Flames and Starlight

38🌘

Ruben

"They've been appearing out of nowhere," Jonathan said as we stood in front of the running creek at the outskirts of town, where there was a deceased wolf with a shapeshifter's aura swirling around it. "Caius has been everywhere and no one seems to know what his pattern has been with his killings. He will kill back to back for weeks at a time then disappear, kill here and there - just random patterns that no one can figure out."

"Have you figured anything out since we last spoke?" I asked. This was the first time we'd spoken since we talked in Georgia's parking lot that one night. He told me to not reach out to him, that he will reach out to me if he had information to give.

He nodded. "There are spies all around the city. I just caught four of them trying to abduct shapeshifters this past week."

"What did you do?"

"I killed them."

He said it so bluntly I could just stare at him, having no clue what to say.

Jonathan stared back, his gaze calm and unwavering. "I wasn't about to let them abduct anyone. I made sure the shapeshifters got away safely then dealt with the abductors. All of them had this tattoo of a 'C' on their forearm and -"

His gaze snapped over my shoulder, his eyes widening.

I spun around and saw what he was staring at.

One of the trees had the mark 'C' carved into its bark, small swifts of smoke drifting into the air, as though the engraving had only happened just moments ago. Even though I'd had my back to it the whole time, I knew that engraving hadn't been there before.

"He's been here," Jonathan said in a voice barely above a growl, a deadly scowl on his face. "Just a few moments ago, right under our noses."

"I -"

"Ruben, take my advice: get underground, find somewhere safe, just get the hell out of here. It's not safe. Get you and your family to safety."

Before I could respond, the silver mist swirled around him. When the mist faded, an eagle sat in front of me, gazed up at me with steely eyes for a moment, then spread his wings and took to the air.

I watched him fly away before heading back to my car and driving back to my home, wondering what I was going to do and how to make sure Laura and her Grandma would stay safe.

EDITED: 8/28/21