Broken Dreams

Chapter 10

I peeked over the edge of the stone cliff. Below me was a huge clearing, coated in deep snow and surrounded with trees. On one side of the clearing were like fifty humans. On the other side were sixty humans, all with teeth bared.

The war was about to start. Between them was a cage. And inside that cage was a creature that constantly changed from bird to cat to wolf to human. It was Aurora.

With eyes as dark as the night sky I started running. My feet were steel! My breath was even! Nothing would stop me from getting to Aurora. Nothing!

Except maybe a shout from behind. I whirled around, scanning the rock. Way below me, a horn sounded. My feet flew out from under me and I was forced to run. The humans and wolves screamed for blood and ran at each other.

I screamed and leaped from the stone. Nothing ran through my head, just that I had to get down there as far as I could. I hit the ground as a wolf, running into the fight.

A dead human fell under me. I ignored him and kept running, screaming as guns and knives slashed and exploded over my head. A human women drove a knife straight into my shoulder and I cried out.

Another wolf bit her throat out before she could blink. And I was far away before he could see my pelt colour. There were people everywhere! I tripped over a dead wolf and ended up sprawled on the ground, my shoulder throbbing.

A human pointed his gun at me and I let out a loud swear word. But he never had the chance to shoot. As he levelled the gun with my chest, a beautiful hawk flew down and clawed his scalp. I kept my eyes closed, blocking out the screams.

Juniper! You're alive! The hawk screamed. The feathers twisted into tufts of silver fur and the spiny talons arched and melted to become paws.

And then Aurora was lying with me, under my paw. She put her head on my neck and sighed. A small bubble exploded in my chest, a feeling I thought I had lost for good.