''I get it,'' he said, ''the sun so loved the moon...''
His voice trailed off. We both knew the story. We knew it all too well. He was looking at me thoughtfully. I, however, turned away.
''What if,'' I began, ''the sun didn't want to die for the m...
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I ran track for three years at my old high school in Hal's Desert, and let me just say- training with Malik was ten times harder.
Running a 10k? Fine.
400-meter relay? Great!
Trying to defend yourself against an attacker who has the speed and strength of a werewolf running at you full steam?
"Oh shit!"
My butt, for the sixth time that afternoon, met the ground with a loud thunk, bruising both my tailbone and my ego. Gray, however, was giving me a cheeky grin as he stood over top of me. He reached out a hand to help me up and I grumbled incoherently to myself as he hoisted me up with ease.
"So," Malik began, walking over to where we stood in the clearing, "What did you do wrong?"
I groaned inwardly. That question perfectly summed up Malik's coaching style. He liked for me to point out all of the things I did wrong. Except- and get this- if I knew what I was doing wrong, I wouldn't have been doing it in the first place.
"Um..."
"You were off-balance," he cut in, pointing to my sneaker-clad feet, "your stance needs to be shoulder-width apart and bend your knees a little. The closer your center of balance is to the ground the more steadfast you'll be."
I nodded, trying to listen to every word that he said, but it was difficult when Gray was ripping up leaves and putting them in the hood of my jacket like a child. Malik eyed the werewolf and I shoved him away from me, the wind carrying Gray's snorts of delight.
Malik instructed us to go again and gave us some space in the clearing. Gray took a few steps back and winked at me.
I sighed. "Can you try to take this seriously? I'm trying not to die."
Like always, this just seemed to amuse Gray even more and his smile widened. Both of us looked at Malik who held his hand up. I moved my feet shoulder-width apart and crouched down a little lower. My gaze flitted back to Gray, ready for and wary of any possible movement he made.
Malik's hand began to move and I readied myself for Gray's attack, crouching lower and-
"Whisperer, mae arnom eich angen unwaith eto."
All three of us turned to face the two new strangers that had appeared in the clearing. The language they spoke came from a voice that was low and guttural, but came from one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen.
Her long red hair was plaited behind her back with laces of gold and silver braided into it, matching the loose-fitting dress that hung off her delicate frame. The edges of her seemed to glimmer with shades of vibrant greens and blues, creating an oceanic blaze around the crisp, steel green of her eyes. The man next to her resembled her in both fine beauty and delicate features but his hair was a golden honey color that matched the liquid caramel in his eyes. My breath caught in my throat at the pair of them standing regally in the light of the clearing.
