrill shriek and my entire body became a ball of fire. I growled and snarled. I bared my teeth, which had grown sharper. I saw the fire reflecting in the cougar's eyes. I released a howl that was also like a shriek and the cougar burst into flames. The flames dissipated from my body and the cougar's. All that was left of his was a burnt and lifeless cougar. His ashes were carried off into the wind. I was panting. I remembered Lydia and Tanner. When I looked over at him, he had shifted. He was lying down with his head off the ground and his mouth open. I looked back at Lydia and she had her mouth open, too.

"Wow," she said. I smiled. Tanner shifted to human form. Blood was still gushing out of his shoulder.

"How come it didn't heal?" He shrugged.

"I'm not sure." I smiled gently at him. I walked over to where he was standing. He didn't bother to put clothes on. I draped a hand over his shoulder wound. I breathed deeply. I struggled to get in control of my powers. I felt what was like a whoosh of air go through my body. I knew my temperature dropped because the heat of his skin was intensified. He sucked in air through his teeth. I pressed my hand into his skin. He stiffened. I put my other hand on his chest and he seemed to relax at my touch. I tried focusing on my right hand and keeping it cold, while keeping the other on his chest normal temperature. I knew I wasn't going to heal it like this; I was just planning on clotting the blood so he doesn't loose anymore of it. I closed my eyes. Suddenly, I was taken into some sort of vision. The forest blurred by, and I heard the beautiful melody of a babbling brook. I gasped at the same time as Tanner.

"Did you see that?" He grinned and nodded his head.

"That's my power. I can look anywhere in the world. I guess I can insert what I see into other people's minds." Idea!

"Try inserting a thought of your into my mind." I've always wished to kiss Audrey. I always thought she would be freaked out if she found out. I knew from the beginning what we were and I've always wondered if we were mates. It is said that when you meet your true love, they're all you think about. Audrey is all I think about. I also have a job to protect the pack, as I am a Dark Guardian. Oh shit! Lydia! "Nice language, Tanner." Damn, I only thought that I inserted the first five sentences. Is she reading my mind? "I think I am." The excitement was in my voice. "But I'll give you some privacy. Come on let's get Lydia to the brook."

Just as I had felt a connection with the moon, I also felt a connection with the sun, water, and fire. That's most likely how I obtained my powers.

As we ran to the brook, I felt very uncomfortable. It felt as though I was pushing something back, and it was something heavy. I stopped pushing. I felt lighter. I zoomed past Tanner, who was holding Lydia. I kept on moving faster and faster; I was increasing speed on every step. The trees were just a brown and green blur. I laughed out joyfully. This was so fun. I was hit with realization that my feet were no longer touching the ground. I was thinking, if I could read Tanner's mind, wouldn't I have a way to gain his power through his mind, only for a few seconds?

I got into his mind, but didn't read his thoughts. I wanted to see one: how far away the brook was, and two: what I looked like when I was flying. I looked at myself first. My auburn hair was blowing behind me and the moon's light rested on my skin. Then, I went ahead of me, to the brook. It was about twenty meters away. I barely saw the brook, as I flew past it. I was about forty meters away when I stopped completely. Of course, I didn't think it through, because when I stopped, I fell about four feet to the floor. I fell on my side and heard cracking. I felt intense pain. I curled into a ball. I started shaking with the fear that no one would find me and the freezing air of the night. The moon was high. It was warm and humid an hour ago, but around midnight, Montana got cold. It didn't help that I was wearing shorts and a spaghetti tank-top.

I heard somebody calling my name, but I couldn't sum up the energy to answer. I reached my hand up and touched my necklace. It was in the shape of a heart. Earlier, I had found out that all Shifters had one. A little while after I first met Tanner, I had gotten the little circle out of the middle of the heart. It was a magnetic set. I bought some string and tied it to the circle. I gave it to him as a token of friendship. Now I knew that it meant so much more. It was really a declaration of finding your true mate. Soon after Tanner shifted, he started ignoring me. His necklace never showed up, so I believed he was just going through a stage and that we were still friends.

An image flashed through my mind. Right before my mom passed out, she tied the necklace around my neck. It had the circle in it. I gripped onto the necklace now; Tanner being the only memory to make me live. I gathered all the energy I could and struggled to my feet. I couldn't shift yet, but I knew I could howl. The left side of my body completely hurt. I took a deep breath, and howled out. It was a call for help. I slumped to the ground afterward. The last thing I saw was three wolves and Tanner standing near me.

I woke up to the sound of voices shouting. I kept my eyes closed. I was always the one to eavesdrop.

"Why are we here? Lydia and Audrey need some medical help," I heard Lucas yell.

"She wanted to come here," I heard Tanner yell back. I heard Lucas take a deep breath and continued to talk calmly.

