Witch-bitch opened a large chest and pulled out a spiral wand. She pointed it at Sage, and something flew from it. Sage ducked, weaved, and dodged away from whatever it was, totally out of options. She jumped to the top of a well, then hopped across other wells like steppingstones, then made a flying leap to the stairs that led straight up, hoping they went somewhere. Up, up, up, she went, the fox pelt hanging from her mouth, feeling heavier than it should. Light and sound exploded all around her. From below, witch-bitch yelled curses and spells at her.
At the top, Sage found a trap door. She butted it with her head, and it did not open. She examined it and found the lock. She put a paw on it and yipped at it, thinking, ‘open up, open up.’ The lock popped open and the door sprung ajar, letting in natural light.
Outside. She was going to get away.
Sage pushed her way out, triumph filling her, giving her strength and speed. She leapt—and hit her head. She was outside, standing on grass, with trees all around, but still enclosed in a domed, plastic cage. Sage paced in a circle, distraught, the tail of the fox stole dragging on the ground.She’d been so close to freedom.
She rammed her body into the plastic, then paced around the base of it with her nose low, looking for a way out. Magic shot out of the hole, looking like thick spiderwebs, seeking her. She jumped to the side and whipped the stole through the magic, dispersing it into threads.
A thin, distant scent reached her.Vod in the forest.Did she dare call them for help? Would they help her if she called them? But then she recognized the scent—him.Out of all thevodin Serenity, why did it have to behim?
From behind her, more magic shot out of the hole like flying spirits. The magic sought her, grabbing at her. She ducked under it, desperation spurring her to do what she otherwise never would.
HELP!She shouted inruhi, aiming blindly at the scent.HELP ME CAN—
A thick strap of magic shot out of the hole and wrapped around her throat and face, sealing her muzzle shut, gluing the stole to her, and yanking her backwards.
Sage shifted to human, and wrenched at the magic with her hands, trying to pull it away from her face so she could breathe. The magic tightened, suffocating her, strangling her. Panic filled her, and she used it—building up her own magic, her own will, then exploding it out of her like a guided missile, seeking the wolves. She felt it leave her and explode through the plastic with a liquid bursting sound. She imagined it flying over the grass and above the ground, around trees—
More of witch-bitch’s magic flew up and slammed into Sage, joining with what was around her head and face, covering her body, pulling tight, flipping her around and around, then headfirst back into the trapdoor, slamming her onto each step on the way down.
Sage blacked out and her fox took over.
50—Birth of WULF
Canyon leapt for the male in a flying tackle, but like Six, this guy disappeared into thin air, leaving his clothes in a heap on the ground. Canyon tucked his arms and spun to the left, avoiding the brick shed. He hit the ground rolling, then was up and moving, looking all around. A deep rumbling noise caught his attention, spinning him that way. From deep in the forest, something was coming, big and fast. It snapped branches and flattened small trees like a hurricane, heading straight for them.
Uh, Timber,he said.
But Timber was in motion. He kicked at the clothes on the ground, then ripped the door to the shed open. Thirteen stood there, totally naked, in front of a floor to ceiling stack of army-green crates. He had an evil grin on his face and a grenade held over his head, with the pin in his other hand.
“Oh shit,” Timber said.
The rumbling, invisible hurricane was almost on them, pushing debris in front of it, sounding like a freight train. Wood, dirt, and leaves peppered Canyon, and a thin beeping sound made him look twice. Thirteen opened his hand and dropped the grenade straight down to the ground. The safety lever sprang free, and Thirteen disappeared.
“RUN!” Canyon roared, turning and sprinting away. The shed would mostly contain one grenade, but if there were more—
We gon’ die!Timber shouted inruhi, making Canyon run faster.
BAM.
The first explosion sounded flat and unimportant, like a car backfiring.
BA-WHOOMP.
The second explosion started a cavalcade of blasts. Canyon sprinted for his life, planning to shift relentlessly at his first injury, knowing it wouldn’t be enough. He and his brother were going to be turned into Swiss cheese—
A wave of cool pressure rushed in, seeming to tamp the still-exploding shed to the ground. It picked Canyon up, carried him through the air like a leaf, and deposited him safely and right-side-up onto a tree branch thirty feet away. Canyon grabbed tightly onto the tree trunk, while Timber was placed in the same tree on another branch, just as gently. Canyon sat shakily down on the branch, checking he still had all his body parts. Timber began to laugh.
What are we doing up here?Canyon said, relief making him giddy.
Your guardian angel must be working overtime.
Another explosion. Trevor’s not going to believe this. Or like it.
I don’t fucking believe it—especially the mouse part.
The what?
