Author Note: This chapter will be mostly in Claire's POV. But there will also be a third-person POV near the end because she's asleep.
Another day of traveling. It's been six days. I don't think any of us can handle this anymore. It's getting so bad that some of us are fainting or becoming lightheaded from a lack of food. Thanks to the rocks dripping down on us, we have fresh but not clean water daily. If we don't think of something, we will either try to find incests and rodents, which no one is down for eating, or die down here. Jim found food in the Darklands for two weeks. It was hard enough to find food for me for three months underground. And that was one person. Now add seven more people to that list. As we walk, I pick up a low feral growl echoing throughout the walls of rocks thanks to my heightened hearing senses, much like Jim's sense of smell. I think it's nothing and shrug it off. But the growl echoes and becomes louder after every second. I look around and begin to tense up. I look behind me, and the growling stops. I shiver when I hear it behind me again, squeezing Jim's hand.
"Claire, what's wrong?" He asks with concern.
"I heard an animistic growl," I whisper, slightly scared. "I think something is watching and/or following us."
Jim raises an eyebrow at me but picks up something too. After a moment, his face turns pale. "I hear it too." He says calmly but slightly nervous.
The growling continues, and I rush in front of our group. "Guys! Shhh! Stop! Something is following us?" I hiss.
"Who?" Steve asks before we hear a loud echo snarl, making us all jump and freeze.
"What was that?" Darci squeaks, trembling near Toby.
We all glance at each other, wondering who or what is making that noise. The growl becomes louder from the walls of the rocks, making everyone, specifically Mary and Darci, nervous, but we can't see or find anything but darkness between the stones.
Douxie summons his staff and lights up the big blue gem on it. "Where are you? What do you want?" He shouts, waving his staff around, looking frantically for something.
Then suddenly, the growling stops. We all wait silently, looking for something or someone to come out.
"Claire, Master Jim, watch out!" Blinky shouts.
Jim and I turn around and see a creature on a cliff jump and launch itself towards us. We see its sharp claws and teeth are out, ready to catch its prey. Jim freezes, his feet locked to the ground; he is too scared to move and looks like a deer in headlights, but adrenaline and rage boil inside me. No! No way am I going to let anything harm my friends, let alone my boyfriend. I feel my magic race with the pace of my heart. I jump before him, bend my feet, and launch at the creature. I feel my body change with the same features. In time, I get in front of Jim and push the beast out of the way. I wrestle the creature to the ground, but the beast pushes me back. I keep my balance and stand between the animal and Jim, growling in anger, preparing to pounce if the creature moves forward. And it does.
I launched myself toward the beast and struck them in the chest. I scratch the beast, and it tries to swipe at me, but I dodge it. I open my mouth and press my teeth on the beast's leg. We continue to wrestle, and I feel a stabbing pain in my shoulder. The beast is on my back and is tightly holding its teeth onto me. I struggle to push the creature off my back. I groan and feel skin or fur ripped off my back. The beast runs back to me, but I hit them against their side. The creature seems slightly bigger than me, but the adrenaline of protecting my friends kicks in, and the pain fades away, making me stronger against the monster. I growl at the creature, trying to be intimating to it, but the beast still runs to me, and we fight violently again. The creature throws me hard to the ground, but I quickly get up and dig my teeth into the creature's leg again. It howled in pain and tried to bite me back, but I ran around before the beast tackled me to the ground, trying to get a bite. I struggle with all my strength and latch the creature's neck, kicking it off me. I feel so much pain flowing in my body. I struggle to get up, only to fall, crying in pain. I hear the beast snarling. I see it get up and run toward my friends, ready to attack them, but I won't let that happen. I stand up, run and push the beast away from my friends. We wrestle, our mouths on each other's necks. It is a struggle.
I get out of the creature's grip and tackle it to the ground, but it slashes me in the face and bites me on the neck. It grips me so hard that I feel blood—my blood soaking against my fur. I struggle with all my strength to get up, but the creature is too strong. It throws me several feet, and I fall to the ground. At that moment, I feel the adrenaline fade out quickly, causing blood to rush to my head. I feel myself become weak and change back into my original body. I think of blood around me, making me lose all the feelings in my limbs.
"Claire!" I hear Jim scream behind me. A moment later, I feel a hand on my shoulder, lying on my back. "Claire! Claire! Please open your eyes!" I hear Jim's voice begs, shaking me.
I slowly open them to see a blurry vision of my boyfriend before me. "Jim-" I groan in pain.
