only one more chapter to go until i reach 50, wow i have like no life, lol. horrible little surprise in this chapter, hope you hate/love it:D
claimer: yes i totally own this (thats what i would say if i was CP, which im not...)
49.-Rose of darkness
I stared at the werewolf wide-eyed, mentally locking away the information she had just told me. Then I remembered something else I had meant to ask her about, seeing as no one else knew much about it.
"Tala, what exactly is the wolf sword?" I said curiously, realizing with regret that Angela still guarded it, somewhere in the mountains.
She sighed, "That sword belonged to the very first of the werewolves and it only appears for a person if they are to accomplish some great feat that is to aid the werewolves in their quest to take back the land that was once theirs."
Once again I was being told about my destiny and I cringed involuntarily, I hated the fact that there was something of great power controlling my very life.
"Here is my final question, what is the truth about the black dragon egg, how did it really come to be in the packs' possession?" This question had been biting at my mind for months now. …Dorran, I shuddered at the name, hadn't been able to tell me of its origin and I hoped that the leader of the wolves would know something about it.
Her eyes took on a look of sadness and her golden orbs dulled considerably, "That egg was kept by the wolves after the dragon wars, hoping that one of us would become a rider and lead our race to take back our lands," He had told me as much. "But a few months ago two creatures flew above our village, searching for the egg, and fighting each other for the right to keep it. One was this huge flying bird-type monster, the other a great bird made entirely of crackling flames, a Phoenix; something that hadn't been seen in these lands for many millennia. We knew what they wanted and I passed the egg to the nearest wolf, which just happened to be Dorran, and told him to flee and guard it with his life. He managed to escape just before our whole life burst into flames around us and we were forced to take shelter by the moon pond."
I stared at her, the story of what had happened seemed surreal, but at the same time I believed it, what else could have made a village erupt into flames, besides a dragon that is.
"Thank you for telling me this, it has helped me to understand what I am up against, and perhaps even how to defeat them. But now I must go, it was definitely good to see you again." I needed to get out of there fast, now that I knew what Shifters were I was scared, their power greatly outmatched my own. But maybe that didn't matter, maybe, as Tala had said; the fact that I could actually think straight would be my greatest weapon.
She smiled at me and I left, noticing that it was now sunrise, the fiery sky overhead filtering bright through the forest trees. A few wolves and humans worked slowly on repairs, having probably been out there all through the night as well.
I disappeared into the trees, feeling more alone than ever, I knew deep down that I was meant to save the land with Dorran, but I just couldn't bring myself to face him ever again, he had trampled my heart, chewed, and spit it out, I could never forgive him for that.
I wondered idly through the forest, not watching where I was going, and not caring either. If I died right there it would be a blessing, I just didn't care about anything anymore. No, that wasn't true. I cared about the people that were being victimized everyday, every second, by the unforgiving empire, and I was their only hope of leading them to victory. At least that was what I kept being told anyway.
I was startled from my thoughts when I realized where my feet had led me and unwanted tears welled to my eyes, wow I was becoming such a crybaby. In front of me stood my house, or what was left of it anyway. The strange thing, though, was that even as tears traveled down my cheeks I didn't feel anything, didn't feel sadness, or anger, nothing.
What he had done was definitely leaving its mark in my mind.
I picked my way through the overgrown weeds and shrubbery, not caring when the thorns dug into the undersides of my feet. All that was left was a pile of almost unrecognizable blackened wooden beams that had supported the house and the iron skeleton of my grandmothers' cauldron-type thing, and surprisingly, the remains of the potion were there too, apparently unable to be washed away by rain or absorbed into the earth. I bent down and touched the liquid cautiously, waiting for my fingers to start burning or something. But instead the substance was cool on my skin, the mixture taking on a silvery hue when it left my fingertips, then returned back to its normal brown color.
I looked around and entered the section that had been our kitchen, the remains of the dining table poking out of the soggy rubble with termite holes running the length of the wood. I rummaged around and soon found a bottle that hadn't been broken, and I carried it back to the potion, my hands bleeding painlessly. I scooped as much of the mixture as I could; it had to be useful for something didn't it? Why else had my grandmother slaved over the bubbling foul-smelling liquid for as long as I could remember? When the glass was full I attached it to my belt, not the smartest thing to do but it was all I could think of at that point seeing as I had no bags or anything.
