EXTREMELY graphic scene at the end. This is the only scene this graphic in the story; Chapter 13 is far more mild.
Claire was lost and alone, trudging through the snow. They had to leave, dozens of people probably saw Danny over Richmond and the Hunters just drove that fact home. They'd be actively hunting him now…
She looked down and stopped, blowing warm air into her hands. It didn't make much difference at this point, Kitsune form or human form, the cold still bit at her. She didn't know where they'd go, but once she got back to Richmond she'd find her cousin and Jessica, then they'd figure something out.
Her heart warmed as she emerged from the woods into the now-familiar town. It was early evening, just past sunset. The fire had been extinguished, but sadly the husk of the clinic was painfully obvious as she made her way down the street. It would no longer be a safe haven for them…
Finally, at long last, she made it to the suburbs on the edge of town. Jessica's house was half a block in, on the left side of the street, a single-story building. Tentatively, she reached up to ring the doorbell and hesitated. But only for a second. She tapped the doorbell and turned back into a Kitsune, sitting on the welcome mat.
She didn't have to wait long.
After only a few minutes, the door opened and Jessica's familiar face looked out on the street. She almost closed the door again when she suddenly saw Claire sitting on the mat. "What in the world is a fox…?" she stopped dead, eyes widening as she saw the second tail. "CLAIRE?!" She immediately knelt down and embraced the Kitsune, hugging her tightly. Claire returned the hug, tears dripping down her face. "Claire…after the fire, I thought…". There was a long silence and at the end of it she asked the question Claire had been dreading: "Claire…where's Daniel?"
She shifted back into a human and whispered, "He flew away after I told him the truth, afraid he would end up hurting me." She sobbed. "We have to leave, Jess and I. Thank you so much for everything, but we can't stay here anymore. It's too dangerous for everyone involved."
Jessica remained silent for a long time, then finally said, "Let's go inside. It's cold out here." Turning, she led Claire to the couch in her living room. After Claire had downed a glass of water, she was starting to calm down somewhat. "Claire," Jessica said hesitantly, sitting next to her. "Your cousin, Jess…she left several hours ago." This immediately grabbed Claire's attention and for the first time she realized Jess was nowhere to be seen. Even the puppy was surprisingly quiet. "The National Guard finally arrived earlier today and they've been looking for the surviving Mystics in the area. I didn't think you made it, otherwise I…" she fell silent.
Claire remained silent, staring at the floor. "She's far safer with the military than anyone else," she finally said, looking up. "But…should I go with them too?"
The older woman hesitated only a moment before saying, "Right now, what you really need is sleep. We can figure all of that out in the morning." Patting Claire on the shoulder, she went to find some blankets and Claire was left to her thoughts.
She didn't get much sleep that night, but it was nice to be in a warm building rather than out in the cold. She had no idea what lay in her future, but she soon learned things were about to get a lot worse for her…
The next morning, she woke up on the couch refreshed with a familiar face waiting for her across the room. "Luc?"
He looked up. "Toldja I'd get you the potions."
Confused, she asked, "You said 4 days, though."
He shrugged. "Took less time than I thought." He pulled a large vial of glowing violet liquid from his pocket. "This stuff…it does the work of both needed potions, you just have to get him to drink it."
Her heart fell. "He flew off. I have no idea where he is or how to find him."
"In his emotional state, I doubt he went very far. Half a mile tops. Gryphons aren't hard to find, they're not exactly subtle. And…" he paused as a large bird landed on the coffee table, "…you'll have some help."
Immediately recognizing him, Claire said excitedly, "Phillip!"
"I don't know why I keep doing this," he said with a shrug. "I was on my way out of town after the fire when Luc found me. Conscience wouldn't let me leave without helping you find Daniel."
Claire grew excited for a second at this, but she quickly sobered as she realized something: "We have no way to find him, though. Even if he didn't go very far…"
"I might be able to help with that," Jessica suddenly said from behind the couch. Claire looked back to see the woman leaning against the kitchen counter, holding a PDA. "I almost forgot we had this, but then Luc mentioned it to me."
It took Claire a moment, but it finally dawned on her what it was. "The tracker in his leg?" Jessica nodded. "It's still active?"
"We never activated it," she responded, handing Claire the device. "But Dr. Morris was right, it did come in handy eventually. I activated the tracker last night, you should be able to follow it as long as he didn't figure out how to remove it."
Claire remained silent for a long time, unsure of what to say, staring down at the PDA. This changed everything… "When you find him, you're the only one that can still get through to him," Jessica told her, kneeling in front of the Kitsune. "He's always reacted to you, no matter how far he's fallen. If anyone can get him to drink it still, it's you." She smiled and patted Claire's hand. Rather than answering, Claire hugged her tightly, shedding a tear as she realized they would probably never see each other again. "When you find him…get as far away from here as you possibly can. The military is your safest bet, they can protect you."
With a nod, she stood and turned to Luc, accepting the potion from him. "Are you leaving too?"
He nodded. "With the National Guard enforcing order, we're heading north across the national border into Canada. If you need a safe place to go, we won't mind a few more members to our group."
