Wow, no reviews for the last chapter :(. Kinda depressing. Anyways, here's the next chapter. Three reviews for the next chapter!
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Chapter Fourteen
Lillian's P. o. V:
The next morning, both Logan and Faelia wake up before I do. Logan has a large batch of eggs frying up in the skillet, and Faelia is sitting at the table. I grab a plate and dish out some eggs for everyone. After we eat and clean up, we head back to the training area. We don't even get a chance to start practicing before Xavier's cell phone rings. He listens for a little while, then shuts his phone. Silence descends over the clearing as we wait for him to speak. "What was that about?" Logan asks him in a hushed whisper.
"One of the scouts stationed 100 miles out said that he spotted Blaine and his group. They are headed here at a slow pace. He estimates that they will be here by midday tomorrow," Xavier announces, face looking ashen. The crowd starts murmuring, but Xavier quickly hushes them. "Silence! We must continue to train and practice so that we will beat them! More than likely, they will try to infiltrate the village. We need to turn then towards an open clearing so that we have room to maneuver."
"We have a large clearing at the entrance to the village. We have enough wolves to surround the perimeter, while still having enough to fight in the clearing. Did your informant tell you how many wolves were with Blaine?"
"Yes. He said there were about fifty," Xavier replies. The Alpha scoffs.
"Only fifty?! This battle is over before it begins!" he says, spitting on the ground.
"Not necessarily," Xavier cautions. I silently agree with him.
"Cockiness kills even the best warriors. It sounds like he only got to the one pack, but that means he has had time to train his soldiers well. We must not underestimate them," I say, my voice carrying over the crowd. There are some murmurs throughout the crowd. Several wolves are nodding.
"Go back to your homes, but be watchful. I will howl when the pack is getting close. When I do, surround the border. The rest of you will come to the clearing with me. Now, I need to assign positions. I need 100 wolves to surround the perimeter. The other 100 should report to the clearing. Assign the roles amongst yourselves. Thank you, and good luck," Xavier finishes. The wolves gather in a circle, discussing who should go where. Logan and I wander off, Faelia between us.
"Momma, I love you and daddy very much. Don't ever forget that," she says, gently kissing both of our hands. I shoot Logan a look.
"Sweetheart, what do you mean?"
"If I don't see you again after the battle, I just want you to know that I love you both very much," she whispers, her eyes tearing up. I rub her back.
"Be optimistic. Mommy and daddy will both be okay," I reassure her. She nods.
"I know you will be," she says. I sigh in relief, thankful that she is trying to be optimistic. Logan breathes out slowly as well. We both reach the house and have a light lunch. Soon, we are all relaxing on the couch. I manage to drift into a light sleep. Faelia gently shakes my arm to wake me up.
"Whazamatter?!" I exclaim, fearing the worst. Faelia gently shushes me.
"Look momma! Look what I can do know," she squeals happily. I wait in anticipation. Faelia concentrates for a few seconds, and at last, her body morphs into her wolf form. Her pelt is a soft golden color. It practically glows in the dim light. Logan gazes in awe at her. Faelia phases back to her human form. "Whatcha think?" she wonders.
"That was amazing," I breathe, still awed by her coloring. Logan seconds me.
"What do you think it means?" Logan asks me mentally. I sense his confusion.
"I have no idea," I answer. Faelia looks at us both, studying us carefully.
"Are you okay?"
"Mommy and daddy are fine. We were just awed by your beautiful pelt," I reply, feeling guilty about the half truth. She seems satisfied, for the moment. Just as she opens her mouth to speak, a howl rips through the air. Logan and I sit up straight, our ears pricked. Answering howls reverberate across the village.
"It's started," Logan whispers urgently.
"Faelia, I want you to stay here. No matter what happens, keep the door and windows locked, and don't open the door or leave the house. We will be back as soon as it is safe. Do you understand?" Faelia nods seriously.
"I understand momma. I love you!" she cries, hugging both Logan and I. Logan and I rush out the door, locking it behind us. We quickly phase and head to our assigned spot in the clearing. Several other wolves join us, and we make a barrier. Xavier comes to the front of the assembled wolves. We all wait as the pack of black wolves advance over the hill. More and more wolves stream over the hill, and I can hear the wolves beside me shifting uneasily.
"I thought there were only supposed to be about fifty."
"That's what I thought Xavier said," Logan replies. At last, the last wolves make their way to the other end of the clearing. They line up, then freeze, waiting for Blaine to give them the command to attack. I head to the front of the wolves and sit by Xavier. He moves to the back of the wolves, allowing me to direct the wolves behind me. I flick my ears forward, commanding the wolves behind me to start the attack. We all rush forward, howling a battle cry. I see Blaine struggling to get his wolves under control. They are not very well disciplined, and they are fighting amongst themselves, unaware of their approaching doom. Blaine desperately breaks up the fights, trying to focus his pack's attention on us. He finally manages to do so, and they charge forward to meet us.
Our pack collides with theirs with a horrible snarling sound. I hear teeth tearing through flesh, see blood spurting over the battleground. I hear the high, keening cries of wolves in pain, and my stomach churns, knowing that I can't heal them. I lock jaws with a large black wolf. He growls, and I recognize him from one of the packs we visited. My vision turns red. I growl and rip into him, slashing with my teeth. He tries to snap my leg, but I leap back and twist out of the way. He whines in frustration. I take advantage of his anger and feint forward. He takes the bait, and I rush under him. His neck is clearly exposed, and I clamp on to it. He struggles weakly, trying to make me lose my grip, but I tighten my jaws. A gurgling whimper rises in his throat, and he falls limp. I feel bile roiling in my stomach, but refuse to give in and let my emotions get the best of me. I see a black wolf tearing into another wolf from my pack, and I rush over to help my pack mate.
