Ash And Ember The Wolf / Witch Hybrid

It was a peaceful autumn night in the Oregon mountains, but anyone could see the storm in Ash's light green eyes. As she sat alone on her balcony, the turmoil within her grew. Once again, she was being sent out of the safety of the ancient castle that had been her home for the past twenty years. But this time was different. This time she wasn’t sure if she would make it back. Earlier this afternoon, the Council of the coven had told her that she had to go find the pack that she belonged with. After twenty years of being raised in a witches' coven, she was being kicked out. The coven was also a school that taught magic and regular studies, to help prepare young witches and wizards for the outside world. But she was being forced to leave her home because she was a wolf, not a witch. Ash was furious with the council now more than ever. Over the past year, she had been sent on hundreds of errands all over the world for them, and even protected them from a few unsavory creatures looking for trouble. But no, she was not allowed to stay anymore. Ash looked over the surrounding mountains and the small valley that the castle was settled in. She knew every inch of this land like the back of her hand. She watched as a breeze blew through the trees in the surrounding forest, shaking some leaves loose and sending them to the ground. She was admiring the way the sun set behind the mountains and thought about how she would miss this place and how she wished something would change the council's minds about making her leave. “Why do they hate us so much? “Ash thought silently, knowing that Ember would help her understand. “They don’t hate us, and you know it". Ember replied, annoyed by all the drama. Before the conversation between Ash and Ember could continue, a familiar scent flowed out of the room behind her. “Talking to Ember again my little one?” Sharra asked, looking at Ash's long auburn hair gently blowing in the breeze. Sharra was a tall, thin woman who looked to be in her early forties. She had shoulder-length black hair that was straight and beautiful bronze skin. She was essentially Ash’s adopted mother and knew that Ash would turn to her wolf, Ember, for answers. “Yes. I can’t understand why the Council hates me and keeps trying to get rid of me.” Ash huffed as she stood up and walked into the room from her perch. “For the last year I have done everything that they have asked of me and more. But they still want me gone.” “We don’t want you gone; we want you to live up to your full potential as a wolf. Unfortunately, witches can only do so much to help you and Ember to become the wolf you are supposed to be." Sharra stated, trying to keep the sadness from her voice. She hoped that Ash didn’t think that her and Marlin wanted her gone. “But we are the wolf we are supposed to be.” Ash protested, trying to fight back the tears. “You’re lying to yourself again.” Ember’s voice sweetly whispered in their mind. Sharra sighed and walked over to Ash, wrapping her in a warm hug. They both knew that this day would come but they could never truly be prepared for it. Sharra and Marlin had raised Ash from when she was just a few days old. Ash’s birth mother had made her way to the castle in search of safety for her daughter but could only stay for a few days. And they never told Ash why. Since that day, Sharra and Marlin were the only parents that she had ever known. “I have an idea.” Sharra said as she pulled away from their hug and looked Ash in the eye. She knew the perfect way to calm Ash down. “Why don’t you and Ember go out for a run and when you get back, we can have some hot cocoa and talk.” “That sounds like a good idea. We could use the distraction right now.” Ash half-heartedly smiled at knowing that Sharra knew her greatest weaknesses, running and chocolate. This had been the way that Sharra had gotten her to calm down and clear her mind since Ember first appeared when Ash was sixteen. Ash practically ran out of her room and down the stairs to get outside. She was incredibly fast for how short she was, standing at only 5’3, her skin was pale, and she had freckles scattered across her shoulders and cheeks because of her love for the outdoors. When she finally stepped out of the castle a few minutes later, she could feel Ember coming to the surface. She knew the Ember was longing to come out, but she wasn't quite ready to give Ember control. For the first time since Ember had awakened, Ash wanted to be the one to release all the anger that was swelling inside of her, and she knew exactly where she wanted to go to do it. After a moment, Ash took off running as fast as she could. She was going to her favorite clearing in the forest. She always loved how everything seemed so at peace there, but Ember never really enjoyed it. To Ember it seemed too quiet. Like there was something lurking in the trees keeping everything at a hushed tone. But tonight, Ash was going to her spot. She didn't care about how much Ember would protest or whine about it. After running for about ten minutes, she finally came to the clearing and fell onto the soft, overgrown grass looking up at the sky. Her legs were numb, and her lungs were on fire. It felt like she hadn't taken a breath the entire way there. Deep in her mind she could hear Ember chuckling and muttering something about being out of shape. Ash just ignored her and let out a loud piercing scream. Years’ worth of pent-up rage, anger and pain poured out of her through that scream. So many long-forgotten memories started filling her mind and then vanished as the scream continued. She only stopped screaming long enough to take a breath before she continued again. She was so focused on letting out all her anguish that she didn't even notice that some clouds had moved directly above her. As her voice was starting to c***k and falter from the sheer raw force of her screaming, a bolt of lightning hit a nearby tree, snapping her out of her dark haze. She finally focused her eyes on the sky and saw that the clouds above her were as dark and angry as the screams that had left her. They looked as if they wanted to destroy anything and everything in their path. As another bolt of lightning came down closer to where Ash was lying, Ember went into a full-blown panic and was trying to get away. But Ash just laid there calmly watching, as if she was in a trance, keeping Ember from being able to take control. Suddenly, six bright lights came out of the tree line surrounding Ash and shot straight up into the clouds, breaking them apart until the only things above her were the stars. As soon as the clouds were gone, so was the trance that Ash had been in. She quickly sat up and tried to scramble to her feet as a wave of panic washed over her. Before she could find her feet, two soft arms were wrapped around her, and she heard a woman sobbing. Ash looked at the woman and realized that it was Sharra. Her face was twisted with worry and fear as she continued to cry on Ash's shoulder. Ash looked around and saw the other five members of the council there with them. "What", Ash started to ask, but her voice was so raw from the screaming that it came out as a very rough croak. "Don't talk child." Marlin said with a soft, sympathetic voice. "We will tell you everything when we get back to the keep." He reached out his hand to help her up, but Sharra was holding on to her so tightly that she couldn't move. Seeing the problem, he squatted down beside them chuckling. "Sharra, my love. She's safe but we can't do anything to help her if you hug her to death. It's time to go back home." Sharra, who had finally stopped sobbing but was now hiccupping uncontrollably, looked at him while pulling Ash closer to her and responded. "I'm not *hiccup* going to hug her *hiccup* to death, Marlin. I'm just making *hiccup* sure that she is OK *hiccup*." With all her hiccups everyone laughed and helped both Sharra and Ash to their feet. "Then shall we." Marlin said, holding both of his arms bent at his sides for them to hold on to. He looked to be in his sixties, standing at almost six feet tall and his short white curly hair blowing in the breeze. He almost looked like a mad scientist. Ash gave a slight curtsy and a big smile as she took his left arm, but Sharra just let out a deep sigh and shook her head. She knew that Marlin was known for his charm and he also would be offended if she didn't take his arm, so she took it and they quietly walked back to the castle. As they slowly made their way back, Ash's mind was swirling with questions. The biggest ones were how did they know where to find her, and what that storm was. She looked up at the sky and saw a beautiful moon that was almost full. Its glow outlined the old castle and made it look more beautiful than in the daylight. There were lights shining through the windows, and the old bricks glistened white in the moonlight. Every time the full moon came it seemed to have a magical effect on the castle that made Ash feel at home. But she couldn't shake the feeling that this was no longer her home.