Control 21

Chapter 21- Shadows attack

Brennan was right behind her to his amazement. She seemed to be, gradually, slowing down, but he kept up his sprint after her. Slow running for her was a real work out of a run for Brennan.

When she did stop, she gripped with white knuckles on a tree branch. Brennan only hoped she was taking her anger out on the tree. He half expected the thing to snap in two, and when it creaked under her grip, knew it just might.

"... Shalimar..."

He tried to keep the fear out of his voice, already knowing that those golden eyes that she once flashed at enemies would turn on him.

Her head slowly turned, but she never lifted her eyes off the ground he stood on, as if expecting it to swallow him whole. But he remained.

After a few seconds of her stare, her head whipped back in the other direction, knowing that he wasn't her imagination. He wouldn't suddenly vanish, but be there to look into her golden eyes. Her hand increased its grip, making sap from the branch leak out and spill over her clenched fist.
She couldn't deal with him now, couldn't deal with him being there... so close.

Brennan took a weary step towards her, not trying to startle her into running away again. His heart skipped when she clenched more forcefully on the branch, allowing the sap to leak away as if it was dying in her grip.

Slowly, he made his way around her, not getting close. She freaked the last time they had been close. The memory made him bite his lower lip with worry, not knowing how to take the next step.

When he was standing in front of her, he slowly lifted a limp hand, showing he wasn't any threat, and with that, drew nearer with baby steps.

Shalimar didn't have to see him, as her eyes were glued to the dirt covered woods floor, but she could feel his movement. It only reminded her how linked the two of them were... a how that may suddenly just vanish with her foolish actions.

When he was three feet away, he stopped, and lifted her chin with his left hand, ignoring the burn of reminder his right side gave him. He knew not to corner her, but if he didn't confront her now, when she was willing to on some level, talk to him.

The contact was soft as if could have possibly got. When her eyes levelled with his, he saw her tears and the frustration hidden behind her eyes. Sighing, he wiped them away as softly as he could.

His skin felt so soft on her skin, awakening her weakness over him. Her eyes refused to turn away at her command; even her body denied her any control.

Clenching her eyes shut, She suddenly had her arms in a tight lock around him, totally dependent on him. She let her emotions swell in her till she felt she might pop like a balloon... and then, she did. The water waiting over the dam wall spilled some droplets over the top, before galloping over and shattering the dam in the process.

Brennan clung to her, as she seemed to grip him with steel arms. He felt her shiver, and then she sagged, losing all her strength. He allowed him self to drop with her. The contact to the ground seemed to come from far away, allowing them a moment of peace.

Shalimar hung her head on his chest, just under his chin, while she listened to the rhythm of his breathing, and his heart beat. When her eyes reopened, they were brown.

She moved slightly back, wiping the tears away with the blur of her hand. She couldn't only imagine how foolish she must have looked, but Brennan held a small smile, one that he only showed for her.

He pulled her back into his hold, her back now to his chest, and he allowed the noises all around him, to seep into his brain, shutting him off from the rest of the confusion, and all the emotion. There was utter peace out in the woods that was why Adam had been more willing to bring Shal. She needed peace, if it was just for one second.

His arms tightened, as his heart was gripped with a fear that was shown to him a while ago. Some times, he couldn't protect her... couldn't stop the pain from reaching her.

Dropping his eyes closed, he concentrated on her and the feel of her back against him, as it shifted with her breathing.

Shalimar's eyes dropped shut the instant Brennan pulled her into his hold. Once again, the feral had suddenly quietened, becoming nothing but a buzz from far away. She wished it would stay that way.

His arms held her more tightly, and she shifted, making it easier for them both to sit comfortable.

Minutes must have went by, but the silence, and yet the roar of all the noises around her seemed to have cast all the voices out of her head, leaving her to stand alone with him... in peace.

His entwined his fingers with hers, allowing it to rest on her leg. She didn't seem to mind him being close suddenly, and he was grateful. He was tempted to try and hold her before, when she was bandaging his room. He could almost feel the feral taking over in her. His heart gave a small twinge, as his mind gave a silent whimper.

