The Queen's Luna

Chapter 10

Bewilderment and shock crosses their face as they bolt upright, and the girl takes control again. “What? How do you know that? How is that possible…?”

She takes a breath as I stare at her, “Do… Do you know my name…?”

I nod as I wait for her heart to still a few bears, “You were named Lara. Give me due time and I will explain all to you.”

Tears well in her eyes, “Lara,” She breaths, “I have a name. I… I have a sister. Can I hug you?”

I give her a small, wolfy smile, “On this occasion, yes.”

Before she can move towards me, gunfire rings out into the air. One whizzes just past Lara’s ear before I proceed to knock her out of the way and take the other two bullets to my left shoulder.

I snarl before barking a command to the horse, “Lara, harness them in and go!”

I leap from the roof of the carriage and in my weakened state, my front legs fail to support my weight, causing me to tumble to the ground.

Lara yelps, “No! Let me help you. Please. You’re too weak to fight.”

I snap at her as I shake off my fall, “Get Rana to safety. Come back for me if you must, but please go. Now.”

With a pained expression, she obeys. I dodge more bullets as I dart into the dress by the rock face,

“f**k the one with the horses. We kill this b****,” one says.

I watch as they fan out with their weapons pointed towards the trees. I know that, in my state, IK cannot finish off the rest of them with as much ease as the others.

I look around, debating my options… Two of them happen to be just under a thick branch that is heavily laden with snow.

I take a deep breath as I call upon my magic. Even the slightest tug at it causes black starts to dance across my vision. Regardless, I push myself. I form the snow into hundreds of dagger-like icicles above the heads of the two as the earth begins to sway beneath me.

I struggle as I try and maintain consciousness and cries of outrage echo into the air. I fall against a bush, giving away my position.

“There! Kill her!”

The remain four aim their guns in my general direction and begin to open fire. For their being four of them, none seem to have a decent aim. Good, because I only need a few moments to catch my breath before I go take out the rest of them. I know the one that killed Rana is amongst them. I can smell her death lingering in the air.

“You can’t hide for forever. Come out now and maybe we will just kill you and not take you to be the king’s pet.”

The others laugh as they near my position amongst the brush.

“Now, now boys. You know how the king likes his pure colored wolves. Alive would fetch a higher price.”

I bound from my position, catching one of the men by their neck and decapitating him as I go. They all turn to stare at me as their friend’s lifeless body spurts blood all over them and the ground before toppling off of the horse.

With all of their eyes trained on me, I make sure to sufficiently crush the head in my jaws, only to shake the chunks of matter sufficiently in various directions.

A bullet hits me in the lower chest, but I don’t flinch; even with the searing pain and the blood that now leaks from the hole. I laugh at them and they know it.

The biggest one, their leader, I assume, jumps from his horse and draws his sword, “It’s been a while since I’ve come across a feral one of you. Those tiny silver bullets have no effect on you. Do they?”

I snarl at him, my hackles raised as I scent Rana’s death on him. I snarl and snap my jaws at him as spittle flies from my lips.

He tilts his head at me with an evil smile, “That was your wench in the cottage I take it.”

Blinding anger rips through every ounce of my being and invigorates me. The wind picks up and the clouds darken the sky again.

Blindly, I charge him. I dodge his sword and drive him into the ground. I take the handle of his sword into my jaws and prepare to swing it at the other one closest to me just as my left flank is slashed through.

This time, I cry out in pain as my body begins to give out. Between my blood loss and my excessive use of magic, I am sure that this is my life force ebbing away. The handle of the sword slips from my grip, but I still manage to release it with enough strength that it spears my intended target in the gut.

On three good legs and mere ounces of strength remaining, I bolt into the woods just as an unfamiliar she-wolf scent enters my nose.

I don’t make it more than five hundred yards before my legs give out midstride and I go sliding through the snow into the base of a tree. I struggle to keep my eyes open as I shiver, and my body goes into shock. I give in to the weight of my eyelids as my breathing seems to become a burden

Sage stirs within me, ever slightly, “Sienna…”

Before I can register Sage’s brief appearance in my consciousness, the same scented wolf enters my surrounding area again. My eyes snap open.

I glare at the she-wolf, who is staring at me with wide eyes, from where I lay, unable to move. Too drained from recent ordeals. I don't have it in my power to move from my spot against the oak tree. I put my head back down on my paws as I watch the russet and golden colored wolf.

She steps closer, her bright, blue eyes regarding me with hesitation and something else I cannot decipher. I curl my lip back and she does the same.

"Leave us here," My wolf and I regard her. Sage, my wolf, seems saddened at our statement, but stands by it.

She does not seem surprised that I can link with her, "We will not leave you," She steps closer, "I mean only to help you."

I take another breath, more shallow than the one prior as the cold seems to work its way into my fur. I shiver. I must have severely drained myself and my injuries more than my drained body can bear. "Did my sister make it to your territory?" I ask her.

The wolf nods, "She did and is in the hands of our healers. Your items are under twenty-four-hour guard at behest of your sister."

I blink at her, "Good. Thank you." I am so tired.

She steps close again and I catch her scent on the breeze, a strange mix between warm coffee, browned sugar, and freshly baked cookies. It's intoxicating…

"You smell like Briar-Roses and warm honey," She offers, "Keep your eyes open. I have help coming. Why don't you tell us your name?"

"We are Sage and Sienna," I blink at her again, my eyes getting heavy.

"Will you let us keep you warm? You are awfully cold."

We puff out another hot breath, "You would try and warm us anyhow. I suppose I don't have much say in the matter."

The she-wolf presses her body against mine and pulsating tingles shoot through every inch of us. She lays her head over top of my neck in order to try and stop the shivers that ravage my body, "I don't understand why you're healing so slowly, but I pray the Goddess does not take you from me."