JACOB'S POV
I was shocked. How the heck had Lord Malice's spear been able to pierce through Az's impenetrable cloak? Either Az was unprepared, or Lord Malice had been hiding his true power from us this whole time. Shortly after Az's fatal wound, Lord Malice and his ruined army had retreated to let us give Az a proper burial. Sir Slaughter and Slate Face were relatively uninjured, and Az had been stabbed right when I was about to tear out Slate Face's throat.
"Everybody back!" I heard Icy Ingrid cry as she ran across the field to Az's body.
Ingrid raised a hand and brought it down, sending a wave of ice out from it and encasing Az's body in a cocoon of Az. Emma stopped crying for a second, and we all looked at Az's new shelter in confusion.
"What...what did you do?" Emma asked tentatively.
"I froze him. I've postponed his death for at least 24 hours, 25 at most. We need to hurry and get him healed. I know a Forestfang from the Sioux tribe, just like Jacob, who can heal him. His name is Green Hand, and he can perform a technique called the Soul Transfer. The Transfer is a very powerful technique where the caster transfers a portion of his or her soul into the injured person, healing the person from even the brink of death. Now come on! We need to get to Green Hand's tent before the 24 hours are up!" Ingrid called.
We arrived at Green Hand's hut with only about half an hour left. The tent was a small teepee set up on a cliff by a running river. The teepee was very large and smoke issued out from the top. A light drizzle was falling as we all jumped out of the car. Mr. Tholos gently picked up the ice-encased Az from the trunk and carried him to the tent. Ingrid rushed on ahead into the tent.
Several seconds later, she poked her head out again. The rain slicker her raven hair into her face, but she didn't seem to care, given the urgency of the situation.
"Mr. Tholos, Jacob, and Emma come in. The rest of you should stay in the van," she said.
Ingrid held the tent flap open for us and we walked in. Behind us, Ingrid, Solomon, and Vic walked back to the van. I looked around the tent. A large Native American dreamcatcher hung from the ceiling, along with several slabs of meat, a couple gourds, and some bottles of different colored powders and plants. A fire burned on the floor, and sitting at the far end of the house was Green Hand the Forestfang.
Green Hand looked like a tall, skinny man with fur that looked almost like the trees and bushes that he lived around. His fur was light green, forest green, dark green, lime green, and every shade in between. He had a normal human head and face, but his eyes glowed a bright, intelligent yellow, and his face was covered with vines. He had spiky black hair, and he wore a headband with feathers, bones, and beads on it.
"Lay him on the floor. I have already heard the situation," he said in a deep, rich voice.
Mr. Tholos laid Az on the ground in front of Green Hand. Green Hand examined him quickly, then pulled one hand back and drove it forward, punching a dent in the ice, right over Az's chest.
"The Soul Transfer only has a 10% chance of success. If it succeeds, he will live, and everything will be as it was. If I fail, he will die. Do you still wish to go through with it?" he asked.
"Yes, please! Anything to save him! We'll do anything!" the sobbing, crying Emma said.
"I see you love him, girl. Then we will try. Wakan Tanka guide both of your spirits. HYU!" Green Hand said.
As Green Hand grunted, he drove his hand down into the dent, smashing right through the ice and into Az's chest. Emma screamed and tried to leap forwards to stop him, but I grabbed her and pulled her back.
"It's the only thing that'll save him, Emma!" I cried.
Green light flowed from his hand into Az and the air started to pulsate like a hearbeat. The pulse started off steadily. Bum-bum. Bum-bum. Bum-bum. Green Hand gave a second grunt and pushed his hand deeper into Az's chest. Blood sprayed across the ice and Emma cried out a second time. I held her closer, and even with all of my werewolf strength, she almost got out of my arms.
The pulse got faster, more wild. Dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun. Dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun. Green Hand drove his hand in a final time, and this time, under the ice, Az's eyes snapped open. His eyes filled with blood, and he opened his mouth in a silent scream. His body arched just a bit under the ice, and the heartbeat stopped altogether.
The teepee fell silent.
"HE'S DEAD! YOU KILLED HIM!" Emma screamed to Green Hand. Green Hand remained silent, his hand still driven in a fist into Az's gaping chest.
Suddenly, there was a bright green flash, and the ice shattered. I pulled Emma down and ducked as a shard flew over our heads and thocked into one of the wooden poles supporting the teepee. Green Hand pulled his hand out of the wound, and blood sprayed out like a red flood, shooting in arcs and lances all over the teepee walls, Green Hand's fur, and our faces and bodies. Emma screamed for a third time, and this time, she ripped free of my grasp and ran over to Az.
Suddenly, Az sat up. A piece of his tattered black cloak flapped over his gaping wound. Az writhed several times, and several awful cracks echoed from his body. Suddenly, his eyes opened again, and this time, they were their normal forest green color. He stopped flailing, and as the cloak dropped away from his wound, it wasn't there. Only tanned skin was where the hole in his chest used to be. Az breathed, deep coughing breaths.
"Az!" Emma cried, as the black fabric of the cloak snapped over the ripped part where the wound once was.
"Emma...Jacob...Mr. Tholos...Tessa...where am I?" Az said.
Green Hand gave a deep laugh, and bared his fangs in a smile. He stood up, wiping his hands off on a white towel that hung from the wall of the tent.
"He'll be alright after all. I knew he was a strong one," he said.
"Oh thank you, Mr. Green Hand!" Emma said, rushing over and hugging the furry Forestfang. Green Hand looked shocked, but he reached out a hand and ruffled her hair before stepping away from her.
"What happened?" Az asked.
"It's a long story," said Mr. Tholos with a wide smile.
YOU ARE READING
Twilight Wings: A Supernatural Romance/Action
WerewolfEmma and Jacob have just begun a new school year and a really cute, but mysterious, boy named Az appears at their school. Az is the bridge to the supernatural world. They'll come face-to-face with the horrible Slate Face, battle against Sir Slaughte...
