I felt the grass and dirt beneath my feet as I ran, the wind blowing strands out of my loose ponytail. I could hear others shouting and running behind me, the ragged breaths and deep inhales. It had always been the shapeshifter's jobs to hunt for our pack. There were only four of us, but we made do. We all collectively chose to shift into a timber wolf when hunting, that way we could look inconspicuous hunting as a group.

The deer that ran ahead of us wasn't as thin as usual, it was a full-grown deer. With so much meat on its bones that it could feed our whole group. Most animals were malnourished, pollution and deforestation were at an all-time high.

"We have to catch it now, it's about to hop over the stream." A hunters voice growled from not too far behind me, I heard a few sharp remarks and gasps as we pushed on.

The deer sprinted harder, using its long agile legs to jump over the small stream. It landed easily on the other side, forcing us to skid to a stop. We all growled in frustration.

"We should still be giving chase, who cares that the soldiers like to camp over there? We need its meat, winter hasn't arrived yet and we're already starving." I snarled, the other three hunters shifted unsurely.

"You give chase into there and you'll never return," the eldest shapeshifter hissed. We shifted back our human forms, my shift took the longest compared to the others.

"Zara use your brain for once." Her hand flew up to my head, she meant to give me a slap to the forehead but before her hand could even touch me, I grabbed it and snarled.

"I'm the strongest of us, I can do it."

"It doesn't matter how strong you are if you can't control it." The elder sneered down at me, pulling her bony wrist from my hold.

I glanced over at the small stream that separated us from containment, it was such a small and windy river. Yet it stood in my way, and our pack needed that deer. I took a few steps back and the others eyed me warily.

"It's suicide." The elder tried once more, her voice shaking slightly. I merely shrugged a bony shoulder, eyes never leaving the other side of the stream.

"We all die one day," was the last thing I said to my pack. I took a few steps back and did a running jump over the stream. I felt my bones shifting in a searing pang, and my human form was replaced once again with a wolf one. I heard someone protest but the elder shushed whoever it was.

I ran through the woods, tracking the deer. It had rained only yesterday and left the dirt soft, and the hoof prints nice and clear.

I slowed down and crouched behind a bush once I spotted the deer, it had stopped to drink some water. It thought it had escaped us, that it would live for another day. I change back to my natural form and slowly slide out a small knife from the inside of my boots. I clutched the handle, moving my feet quietly over the mud.

Before I could attack, the deer started choking. It was a horrid noise. The deer jolted and recoiled, almost as if it couldn't breathe. I felt my heart thundering as I watched the deer collapse and thump onto the ground.

I glanced around the area, eyeing the trees and vegetation that provided coverage for anyone that lurked nearby. Creeped out I approach the deer and looked at it's dazed eyes, it was the worst to go.

"Pathetic. A shapeshifter that can't control her abilities." A voice cooed from behind me, I spun around holding my knife up. The clearing was empty, but I felt someone's presence now. I turned in slow circlings eyeing every shadow.

"Who's there," I yelled at the clearing. "Come out before I tear you apart." My threat bounced off the trees, echoing outward.

A cold hand grabbed my throat and slammed me down on the ground, I let out a sharp breath. Looking up to see the cold and sharp face of a girl. Her skin and hair paler than snow and almost glowing in the shadows of the forest. Across her face was intricate lines and slices, and her eyes stared down at me like I was a rabbit and she was a wolf.

"Nym," I breathed quietly staring at her cold and dangerous face. She wasn't supposed to be here, I was supposed to be killing that deer. I was supposed to be captured by guards, but Nym stood in front of me like a bloody ghost. Haunting me in my dreams just as much as she haunted me at the prison.

"Now now Zara, I just have a single question." Nym leaned down and whispered into my ear, her nails digging into my skin. "What's your biggest fear? I heard from a little bird that you aren't a fan of suffocation, lucky for you, that's my specialty."

Then I felt the familiar force around my throat, tightening and blocking any air. I squirmed in her tight grasp as she held me there, dying slowly. I felt the world around she fade and the burning in my throat traveled to the rest of my body. I only saw Nyms gleaming smile as she stared down at my lifeless body.

"Zara, hey open your damn eyes and look at me." A voice growled at me, I thrashed around, my tight grip clawing at his wrist. The person's grip tightened on my wrists and I peeled my eyes open to find Orion standing over me.

It was just a dream.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Published: May 1, 2020, 9:10 PM

Words: 984

Thank you for reading our book, we have so much fun writing these stories! How do you feel about Nym? Or whos your favorite character, we would love to know! Please remember to stay safe during these times and we hope everyone is doing okay- RiSaWa