Claws & Jasmine

Chapter one: Questions without Answers

Chapter One: Questions without Answers

Word count: 1874

Author's note: Welcome to chapter one! Hope you enjoy it.

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*Blaire's POV*

I'm running, but I don't know where I'm headed. I feel like I've been running for hours, but my lungs don't burn and my body doesn't ache. It was dark, I can only make out the grey pine trees surrounding me. Their spiny branches grasping for me, but I weave through them easily. My wolf form is slender and swift, my brown and black mixture of fur helping me blend in with the earthy environment. What am I running from? I'm not sure, but my sense of urgency won't let up.

I bursted through the brush, pine needles sticking in my fur, and I quickly took in my new surroundings. I stood in a meadow covered with clusters of little white and lilac flowers. Without the trees blocking the sky, I could now see the storm clouds spinning above. Looking down at my paws, I realized my fur was matted with a sticky crimson substance. Blood. Now that I'm aware of it, I could practically smell it's metallic scent. It was almost deafeningly silent, no chirping insects or wildlife whatsoever. Nothing but the eerie rumble of thunder, and the blood curdling screams of a woman.

The woman always stood with her back facing me. Her long dirty blonde hair flipping furiously in the howling wind as she thrashed. Her screams got louder and louder, echoing off the trees and only being drowned out by the booming thunder. It began to pour, rain droplets pelting us. I couldn't feel the rain, the only thing I could feel was the woman's pain. A flash of lightning followed by thunder drowned her out once more. I tried to step closer, but she only appeared to move farther out of reach.

I could feel everything she felt. The throbbing of her busted lip. The black and purple bruises along her rib cage. The desperation burning within her very body. My eyes stung with her tears and I couldn't hold back a whimper. I don't really understand what is going on, but I don't have time to think. A funnel had formed in the clouds, a spiral of wind descended towards the ground. I filled with my own desperation as the tornado barreled towards the woman.

 
I ran towards her, but again, she only moved away. Why didn't she run to cover? Couldn't she see the tornado coming straight for her? I skidded to a stop, tilting my snout into the air and letting out a howl to get her attention. A part of me didn't expect her to hear it over the storm, so when she spun around to face me for the first time I didn't know how to react. Her body trembled weakly, her legs looked about ready to collapse.

Piercing blue eyes found mine, "Save me!" but there wasn't anything I could do to stop the tornado from sweeping her from the ground and into it's dark hold.

I awoke in a cold sweat, sitting up in bed. "What the...fuck?" my voice sounded groggy.

I hastily took in the familiar cream colored walls of my bedroom. My sheets were twisted up by my ankles. I managed to toss my comforter, a pillow, and a stuffed bear I kept on my bed onto the floor in my sleep. The pillow that was trapped under my head is damp with sweat. Unable to shake the nightmare off, I lifted my hands up to examine them for signs of blood. Of course, there were none. It was only a nightmare.

But it felt so real.

I released a shaky breath, pushing off my mattress and headed for the bathroom attached to my room. The bathroom had two entrances, one from my room and the other from my twin brother's. I made sure both doors were locked before twisting the knobs of the shower. The water hummed to life and I yanked my sweat soaked shirt over my head. A flash of pain from my side forced me to halt in my movements. Turning to the side, I looked into the mirror to see fresh reddish purple bruises staining my right side. Those definitely weren't there before I went to sleep.