The Huntress Race

Chapter Nine: Take to the Skies

My dad, what can I say about him. He's tried to destroy me almost every day of my life and I still don't understand why. The only thing was, no matter what he did to me, he was still my father. I couldn't let him die. " No!" I shrieked as he was pulled towards the door. I shot out a hand. " Father, grab my hand!" I yelled. He grasped madly at my outstretched arm but he couldn't reach.
" Alex! I love you," he yelled as he finally lost his footing and his screams were enveloped by the rushing wind. I knew I could save him. I knew I had to try, even though I could kill myself in the process, I was still weak and horribly wounded. Too bad, I would never get another father.
" No, don't you dare," Iris yelled at me sternly.
I looked at her reassuringly, " I'll be back in a second," I answered.
" Wait," Breaking Dawn growled but I didn't stick around. My father could be dead by now. I ran forward and let the wind take me where it wanted to. My dad had wings but he had never learnt to fly like I had. I plummeted wildly, my limbs flailing madly at the air. A dark speck was below me. I aimed for it as I fell, moving in to the proper diving position. I was gaining speed but I wasn't going fast enough. With a joyful feeling I unfurled my huge dark blue wings. I felt the wind through my feathers and I grinned. When I flapped my wings I got faster and faster until I was almost on top of him. He was trying his best to fly, his wings moving sluggishly through the air, his face alight with panic. When I drew beside him he gripped my shoulders hard and stared at me. " Dad! Get in to a better position, you're making it hard to fly," I yelled. I knew something was wrong when his face took over a devilish grin.
" This is for killing my wife you murderer," he snarled. With a huge kick he planted his foot straight in my wound. I screamed in pain as it washed over me as red as blood. I spiralled out of control and started to spin as he started to fly with perfect grace, his wings flapping in the cold air. I felt an old flame burning in my heart, the flame of grief so sharp it could kill. Black frost started to work its way up my arms until it had covered me. There was a new voice in my head, the voice of defiance.
" Are we really going to become a skid mark on the ground?" The voice yelled. It was deep and had the hint of a snarl in it, my inner wolf.
" I don't think so mister!" Another voice answered strongly. This one sounded like a younger version of my own voice. My other self was joining in. A picture of a young girl in a black dress filled my mind, she winked at me with her heavily scarred face.
" There's no way that idiot will take our home that easily," another voice added enthusiastically. This time the picture of a young girl with wolf ears and a wolf tail said with a grin.
" It's not that easy, we'll probably die doing this!" My own voice intervened.
" You died once to take on your real form, your stronger than the old Huntress," said the voice of a yellow and black she wolf with lightning bolts depicted on her legs.
" We must do this, we must unleash the true power of Rising Storm. Alex could not do this but Rising Storm can. We must all work together," said the voice of my inner wolf.
" Whatever we decide it had better be quick because you're either going to save the day or become a flat mark on the ground," said my conscious.
" I'll do this, I'll save the day and win the fight. I have every one of my different faces back inside and I will do this once and for all but I will need every one of my faces to do this. You are all inside my head, do something," I thought.
"We're with you," said all the voices inside my head. With one stroke of my wings I lifted several metres up in to the air and aimed for the airship. I felt dizzy with the loss of blood but I knew that it was worth it to save my pack, every one I had ever known and my best friend, Iris. With every stroke memories from all my other faces flooded my mind. The face of the little girl with the wolf ears and tail flooded my memories first. She was known as Fang to her friends and she was training at a camp for people like her. The image changed and she was being kissed my a handsome boy, The Lieutenant, I remembered.  The next image showed a girl who was wearing a black dress was laughing with a group of exhausted friends as they faced the sunset. I saw a young she wolf with black and amber fur playing a game with her pack of wolves like her. I remembered all the good times and the bad things of my life seemed far behind me. With every wing beat I felt myself growing ever weaker but my fire for triumph was still alight. I drew level with the air ship and got ready to fight. In my memory, no, not my memory, the things I was seeing through the eyes of all my faces new,y transformed to look like me were all squaring up for their own wars. I felt every skill they possessed burn within me and the black frost steamed. I silently stalked forward and got ready for the ultimate move in my life. I had stored up so many feelings that I felt like a dam waiting to burst, maybe it was time that it did. I got right behind my father and tapped him on the shoulder as he stood above Iris. He turned around and gaped at me unbelievably. " G'day mate!" I snarled with venom in my voice. His eyes showed unbelievable fear. " Mum died in childbirth, not because of me!" I spat as I finally let go of my feelings of fury. The frost subsided and I saw my dad's eyes widen like he was going crazy. In a way, he was going crazy. I had just transmitted every sad and painful memory I had and the force of what I had had to deal with hit him like a brick. He instantly went insane and fell to his knees crying like a baby. I could feel every memory hitting him. The memory of me as a newborn baby crying in the middle of a blizzard as my mother was slowly buried by snow. I saw Silver Frost find me crying and take me home to the pack. I saw me as a toddler running through the forest as men tried to grab my cloak. I saw a man called Adan fired an arrow that consumed me in black frost and gave me my creepy looks. I saw the people I love die and my own anger and betrayal and sadness washed over me. My father cried pitifully and I looked down at him with distaste. " Why did you try to kill me for all these years? Just tell me why," I asked.
" Because you killed your mother and you are going to kill everyone you have ever loved. I know the future for you, even after my time is up you will never be able to contain the power of the Rising Storm. You will kill everyone to get your path straightened, in the end, the storm always disappears in flames," my father choked out.
I instantly shoved out my arm and he was lifted in to the air, his futile attempts to float back down were ignored.
" Tell me how to stop it!" I growled.
" Never! You and your mother both deserve to die for what you have done in the future, you desire to prove to her that you are a worthy reason for her to die but in the end you're just like me. You will die just like her, a coward," he snarled in reply.
I felt indescribable rage enter my mind.
" Never! I will never be like you" I screamed.
In one blast my father was thrown across the room and landed dead on the ground. Tears flew down my face as I crumpled to the floor. I had killed him, my own father. I was a cold hearted murderer. Iris was staring at me, speechless in her shock.
" You did it. Our people are finally free," Iris whispered with an awe struck look in her eyes.
" You have won," Shadowed Moon said warmly.
" I always knew he was a jerk," Breaking Dawn stated proudly, as she gazed at me.
" Way to go!" Tall Oak cheered.
My vision blurred, I don't know whether it was from tears or from pain and I looked down to see blood pooling in a circle around me.
" Well, would you look at that?" I said dizzily.