Rachel stood outside with Bailey enjoying a bowl of freshly picked fruit. The two were sat in front of F.S. Hall waiting for Caspian. They were not allowed inside.
All Rachel could think about is Quinn and Beth. Wondering if they were safe and itching to rush out and find them but she couldn't.
"Caspian." A tall tan man with a broad frame stood before Caspian slightly bowing with Caspian returning the gesture.
"Zaku."
"I know why you are here." Zaku said.
"Than you know-"
"Yes."
"How is this possible? How could this woman b-"
"There is a prophecy that has not been spoken of or written, for it would cause destruction. Thirst for power will rise more harshly than these times."
"What prophecy?"
"The prophecy of the four elements. The legacy of earth, wind, fire and water. The life of galaxy and realm."
"I don't understand?"
"You are not suppose to. You are just part of the design just as I am. We must keep this quiet but you must save her. If you do not, not only will earth perish but all will perish at the hands of conquer."
Santana held Maggie in her arms as she crept through the forest. She kept her steps as light as she could.
It has been another three days of searching for her wife and son. Her friends and family.
Santana was slowly losing her hope. The little girl in her arms has been crying for her wife and it's killing her. She doesn't know what else to do.
She's had to run four times already from those things and was almost caught once.
She was losing the will to keep going but knew in her heart that she had to keep going despite everything because her daughter needed her. Britney would be so disappointed in her if she gave up.
But damn, it was getting a little easier every other hour to consider giving up.
Quinn and Beth had been walking at a slow pace. Quinn couldn't go any faster. They had left Rachel, Caspian and Bailey a day and a half ago and it has been hell.
It was hard for Quinn to crutch herself through the snow. Beth was tired from carrying the heavy pack. They took a lot more breaks than they should have considering how unsafe they were.
Beth knew her mother was losing steam a little more everyday. She hadn't had time to really recuperate after waking up.
Quinn gasped than tripped falling forward into the snow making a pained hiss but doing her best to be quiet.
"Mom!" Beth whispered as she rushed to kneel beside her and her mother up.
"Damn it." Quinn whispered with thick emotion. Her leg throbbed severely.
She couldn't go more than 30 minutes without needing to stop. At this rate they'd never find their group. Even if they did, she'd just slow them down or possibly get them killed.
"Are you okay?" Beth asked sweetly as she helped her mother sit on a dead fallen tree.
Quinn was silent as she bit her lip and rocked her body softly back and forth as she waited for the throbbing to subside.
"B-Beth.. Sweetie, we need to talk." Quinn rushed out in a pained whisper.
"What?"
"I need you to listen to me."
"...Okay.."
"Honey.. I'm not-I'm not going to make it."
"No!"
"Beth please! We both know at the rate we're going we won't make it. They'll catch us. I can't let my own injury be the cause of your death."
"I'm not leaving you!" Beth hissed in anger.
"Beth, even if we found the group I'd still slow them down and possibly get them kill-"
Just than Beth and Quinn's eyes bulged than their hearts thudded madly in their chest. It was the whirring sound and it wasn't far this time. It was headed straight for them.
Rachel felt her stomach bottom out for some reason. She felt her chest grip with anxiety. She felt her self fill with something but then Caspian stepped out the door of S.F. Hall.
Rachel and Bailey got to their feet.
"Well?" Rachel asked quietly looking behind her to make sure no one was paying them mind.
"I can't discuss it here. We must go any way. I'll tell you everything then."
Rachel nodded than grabbed Bailey's hand as they left.
Mercedes helped Mike across a little patch of ice. It was day time and the temperature was dropping further.
They were freezing and looking for a place to hide. Just then Mercedes' head snapped up as she heard the crunch of snow to her left. Her eyes whipped to the sound than bulged.
"O-Oh my god.." Mercedes said as she stopped completely.
Mike stopped in worry than followed her gaze. "Oh shit.."
"Santana!" Mercedes whispered as harshly as she could to the brunette carefully walking with Maggie in her arms.
Santana stood straighter at the sound thinking she was imagining it.
She looked to her right and her lips immediately began to quiver as her eyes welled and she shook her head refusing to believe what she was seeing.
Mercedes and Mike began to move toward her with renewed vigor. Santana choked on a sob as she followed suit. Soon they reached each other.
Mercedes and Santana hugged as best they could with Maggie between them. None of them could believe it. None of them could have predicted it. They found survivors of their group. It was a miracle.
"Get away from her!" Beth screamed using the piece of rotted wood to hit the monster from behind.
