Stolen Fates - Anna

Blood and Fire

I squint my eyes against the sunlight, my right ear twitching at the sounds of the forest. I can feel the dirt shift beneath my paws as my nails dig into the earth, pushing me forward, deeper into the heart of the trees. A strong gust of wind ruffles the dirty blonde fur along my back and my nose picks up a strange scent mingling with the other smells of the woods.

My legs halt suddenly, small clouds of dust rising from the ground beneath my paws. My canine nails dig more into the ground as my nose lifts toward the sky to draw in more of the unknown scent. A low growl fills my chest and I feel the hackles rising along my neck and between my shoulders.

The scent reminds me of evergreens and snow. My emerald eyes flash around me, looking for the source of the smell. There are no evergreens in this forest, I'm certain. I've ran through these woods more times that I can count and I've never seen a pine tree. Likewise, snow is unlikely. The climate is much too warm.

Suddenly, another scent joins the first and causes me to salivate uncontrollably. My pupils dilate and I curl my lip, exposing my sharp canines, licking away the dripping saliva. This new scent is easily identifiable with it's metallic sharpness and delicious sweetness. Blood...

My nose follows the enticing smell and my paws follow blindly. Only the crunching sound beneath me and the startling cold that shoots through the pads of my paws brings me back to my senses. I sniff at my paw, licking at the wetness gathered on my nails and finally notice how the ground has changed. In fact, everything has changed.

My woods no longer surround me. The trees are sparse here and snow covers every inch of what should be the green forest floor. I stalk forward slowly, my head low, my eyes and ears taking in everything around me. My paws go still once more when my eyes catch a splash of red across the snow ahead of me and the metallic scent grows stronger. Blood...

I can hear a weak howl in the distance and my ears twist and swivel, trying to find the direction of the sound. I tilt my nose to the sky and open my throat, releasing a howl of my own in response. My ears perk once more, listening for an answering howl but it never comes. A small growl escapes through my exposed canines as I start to move toward the blood streaking across the snow.

I sniffed around the edges of the blood-stained snow and let my nose lead me away, following the scent of pine that mingles with the smell of blood. Droplets of red caught my attention as I followed the scent of pine needles and my head tilts just slightly at the paw prints pressed into the snow. They're smaller than my own and the blood drops follow the same path.

I cast my green eyes up and see the outline of another form lying in the snow ahead. My heart clenches in my chest when I hear a pained whimper and I can't stop my paws from carrying me closer.

The white fur covering her smaller frame is stained red high on her foreleg and I can see her licking at the wound. I approach her slowly, my tail and head lowering as I move closer. A weak growl reaches my ears as her sapphire eyes watch my movements. I can see her lip trembling, her snout scrunching as she exposes her canines at me.

Another gust of wind pushes through my fur and I hear another loud growl from above my head, causing my hackles to rise once more. The snow flutters up from the ground in heavy swirls as the sound of beating wings grows louder and louder. My eyes move to the sky and just as my eyes catch sight of white scales and golden talons, my field of vision is flooded by a bright blue fire.