I hit the rock and my breath left me. I gasped as I struggled to find a grip on its slick surface. The mist had made a small pile of moss that grew on it, and I did my best to focus my weight there. My chest hurt from almost falling, and I didn’t know how long of a fall that would have been but wasn’t anxious to find out. Ivy was still providing commentary of my stupidity but I didn’t care. I got to my knees first and inhaled as much as I could. Once I felt steady I got to my feet and eyed the rest of the jump. Thankfully the worst part was getting here.
I took a deep breath again before leaping once more. I cleared it with ease and breathed a sigh of relief. When I had crossed that and created Orchid’s path, I hadn’t even noticed the drop.
“Well, well, well look who finally makes it over. I thought we were about to be rid of you, Hazel.”
Peanut was staring me down and standing in the way for me to go forward. “Move aside, Peanut, you guys are just being used by Moss. Just let me go.”
“No. All of us hate you, Hazel. None of us trust you, and none of us want you in the pack, not even for another day.”
She said it so precise I had to roll my eyes at her. “I’m leaving tonight, going to go live with that Quinn guy until the ceremony. This day is literally the last you guys will have to see me. You guys don’t have to risk your place tonight just to stop me.”
“We’re going across the finish line together.” She looked past me over the forest. “I thought Pine would have stopped you, I’m surprised she failed.”
I smirked. “Well, she only failed because of you guys, to begin with. I walked her into one of those many traps you have for me.”
“How did you know about that?” Peanut demanded. Her fists were balled and she was shaking in anger. “We didn’t stay up all night to have you find out about those. You’re not going any further, Hazel. I’m stopping you.”
“If you do I’ll make you regret it,” I replied as calmly as I could. I couldn’t waste too much more time with her. I had to get going and catch up to the rest. I hoped the other areas had some sort of trials to slow everyone down.
“You’ve always been weak, Hazel. We should have killed you as a pup.”
“Guess you waited too late for that, Peanut.”
Her snarls increased and her body blurred as the shift occurred. She doubled, then tripled in size until Pecan stood growling at me. Great, this already felt familiar. I glanced behind me at the ravine, I didn’t want her to die, I had to make sure we didn’t end up near that area. I took off running past where she had guarded. I knew I wouldn’t be able to stay ahead long, she could pounce on me in one leap.
She galloped after me like a horse, and there was silence as the sky darkened above me. I rolled to the side and kept rolling as her body crashed into the space I had occupied. She batted at me with a paw and a single nail caught on my side and gave me a deep gash. I swallowed a scream, I wasn’t about to give them that satisfaction. My memory of the traps over here was a lot more spotty. I had gotten tired by the time we had made our way over here and everything looked the same.
“You’re already bleeding, Hazel, you may as well shift now. Let’s end this. I’ve wanted to sink my fangs into that pathetic Ivy for a long time now.”
A rare emotion bloomed to life inside of me. A rage that Ivy was being painted with the same brush I was. “You leave Ivy out of this.”
‘What?’ My wolf was mystified.
Pecan laughed as she shook her head and circled around me. She wanted to drive me back towards danger. “You’re both weaklings, but she’s worse than you. Someone that would just roll over with their belly up disgusts me. I want to rip her apart, I’ll take my time so the last thing I do is put her out of her misery by tearing out her throw. So now, Hazel, shift!” She snapped at me with her great teeth this time.
I stepped backward and stumbled, landing on my ass. Pecan didn’t hesitate and a giant paw slammed down on my chest. Her putting the smallest bit of weight was making it hard for me to breathe. “Off,” I demanded with as much force as I could muster.
She leaned down until I was staring into the maw of her mouth. Her fangs glinted in the light of the sun. “I’m going to count to five, Hazel. You shift, or I’m going to eat you, right here, and right now.”
‘Shift, Hazel!’ Ivy was the one demanding me now. I snorted at her too. ‘Shift!’
‘You’re just going to give up and be killed anyway, Ivy. I’ll get us out of this.’
‘Hazel, stop being stubborn! SHIFT!’
“One,” her breath covered my head and I tried to shrink away from it. “Two.” She pressed down on me more until my lungs screamed for air. “Three.” She lowered her head so her fangs were over my head now. “You’re running out of time,” she chided. “Four, this is your last chance, Hazel, shift.”
I grabbed onto her paw and struggled as much as I could. I wouldn’t give up, I wasn’t going to just die like this to one of Moss’s minions. Ivy was screaming at me now. She was scared, that was new. Regardless, I didn’t trust her, and I wasn’t going to. I reached deep inside and focused. Time had turned to a crawl now. I could see her forming the next word, but there was a power inside me flickering. I focused on that will to live and focused it entirely on the paw holding me down.
“Fiv-” Pecan’s count was cut off as she screamed and leaped away from me. “What was that!” she demanded as she held up a singed paw and glared daggers at me. I stared at her in confusion as well until I realized that clenched in my fist I had a small blade made entirely of a raging hot fire. “Monster!” Pecan charged at me again.
I rolled under her and thrust my blade up. My weapon vanished as her hefty hide absorbed it, but I heard her scream as she leaped away from me trying to bat out the fire with her great paws. ‘What did you do?’ Ivy was stunned.
‘I have no idea, I just was desperate and there was a spark, and that happened.’
We watched as Pecan ran away from us and towards the direction of the forest’s lake. Apparently, my weapon didn’t stop burning even when out of my grip. That was nice to know. I looked down at my hands and turned them over as I searched every inch. Was that something I could do again? I focused hard and remembered that feeling of panic and the flash that had been deep inside of me.
Flames leaped to life inside my hand. They molded a dagger once more and I stared at it in perfect awe.
Now, this could be handy, and handy was what I really needed. I still had Dandelion, Rose, and of course Moss herself to deal with. I had to make sure no one found out about Orchid, and I really hoped she had managed to get far ahead of me by this point. I hoped that she understood now why I had wanted her to go first, I didn’t want these jealous bitches attacking her because she was my friend.
I watched the flames lap at my skin but no matter where I held the blade, the fire didn’t burn me. It was the strangest sensation I had ever experienced. I looked toward the path I still had to go and taking a deep breath started my run again. Ivy was silent, she was still trying to understand that we had a new power in our arsenal, though I had to wonder if she had the ability as well, or if it was only me.
On this side of the ravine, the trees grew even closer together and my progress was hampered as I had to slip around the numerous trees. I didn’t have time to worry about traps, I had to press ahead. I burst into a clearing and stumbled to a stop. Rose and Dandelion stood on either side of the trees with their hands crossed over their chest. They glanced at each other before approaching me with twin smiles on their lips.
“I’m not sure how you made it by the others, but you’re not getting by us,” Rose announced. She held something small in her hands, I couldn’t quite make it out, but I didn’t have time to either, Dandelion was circling behind me on the right side.
“Hazel, it’s time for you to give up, you’re not finishing this.”
They didn’t even show fear of the flame in my hand. “Let me go through, I’ve already beaten two of you, it won’t be too hard to beat you guys at once.”
Rose laughed. “That’s why you won’t be the one fighting, Hazel. I’m not one to take any chances. It’s time to let Ivy out.” Whatever was in her hands flared and a bitter-sweet smell stung my nose. My eyes widened in shock as my vision went black and I felt my body shift against my will.
It was too late. Ivy was going to be the one in charge until the end of this adventure now, and I was terrified.