Wolfpack

The Distance

Emme was having a nightmare.

The cold bit at her skin, turning it blue and black with death as she raced against time. Something she couldn't see was chasing her - large, heavy, malevolent. She knew that she would be unable to outrun it, but she ran anyway. The icy northern ground tore at her feet, leaving them bloody and painful. Raw flesh kissed hot ice, forcing her to peel her foot away from the ground just to keep moving. The rough leaves of the fir licked at her face, slapping her, biting her. The pine trees roared at her, screaming like heavy chainsaws, urging her on, ever on.

The beast at her tail was gaining on her. Her muscles screamed out in protest. Her lungs burned with every breath. She was falling. Tumbling. Rolling in a bloody heap down a rough hill towards certain ruin. The beast leaped into the air, landing silently above her, trapping her between the ground and his eyes. His eyes. Black as night, glittering with the menace of his hatred for her.

She was watching Stefan die at his hands. She was Stefan, arms spread in prayer to the moon, a cold desperation clawing at her soul, rivaling the northern winter on her skin. She was gasping - she couldn't breathe. Hot blood was pumping out of her neck, drenching her body, warming her skin. Cold, icy fingers reaching up weakly to clutch at the wolf's coat. Cryo.

Emme awoke with a gasp, hands reaching out for Noah, and instead clutching at empty air. His side of the bed  was cool. Her heart pounded as her nightmare released her from its icy grip. She was sweating.

Dawn was just approaching, tossing the world into a sea of soft blues, trapping Emme in the moment where earth hesitated before shuddering awake. Outside of her window, a rain had fallen, then hardened to ice during the night. She wrapped her arms around herself. Though she was awake, the blistering cold of the nightmare clung to her still. She slid out of the bed and padded out of the room. Her wolf was frantic against her conscious. Something did not seem right.

"Noah?"

She knew that he wasn't home - she could feel it. Still, speaking his name brought her some measure of comfort. She wondered where he had gone so early in the morning.

"He went out to hunt with the others."

Emme whirled around to face the voice, her lip pulling back instinctively to snarl at the intruder. She flexed her fingers. Her bones ached to shift. She knew that here, she would be at a disadvantage to anyone who shifted - she didn't know how to fight a wolf as a human. Ardyr's laugh washed over her.

"I'm sorry," she said, sitting up from the bundle of blankets on the couch. "I didn't mean to startle you."

Emme relaxed, but only minutely. Why was the female in her home? She gave a weak laugh and moved to the kitchen to make herself tea. Her hands were trembling. Odd.

"Noah asked me to stay with you while he's gone," Ardyr called from the other room. Emme could hear the other female's feet hit the floor. Heard the shuffling of blankets, the pounding of her heart as she stretched.

"No offense or anything, but I don't know why he'd do that," Emme replied as the hot water began boiling. She reached into a drawer and pulled out her favorite tea leaves. They were black and smooth, when crushed and boiled they would yield a murky blue tea that would warm her from the inside out. She began grinding them.

"The northerners hunt differently than what you might be used to," Ardyr replied. "He may not return until nightfall. Even until tomorrow morning, even."

"That's not unusual," Emme replied, focused on crushing the leaves. She didn't know why, but she was uncomfortable with the other female. Her skin burned. Her wolf pounded at her conscious, demanding that she go after her mate. She kept her cool.