Bound Trilogy: Bound: A Supernatural Story (WLW)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Pen screamed as Lev was thrown into the river and held under. She was still shivering from the loud yelp he let out only minutes earlier when the fox and wolf had both chomped down on his white fur. Chunks of flesh drifted away in the river and Pen trembled from head to toe as the chilly freshwater crashed against her.

"Stop! Don't!" She cried out, but they both ignored her and held him down.

Lev began shifting back into his human form and reached above the water, yet couldn't break free for any air. Without thought, Pen lunged toward the fox from behind and he spun around, sending her a snarl as he sent her flying back into the water in terror. She was racked with aching quakes through her gut and felt her temperature drop in an instant, but it wasn't from the cold, the snow that now fell from the dark night sky, nor the freezing water around her. It felt like the fox was telling her to stay put, but a spark ignited from within herself and she threw caution to the wind.

Pen advanced on him and realized to whom his scent belonged. "Gabe? No... Which...? Serafin?" The fox fully turned himself toward her upon hearing the second name and tilted his head to the side, looking her up and down as his ears went back against his head and he snarled once more. "Serafin, why are you doing this? He's our ally! You have to stop!"

The fox took a step toward her and she reached down into the water, grabbing stones from under her feet. He still advanced on her and she flung stone after stone at him. The last hit him against his cheek. Blood dripped to the water beneath him and Pen looked down at it, but froze in horror, her hand raised with another stone. She trembled at the sight of Lev's lifeless corpse floating past her, fully shifted back into his human form. He looked almost angelic as he drifted away and a tear fell down Pen's cheek with the sudden recognition that she was now alone with the enemy.

She spun back toward the red fox and threw the stone still lifted in her hand as a cry left her lips. Not like this! Pen thought as she reached down into the river and grabbed more stones, lifting one above her head, but stopped shy of throwing it.

A gigantic fox plowed into Serafin from the side and sent him and the wolf collapsing into the water. The wolf hurriedly scrambled, rubbing at her throat that bled profusely and struggling to stay afloat in the rising waves of the river as the wind whipped swifter than before. Then, the wolf stilled. Her body was shifting back to her human form and Serafin shoved himself free of her with a snarl at the giant fox. Pen watched the dead wolf float by and swallowed down the mixture of tears and vomit billowing in her throat.

Xenia! Pen realized just who this giant fox was as she released a long breath and relief flooded into her bones.

The blood of the wolf hung on Xenia's scruff and the smaller wolf from earlier who'd sat atop that boulder jumped down behind her from the cliffs above.

You didn't think I'd let you get away, did you? We need you. It's midnight, Vixen, and my daughter will-- Pen heard as the wolf began in a voice she didn't recognize and made her head split with its barbaric intrusion, but it was cut off by a loud roar reverberating down to them, traveling from the cliffs above.

Who was this wolf that could somehow talk to them despite having any true mental connection? It felt savage, distressing and only served to sicken Pen all the more at the disgustingly foreign sensation it sent throughout her body. She peeked over at Xenia who was also quaking at the mental link that shouldn't have been possible.

Just what were these wolves and foxes up to and how were they able to go against the land shifter's true nature?

Pen peered upward toward the source of the howl that cut the small wolf off, yet spotted nothing there. The animal's cry sounded so different from everything else and louder than most. In fact, it was almost as loud as Xenia's, yet not quite as powerful and a bit more feral or hardened. It reminded Pen of someone's howl. Someone's yelp that sounded so much like... It reminded her of... Bastet...?

Something -- she wasn't quite sure what to call the creature -- emerged from the ledge above the river. It was staggeringly breathtaking. Such a sight unlike any other, and Pen thought Lev was mesmerizing. It wasn't a fox, nor a wolf. Not even feline, perhaps. It was a mix of...fox and... Jaguar! Bast!

There was a coldness in the creature's eyes, but one shined blue and the other ember. It was definitely her. Pen would recognize those eyes anywhere.

The top of Bast's fur coat was white, just as her belly, yet it was the brightest shade of white Pen had ever seen. Making her conclusion about Lev's white pelt completely useless, now as it was definite Bast's fur almost looked as if it were shimmering like the stars and the moon in the night sky. Her tail had black stripes in it and her feet were a bright red, reminding Pen of the Red PaintBrush flowers she'd seen in botanical books growing up. The rest of her coat was pitch black, so glossy it reflected the starry sky. Bast had the face of a fox, but her tail was more like a jaguar's. Her body was lean, yet firm and her chest wider than Xenia's.

From behind herself, Pen heard someone approaching and as she turned, she saw that she and Xenia were being surrounded by wolves that scented of something she couldn't recall. She backed up and Xenia got in front of her, but when Pen looked over at where the smaller wolf had gone. She finally recognized her. It was Yumi, but the wolf's telepathic voice from before sounded nothing like the child's, and Pen noticed she was still staring up at Bast.

It wasn't awe in what she was witnessing, it wasn't fright in what this hybrid could do, but something...different. Something peculiar and unknown to Pen's eyes.

Why is she staring at her like that? Pen glanced back up at Bast and found her with her head tilted right at her. Bast's tail was wagging and she looked...happy? Bast leapt around like she was feeling rather playful and ran out of sight. When she emerged again, she had a fox in her mouth by the scruff of its neck.

Bast flung it over the cliff, joining it with a graceful leap to the water below. She nudged it with her nose as it whined and Yumi's wolf ran to it. Ignoring her, Bast trotted around the wounded fox as it panted and floated on its side. She grabbed it again, but Yumi snarled. Bast still ignored her and carried the fox over to Pen with Yumi quick on her heels, whining behind her.

Bast made it to Pen and cocked her head to the side, flicking her ears around as her tail wagged from side-to-side. Xenia's fox moved to her side and Bast dropped the fox, rubbing her snout along Xenia's face and leaping like an overjoyed kit. She rolled over and put her paws into the air, sticking them out of the water as she submerged herself within, but Xenia just stared at her. Even in her fox form, Pen could tell she was stunned by what was overcoming the valley. It was like Bast's emotions were being projected over the river and the rocks that rippled beneath Pen's feet, being carried throughout the tributary around them. It felt like something she'd only experienced with her own people, yet not quite as strong and in an odd way reminded her of herself.

Pen felt something tickling her ears and the hairs on the back of her neck rose, but before she could react to whatever her body was trying to tell her, her attention was brought back to Bast.

Bast got up again and nudged the fox, causing it to whimper, then she trotted over to Pen and rubbed along her side like an affectionate cat. Pen wasn't sure what to make of her attitude and wouldn't have the chance to find out. At least, not yet.

The wolves around them began to come further in towards the three of them and Xenia whipped back around, growling at them. They still progressed on them and Bast took a protective stance in front of Pen. Her fur stood on edge, hackles raised, and she snarled ferociously. Before she realized what she was doing, Pen reached out and ran her fingers along Bast's fur, making her shudder under her touch. Bast crouched down and gave a low growl toward Yumi, pulling back her ears.

Then, Yumi began to shift back to human form.