Silver Winds

Chapter 24

Astra breathed in the calming scents of the forest as she ran. Her legs felt like oars for a ship, moving methodically and efficiently. She felt her white blonde hair slap her back with every other step, and her arms pumped at her side.

Leaves, brown, red, and gold, fell before her in a frenzied yet beautiful dance, swirling in front of her eyes. The icy blue orbs glared forward past them toward the larger obstacles of the trees. She dodged them with grace, and began to sprint when the trees began to surround her in a row about two meters wide. Cool morning air bit into her exposed arms and face.

Then, Astra heard footsteps behind her. It was a large stride, filled with strength and pride. But it wasn’t human.

A huge grey shadow sped past her, furry and huge. The wolf’s ears were flattened to his head, and the eyes were set in a determined line. Fur ruffled as it loped beside her, then moved ahead of her.

Astra sped up, feeling a conscious measure of competitiveness with this beast. Her eyes hardened into the sharp diamonds they did when she was focused, and her feet pounded into the ground.

The wolf didn’t appear to tire, as Astra did. After over two kilometers of sprinting, she was panting and the creature was still in front of her.

“Wait for me!” she cried as she began to stumble, her legs giving out after the intense workout. The wolf kept running without looking back, and an unhealthy fear filled Astra’s chest. She cried out as she fell to the ground, and mud greeted her, splashing up onto her face and neck.

The wolf morphed into something else, something that ran on two legs but was even larger than before. Astra reached in the direction of the silhouette, but could not lift herself up. She rolled into a sitting position, and spun toward the direction she had come.

A scream rose in her throat as feet greeted her vision. The world around her seemed to grow darker, and she kicked at the ground to get away.

Fergusen hung from one of the trees.

A grotesque smile was painted onto his face, and a necklace of rope hung around his stout neck. His eyes were dead and cold. Blood dribbled from his mouth and slid down his body until it dripped to the ground. It splashed into a small but growing puddle of the crimson liquid.

“Remember . . . me . . .” the corpse rasped, without the mouth moving. Astra’s eyes let loose a stream of salty tears, and they poured down her face and splashed into the mud. She scraped at the ground to try to get up and run, but her feet slipped in the gritty wet dirt. Her wails echoed in the empty forest.

Astra shot upright, her hands clutching her sleeping bag and sweat rolling down her forehead in copious amounts. Her pants made her chest expand far beyond the usual amount. Her eyes were wide and she felt drying tears stretch her face. Astra backed up to the wall so she didn’t have to support herself, then wrapped her muscular arms around her knees.

She tried to take deep breaths, but as morning rose outside cabin five, her breaths continued to be shallow and raspy. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, and her thoughts had a second burden: today was a day they were to complete another competition.

Astra kept herself as quiet as she could; the only sound she emitted was a soft huff with every breath she took. She heard grumbling across the room from her, and she froze. She stayed still until her lungs burned, but then a hiccup forced its way out of her.

A pair of slanted dark eyes met hers, and she stared at Jun with a defiance that didn’t suit her present situation. His eyes were still filled with sleep, but it was clear that he knew what she was doing. He stared at her for just a few moments, then glanced at the wall. Jun kept his gaze fixed on the sleeping forms of Jon and Birgir.