Parish (On Hold)

The Darkness Is a Lullaby

Wind whipped through my hair, my nails dug into the dirt below me like a knife through butter. I was flying through the forest and trees whirled past me in a blur. I was a white wind that floated over the ground like a ghost. Axel and Brian were at my right and left flanks, running with me to our destination. Their beautiful wolves prowled the earth like the true hunters they are. We were predators, strong and ready to take down our prey.

Anger coursed through my entire being. Consuming me to the core of my existence. Rage covered all of my feelings, blanketing them. Underneath it though. I was shaking. Afraid of what was to come. If I let myself feel anything other than my anger, I knew my resolve would slip.

I wouldn't carry on. I had to do this! I cannot back down. My entire life I have waited for this moment. I can't hesitate now. Not whenever I was faced with my demons.

Do you remember what I said about fear? How it paralyzes you in the face of danger? That's what would happen to me if I let it take over. Now, Mica and I had to fight. No more running. No matter what the cost.

The three of us - Brian, Axel, and I - were at the front of the line, leading hundreds of wolves into battle. I worried about their lives. Their deaths would be on my hands. I don't know if I could live with myself after this, if we survive. It had to be done though. I would regret afterwards, but not now.

"Don't think like that. We will prevail." Mica chanted into my head and continued to tell me to focus again. If I was distracted we would meet our end quickly.

We come up to a clearing and gradually slowed until we reached the layer of trees on the outskirts of the valley. Yellow eyes peered at us from across the flower beds and through the branches. Growls erupted into the air. My breath hitched in my throat as my eyes swept over the massive black beast the stood at the side of a equally large brown wolf.

The brown wolf was obviously Aaron. The being beside him is the one that intrigued me though.

He was huge, as large as me but that wasn't what caught my breath. The black wolf had a white marking on his chest. It was a white paw print. The wolf was captivating, beautiful even. His stance and aura screamed masculinity and power. I found his demeanor inviting, where anyone sane would find it as a warning to be cautious. I wanted to walk to him to examine him closer. I lifted my paw to move forward involuntarily and growls snapped me out of my daze.

I remembered then who he was, he was a traitor. He's a killer, and a monster. I will end him along with the rest of these imbeciles, like they in turn took the life from my parents. The large brown wolf shifted back into his human form, I instantly knew it was Aaron. I had seen a picture of him as a child when my parents explained to me why we weren't in a pack. He didn't look a day older.

Aaron slipped on a pair of blue jean shorts that hung down to his knees. His bland brown hair was disheveled and sticking up in different places. Muscles defined his body well and as he crossed his arms in front of his chest his biceps rippled. He may be a massacring narcissist but he was still hot.

"Surrender yourself and you don't have to die. I am giving you one chance, Necalli. Do you really want all of your pack members' death to be on you and you alone?" His words really hit home and an aching filled my chest. I remained in my stance, cold and hard on the outside but a complete mess on the inside. I was in an emotional turmoil. My hot blanket of rage was slipping from my shoulders, spilling the cold hard emotions that were just bursting at my seams to come out.

"Don't you dare think about it!" Brian growled into my head. His words were filled with venom.

"We will not back down. Whether you want us to or not, we will fight and we will win." Axle's voice was filled with warning towards me. He looked straight forward and snarled menacingly at the rival pack.