"Shhh! Shhh! Shhh! It's ok. You're safe, and you're going to be alright." He whispers. Jim takes off his jacket and places it on my shoulder, near my collarbone, pushing hard on it.
I moan and cry. "Stop, Jim! I can-"
"No, Claire! You're bleeding so much! Let me help you!" Jim protests and continues to push harder on my wound.
Soon, I hear footsteps circle us. I listen to them yelling out questions and shouting. There isn't enough room to breathe. I open my mouth and suck in as much air as possible, but the pain pulls back my breath; feeling I'm being deprived of oxygen, and something is on my chest, pushing down on my lungs.
"Guys! Guys! Give her some space! She's bleeding, and she's stressed!" I hear Jim hiss.
"Let me help." I hear Zoe say calmly.
I hear footsteps near my ears and look up to see a blurry vision of Zoe's vibrant pink hair. I shiver as her cold fingers press upon my forehead. She shushes me while I feel a sharp sting before a soothing liquid-like feeling travels through my body. It cools down my muscles, letting my healing magic spread, but it sucks out my strength more, feeling the sensation of free falling. I try to stop and fight my healing powers, thinking or something different, but that just makes it worse and drains the life out of me. So I quit, not wanting to die from my magic.
I hear growling and flashes from a fight, but I can't move. Thankfully, it ends, but I'm scared of the aftermath. "It's ok, Sis. Nymeria won." I hear NotEnrique whisper.
"Is she ok?" I hear her ask softly.
I feel lightheaded and exhausted from the fight. I slowly look at Jim and close my eyes, drifting off to sleep.
Nymeria waits a bit after the creature runs away before walking toward the group. "Is she ok?" She says softly.
"Claire is bleeding very badly, but now she's calming down and healing herself," Zoe replies, her hands still on Claire's head.
"But that means she'll be too weak for a while, maybe even a whole day," Douxie says with concern.
"Douxie, it's an instinct, and she can't help when stressed." Nymeria hisses at him. "But we got to get her somewhere safe to rest."
Jim nods his head. He takes his jacket off her shoulder, showing Claire isn't bleeding anymore, but her wounds aren't gone. They look too severe for her to heal, and the jacket is soaked in blood stains, but he couldn't care less. "We better get back to camp." He says flatly.
"Good! I'll carry your jacket Jimbo while you carry Claire." Toby agrees.
Jim gives him the jacket, and he gently grabs Claire in his arms. He and everyone starts walking back to the campsite. "Don't worry, Claire. You're going to be ok." Jim whispers, looking down at his peaceful sleeping girlfriend. When they return to camp, Jim sets Claire back where they slept and ensures she is comfortable. Jim stays by her side, watching her sleep.
Douxie sees the two and sighs. He worries about his sister/apprentice but is relieved she's safe with her boyfriend. He notices Nymeria walking next to him and turns to her. "Hey, Nymeria! What was the creature that just tried to attack us and tried to kill Claire?" He asks worryingly.
Nymeria stops. She wanted to check up on her familiar but was willing to answer Douxie's question. "It didn't try to kill her or you guys. Claire just intervened, and it was a Gwyllgi."
He looks at her in confusion. "What's a Glui-ing?" Douxie tries to pronounce it.
"A Gwyllgi. It's a Welsh mythological dog called 'The Dog of Darkness' or 'The Black Hound of Destiny.' It comes only under the cover of darkness. It doesn't come to kill you but will attack if you provoke it. It comes as an omen of bad luck or death." Nymeria explains.
"I read about them in a Welsh mythology book but didn't think they could attack." Douxie comments. "How do you know about them?"
Nymeria sighs, slightly looking away but looking at her familiar. "Because I'm a Dire Wolf and know what they are." She admits.
Douxie and Archie stare at her in shock. "I... I thought you guys were extinct 16,000 years ago. How is that possible?"
"Some of us survived until the 10th century. My pack and I were the last of my kind. As a puppy, I was saved by a human. I remember my mother placing me somewhere safe to hide, but she never returned, and I waited until a human found me. Sadly, I don't remember anything after that."
"Oh!" Douxie replies, embarrassed. "So you are about my age. Nine hundred years old, right?"
Nymeria tilts her head, confused. "Well, it is the 21st century, and my years differ, but yes! You're right." She agrees.
They both look back at Jim and Claire again and walk toward them. Jim looks up and smiles at their approach. "Hi, guys!"
