The Darkness Within

Chapter 19

Dear Readers: Sorry it took me a few days, and sorry it's so short. I've been super busy lately. Hopefully over spring break I get a lot done. Hope you enjoy! Fan/Comment/Vote Thanks! 

-M

P.S As always, pictures on Photobucket.com

Chapter 19

Lumina

Caitirina~

I woke to a feeling of happiness. Stretching out my limbs I marveled at how wonderful I felt. I sighed and opened my eyes. Above me stretched a beautiful blue sky. A couple of birds flew over head, and I followed them. That's when I saw the flowers. I crawled my way over to them, their beauty guiding me. They seemed to be more colorful than anything I had ever saw. Bending to sniff one of them, I realized their beauty was not just in appearance but in smell also. Had anything ever been so glorious? I suddenly realized that the whole landscape of this wonderful place was like this. Perfect.

The feeling of someones hand made me turn slowly to find Lorcan pulling at me. I saw his mouth moving, but I didn't register what he said.

"Look at the pretty flowers Lorcan." More pulling. "Aren't they beautiful?" I reached out to touch one of the silky petals, but it seemed to move away from me. I realized I was being lifted off the ground. I turned to find Lorcan had thrown me over his shoulder. He started to run, my head hitting his lower back jostled me out of my trance.

"Lorcan, what are you doing?" He looked over his shoulder at me.

"What am I doing? I'm getting us the hell out of harms way, what about you miss "let's smell the roses?" now shut up." He dove into a pile of brush and settled himself on top of me, shielding my body. 

I tired to talk, but he firmly clasped his hand on my mouth.

"Shh..."

I didn't understand what we were hiding from until I heard the unmistakable sound of hooves beating at the ground.

"Did you find them?" A mans voice asked another. 

"No, they're gone." 

"Gone! How can they be gone? They just came through not 10 minutes ago. You should have at least been able to track them." The man barked.

"Yes sir, but you see the panther, he masked their scents."

"Fine, you're lucky that--" I didn't hear the rest of the conversation as the men road away. I most likely wouldn't have heard it, even if they were talking right next to me. My mind was to distracted by what the one man had said. "panther."

Lorcan~

I felt Caititrina stiffen beneath me as Victors man had said the one thing I had been trying to keep away from her. My secret. My deadly secret. Maybe she hadn't realized what I had said, maybe she thought he had been using a metaphor. Gods, who was I kidding? The lass wasn't dumb. I always knew in the back of my mind that she would find out one day. That day had just come a little to soon for my liking. 

I rolled off of Caitirina, and helped her off the ground. "Come on, we have to move." We started walking through the dense brush. I tried bushing most of the branches out of the way for her, but this was one of the densest forest in Lumina. The perfect cover for escaping. 

"Lorcan, who was that back there?" She asked.

"Victor and one of his men. They'll be searching for us for awhile." 

"What did that man mean by...by the Panther covering our scents?" She asked quietly as if she didn't want to hear the answer, I sure as hell didn't want to give it.

"Och lass, that...that was--" She stopped walking and looked at me with wide unblinking eyes.

"Just tell me."

"Lass I...it's just..." The looked in her eyes when she knew I wasn't going to confined in her almost brought me to my news. "Och, what's the difference? You know everything else, why not this? Lass I'm a shape shifter, and Panther at that." I sat down on a large rock. "I understand if this repulses you." 

She knelt down in front on me, placing her small soft hands on either side of my face. "You could be a spider, or a rat. And you wouldn't repulse me. To me, you are just you." She said these words as she lowered her head to mine. And by the time the last word had left her lips, and those lips had met mine. I knew I was hers.