Foes to Friends

Chapter 22 Lukas

Anger.

Predatory.

Monsters.

Wrath.

Fierce.

Fire.

Princess.

Destroy.

The darkness fades. My senses adapt to my change of surroundings, I'm not in the hunters layer anymore. I feel cold water around my feet, rushing forward to what I assume is a waterfall based on the roaring of the crashing water I hear ahead.

When my vision clears the first thing I see is Kayla, falling backwards off the edge of the waterfall.

I ran to the edge, "KAYLA," I yelled after her. The hunters grumbled around me. Without thinking, I dived after her. As I fell, I turned human and I tried my best to catch up to her. I was able to reach her. I grabbed her and hugged her, "Lukas," I heard her whisper. Before hitting the bottom, we both turned into our animal form, bracing for the end.

I heard birds singing, and the soft sound of rippling water. I feel the cool touch of the water surface as I float on it. I open my eyes, immediately blinded by the sun.

One thought occurs as my memories hit me and all the peacefulness in my mind vanishes as worry takes hold. "Kayla!" I said, alarmed. I sat up so fast that my head was pounding as I got lightheaded. Pain resinated in my side as I scrambled to get up, not that I noticed, being worried about Kayla. I look around, finally spotting her a few yards away.

I splashed my way over to her. We were both in our human form. Her eyes are closed. I bend down and pick her up. I carried her out of the river. I gently lay her on the ground. "Kayla," I repeat, quieter than last time.

Her eyes stayed closed, I checked her pulse. I could feel it but it was very faint.

"What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?" I repeated, freaking out. My mind raced as I stood up to pace. Is she dead? Is she alive? If she is still alive, can I save her? How do I save her?

I stopped and looked back down at her. Is her lack of breathing due to water in her lungs? What's that CPR thing, to get her breathing again?

Kayla started to move a little, as the wolf in her human form started to cough. I fell to my knees beside her.

"Lukas?" She asks, her voice hoarse.

"Kayla," I said, gently.

Kayla tries to stand but she stumbles. I caught her before she could fall, and I helped her stand up. "What happened?"

"We just survived falling down a waterfall," I replied, explaining what I knew at the moment. I looked back up to the top of the waterfall to see how far we fell.

"How?"

"I guess, our animal forms are harder to kill than our human forms," I answered, remembering the last moment before we hit the water, when we turned into our animal form to brace for the hit.

Kayla gasped, "The Hunters!"

"They're gone."

"For now," Kayla added, before gasping again, "Lukas! You're you again! Not brainwashed by the Hunters!" She hugged me.

I froze for a second, before hugging back. Pain resinated again in the same place as last time. I ignored it. "Yep, I'm me. Either the medicine stuff they gave me just happened to wear off the moment you started to fall, or something about seeing you in danger gave me the strength to fight it off." We let go.

"Who knows," she laughed. It was a soft little laugh. But it was cute and made me smile.

"So what now?" I asked.