The Middle Child

Chapter 27

The smell of death wafted through the air and they knew they were in the right place. They saw more than a hundred Skinwalkers running into a huge cave, Alyson gasped.

"I would've never thought they'd take this system of caves, it's very unstable and could literally cave in at any moment," Alyson said shock coursing through her.

"That means even going inside is a major risk?" Daniel asked.

"So much so, that none of the animals in this forest will go inside let alone live there," Alyson says.

"Damn," Dustin mutters.

"Looks like we'll need a new plan," Dylan said.

"For now, we need to find a place to camp until we can get a new plan," Daniel said turning expectantly to Alyson.

"There's another system of caves about a mile or so away, the pack used to live there before the other one. They outgrew this one," Alyson said and started to back away from the Skinwalker homebase.

Until her hair stood on its end and her stomach turned. She met eye to eye with a Skinwalker, this one was made from a human for sure. His dark tousled hair and piercing green eyes would've been good looking if his body wasn't stretched into what reminded Alyson of stretched taffy. His limbs much too thin and bony. He smirked at her fully aware, like he knew exactly who she was.

Then a series of roars made the hairs stand even more rigidly. Alyson instantly climbed up a nearby tree and picked a branch big enough and high enough off the ground to place Kai. She tied him securely to the tree branch making sure he'd stay there while she went into battle.

"Guess there's no time for a plan!" Alyson said moving to a tree closer to the action and firing arrows left and right making mer mark every time.

She paused as her hand went to grab another arrow but only grabbed empty air. Alyson let out a few choice phrases as she leapt from the tree she'd been perched in. Her eyes instantly searched out Hayden but froze as they met the human-skinwalker. She tried to ignore him and she danced around stabbing and cutting Skinwalkers. Hayden slowly made his way next to her helping her recollect her arrows.

As she grabbed the last one Hayden flew to help Dylan. She started climbing the trees again but a voice stopped her as it rang through her mind, it was male and spoke in a language unfamiliar to her, almost like Ilna's language but it seemed more of a modern turn. Her brain translated it slower than the ancient words of Ilna.

"Alyson, the little psychic. How lovely to finally meet you," it says. Her head snaps to the human-skinwalker, somehow she knows it's him.

"I'm not here to make friends, you freak," She said except her words weren't the english she spoke growing up the language Ilna speaks in.

"I'd be surprised if you were, seems you have a personal vendetta with these creatures, no?" He asks tilting his head sideways.

"I will protect my forest with my life, it's already lost too many!" I snap at the monster.

"That is true my Little Psychic, but there will be much more death to come than that of this forest," He says a sick smile breaking onto his stretched out skin. He starts to walk away but she leaps through the trees and chases him. He enters the cave, she hesitates but follows him inside.

"Not if I can stop it!" She yells at him.

"Oh, but you are just merely some half-breed with a few Psychic abilities. How will you save people from dying?" He asks his voice seeming to echo off the cave walls as she chases him deeper into the cave. She's fully aware how dumb this is but she knows she can't let this guy out of sight.