Eclipse trailed behind me as the rain started to come down. It was soft rain at first, light and misty. After a few minutes of light rain it started to pour. Rain soaked our pelts as we ran as fast as we could towards where Rachel said the Cachion camp was. It would take a day, maybe two, to run across what used to be America. What would we call it now? A broken society where there is no government. Self governing societies pelted the land, only few humans survived the nuclear war. And now? An entire species might be wiped out. My friends, they might be dead. My family back at home might be next.
I turned my head to see Eclipse running by my side.
He's running into certain death. I knew it, and yet he's safer with me.
Was he though? If he went home then the wall would protect him, protect them. With me, running with me into my potential death, he could die. And yet if he went home he could get ambushed.
It began to get to dark to see, and along with the rain and the cold, we were starting to grow slower.
"We should camp for the night," I said to Eclipse as I slowed to a stop. He nodded, stopped with me, and then shifted down. I shifted down shortly after and used the fire power to make a small fire to keep us both warm.
The rain slowed to a light drizzle again. The dark forest looked eerily at us; I thought about how many Cachions might be out there. Out there looking for me, looking to slaughter everyone I love.
We sat up against trees opposite of one another. I had sat down first which told me Eclipse was offset by what happened.
In an attempt to make him calm down, I tried to explain why I did what I did, "Eclipse I-"
"You killed them," Eclipse interrupted, "Cold blood just murdered twenty people."
I looked to the ground.
"That's what they want to do to us, you're just as bad as them now!" Eclipse explained as he raised his voice slightly.
"They killed Aspen," I told him, "And Liam, and Madelyn, and-"
"You don't know that! They could be hostages and when they find those bodies they might kill the hostages!" Eclipse shouted, "You have no idea-"
"Neither do you!" I yelled back, "Their watched were cut off, blood was everywhere! There were still twenty people waiting for us, just for us! It was a trap, they killed them, dragged the bodies off, and waited for the big prize!"
"No-"
"They killed the sheep to leave the bodies waiting for the lion!" I shouted, "It was a trap!"
"Carla lower your voice, something might hear you," Eclipse calmly stated as he tried to connect with me.
"Let them come," I growled, "You think that was monsterous?" I pointed in the direction we came from. "You haven't seen me be a monster yet."
Eclipse just stared at me, not at me. Past me.
I quickly turned, powers ready. A small girl stood a few meters behind the tree I was sitting against. I put the powers away and tilted my head at the little girl, "Where's your mommy?" I asked quietly.
She silently pointed into the woods behind her.
"Why are you out here baby-girl?" I questioned her lovingly, trying not to spook her.
"I heard you yelling, I thought that maybe you needed help," she lifted her hand out and a ball of green mist appeared in her hand.
I smiled at her, reaching my hand out and copying the movement with fire.
"Woah!" She exclaimed as ran the few meters to look at the fire. She went to grab my wrist but hesitated and closed her hand infront of her.
"Can you take me to your mommy?" I asked calmly.
She nodded and walked back into the woods. I turned to Eclipse and signaled to him I'll be back in a minute. He nodded and I followed the small girl.
We walked through a graveyard, it was small, crosses engraved into the headstones. A bad feeling started to hit my chest in pulses, telling me something's wrong.
The little girl pointed. A clean headstone stood on the other side of her finger. The name "June Poloick" was engraved in the flower covered stone. She put her hand out, the green mist started to form into a little yellow flower. My head naturally tilted. She could grow plants on herself.
She picked the flower off and put it on the headstone, "They're mommy's favorite."
Half of a word was hidden beneath the flowers at the base of the headstone. Probably "loving mother." This little girl was a sweet little girl, theres no way she raised herself, this world would've killed that little smile.
I moved the flowers,
Rest in Peace:
June Poloick
"Shalom Hena"
Shalom. Shalom, Hebrew, for peace. No, not peace, peaceful; tranquil; secure; safe.
A flashback started.
--
A memory of Grandmother, the woman who took care of me. She sat almost silently in a rocking chair, the only sound that echoed the room was the creaking of the chair when grandmother rocked back and forth.
"Can you tell me more about Henas?" I asked the frail old woman as I sat adjacent to her in a worn black armchair. Aspen laid sound asleep a few feet away, her head gently placed on her dark brown paws. I looked back at grandmother, she gave me a kind smile.
"Well darling, being a Hena is a hereditary gift. And when a Hena conceives a baby from an Alpha, the babe will either be an Alpha, if Male, or a Hena, if female," Grandmother softly spoke as she finished the dark green hood she was stitching.
--
"Honey-" I managed to mumble out to the girl.
"You're Hena Atarah Ariella," she cheerfully told me, "Mommy talked about you. She told me that when she dies, to find you, and I did! I did it, see! See mommy, I found her, I did it!"
I grabbed the girl, covering her mouth and holding her very close to me. She was silent and still afterwards. I quickly and quietly tossed myself into the thickets behind us. Tucking us close to the ground, I was overtop of the girl to protect her, laying on her but not fully, just enough to keep her still and protected. She was only about four so she just curled up under my stomach. I looked out into the dark forest, the moonlight showed several Cachions walking out of the woods, they seemed angry, looking for something; someone; me.
