Saved by a Dark Angel

Thud-thud-thud-thud...

My paws thumped against the ever cool forest floor as I ran for my life.

The wind flew past me as I dashed through the undergrowth. Branches whipped at my legs, throat and muzzle and my breath came out in ragged pants.

With my heightened senses, I could hear that behind me, my two pursuers were falling behind quickly and despite my exhaustion, I felt a glimmer of satisfaction knowing that I would be able to lose them.

I had never been so far from the heart of the forest before. Noticing that the trees had started to thin out, I slowed my pace and looked around.

There

There was a fence, and beyond it, a large house.

That's it.

A large house meant a large backyard which minimized the chances of being discovered if I hid there for a while. They would never go near human dwellings or consider having anything to do with them. I would be safe for a time. Then I would have to find somewhere new to make my home. It was still quite far away but I could make it now that my pursuers were far behind me. I quickened my pace.

Suddenly, a heavy weight dropped down onto my shoulders as I neared the edge of a clearing, causing my legs to buckle beneath me. The attacker dug their claws deep into my back and I hissed with pain and fury. I felt his hot breath near my ear.

"Well, Leira, it looks like you can't run any more." He growled. "It's time you learned to accept the consequences for your actions."

I froze as his voice sounded in my mind.

Rayden

I couldn't believe it. He of all people should have believed me when I denied it. Yet here he was, pinning me down, probably waiting for others so they could take me back to my death.

"You...you really believe that I would do that?" I hissed through clenched teeth.

The silence, broken only by my pants, was heavy. There was no sound of my pursuers and luck holding, they would have turned back. The surrounding forest, although sparse, was usually teeming with life, especially at night. But now as the moonlight filtered through the thin layers of leaves above us, life seemed absent. Not even a breeze flowed through the air as if the whole world was waiting to hear the answer Rayden gave. His next words would decide for me whether I should try and go back or leave forever.

It seemed an eternity before he finally answered, and when he did, his voice was as cold and emotionless.

"Yes. I do."

Those three little words sent waves of hurt and sadness crashing down on me. Then came the anger, sending a surge of energy through my limbs. I heaved myself to the side, hoping to slam Rayden into the forest floor but he was ready for it and kept a firm hold on my back, rolling with me then letting go, flinging me to the middle of the clearing.

Twisting in the air, I landed on my feet facing him as I skidded backwards a little on some leaves. Growls ripped themselves from my throat as I glared at him. I saw him crouched down, ready to spring, his cold eyes fixed on me. I met his gaze and saw something flash in his eyes. Was it shock? Sadness? Regret? I pushed the matter to the back of my mind and pounced, claws extended to rip and shred.

Rayden snapped out of his thoughts and in less than a heartbeat he was in the air, colliding with me halfway. We met in a blur of flailing limbs and savage snarls. We fell to the ground, each fighting for the upper hand, biting, scratching and clawing. Always having been the better fighter-and even more so now that I had the anger fuelling my body- I was succeeding and would have been able to get away soon if it weren't for my two pursuers from earlier suddenly showing up. One of them growled in outrage and jumped onto my back as I was pummelling Rayden's belly, ripping through the fur with my claws. I stumbled from the weight but didn't collapse. The second one helped Rayden to the bushes on one side of the clearing then joined the fight, clawing at my muzzle then snapping at my legs and tail. Blood flowed down my legs and soaked into the ground below, staining the leaves and grass a dark red.

I had lost a lot of blood and I could feel myself growing weaker as I struggled to throw off my attackers and get away. The first one was still clutching onto my back, shredding the fur with her hind claws while the other had my left hind leg in a firm grip in his jaws.

We froze as suddenly, clouds blocked out the moon, though the skies had been clear only moments before, and an icy cold wind raced through the trees. The forest was plunged into complete darkness.

Our eyes glowed eerily as they adjusted to the sudden darkness and as they did, we heard footsteps. Not like our paws padding against the dirt, but rather like the footsteps of a human. But from the scent blowing toward us from the direction of this approaching being, it wasn't human at all. Its scent carried with it the mysteries of night and darkness. A smell that I found oddly familiar and comforting.

A tall, thin figure emerged from a deeper part in the shadows and looked at us. In the gloom, I could only tell that his skin was as pale as the moon itself, giving off a subtle radiance. As he observed us, his eyes glowed like metal taken out of a fire.  White hot near the centre and bright red near the edges.

I felt a presence brush my mind and as this strange creature made eye contact with me. I should have recoiled at the dark presence I felt, but it felt strangely comforting so I didn't resist. The creature's eyes shone brighter as he looked at me, then darkened and I thought I saw a flash of sympathy in them but I wasn't sure because it was gone in less than a heartbeat. I looked at him with a new-found curiosity. Somehow, I felt as if I could trust this stranger, and the thought was reassuring because the one who I had trusted the most had betrayed me.

One corner of the creature's lips twitched and one of his hands suddenly flew from his side to be outstretched in front of him. As he did so, dark tendrils, seemingly denser than the surrounding shadows, formed in thin air and flew towards us. They entangled themselves around my attackers and restricted their movements. I felt strangely calm and safe even though I should be worrying about if those tendrils would be coming for me next. I didn't even flinch when one of them brushed up against me.

His eyes were glowing again, just as bright as before and he looked towards me and spoke. His voice was commanding as he said to me,

"Run, Leira."

In my mind was an image of the fence and I knew that this strange creature wanted me to wait for him on the other side. So I got to my feet, ignoring the pain from my wounds for now and sprinted off towards the fence. I was feeling so tired, but I summoned my last ounce of energy and leaped over the fence and onto the soft grass on the other side. I managed to land on all four paws but when I tried walking a bit further into wherever it was that I had come to, my legs trembled and gave out underneath me. I sank to the ground and let out a whimper as I jostled my wounds. I lay on the ground, still bleeding, too weak now to even try to lick my injuries. But I had been through worse, and I knew somehow that I was safe now and that the stranger wouldn't harm me. I felt that I could trust him and that he would be here soon to help me and take care of me. I let my worries about the past slide away for the time being and slipped in dizzying blackness. The last thing I saw in my mind's eye before falling fully unconscious was his burning gaze, etched into my memory.