Randolf

Chapter 14: Be Brave

("The thing about being brave is, it doesn't come with the absence of fear and hurt. Bravery is the ability to look fear and hurt in the face and say, 'Move aside, you are in the way.'"

-Melissa Turnino)

"Is she okay? What's happening? She's been out too long." She heard a worried voice, but couldn't tell who it was. She was sitting in darkness, but could feel something soft beneath her. She could hear people arguing.

"Just give her a minute. We don't know what she saw."

"But-"

"Raef." The voice was stern. The voices continued to argue for what felt like forever. Time seemed to both slow down and speed up. A bright light pierced the darkness. A really bright light. She groaned trying to cover her eyes, but she couldn't move, she was paralyzed. When her eyes finally adjusted to the new light, she saw that she was in her room. Raef, Terra, Eden, Ash, and . . . Mr. Young? Were all staring down at her. She looked at them, confused as her eyes landed on her Latin teacher. What was he doing in her room?

"Mr. Young?" She asked, stiffly sitting up.

"Ah, Ms. Fullbuster, I am glad you have 'woken up.'" He winked.

Woken up? Her eyes widened when the memories of the past day/dream came flooding back to her. Panic instantly surged through her body, "Fulki? Fulki are you here?"

She released her breath as a warmth spread throughout her body, "Yes, I'm here. I'm here."

"I thought I'd lost you." She told her wolf.

"I couldn't reach you. It was like you had fallen into an abyss." The wolf replied.

"I'm glad to have you back."

"As am I."

"Ember?" Mr. Young asked.

"Yes, sorry. Also, why are you at my house?" She asked her Latin teacher.

He chuckled as his body faded into a leopard with bright blue eyes. He then shifted back into a human.

"You weren't at school all week. When I asked Eden about it, I felt her panic and touched her mind. I mean, I always knew the three of you were shifters, but I wasn't expecting all this." He said gesturing at the rag tag team of wolves and foxes, "As soon as I found out about all this, I had to come and help. I used my physic powers to go inside your dream. It was quite the strange one, don't you think, Lupe?" He asked, winking when he said "lupe."

Ember chuckled, "So that's what was going on. Although I must say, it was one of my most interesting days of school yet."

Mr. Young laughed, "Somehow I doubt that."

Ember rolled her eyes, "Anyway, you're a lupus magum?" She asked.

"Not lupus, but yes. Lupus means wolf, and as you saw, I am not a wolf."

She nodded, "When are we attacking?" She asked, directing her attention to Eden.

The pack shared a look of concern, "Em, you just woke up." Terra said.

"Exactly, I've been asleep for what? A week. We're running out of time. The captured shifters need us. Joash needs us." She said. Despite her words of encouragement, she was nervous. They all were. This plan could work, but it more than likely won't. They could fail. They could all die. But one thing is for sure, they had to try.

"I found something." Eden called. The were now huddled around her computer screen. "Huh." Eden said. "That can't be right."

"What can't be right?" Ember asked.