"Master she went this way with a little girl," a grey haired guy told a tall, muscular, black haired guy with almost snow white skin. He had freckles pelting his pale skin. He had dark eyes, not sure what color, but they were dark. The way the moonlight was hitting him made it look like he almost glowed.
I was still holding the girl's mouth shut, muffling her heavy breathing from being scared.
The dark haired guy I could only assume was the Alpha. He had leader vibes, they called him master, and he was looking directly in the direction I was, looking directly into my eyes like he could see me. As if he could smell me.
Crap.
"Leave, all of you," the assumed alpha commanded the others, "Now."
A flash of dark hair and golden eyes shimmered in a lump that one Cachion threw on the ground.
"Stay here," I whispered to the girl, "don't move."
I got my knife ready, and then bursted out of the thickets. I slung a knife at the Alpha, and rolled on the ground, positioning myself above Eclipse before shifting. I let out a loud, rumbling roar at the Alpha. Glaring into his eyes with my own. His eyes started to glow a deep brown color.
He had caught the knife on his fingertips, holding it in his hands. He maneuvered his fingers on the knife to the blade and walked up to me, showing no fear whatsoever. The closer he got, I realized that his eyes weren't glowing, they were watering. He was on the verge of tears.
Two soft hands placed themselves on my left back leg, the little girl was hugging my back leg, covered in my fur.
I let out a growl towards the Alpha to tell him not to come any closer.
He placed his hands to the side to show surrender and then placed the knife on the ground with the handle towards me.
Another menacing growl grumbled from deep within my chest and quickly evolved into a roar. Taking a step closer to the Alpha who stood infront of me, drool dripping from my lion fangs. One of my best friends is dying beneath me, a young hena cowering behind me, and six possibly dead friends in the woods somewhere: all because of this Alpha.
His watering eyes started to gush out tears that silently rolled down each cheekbone and down his neck. My roar had rumbled down to a steady growl accompanied by bared teeth.
The Alpha started blubbering, each word rung out of his mouth faster and more incoherent as the last. Needless to say, I had no idea what he was saying. He started to pace, still crying and incoherently speaking as he frustratedly and repeatedly tugged on his hair as if he was upset. The two words: "I'm sorry." were the only words I understood, the rest was masked by the tears and obvious hurt he was feeling.
I snapped my jaws at him and took yet another step forward.
His eyes widened suddenly as he looked dead in my eyes, tears still ran down his face as he froze. Whether is fear or not I didn't know, all I knew was that I caught his attention.
He took a step back, realizing I wasn't okay with how close he was. I studied every movement he made as he slowly lifted his hand and placed a finder on his temple.
"Forgive me please Hena," a voice inside my head rung out, it was an almost identical voice to the Alpha's. Quickly putting two and two together I realized this was the Alpha.
"This is my family you've been hunting down," I growled back at him in my lioness form, "My life on the line."
The alpha looked terrified as he watched the only heir worthy Hena shift down to her human form.
"You ordered the last Hena to be murdered, sent an assassin after her, an assassin who did a horrible job," I started to raise my voice as I began to walk towards him. My entire body stiffened with anger.
He backed against a tree, his body stayed in a calm stance as he looked down at me, tears running down his face still.
I trudged, only a few inches from his face, I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pull him to my level. Feeling my eyes start to burn with rage as memories of Carter flashed through my vision. Memories of Liam. Memories of Aspen, of Madelyn, of Paige. A piercing feeling erupted within my heart. Then the feeling of speed, of strength, animalistic thoughts. I wanted to rip this guy to pieces. Tear him limb from limb. The piercing pain came back, this time it hit me like a truck. The memory of Carter scaring me on the beach, the stupid chicken he gave me as a surprise, the necklaces, the wheelbarrow, the barn, the boat, saving our families from a hurricane, the visions, the- the- the. Tears started to form in my eyes. Memories of running, running from my best friend, memories of me purposely not telling him how I felt, how I was having nightmares. The memories of me just showing him the happy parts of me, afraid of how he'd act if I told showed him the darkest. I wasn't ever the outsider, I was always the snake inside the garden, I was always the wolf living among sheep.
I stumbled backwards.
Memories of everyone sitting by the ocean. Memories of us all laughing. Memories of me faking happiness, to appease everyone. I was always different.
Always the outsider, never quite fitting in.
Memories of me running. Their dead bodies strung across the field. Memories of me fighting with them; fighting against them. Memories of me threatening to kill Paige.
I shook my head.
Memories of everyone having a good time, playing in the sand, swimming in the ocean, playing cards in the hideout. Memories of us seeing who could climb a tree the fastest. Memories of Carter and I laughing at stupid jokes. Memories of Nathan and I talking about how we should make movies like the "old times." Memories of Liam and I having arm wrestles. Madelyn and I jump roping. Kathy and I laughing. Aspen and I hunting. Eclipse saving me. Paige saving me. Gena saving me. Carter saving me. Me saving everyone.
I fell back, never hitting the ground as the Alpha held me. My head dropped back and the full moon started to go black, as did everything else.