Twi-Fic
Genre: Supernatural Suspense
Character(s): Leah & the wolves
Suggested Listening: "Warriors" by Imagine Dragons
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
First Phases
Leah runs…naked…dodging trees and fallen limbs. Low hanging branches whip her—those stinging lacerations cutting into the tight flesh of her shoulders, her stomach, her breasts—as the unmarked path punishes her for the choice she made: to seek refuge in its densely wooded embrace.
Stampeding beasts at her back growl with mouths full of cotton, and moving through the forest, they pursue her. Their position compromised by the low, rumbling thunder at their feet.
They're hungry for—
She's the prey.
Her body is scratched and bloody, her arms are covered in red welts, and mud smears her knees, her hands, from the stumbles when her footing wasn't sure.
And she aches.
From the liquid marrow of her bones to the fine hairs covering her bronze skin, it's that deep, pulsating type of ache that weighs heavy on the soul and bends the spine toward the earth.
Still, Leah runs.
Breaking through the tree line—free from the menacing forest, free from the rough, bark-clad talons that grabbed at her and left pine needles tangled in her hair—she is afforded a moment of weightlessness, of hope. Purifying oxygen fills her starving lungs, and for this first time in days, she can breathe...until she notices the towering wall of rocks cocooning the grassy meadow...
And the massive, black wolf standing on a displaced boulder several feet away.
Having beaten her to the clearing, the animal is crouched low, a golden ring of fire blazing through its eyes, and crisp reality shocks her mind. She's been corralled.
She's been trapped.
Behind her, the ground shakes. Rolling shockwaves shoot through her body, consuming her, and the resonant sound echoes off the rock face. Their arrival is marked by a deafening change in pressure, attacking her from all directions, and Leah knows.
The other beasts are here.
Turning to face the oncoming fury, keeping the black wolf in view, she stares down her adversaries.
Several sets of yellow eyes appear from dark shadows recessed into the thick brush, and she clamps her jaw shut to keep her frantic heart from fleeing the confines of her throat. They advance—a burgeoning storm slinking into view—and she retreats, head jerking back and forth, individually locking onto each untamed beast.
She's surrounded, the black wolf still watching from its perch, yet she feels the lure of their call: a pull in her bones too strong to be denied, a brotherhood, a kindred spirit.
Buried images claw to the surface of her mind. Her father: grabbing his chest, falling to the ground—his last day on earth. Her brother: his shape changing into something gruesome…something powerful…something beautiful…
And she looks toward the sand-colored wolf with sudden recognition.
She hears their pleas, telling her it's not her fault, begging her to return...to remember...and the air around each animal shimmers.
Seeing through the cracks in her reality, the protective wall of her psyche crumbles, and Leah understands: she is one of them; this is where she belongs.
Finally. Acceptance.
Her joints snap, her muscles tear, her skin splits—the violent spasms wrenching her forward on all fours—and her howl pierces the heavens.
Finally. Peace.
*Alright, hit me with your thoughts and feels—if ya wanna. ;-)