"I understand. But they need help. Audrey's entire left side could have broken bones. Don't you care about your mate? Lydia has many cuts and bruises. And all you can do is hold Audrey's hand to each of them?" I did now notice that my hand was being held to each of Lydia's cuts and bruises. My skin must be cold when I go unconscious. Tanner stared at me with a concerned look and a furrowed brow. I still had my eyes closed, but I felt his gaze and heard the way he talked, matching the correct expression to it.

"I do care about Audrey. I love her. But I care about Lydia, too. Audrey's skin is cold right now. And if Ican't help Lydia, why not just try to num her wounds for now?" I heard Lydia's sharp intake of air and felt her skin move away from mine.

"What's wrong?" Lucas asked.

"Her skin is warmer now. It burns." Tanner took my hand and then dropped it immediately.

His voice held no doubt. "She's been awake." I flashed my eyes open and I grinned wildly. He had just told Lucas that he loved me. I shot into a sitting position. Tanner grinned back at me. He straightened from his crouch and held out his hand. I probably was a blur when I zipped to my feet. I threw my arms around his waist and burrowed my face into his chest. He flinched under me, but still wrapped his arms around me. I cooled my temperature down to normal. His arms relaxed on me. I then noticed the intense pain in the left side of my body. I yelped, and then sunk to my bottom.

I saw the brook. It was just past a few trees. Could Tanner read my mind?

He barely whispered it, but I heard it anyway. "Yes. I can." I want to go to the brook. He nodded his head and picked me up. Lydia needs to come with. Lucas can come with, too. Anyone else who is with you guys shall come. Tanner nodded his head and motioned for Lydia and Lucas to come. Rafe, Lindsey, Connor, Kayla, Brittany, Daniel, and Hayden came with.

I sat down Indian style at the bank of the river. Lydia sat on my left side and Tanner sat at the other. Everyone else stood a few steps behind. I saw that Tanner's fight wound had still not healed.

"I'll start with Tanner first." I faced Tanner and then I dipped my fingers into the cool water. I rested my fingertips on the edge of his shoulder. I ran my thumb from the end of his collar bone to the beginning of his arm. The cut was about five inches long. Then, I brushed my fingertips over his wound. I sat back on my heels.

We all gasped as the water on his wound and skin started to glow. The wound closed quickly and the water evaporated. I smiled. This took about two minutes. I basically did the same thing to Lydia. Hers took about seven minutes. Everyone confronted me when I was done.

"That was so cool," Kayla said.

"I agree. I never thought that there would be other Shifters with special abilities," Hayden said.

"Wow. That's all I have to say. Wow." Lindsey said this. Rafe nodded his agreement.

Brittany and Connor confronted me next. Brittany spoke. "That was so awesome. You will be saving a bunch of people's butts." Connor chuckled.

"That's for sure!"

"Thanks, Audrey. All pain went away with the wounds." Lydia smiled shyly.

"No problem. I'm glad I wasn't just made for destruction." She grinned and her eyes lit up. She was remembering the cougar's death.

"What do you mean? I know Lydia was attacked by a cougar, but I don't know what happened afterward." Lucas came up.

I blushed. "Um, well my powers go further than healing and changing body temperatures." He gave me a confused glance and I went into explanation. "When I'm really angry, I become a ball of flames. Let's just say, that the cougar was on fire. Oh! I know a better way to explain this! Tanner come over here." Tanner came over.

"What's up?"

"Tell Lucas what happened with the cougar. Your way." He nodded his head. Lucas's eyes glazed over. I read his mind while watching the scene from Tanner's point of view. Lucas was ecstatic when he was done seeing it.

"So, Audrey, what are all your powers?"

"The ones I know so far?" He nodded his head. "Flying, healing, changing of body temperature, mind reading, you know about the fire, um, and the ability put my body temperature on any object. That's all of them I know, so far."

"Wow. Can you show me the mind reading and the objects one?" I nodded my head. I stared at a tree and made it burning hot. It burst into flames. I became worried and panicked. I looked to the brook and then back to the tree. Water flew from the brook and put the flames out. The tree fell.

"Oops. I guess I need to add that to the list." Lucas was smiling. I read his mind. Wow. What else can this girl do? Audrey, if you are reading my mind, repeat what I thought. "Wow. What else can this girl do? Audrey if you are reading my mind, repeat what I thought." He grinned. This was one day of discoveries.

Hey! It's me again! How do you like my new story? It's getting good on the first chapter. I'll update as soon as possible! Sorry for all the cussing, and please don't talk about it in reviews. I know a lot of people are visiting this story, and I want all of you to review. If I don't get five reviews, you won't get another chapter. Sorry, but I'm feeling unappreciated. Tell me that I should continue it.

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