A Shifter Secret (Under MAJOR editing)

Chapter 2

Smoke filled Nova's lungs as she gasped for breath, making her choke on the thick substance. Somewhere along the way, she had lost her sister in the haze. She tried to search for her, but it was impossible in the destruction around her. Nova couldn't see. There was too much smoke in the air for her to even try to sniff Aquaria out. Her sensitive ears rung from the explosions creating loud booms from around her. 

She couldn't find her. The screams echoed from all around Nova. What if one of them was hers?

The pounding of feet from those who were still trying to flee. The explosive blasts of buildings being ruined. The flashes of colored light that were there one second and gone the next. The acrid stench of rust and the tang of iron. The scent of blood. It was all becoming too much.

Nova knew. She knew that if she wanted to live, she had to run and get far away from this place. 

She took off running. Stumbling through the ruins of houses and homes reduced to crumbling ruins. Trying to find her way to the forest. If she could just get to the forest, she had a chance. The sentence repeating itself over and over in her mind until she suddenly crashed into someone and fell.

"Well, well, well! What do we have here? Another Astros?" The man in question exclaimed. Nova's violet gaze met the man's green orbs. "My. It must be my lucky day!"

Nova couldn't move. She was petrified. The man looked happy. Way too happy for the situation they were in right now. It sickened her. How could someone hurt others and feel happy?

The man stalked towards her. His black robes swirled around his feet as he moved forwards. Nova tried backing away from him, but her back hit a wall and as she looked around, she realized she had been cornered.

The green eyed man forcefully grabbed a hold of her chin and forced Nova to meet his eyes.

"Where is the Orb?" He asked, pointing a stick of wood at her.

"Orb? What orb?" Nova replied innocently. Of course she knew what the Orb of Astros was, it's only the most important object in the pack. But Nova didn't know where and she certainly wasn't going to tell him even if she knew.

"Don't play dumb with me, girl. I know that you know what I am talking about. Now. Where. Is. The. Orb." He grunted through clenched teeth. His grip around the odd stick tightened and his knuckles were starting to turn white.

"I told you. I don't know. And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you," Nova snarled. The man raised the stick to her level. "You think that little stick's going to scare me?"

"Yes, I do. I'm feeling generous tonight, so I'll offer you one more chance." He asked once again and forced a frightening smile onto his face. "Where is the Orb?"

"I already told you. I don't know." Nova held firm. Truthfully, she was thankful she didn't know. Only selected village elders and the Chief knew where the Orb was and there were only four elders and one Chief in the small village.

The man's facial expression morphed into one of annoyance and Nova could tell that the facade was over as he pointed the stick at her.

"Crucio!" The man cried. A red beam of light washed over the dark night. As soon as the spell hit her, blinding pain encompassed her as the fires blazed on around her.