I sighed, there was a reason I had been dreading of coming here. I slowly made my way back into the forest, towards my grandmothers' grave. I didn't feel like flying, knowing that I would get there faster if I did, and I was trying to prolong my visit as long as possible.
The sun was high in the sky when I finally arrived, the air seeming to turn green with the sunlight filtering from between the treetops. I emerged into the rose-filled clearing, remembering what had occurred here not three months before. Her crystalline grave was how we had left it, the surface dazzling in the bright light and near-to blinding me as I advanced towards it, my eyes dry and under control for once.
I knelt beside the tomb, my hand trailing over the smooth, diamonded surface, over the forever encased roses and over the flowing black writing that he had created. My eyes rested on the roses though; there was something different about them. Then I noticed, one of the crystal roses was a glimmering onyx, how I hadn't realized it earlier I had no clue. I stroked the velvety surface, feeling his power and his very presence. My heart clenched and even though I pretty much hated his guts right now I still missed him being here, keeping me company, I really hated being alone.
I don't know how long I stayed there, one hand on the black rose, staring into space, but I could feel, as it grew darker, the full moon rising and the predatory side of my mind overtaking my human side, and I felt power surge through me, turning me into my wolf form.
I hated it when my mind was not my own and my body could do pretty much whatever it pleased, I leapt up and ran into the trees, passed the countless rose bushed and into the eerie silence of the forest. It had to be the one night every month when the entire woods was quiet, the small and easy prey animals obviously knew that there were things out there only to happy to eat them tonight.
In the distance I could hear the many different howling calls of the wolves, each unique and various pitches, the only sounds that echoed around the entire forest.
I felt a sudden urge to join them in their hunting, but I supposed I was getting better at self control because I was able to resist and continue in the opposite direction, into the darkness.
The bottle full of potion had obviously been too much to morph into my body because it hung from around my waist on Dorran's belt, swinging in time with my bunching muscles, along with the Shifter talisman around my neck. My claws sank deeper into the soft earth and my breaths came in pants as I continued on, the freedom of which I ran sending sensations of enjoyment through my body, I felt like I was flying, going at speeds that far surpassed any other land animal definitely had its advantages. I recalled why I was able to do that too, the werewolves had the strength of elves and wolves combined, making it easier to catch the Shifters, maybe it would aid me to hunt them down as well.
Suddenly a scent washed up my nose and I followed it, it smelt amazing, like the forest, but slightly different, fresh and pine-needle-y, but also kind of dark and mysterious, strange.
I sped through the forest, my nose near the floor, tracking the smell. I didn't know why I was, but it gave me something to do, I thought.
But then the scent faded and disappeared completely and I slowed down, confused, how could that had just…gone?
I shook my head, why did it matter anyway? My feet padded forward and I came across a large black rock that looked like some sort of mountain. I traveled around it and came across a cave carved into the side of stone, and entered, suddenly realizing how tired, and hungry, I was. I curled up on the hard rocky floor at the back of the cavern and closed my eyes, discovering that if I wasn't running my wolf instincts remained at bay, dormant and un-disturbing.
I must have slept for only a few hours because when I woke up it was still dark out. I looked around, wondering what had woken me for I was still tired and knew I could easily sleep more.
Something big and dark lingered at the entrance of the cave, its movements almost silent and incredibly stealthy in the noiseless forest behind it. My hackles raised and I leapt to my paws, my silver fur bristling and my claws scratching at the rock covered ground.
The creature regarded me silently, its eyes so dark that I couldn't even see if it was looking at me or somewhere else. It cocked its head to one side, as if trying to decide something, and took a step closer, its moves hesitant and cautious.
Then suddenly its deep and familiar voice growled, "K-Kalanie?" its tone one of disbelief and relief at the same time. I stood rigid, my breathing stopped completely and my eyes widened in amazement.
It was Dorran, I was sure of it.
I growled and leapt, there was no way he was going to get away unharmed this time.
hehe, Kalanie's gonna kill him...:D cant wait to write it, hehehe. ugh, my fingers hurt after an all-day guitar hero marathon so it was like torture to write this, but it was worth it coz i won:D
PLEASE REVIEW!!!!- tons of love to everyone that has, i'd list all your names but it would be too long:D
-Firesilk:D