The black wolf has the upper hand at the moment, but he is so concentrated on killing that he doesn't see me approach. I launch myself at him, knocking him off of my friend's back. He lays on the ground, stunned. I quickly finish him off, then look around, trying to find Logan. He is nowhere to be seen, but I spot Xavier's distinctive pelt quickly. He is fighting three wolves at once, and although he is winning, I can see his energy waning. I rush to his side and allow my fur to brush against him. I will for all of his wounds to be healed, as well as for his energy to be restored. I feel the power leaving my body and entering his. He starts fighting with a renewed vigor after shooting a thankful look my way. My head is starting to swim, but a few deep breaths as I survey the battle ground soon puts everything right. Movement to my right alerts me of someone nearby. I whirl around, only to come face to face with another black wolf. I circle him, looking for an opening. He does the same, and I let out a huff of frustration. The adrenaline that has been running through my veins is waning quickly. He feints forward, trying to get me off balance, but I don't fall for the trick. He growls angrily. I smirk as best I can in wolf form. He goes to attack again, but a sharp howl makes him reconsider. He takes off running towards the hill. Blaine is commanding his wolves to come to him so he can assess the damage and regroup. I howl as well, heading to the front of the clearing. My wolves retreat and follow me over as best they can. As soon as everyone is gathered, I phase and address them.
"Is anyone in need of a serious healing?" I ask. About six wolves limp forward. I go to the first wolf. He has several bite marks, and one of his legs is broken. I quickly heal him, then move onto the next wolf. He is missing most of his ear, and his side is torn to shreds. I heal him as well. Quickly, I glance over at Blaine. His wolves are regrouped, and he looks ready to attack. I motion for the remaining four wolves to each touch one of my limbs. They do, and I manage to heal them all at once. I feel the strength leaving my body, and my knees buckle. My head starts swimming, and I desperately push the feelings aside. "Does anyone else have an injury that is life threatening?" I ask, voice strained. No wolf comes forward, so I phase back and motion for our group to continue forward. We have lost very few wolves. While we walk, I locate Logan. He has a couple bite marks marring his beautiful pelt, but otherwise looks okay. I brush against him and heal him before he has time to resist.
"How are you doing?" Logan wonders.
"I'm doing good. I've taken down a couple wolves," I say, feeling sick to my stomach. Logan sends me feelings of comfort.
"Remember that we are fighting to protect Faelia and the other children," he reminds me. I huff a sigh.
"I know. I just don't feel right killing them." Our mental conversation is cut short by Blaine's wolves starting the attack again. His pack is greatly reduced, and only about forty wolves remain. Logan and I are separated quickly. I rip and slash, determined to weaken the wolves without engaging them in a fight. Soon, the only black wolf remaining in the clearing is Blaine. I command the other wolves to fall back. Blaine and I make our way to the center of the clearing. We both phase, and he starts talking.
"Ya know, all of this could have been avoided. So many unnecessary lives lost. Including your daughter's," Blaine hisses evilly. My blood runs cold.
"I swear, if you hurt Faelia," I growl, leaving the rest to his imagination.
"Oh, don't worry. I didn't hurt her. Yet," he grins maliciously. I hear a yowling, and a wolf is dragged into the clearing. Her golden pelt shines in the sun, despite the blood and bite marks.
"Faelia!" I gasp. I lunge forward, getting ready to phase when a force knocks me down from behind. A large man pins me to the ground, forcing me to watch as Faelia is brought in. I try to move my limbs, but am unsuccessful. Blaine walks languidly over to her. She growls at him. He phases into wolf form as well, then scrapes his claws across her nose. She yips in pain. I try to run to her, but am unable to. Blaine circles her, looking her over. Suddenly, he rips his teeth down her side. Blood spurts out of the mangled flesh. Faelia howls in agony. I struggle desperately, but to no avail. Blaine grabs Faelia's back leg, then bites down as hard as he can. I hear the bone splinter, and Faelia's body jerks in pain. An earsplitting howl of pain erupts from her throat. However, Blaine isn't done yet. He yanks backwards quickly. I watch in horror, gagging as Faelia's leg comes away from her body. She slumps, and I realize that she is unconscious. Blaine flings the leg in my direction. Tears stream down my face. "You bastard! Stop! She's just a kid!" I sob angrily. Blaine pays me no heed. The person on my chest slaps me.
"Shut up!" I growl weakly. I can hear the stunned silence behind me, and I know that my wolves are paralyzed with horror. They are afraid to do anything, afraid to anger Blaine any more. They know that at the first advance, Blaine will kill Faelia without a moments hesitation. Blaine continues to circle Faelia's still body. Blood gushes from her severed arteries, creating a crimson pool on the ground. At last, Blaine ends up at Faelia's throat. Once he is sure that I am watching, he deliberately grabs it with his teeth. He rolls her over, exposing her belly and neck. In one quick move, he tears Faelia's throat out. Blood rushes out in a torrent. I claw desperately at my captor's hands, trying to free myself so that I can go to my baby's side. My captor doesn't budge, despite my best efforts. To add insult to the injury, Blaine slits open Faelia's stomach with his claws. He paws the entrails out, then pauses. After digging around for a while, his head surfaces, his muzzle streaked with Faelia's blood. He has something in his mouth, which I can't quite make out. My body is going numb, and some part of my brain realizes that I am going into shock. Blaine pads over to me, and drops the contents of his mouth at my feet. It takes a second for my brain to realize what I'm looking at. It is Faelia's heart.
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