Descendants of Tthyrna

Chapter Five

In the trees sat a gorgeous oversized Owl and Eagle. They watched on as the transformation took place, unable to stop it, to save their new pack member from what would undoubtedly happen next. They saw their friend twirl gracefully, as all present sat still, staring. Entranced. The glowing orb of energy floating in front of her abdomen pulsated with life and power. It’s core was pitch black, the same as her wolfs fur. Spidery purple veins could be seen emerging from the black core and weaving through the ball of energy. Thin hairline fractures that were only seen fleetingly. Around the edges they merged into a more solid colour, the black fading into purple. The colours contrasted well with the shades of green in her skimpy ensemble.

The image of a wolf’s head, howling silently at the setting sun, was projected above the orb. And at the same time Jay opened her eyes, throwing her head back and arms wide, smiling with her euphoria. They watched on as the wolf turned on her and became one with her. It consumed her until her body could take no more and was forced to shift. Her oversized wolf sprang forth and landed on all fours in the centre of the arena. Her spell on the audience had broken the instant she shifted and now the townsfolk glared at her with malice. They began to jeer and many of the men and women reached for their weapons. The wolf stood stunned for a moment, then shied away from the humans. They stood in anger and began shouting obscenities towards the creature whom they feared. The women tore their fancy dresses, revealing their training clothes beneath. Swords were drawn and arrows were knocked, all pointed towards the unnatural creature before them. Jay’s father stood upon the dais, looking scornfully at the wolf that now stood where his daughter had once been.

“You are no child of mine. You are a spawn of the underworld. Unnatural and wrong.” The audience waited for the order.

“Kill it.”

All composure was lost. All decency forgotten. At the force of the order the mob ran as one and converged upon the poor thing. The Eagle let loose a cry, spread his wings and threw himself from the branch. He swooped down over the crowd and landed on Jays shoulder, just as he had the night they met. Jaelithe cowered slightly, not wanting to hurt her friends and family. Leon, however, had no such inhibitions. The need to protect his rightful Alpha may have been a part of it, but to him it was protecting a friend in need. Alice hesitated, unwilling to harm innocent humans. Her mind buzzed through the logistics of the situation. As regular humans their odds of winning were slim to none. But with their enhanced abilities and their animal forms they would have no trouble fighting their way out. She spread her wings to follow her mate and felt a tremor. She raised herself and blotted out the sun, flying straight at the humans on the ground. She screeched and pulled up quite close to the humans, buffeting them with each beat of her wings. Jaelithe stood tall and proud, growling at them. They prepared for battle. The men and women of Wolf Village ran towards them with savage cries upon their lips, their weapons eager to taste blood.

Another tremor, not an earthquake, but a tremor in the energy balance occurred. It reverberated through the wingtips of the birds. Even Jay felt it lift the fur on her hackles. She shuddered. The humans seemed undisturbed. As the humans closed the gap between them and the three pack members, the trees began to rustle and the ground began to shake. From the air landed a perfectly graceful, if not bulky, male tiger. A strong chestnut mare came charging through the trees alongside a leaping light-furred doe. And a long green snake whipped off a branch to land at Jay’s paws. They stood there in a circle, with their backs to Jay at its centre, and faced the oncoming mob. A voice sounded in Jay’s ear, saying, At the very first opening, run. Don’t try to fight, don’t look back. Run and we will follow. The voice sounded awfully like Alyat, but she was still standing with her back to Jay.

The humans attacked, wildly swinging their weapons at their opponents. The birds took to the skies, attacking from above and remaining out of reach of the weapons. The snake slithered silently through the grass, attacking the human’s vulnerable ankles and forcing them to keel over in pain. The three remaining land animals fought valiantly without ever breaking ranks. The Tiger was a vicious predator, not allowing anyone to enter the circle they had created. The Deer, whilst beautiful and unassuming, hypnotised her prey and lured them in. The Horse stood tall and proud, her tail swishing with grim delight at the battle.