Lunar Rising

Flames of Blue

Aura's Pov: 

My heart pounded in my chest heavier than a drum as I ran, and the souls of my feet burned from the frost of the snow biting at my bare skin. I shook away all thoughts of pain and kept my eyes forward, partially from the fear of who was inevitably chasing behind me and part for the sheer excitement of who was waiting ahead.  

Through the heavy falling snow, I could just start to make out dampened noises of scuffling and snarling. 

I had to get closer than I would have thought to make the figures out between the dark of the night and the blanketing snowfall, but when I rounded a broken-down barn, I could see them. Just beyond the barn, in a field of white and red, was two wolves interlocked in battle. 

A massive black wolf buried his teeth into the neck of a scrawly tan one, snapping the neck of the wolf and letting his body drop to the ground. He stood gloriously over the corpses of multiple wolves, chest heaving and muzzle slightly agape, letting an ominous growls rumble out in a threat to the wolves still circling him. 

"Luka." I breathed out in a whisper, almost in disbelief that he was really here.

A smile took over my face and my heart felt like it would explode with joy even with the current chaos surrounding us. We were together now. Nothing could come between us again. 

His eyes darted around, landing in the spot I was standing, searching, but his gaze peered straight through me like I wasn't even standing here. 

My smile faltered and panic replaced my joy, squeezing in my throat.

"Luka!" I yelled, demanding he see me, but my plea fell on deaf ears. 

For the briefest moment, I could see Luka's eyes concentrate in my direction, confused and urgent like he'd sensed me here. The moment he lost focused on the battle to look in my direction, a new opponent stepped up to take on his challenge.

A dirty grey wolf darted in, latching onto his leg and clamping his jaw shut. Luka growled a pained noise and returned to the fight, putting his distraction aside. 

 "Luka I'm here! Why can't you see!" I cried out again, desperate for him to see me. 

I ran forward, ready to throw myself into battle for him, but I hit a hard wall of energy. The forcefield gleamed and resonated as I pounded my fists against the invisible wall uselessly, watching as Luka was being swarmed with snapping wolves. This was clearly magic, but it wasn't coming from me. 

From somewhere behind me, a woman laughed, amused with my feeble attempts, freezing me in place. 

"Well, that didn't take her long to get through you, did it?" Ravena taunted.

I spun around to meet her, but to my horror, Kane was standing there instead. His hand was already swinging up, ready to catch my throat in his death grip. 

"Shut up witch!" Kane sneered, embracement lacing his tone.

His eyes didn't leave mine. He stared me down with a violent rage. I made a fool of him, and I could see his intent on making my pay for hit in his eyes.  

I gargled, sputtered and gasped for air as he lifted me, bringing me to where just my tippy toes were still on the ground. He bared his canines at me as he let out a low, menacing growl. 

"Now, now Kane, we need the pup alive." Casimir emerged from the darkness, taking his place next to his gleaming with who was getting way too much pleasure from seeing me struggle for air.