The alpha Ulfram was standing at the edge of the tree line. Its silver fur danced back to her in the firelight. She expected the alpha to speak… to say anything. Ask her why she wanted them silenced or tell her some comforting words as it had the night before.
Nyssa’s eagle landed on her knee and gave her a nip. He chirped, and Nyssa knew he had said something, but she didn’t… she didn’t understand him.
She didn't understand him.
Her eagle nipped at her again, this time extending his wings when he called out.
All blood drained from Nyssa's body.
She couldn’t hear the Ulfram.
She couldn’t hear her eagle.
Their songs were gone.
Their songs were gone.
She couldn't hear him.
—The realization of what she’d just done struck her. Her entire body curled and shriveled into a tremble she couldn’t contain.
No.
No-no-no-no—
She couldn’t feel her eagle.
No-no-no-no—
What had she done?
No-no-no-NO—
A scream so violent that her ears began to bleed emitted from her.
The Ulfram slipped back into the wood.
And Nyssa surrendered to the truth.
The creatures were gone.
She'd lost the only ability she'd been born with.
As to how she’d managed to get on her horse, Nyssa didn’t know. But the next thing she knew, it was daylight, and she was sitting upright on her steed, hands gripping the reins.
She blinked at the sunlight piercing her eyes and looked around. They were in the Forest, treading slowly over the great roots. In front of her was her brother on his great chestnut steed. Her own grey-white horse gave a whinny—
The memory of what she’d done hit her. She grasped the reins as a lifeline, body constricting beneath the weight of her stupidity, and her horse began to buck erratically.
“Whoa—”
“Nyssa—“
Fear wrapped itself around her core as a tightening rope, threatening to hang her from the gallows of her mother’s tree.
“No—No—” her eyes wouldn’t fixate. Her body shook. All she could feel was the stress of her failure.
Back and forth.
