I Who Should Not Be
Chapter 13
As they walked back toward the camp, Arya noticed that Onika's eyes darted to the right into the woods. When she turned her head the little the Kenbosi on her shoulder was knocked from it's perch on her shoulder and had to grab her hair to be saved from falling to the ground. At first Onika would tip her head to listen to something that the others couldn't hear, then continue to walk. Finally she froze and when Arya asked why, the Wolfborn held a hand up for silence.
:Danger. Pups…:
Suddenly the Kenbosi scattered away from the Wolfborn, racing for the cover of their trees and bushes. The elf barely had time to register that she had no idea what Onika had said before Murtagh gave a shout for the Wolfborn to stop and the woman had taken off into the woods.
Eragon looked to Murtagh as they all chased after the woman, sending a mental message to Saphira. It was simple, only three words: Come to me.
Murtagh shouted over his shoulder that Onika had heard pups and that there was danger. Other than that he knew nothing.
Onika ran, and as she charged through the forest she did not change. The trees were too thick here, but they wouldn't be soon. Soon she would be right where the Shade had attacked, and that place had always had far fewer trees even before the evil creature's magic had destroyed everything. Her heart was racing and her breathing was ragged, and her mind was flickering back to the darkest day of her life so often that she didn't notice something very important. The Kenbosi that had fled were back, flying through the trees and rattling in their strange language at her. One bravely leapt out of it's tree and caught on to her hair and hung there as it rattled at her.
:Shut up!:
With a snarl, she shook her head and flung the spirit out of her hair. The little creature spun through the air and slammed into Murtagh's face, drawing a surprised yelp from the dark haired man. He reached up and peeled the little creature off his face and looked at it as he ran, the little thing shook it's oversized head, producing it's loud boney rattling.
"I don't understand you!"
The creature scowled at him and crossed it's arms, pointing the direction that the Wolfborn was running.
I won't let it happen again! I won't let the pups die!
Onika pushed herself harder, ignoring her screaming lungs and the blood that was leaking out of her mouth from her biting her tongue and overexertion. She was almost there, she could hear the pups crying still, a little girl and a boy. What were they doing this far away from home?!
She burst into the blasted clearing, a challenge rumbling in her chest. She came to a halt at the sight of two blood covered children that were clinging to each other, screaming. Her heart stopped and she felt tears in her eyes. She recognized these two children, they were her own cousins! She wasn't the only one who lived! She ran toward the pair, holding out her hands to scoop them up once she got close enough, growling and barking words of comfort. Suddenly, she froze. Taking a deep breath, she finally noticed what was missing that she hadn't been able to find before in her haste.
These children, pups from her old pack, had no scent.
She lunged toward the children who looked at her with eyes that showed relief to see her, and slammed into the hard ground behind them. She turned and stared at the children as rain began to fall. The two looked at her for a moment before wavering and vanishing like a mirage of the desert that she had begun her life in. Onika shrieked and clawed at the air where the two children had been, like she could drag them back from where they were.
Murtagh looked up to see the three dragons flying overhead and begin to land. He and his brother, followed one second later by Arya, came into the clearing to see that Onika was clawing at her face and keening. The dragons stood near her, Mishee laying on the ground making low groaning sounds. Saphira was holding her head beside the golden dragon's, her eyes looking first to the Wolfborn, then to her dragon.
Onika's eyes were glassy and empty of anything but sorrow, her hair hanging in wet ropes around her pale face and down her back. Arya and the others approached slowly, Murtagh leaning down further and further as he got closer, remembering what she said about not being threatening if you made yourself smaller. She looked up as they got to be about a foot away.
:They're still here…I could have protected them, and I didn't. I wasn't there when they needed me. It was my fault that the pups…the pups…:
Her words were cut off by a sob and she threw her head back and made sounds that Murtagh never knew could be made. Her cries and howls twisted his heart and lungs, and he wondered if somebody could die just listening to the sounds of a broken heart.
Then, to his surprise, Thorn took three ponderous steps and laid down beside the Wolfborn and stretched one ruby wing over her, shielding her from the cold rain.
Are you three going to talk to her, or are you going to stand there like drooling idiots?
The three walked under the wing, sitting down near Onika.
"What happened that day, Onika?"
Her empty eyes rested on Murtagh at the sound of his voice, her lip lifting in a slight snarl.
"My life…ended."
A/N
I'm sorry about the depressing chapter. The next one will be too, probably a lot worse. I can't write happy right now. I miscarried and so… it may be a while til I post again. I will try to write though, because it seems to help the pain.