South of SomeWhere (-Editing-)

|Just What I Needed...Spiders to Add to the Mix|

My first inadvertent glimpse of my enemy walks into the clearing with the grace of a well trained ballet dancer and the military precision of a seasoned war solider. The leader, a tall leggy brunette, gives us the once over. Her underlings, a raven haired beauty and two tall, tan skinned men, one blonde, one brown haired, follow in her wake. "Well hello John," she purrs the sticky sweet edge to her tone making me nauseated. She pulls at her fur lined coat and picks what looks suspiciously like blood from under her manicured finger nails.

"Acriline," he nods curtly while quickly pushing me behind him.

"Didn't expect to see you cavorting with the enemy John. Especially, in bed." Grinning wickedly, she sizes me up and turns her gaze away rapidly. Either she's found me lacking, which is most likely the case, or she finds John more interesting. Both are probably true. "And here I thought it was my bed you were going to warm from here on out?" she pouts. I gag and get territorial. Latching my hand onto his shoulder, I lean my face into the crook of his neck, not taking my eyes from the witch. She notices my action and responds.

"You're latest dalliance? Have you bedded her already then? By the gods, how she does reek of you." Her pert nose wrinkles in disgust.

"Who I share my bed with is none of your business Acriline." My palms are sweating in fear, as my eyes dart between Acriline and her accomplices.

"Ahh...But it used to be. Found memories."

"Cut the chatter. What are you here for?" My grip tightens, nails digging into his skin. He doesn't even seem to notice.

"You've avoided the mistress for too long John. She's not pleased."

"Maybe she didn't understand what I meant by 'I'm taking a vacation'." His stance shifts from cautious to predatory.

"Maybe Her Highness doesn't like to be told what to do."

"And I wonder when did She put you in charge. Alexandria must be desperate." the name flips a mental switch, triggering a fear greater than that of man. A fear from my childhood buried deep under years of black fog -- a face, a smile, a laugh. A betrayal. I whimper in terror, and John's arm swings backwards, hauling me into his side. I breathe in his woodsy scent.

"So, you've gone soft?" Acriline sneers, and John sends her a glare of pure hatred. "Please don't tell me your...oh my, you're in love with this chit."

I freeze, and my heart feels like its been dipped in refrigerator coolant, ready to break. I wait for him to deny it. A small part of me is thrilled at the idea that he is in love with me, but knows it's impossible. He doesn't even know me.

"No."

"Please," Acriline scoffs. "I can hear your heart beating from two miles away. You can't have all the fun you know," she smiles showing teeth sharpened to fine points.

"You aren't taking her anywhere?" John growls, and a low feral snarl rips from his throat.

"Oh, we don't intend to take her anywhere. Plans have changed John," the brunette drawls in a sing song tone, coyly running her hand down luscious hips. "We're going to deal with you here."

"I'll die first."

She snickers in glee. "Then, let me be the first to welcome you to hell then. Oh, wait. I forgot. You're already living it." As her words fade into silence, I sense the change. Something singes my skin near my collar bone. Things seem to relax into slow motion, sharpen, and all my senses focus. Cords of caution strung to a tight tension snap. The momentary silence that follows is punctuated only with my heart beating frantically with a dull thud, thud in my ears. John intakes a sharp breath. Then, the world speeds up into real time and howls, snarls, and all manner of battle cries rend the quiet wood.

With a backwards thrust, John throws me behind him and charges forward to meet Acriline headlong. As all the air is slammed out of my lungs from the impact with the ground, I see the three other Beasts shifting their eyes between me and the action going on in the middle of the clearing. Acriline's teeth and nails have lengthen. Her howl is like that of a feral cat. John's claws catches her on the arm, raking downwards and sending blood to the ground. I am so caught up in their fight that I forget about the other Beasts, but I'm reminded when the blonde one prowls in my direction, his eyes glowing dully. Scooting backwards on my butt, I haul myself up a nearby tree.

"Hey, Beastie," I coo softly my voice shaking in sheer terror. "What's your specialty eh?" I don't have to wait long. Spikes as long as my arms sprout all over his body ready to spear me at a moments notice. "Great. And here I thought hedgehogs were adorable and kid friendly." How I manage to keep my sarcastic wit in trying circumstances is still a mystery even today.

Dixie, the steadfast companion, hasn't budged an inch from where he galluphed behind us to the last tree. Instead of pounding away in fear at the tremendous noise, he stands placidly munching grass. Hedgehog-man creeps towards me, his two front teeth growing longer. Then, I see my salvation. A bow and quiver of arrows on John's saddle. Frantically, I grab both, raise the bow, and notch an arrow to the string.

'I have no idea how to work this thing!'

Hedgehog-man leaps and squeezing my eyes shut, I release the arrow. I hear a dull thud and a whimper. Snapping open my eyes, I see the blonde slump to the ground in a heap, an arrow protruding sickeningly from his forehead. The snarls from the centre of the clearing continue, and I get second to glimpse Acriline taking a swipe at John's mid-section before a body barrels into my side with the force of a freight train. My arrows and bow fly into the underbrush.

"Ahhh!" I shriek.

"Waverley!" John manages to yell.

The second girl beast pins me to the forest floor with her knees, hands latching onto my wrist. When I struggle, she does nothing but laugh, and my eyes become wide as saucers as two fangs grow from out of her throat.

'Just what I needed. A spider to add to the mix.'

"NO,NO, NO! JOHN!!" I scream shrilly writhing and pulling away from her. The pincers snap in my face. I scrabble with my hands for an arrow and only succeed in pushing dirt under my nails and grabbing tufts of grass.

'I need a weapon!' I thinkalmost making a plea with my self conscious. As the pincers near my neck, I give in. This is it. I still. Suddenly, I feel and heavy weight in my palm. I open my eyes and just as the weapon descends, I thrust upwards pushing my elements sword into the spider's gut. With a twisting lurch, she flops to the ground beside me. It's grown quiet I notice and then, the last Beast crowds my vision. I shriek when I feel no sword in my handand cover my eyes with my arms. Something roars. A body thuds to the ground. I peek around my hands as a shadow falls over me. It's John.

He doesn't move and instead, just stands and stares at me. An hour seems to pass and all he does is look me over, chest heaving in ginormous breaths, claws extended, hair ruffled, eyes a glassy, fiery bottomless black pits. I break the silence first.