Forbidden magic

chapter seven

Be an instrument of peace,

Not a weapon of mass destruction.

-Matelita Tawake
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The sun hovered over the earth like a brooding demon, embracing its corners with its warm light. The rays scorched the rusty ground which had once been a human habitat, now all that was left were ashes of dead bodies. All life close by had dissipated, all but one. 

In the middle of the crumbled land she lay, her breathing was slow and soft like a fading whisper. Her eyelids tightly concealed her lush green eyes, eyes that made the universe seem dull. Eyes with tales, secrets and pain.

So much pain.

The winds stood still, they knew better than to bless the desolate land with their kiss.

If a conscious mind was to be present, he would have looked to the skies and seen a black crow approaching. But there wasn't, and so the bird glided upon the marred land unwitnessed.

It surveyed the area with scrutiny and a precise mind until it's beady eyes landed on the lustrous strands of red. The girl's fiery hair covered her delicate face ever so protectively, daring to only reveal her lips. Her impotent state left her vulnerable.

The very lips that had trembled as she cried for the guardians were now unmoving, they were plump, soft and naturally seeped with color. The crow could only imagine the beauty behind the layer of scarlet locks that concealed the rest of her face.

A padding sound emitted from the right, the crow's head snapped to the said direction, it cawed at the new comer. Its raucous tone posed threat.

A humongous wolf emerged, its  eyes solely focused on the crow with challenge. Its auburn fur slightly ruffled as the wind somehow chose to gust by, it snarled visibly displaying its pearly fangs.

The crow landed a few feet closer to the carnivore, portraying no such fear despite its lack in size. The wolf's snout scrunched as it glared at the bird, in retaliation the crow hoarsely cawed.

The four legged creature made the first move, leaping upon the crow. The bird was swift to react as it hovered away just in time and even managed to strike the wolf with its claws.

The wolf blindly swiped the bird and its aim turned true as the crow was knocked the ground. Then something spectacular happens.

The crow's glossy feathers turned white as its beak shortened, it's wings extended a few inches longer as its eyes shifted into a shade of wise green. The crow had morphed into an owl, the wolf was much oblivious to the change as it stalked its way to the girl.

The owl took off with stealth, its talons protruding out as it attacked the wolf. It embedded its claws past the auburn coat and dug right into the wolf's skin, it then dragged itself backwards scraping the wolf's back.

A howl of agony was produced from the pained mammal as it fell to the ground, blood leaked from its back. The owl expertly landed on the ground between the girl and the fallen wolf.

It morphed again, but this time it took the shape of a human.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," she tutted as her enchanting grey eyes gleamed with victory, her wavy dark hair cascaded down her back as she strutted towards him. "After a decade, I'm not surprised that you still can't pin me down, Cyrus."