Nymeria slowly walks closer to him and the sleeping girl on his lap, knowing Jim is skeptical of her being around Claire. "Can I stay next to her?" She asks sheepishly.
Instead of hesitation, Jim nods with a smile still on his face. "Of course!" He replies. "Thank you so much for saving her."
Nymeria smiles and bows her head. She steps closer and lies down next to Claire. Jim gently pats Nymeria on the head, making her tail wag.
"Jim, I need to talk with you," Douxie says with concern, knowing Jim might not want to leave his girlfriend's side.
Jim glances at Claire, worried. "It's ok, Jim. I'll keep her company and protected for you." Nymeria says kindly and looks tenderly at the sleeping girl.
Jim takes a deep breath and slowly draws away from Claire, holding her head and gently setting her bag under it. It might not be the softest thing for a pillow, but it's better than putting your head on the hard rock ground. Jim leans down and gives Claire a kiss on the head before standing up. "Yes!"
"Let go somewhere private," Douxie states. Jim looks at Claire and sees Nymeria snuggling up to her. The two boys and Archie walk far from the camp, so no one hears them.
"So, what is this about?" Jim asks, crossing his arms.
Douxie sighs. "Jim, you won't like this since what happened." He replies nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.
"What is it?" Jim asks, raising his eyebrow.
"Jim, this has been going on for almost a week. Everyone is tired, our food is running out, and it will take too long to get to England at this rate. I talked to Krel about making a portal to New Jersey and England, but he told me he didn't know how to get there. So we need Claire to transfer us there instead of walking." He explains.
Jim's eyes widen, and he shakes his head without hesitation. "No! No! That's too much for her, Douxie. She's already completely exhausted and drained! I don't want to put her in more pain." He snaps.
"Jim, Claire did this before. She transported you and her from England to California before, and she could do it again. To New Jersey and then to England."
"That's different. Claire has to see, know and feel where to go. She has PTSD. Whenever someone brings up the topic of Hoboken, New Jersey, she gets scared, covers her ears, and even has had panic attacks over that, and after what just happened, I don't think it's a good idea for her to open up a portal to England at this point. I don't want to bring her any more pain!"
That last sentence hits Douxie like a brick, reminding him of what Merlin said. "Her magic with only bring her pain." Douxie looks down, sighing. He understands Jim's concerns. He fears the same thing after the Arcane Order attacks Claire's family and kills her grandmother right before her eyes. He felt sad when Claire told him she and Jim were diagnosed with PTSD shortly after returning home. It's sad and hard to push someone, mainly your student, to do something when you know they struggle with it. Douxie doesn't want to hurt Claire as Merlin did to Morgana. Douxie doesn't want to repeat history. He takes a deep breath and looks at Archie with concern before turning to Jim. "I know, Jim. How about we ask her tomorrow? Being Claire, she might want to try to do it. So we have to help her, not force or stop her." He says calmly but still feeling worried.
Jim glances down, sighs, and takes a deep breath. "Ok, but if she gets worse, I'll blame it on you." He replies before walking back to the camp.
"Jim is apprehensive about her," Archie says, jumping on Douxie's right shoulder.
"Besides his mother, Claire is the most important woman in the world to him. They have been through so much together, but I suspect it's something more than just teenage love." Douxie sighs, looking at Jim, sitting next to his girlfriend.
"What do you mean?"
"I think they're destined to be together, but we can't make that decision," Douxie replies before returning to the camp.
"We're leaving tomorrow!" Jim shouts. Everyone turns around and sees him standing up and over Claire. He looks and sounds determined, like when he was the Trollhunter. "The Arcane Order or something is down here and might attack us again. We have to keep going!"
Everyone groans in annoyance for being on their feet for about a week without sun. Tripping on rocks, their foods start rationing out. They need to reach their destination, but their feet seem too heavy to move, losing energy by the minute. Jim, Nymeria, NotEnrique, Blinky, AAARRRGGHH!, and Douxie sees that. Even Claire and someone mysterious knows this, but thankfully, it's not something evil.
Author Note: Gwylling is a real creature in Welsh mythology. There is a lot of magical creatures in the series from Celtic, Welsh, and Anglo-Saxon mythology like Trolls and wizards. Even Del Toro does his research on how these creatures work in this series of the mythology. I'm a history nerd and love learning everyday. Note to self to writers of Fantasy stories, do some research for your magic system or whatever. Don't be like Stephanie Meyer! Please review!