She thought about it for a second, then nodded. "I'll talk to Danny about it once he's back to his senses."
With one final farewell to Jessica, the 3 of them departed the house into the snow-covered morning. She paused at the tree-line, however, and gazed down at the vial, then at the PDA in her other hand. With conviction and a stiff nod, she set out in search of her friend.
She was cold and tired, trudging through the deep snow. Her teeth chattered and she pulled her coat tight around her. Phillip had given up flying overhead to search and flitted from tree to tree, following her lead. This blizzard was fierce, but she knew she was getting close…the locator said…
She came to an abrupt halt, falling back on her rump as she walked into a rock-face. Standing up, she found herself outside a den entrance, probably a bear's. She made to turn away, but a quick look at the PDA turned her back. The tracker…she lowered the device and looked into the darkness. The tracker was in there…
She took a halting step into the den, then another. Suddenly, a growling hiss split the silence and she scurried back, thinking she had awoken a hibernating bear, but then a pair of glaring amber eyes pierced the shadow and a familiar beak emerged.
"Danny…?" she gasped, eyes widening as she took a step back. The Gryphon said nothing, regarding her with its piercing gaze. The backpack was gone and a green liquid dripped from the belt around its foreleg. It WAS him…
As the Royal Gryphon rose to his feet and took a step toward her, she realized…
"Claire, he's feral!" Phillip suddenly screeched. "Run!"
The beak snapped at her, but rather than flee she leapt forward, wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug. He struggled for a second or two, but not for long. In time, he relaxed and leaned into her embrace. A low trill emerged from his beak and a tear rolled down his face. He still remembered her, even if she couldn't understand him anymore…
Slowly withdrawing from their embrace, she drew the vial from her pocket and his gaze narrowed. "Danny, please," she whispered. "I don't care if you go back to the asshole you once were, I can't lose you, too. This can save you, I promise." For a split second recognition came to his eyes and the light of hope came with it. Her heart soared: he remembered what it was!
Her stomach bottomed out as she heard a click behind her…
…the click of the bolt on a bolt-action rifle…
She spun around and came face to face with the LAST person she wanted to see at that moment: Jared standing at the cave entrance, rifle raised and aimed straight at Daniel's head. He had an uneasy grin on his face.
"You've given us a lotta trouble, Avery," he said slowly. "Almost believed that line of bullshit you fed us, too."
Claire's veins turned to ice. "You know it's him? But…" Her confusion turned to anger. "Why? Why would you still want him dead, knowing he really IS Avery?"
The man shook his head. "It's just business, kid, nothing more. Profits, bottom lines, getting something from this massive investment. You got sloppy, kid, leading me right to him." He paused. "Morris turned down my offer, but I'll make you the same deal: walk away and no one else dies but him. Is he really worth it, kid? After the things he's done?"
Claire didn't know what to say, Danny was always kind to her but he had a very dark past…
Her chance to think it through ended as a screech split the air. Jared reflexively turned towards the threat but had no time to react as a large bird struck him from above and to the left. He staggered away, his grip on the rifle faltering, and Phillip struck again, wrapping his talons around the barrel to try and wrest it away.
Claire stared desperately as the 2 fought for the gun, slowly backing away. If Phillip failed...if he failed, he would be the first one to...
Finally, with a mighty effort, the Augurey tore the weapon away from the Hunter. For a split second Claire's spirits soared, but then a bang shattered the night.
The rifle struck the ground and Phillip flapped away. All eyes turned to Claire and Jared's face drained of color. "Oh, fuck..."
She clutched her stomach as her vision swam, staggering to the left. She couldn't figure out what was happening at first, she didn't feel the pain, but as she looked down and drew her hand back, she saw it covered in blood - HER blood. Almost immediately the cold, hard ground rushed to meet her. She coughed, her vision starting to fail. A few feet from her face, a purple glow stained the dirt beneath her.
The deafening silence seemed to last an eternity but in reality only lasted a few seconds. It was broken by the earth-shattering shriek of a Gryphon.
Jared dove for the gun, to try and defend himself, but Daniel was on him before he could even reach it, fingers more than a foot away. A fountain of blood rose into the air as the right arm was ripped completely off. Jared's screams lasted only a few seconds before he was forever silenced.
Blood, so much blood…
She couldn't tear her eyes away, she couldn't even vomit as the warm blood melted the snow just outside down to the dirt. By the time it was finally over, only bloody chunks of the Hunter remained, scattered across the area. The blood-soaked Gryphon regarded the badly-hurt Kitsune for a few seconds without a single trace of recognition in its eyes, then spread its massive wings and took to the air, leaving her shell-shocked in the blood-soaked night.
It only took a few minutes for Phillip to return. He knew Claire needed help, NOW. She was losing a LOT of blood… "Claire…" he whispered. "Please, just hang on. I'm going to find help." She didn't answer, continuing to stare off into the distance. With a shake of his head, Phillip spread his wings and took to the air, going in search of the only person left he knew could help them now…