Elemental

Chapter 2

As I looked around the room for a way out, I discovered a window and walked up to it. My hands searched the cold window for a latch. When I found one, I unlocked it and opened the window, which let the cold wind in. I sat on the edge of the window and looked back before allowing myself to fall into the snow, and walked.

The snow was a lot thicker now, probably the works of the blizzard, and was difficult to walk through. I wasn't going to give up, though. I had to reach Twi, no matter what.

The only positive side was there wasn't a blizzard anymore. I had no idea where I was going. I didn't even know where to start looking for Twi.

My ears twitched to the east as I heard the sound of horses. 'The Guard are here,' was all I knew and I transformed into my snow fox.

There was only a small possibility they wouldn't notice me. My question was how they found out so fast that I was here.

I hid behind the house and watched as the men dismounted their wagons and I saw how they found out. With them, they had four dogs. The Guard have dogs that are trained from birth to sniff out and find shape-shifters. They must have been on patrol when the dogs picked up my scent. Either that, or they followed Twi and I from our village.

'Twi. Oh, God let her be safe from these monsters!' I prayed.

"Search the house! We've got the outside!" one guard called out and two of them went inside while they stayed out.

This is dangerous. I'm trapped outside with two of the Guard and two bloodhounds. One dog saw me hiding and started barking and chased after me.

'That's my cue to run!' I thought and took off. If I could, I would just create an ice wall to block them off, but I can't use my powers in fox form and I would rather keep my identity a secret.

I ran to the other side of the house and saw I had left the window open. 'Thank God!' I praised and jumped up to the window and I was inside. I jumped from the window up onto the mantle and stayed there as all four of the men came in.

Aeduuin and his wife came too and looked scared. One of the Guard reached his hand up and tried to grab me, but I bared my teeth. He didn't back down though, so I lashed out at him and got a piece of his hand.

"Ah!!!," he screamed.

I sat still on top of the mantle and watched as they stared at me.

No one was moving. You couldn't hear anybody breath. I don't know if I was breathing, either. I just trapped myself between a wall, four bloodhounds. And four of the Guard. 'Idiot!' I thought to myself. 'God help me!' I prayed.

Just as I did, a darkness shrouded around the room, covering everything. The table, the doorway, the fireplace went out. It spread until it reached above me and I couldn't see anything.

An arm wrapped around me and picked me up, dragging me out the window. Twi. We ran and ran until the house was a tiny dot in the distance and I transformed back.

I looked at Twi, but she wouldn't look at me.

"Twi, I'm sorry. I should have listened to reason, but I was just so caught up in staying where it was safe, I-"

She cut me off,"Glace, how can you call that village safe?"

"I-" she put her index finger up and halted my words.

She looked at me and I didn't see any anger, but hurt in her black orbs. "We were made fun of, arrested 28 times, despised, one man even tried to kill us! How can you call that 'safe'?!"

I didn't answer. I just stood there and took in her words. "Twi, I didn't want to leave because that was all I knew." Her expression softened." That village was where I was born, raised, met you, where my parents died from that fire. I didn't want to leave."

"I can understand that, but think about it! You overheard that woman's conversation too! We could meet another shape-shifter! Aren't you excited?"

I thought for a minute. "I am excited, but all my life I have lived in fear of the Guard. They caused the fire that killed my parents, they almost killed me just now. Every day of my life, I have lived in the shadow of fear."

"Aren't you tired of being afraid? We can't let them boss us around because of how we are born! Show them that we don't care!"

I looked at her and excitement practically radiated off of her. Her black eyes, her long, raven black hair, her pale skin all of her seemed excited.

I sighed,"Okay. Let's go find the shape-shifter."