Shifted Fate (Amy)

There was a howl in the distance. A call full of pain. We looked at each other and started running towards the noise. A second howl ripped through the air, only this time, it broke. We sprinted, because the second howl sounded exhausted, and close to breaking. "We need to make it there." I called to my wolves.

"We will." Nix's breathing was quick gasps at this point. We have been pushing ourselves way too close to the edge. And if we pushed much more, we would be the ones breaking. But we couldn't leave Rick or his wolf to die.

We broke through to a clearing and stumbled to a stop. "What the fuck?" Megan panted next to us, and she dropped to her side. I turned to her. "Are you okay?"noveldrama

"Just tired." She panted for a second before she rolled back to her belly. "What is he doing?"

We turned back to Rick's wolf. He was running around the perimeter of the clearing, and he had obviously been running for some time. The ground had worn down into a dirt path. Gone was the green grass that the rest of the field was made out of.

We watched as he stumbled and rolled. I winced, because it was clearly painful, but he let out a new howl, popped back up and started running again. I couldn't see what was going on, but Megan and Nix both hissed at what they saw. "What's wrong?" I leaned forward, trying to see, but the brown wolf was on the other side of the clearing. He stumbled again. This time something happened to his paw, but still he hopped up and hobbled on three legs. "Why doesn't he stop?"

Nix started running towards him, and as we got closer, I heard a buzzing. I whipped around, trying to find the source, but Nix just kept running towards the hurt wolf. We drew up beside him, and I realized the male was being chased. Giant bees the size of my thumb were chasing after him, and his poor body was covered in welts.

He glanced our way and I could see he was barely surviving. He sighed. "Is it time?" His voice was choppy, but resigned. He was ready to let go.

"Time for what?" I called to him.

He looked at me. "You're the goddess, aren't you? Is it over?" He looked over his shoulder and stumbled over his foot again. This time, he went down hard. The yelp was painful, but when the bee struck, his howl was staggering this close. Every sting was torture. "Please let this be over."

"Nix." I slid off her back and she nodded. She ran to his side, earning a sting for herself. We both screamed. The pain was like being stabbed with a red hot poker. The burning point where the stinger hit was instantly swollen. But something weird happened. After the pain faded, the rush of power that followed was an amazing rush. "How is this possible?"

"The rune. The creatures are just a manifestation of the rune. The leech was just that, but this creature. It injects pure power into someone My grandmother's voice surprised me. "But if a wolf or person is not made to carry such power it burns away at them until there's nothing. His wolf is at the brink." Nix was at his side, and Megan was at their side. I watched as another bee went to strike, but Megan took this sting. I screamed again, but then my mind was a little clearer.

The leech needed to be over fed to clear it out of the three. But that wouldn't work with the bees. Nix looked at me. "I need help." I nodded as I ran over, earning a sting myself. Both my wolves howled as IO screamed, but they looked more awake. "Help me get him on my back." Nix nodded to the wolf below her. I wrapped my arms around his middle and hefted him onto her back. Once he was secure, she started to run the circuit with him on her back. Megan ran behind them, taking any bee stings when she could.

"Nix!" She looked at me. "Find out where the bees are coming from." I looked, and every time one bee struck, it dropped, but another replaced it. The ground was littered with their bodies.

"Somewhere in the woods." She called back turned to run the way we came, but Nix called back to me. "To the north. They all come from the north." I spun around to the opposite side of the clearing and ran. Every few seconds I screamed, but I kept pushing. The dark trees were hiding secrets I needed to unravel. I threw up a ball of light, and I saw a bee zipping towards the clearing. I ran the way it came until I stumbled upon a huge hive.