The monster whipped around on the young blonde and Beth staggered back quickly in fear but she felt relief that she managed to distract it from her mother.
The thing stomped toward her and her tears began coming in waves as she realized not only is the thing bigger than she thought but she was about to die.
"NO! LEAVE HER ALONE!" Quinn shouted as she fought her body to stand. She took one step on her injured leg but it gave out beneath her as pain surged through her body.
She fell face first into the snow but that didn't stop her. The pain wouldn't stop her as she began half crawling half dragging herself toward the frame that was towering over her daughter.
Beth staggered in a backward walk in fear as the figure trudge toward her. The things mouth opened wide as some sort of thick slimy thing sleathered from it's mouth having a mouth of it's own.
Beth's eyes were wide and her lips trembled. Whatever the hell it was, wasn't like the others. This was different.
Gruesomely different and it scared her into submission. Everything that Rachel taught her vanished instantly as her fight mood abandoned her and her flight mode kicked in.
She kept backing away as it followed. She shook her head as her tears came in waves. She could hear her mother's voice but it was muffled by the blood rushing her ears.
Just than Beth gasped as she felt her foot give way to nothingness behind her as her body fell back and her eyes widened when she realized that she had been in such fear that she walked backward over the high cliff.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
"BBBBBBBEEEEEETTTTTHHHHH!"
Quinn and Beth screamed simultaneously. Quinn's heart plummeted as she watched her daughter fall backwards disappearing over the cliff in under a second.
The sound of Beth's fearful scream resounded in her ears as her own anguished wail tore from her throat.
The monster whipped back around on her and all she could do was cry for her daughter.
She felt a large hand like grip on her collar before she was suspended into the air coming face to face with the monster. The blonde's anger took over and she began punching the thing with all she had.
Beth's eyes were wide as she fell at top speed. The water and the large jagged rocks coming closer with every second.
She shut her eyes bracing herself for impact when she suddenly felt strong arms encase her waist and her body jerk upward.
Her eyes opened in surprise and she gasped when she realized she was soaring two feet from the water, than was flown upward away from the thrashing waves.
She was flying.
Before she knew it her feet were touching solid ground again.
She stumbled for a moment getting her bearings than her eyes widened when she turned around to come face to face with Rachel.
But the brunette was no longer shorter than her. She was standing at about seven feet and 2 inches.
The brunette's eyes were no longer brown but were flashing gold in their anger taking in the scene before her.
Her clothing torn in ways to accommodate her body's broad figure, shoulders round and boulder like with bulging biceps.
Her abs chiseled and strong with large hands that were mighty looking. Hands that could possibly cover Beth's entire head and face.
Her large, strong, muscular legs that looked as powerful as a race horse with a tail so thick you'd think it was a python except for the fact that it had smooth short hair that would convince you it was a tail of a lion with the small brown tuff of hair at the end.
But most of all, her large massive impressive feathered wings the color of the brunette's hair, chocolate brown.
Rachel's mouth opened and her fangs sharp and pearly white were on display when the brunette took a deep breath than let out a roar so reminiscent to a lion but more powerful than any species on earth.
So powerful in fact it shook the ground, causing Beth to stumble back and fall on her ass with wide fearful eyes.
Beth screamed when the brunette lunged, shutting her eyes briefly in fear before opening them again to find the brunette in scuffle with the monster that had attacked them.
Spotting her mother on the ground just mere feet from the fight, Beth jumped to her feet and ran straight for her.
Quinn jumped out of her skin when she felt hands grabbing hold of her.
"It's me! Mom, it's me!"
"B..Beth! Beth! Oh god, Beth!" Quinn cried in desparate relief as the two hugged but only briefly as another monster jumped from the bushes headed straight for them but was intercepted by another large winged beast. It looked like Caspien.
Beth helped Quinn to her feet and looped her mother's arm over her shoulder as the two tried to escape but was cornered once more.
Beth shoved her mother to the side when what looked like an arrow was shot at them and caught Beth by a nip when the teenager dived out of the way. Beth scream as she felt her skin burning continuously.
The monster stalked toward the teenager but was grabbed by the head when a much smaller winged beast wrapped it's tail around it's neck and tightened it's hold.
Before gripping the roof of the monsters mouth and bottom jaw pulling with might as the monster roared in obvious pain as the smaller beast pulled the monsters head clean off it's jaw.
The small winged beast released the body as it fell and flipped forward landing in front of the two blonde's with a smile, it's tail whipping like a playful cat.
"Bailey?"
"Bailey?"
Quinn and Beth asked in shock simultaneously.