'...I'm losing her... ' He felt an old emotion come into play. The emotion that showed his stubbornness to following some orders, from accepting defeat. He wouldn't allow it. He'd do every thing it took to make sure she got better. He knew she wasn't sick, but she seemed on the edge of her self.

The wind blew as her nostrils took in the scents brought to her on the wind, giving her a relaxing moment. She lifted her head to look back at Brennan, who looked slightly worried.

Sitting up slightly, she turned to him, laying her arms on his shoulders, around his neck. His brown eyes lifted to hers and for a moment she was lost. The worry was taking hold of him, because of her.

Sighing, she felt her own forehead crease in worry.

Brennan's head dropped against hers, resting his forehead against hers, trying to share the moment a bit longer.

His eyes levelled with her, and he slowly dropped his head closer to her. Her head lifted to him, them both looking like they were under a spell of each other. The pull on each of them came back once again, giving them more incentive to follow it.

"Brennan..."

Instantly, Brennan felt a ball of anger swell up in him. Crunching his fist and looking at the small metal ring, which had spoken to him, he glanced wearily at Shalimar. She had moved back, and held a small smile. Even she was use to them being interrupted at the worst of times.

Sighing in frustration, Brennan lifted his hand and answered the call.

"Ye..."

The voices once again came alive in the small ring.

" Brennan... why didn't you answer sooner. Where are you? Where is Shalimar? Is she with you? Have you found her?"

All the answers came from Jesse, as Brennan knew he would be worried. Him and Shalimar were like brother and sister. He gave Shalimar an amused smirk, already seeing her return it.

"Ye Jess. I got here. We'll be back in a few minutes".

Jesse's voice once again came through, but Brennan wasn't listening. Shalimar sat looking at him, a small glint of disappointment in her eyes. Standing up, he offered her a hand up, and with a sigh, she took it. The moment was gone, once again. He caught her eyes, trying to send her small message in the look. She seemed to get it, as her face held a small mystify smirk. 'Later...'

As Brennan stood, his butt gave a pang of pain, and he covered it with his hands, trying to bite back a small groan of pain.

Shalimar laughter came to him, making him look at her. She was shaking her head, "I did the same... on the hill?"

Brennan nodded, allowing his own smirk to come back to him.

She started to lead the way, as he trailed behind, still gripping his butt. Walking wasn't very good he knew. A small thought came to him, on whether to ask Adam to see if any thing maybe broken.

His gave a small chuckle of laughter at the though. Adam telling him whether he had broken some thing in his butt. The thought on how Adam would find out made the smirk grow to a grin.

Shalimar looked back at him, and Brennan lost his breath as the sun caught her hair, making it glow. He knew his mouth was open when she gave him a smirk of joy. She was doing it on purpose.

They were 100 feet away from the mansion when Shalimar stopped dead in her tracks. Brennan half expected to see her smirk again, but when she turned to inspect the woods around them, her face was stone cold, and held those fierce golden eyes.

Brennan froze as they passed over him. It was only a second, but he couldn't help let some fear creep into him when he unconsciously started to listen to the things around him.

Shalimar came towards him, and griped his hand, forcing him in front of her and pushing him on to the mansion.

Brennan tried to turn and look at her, but her persistent pushing seemed to say he was walking to slow.
"...Shal... What is it-"?

Some thing black flashed across the brink of the woods, making his insides suddenly numb. He couldn't tell whether he was walking, running, or simply being shoved more urgently, but it all stopped, and Shalimar spun to face some thing.

Brennan lost his incentive to reach the mansion, as soon as Shalimar stopped moving with him. She was walking towards a group of trees, going towards a dark spot of trees.

Shalimar allowed her golden eyes to flash in a threat to the thing following them, determined to show she wasn't weak.

The shadow she was heading towards, gave a low warning growl, but she continued to stalk forwards. Most animals don't like the confrontation and 7 out of 10 times, flee. When she was 5 feet from the bush, the thing leapt at her. She dropped and rolled under it, only catching a glimpse of black fur as it flew over her.

When she was on her stomach, flat on the floor, her mind froze. '...Brennan!'.

Brennan saw the thing as it emerged, and instantly the dream shot back into the open of his mind, screaming of its realism. He was frozen for a second as it landed gracefully on the dirt-covered ground.

It was like a wolf in more ways than one. Its fur looked thick like a wolfs, and the shape seemed right, but the size was unreal. Just on its four huge paws the size of his hand, it was up to his waist in height, and a huge head holding golden eyes took him in its view.

It looked back at Shal, but his reaction was quick. His hand sparkled with electricity, and that energy, was already souring towards the thing, to get it away from Shal. It didn't even look, but had dodged his attack.

Seemingly in a fluent motion it had done that the second its paws touched the ground and was like a bullet, racing towards him.

Fumbling in a panic, Brennan sparked his hand up, and through a bolt of electricity at it. Its body gave a gesture of water, as it dodged around the shot, and continued to close in.

Panic gave him a lousy aim. Trying to concentrate, he through countless bolts of electricity with both hands, trying to hit the thing, while also being careful not to catch Shalimar who was behind it all.

Shalimar's fear and recent nightmare had started to come true in front of her. She saw as the thing was easily dodging Brennan, and closing in on him. The feral clawed at her mind, screaming to do some thing. But her mind refused to move, to do any thing but make her watch.

Brennan held a bolt back waiting for it to get closer. When it was less than ten feet away, it suddenly cut its straight course to him off, and leapt into the woods. Brennan held his energy, waiting, but the woods mocked him with there silence.

Keeping the energy, he went to Shalimar, where she still lay, and started to help her up. The black shadow in the woods suddenly appeared, behind Shal and not 10 feet away.

Shalimar felt him tense and tried to face the thing before it disappeared again. To her shock, Brennan gave her a small shove, and she was on the dirty ground again. As soon as she landed, a black cloak of a shadow was flying directly over her, inches away.

Brennan felt the charge of his electricity double, as he saw the thing already flying through the air. He gave Shal a small shove to the ground in a quick gesture, before he knew what was happening.

A spark of pain hit him when the beast collided with him, knocking off his feet and to the ground. The thing had its huge jaw locked on his left shoulder before they both hit the floor.

Brennan's reaction was a jolt of panic, before the energy he had before, shot, searing though the things right side of its stomach. Instantly, the jaw unlocked, as the thing was knocked off him. Brennan had unknowingly given almost all he had to get it off him. He had panicked when its teeth had tore though his shoulder, but now his right hand was sparked up, due to his damaged left shoulder, and arm.

The thing seemed to take him seriously now, and slowly climbed back up to its bulky height. A sudden scuttle off Shalimar, who was running to Brennan, and it, gave a small growl before shooting off into the woods, leaving no evidence except the bite in Brennan's shoulder it had been there.

Brennan dropped his hand, and rolled onto his back, griping at his injured shoulder. Shalimar wasted no time, and tore the bottom half of her shirt off, and pressed the material to Brennan's shoulder. The tears flowing from her eyes were a flow of all different emotions. Anger for not acting, Rage towards the thing that had bitten Brennan, fear for him, and a struggle on whether to go and hunt the thing down, or stay with him.

She gripped his left hand, already making the decision. "Brennan... can you feel this?"

Brennan gave a small nod, surprised that he felt suddenly so weak. His left arm was shaking slightly, as if twitching. He put the sudden weakness down to the adrenaline rush and shock of the bite, and the twitching was from the bite, so he had all the grounds covered.

He gripped Shalimar's hands, stilling them when she got frustrated she wasn't making the bleeding stop. She was losing it, so he slowly sat up, ignoring the burn in his shoulder that felt like lava, and gave her a small smile.

"Are you ok..."?

"AM I OK! Brennan. I'm calling Adam".

Once again she had started to fidget with her ring, ready to activate it. A flicker of some thing in the woods to their right, and Brennan had his hand ready, allowing the glow of energy to warn off what ever it was.

Chris sudden stepped out of the trees in the direction of the mansion. "What's going on here-" When he saw the wound on Brennan, he suddenly dropped every thing, and hesitated for a moment before approaching Shalimar and the wounded Brennan.

Ok guys, was that long enough.
Thx for the other replies guys, really enjoy them.

But it wont hurt for some replies to this.

Thx 4 reading

Tunder28