"Can't believe it's you!" Mercedes cried as she held on tight to Santana.
"Me either." Santana cried.
The two released each other as Santana went to hug Mike, he stopped her.
"I wish I could hug you but I can't."
"Why?"
"Because he got hurt saving my life."
"No, I got hurt because I was stupid to run into something that isn't human. The saving your life part was a given."
"Argh!" Beth grunted out as her arm began to flame where the arrow hit. Quinn's eyes darted from Bailey to her daughter.
"Beth?! Beth, what wrong?!" Quinn asked in a panic as Beth's body began to tremble and her eyes welled with tears.
Quinn began to crawl toward her daughter her throbbing leg be damned.
"H-Honey, what's wrong?!" Quinn asked frantically but all Beth could give her was a howl of pain as her tears cascaded hotly down her red face.
Just than shadows cast over them. Quinn looked up and gasped at the sight of Rachel, Caspian, and Bailey still in their beast forms.
"Caspian." Rachel said with worry and he immediately scooped up Beth.
Rachel dipped low and scooped Quinn up as if she were nothing but a puff of cloud, lighter than a air it's self.
Rachel's eyes snapped to Quinn's when the blonde gasped in surprise and slight fear. The two stared at each other.
"Don't worry, Quinn. I promise no one will hurt you." Rachel said so softly and full of earnest that Quinn's eyes softened.
The two were jolted from their staring contest when the whirring sound was heard in the distance.
Rachel nodded at Caspian and Quinn gasped once more when the whip of Caspian's wings shot him into the air like a rocket with a writhing in pain Beth in his arms followed closely by Bailey. The gust of wind surprised Quinn with it's force.
"Hey." Rachel said softly. Quinn looked at her.
"Every things going to be okay. I've got you both." With that Rachel shot into the air as well and Quinn almost pissed her pants as the ground beneath them disappeared to almost nothing, they were that high.
The brunette soared through the clouds using it as a shield. Quinn felt the cold hit her more severely except for the areas that Rachel's skin was making contact. Those areas felt warm and comfortable like she was laying in front of a toasty fire.
They flew across the skies and found themselves back at the cave. Caspian rushed up the steps made of boulder. Rachel followed.
The moment they got Beth to lay down on the ground, Caspian gripped her sweater where the arrow hit and tore it open.
Quinn gasped with wide eyes at the pulsing red flesh that not only had a yellow/green tint to it but was also oozing something unnatural.
"Oh my god, what is that?!" Quinn asked in a panic beside her crying daughter.
"That.. is the arrow of possid." Rachel said with anger in her tone.
"What?!"
"It's a poisoned arrow." Rachel answered.
"Poison?!"
"Yes but I can't explain right now. We're running out of time. I'll be back shortly." With that Rachel turned on her heel and rushed out.
Caspian grabbed the pack with the folded cot and opened it, setting it up before laying Beth in it.
"What.. What can I do?! Please whatever it is tell me!" Quinn asked desperately.
"Right now there's nothing we can do. We must wait for Rachel." Caspian said sadly.
Bailey walked over to Beth. She climbed over the teenager and laid across her chest encasing her arms around Beth. Quinn was about to tell her that maybe she should stay away because she didn't want her to be touch by whatever Beth had but than her jaw dropped.
Bailey's eyes flashed pure white. The white traveled throughout her body and began covering every inch of Beth. Beths cries went from sobs to whimnpers to the occasional grunt. BAiley held her allowing her light to flow through them not moving an inch.
Quinn looked at Caspian stunned. "How?.." The blonde asked breathlessly.
Caspian smiled. "How do you think you healed so fast?"
Santana, Mercedes and Mike were sat huddled by another dead tree. The trio needed a break.
They had been walking for miles and finally found a tree good enough to hide beneath the hollow.
They were silent and hunched over as the loud whirring sound not even twenty feet behind them had them in tears.
They had been really scared shitless when they heard a loud roar that sounded like a large beast echo across the woods nearby. They had felt the ground quake beneath them.
Whatever made the sound had them shaking uncontrollably and now the dogs were closing in on them.
They were too scared to move. Santana had a hand clamped over Maggie's mouth as the baby cried in fear. They couldn't move an inch or they were dead.
Rachel flew over the expanse of land eyes taking in the herd below her.
It was the spot she, Caspian, and Bailey had found Quinn and Beth.
They were circling the area and Rachel knew they found something there.
On any other day she would have swooped down and checked what was down there but Beth needed her more in the moment.
So she continued not knowing that part of Quinn's group was literally minutes away from being found.
