Wolf…share same soul…never alone…” he shuddered with his last breath, “love…always…” and went still.
She felt his spirit brush softly by her as it left his body. Ella threw her head back and screamed, filling the air with a chilling, heartbroken howl.
That anguished cry momentarily distracted the Fire Witch, and one of the wolves took the opportunity to clamp his teeth into her shoulder. The Fire Witch screeched a sound full of fury and anger that brought White Wolf back. She left the body of Bright Eyes, and came for her revenge, her white fur soaked with the blood of her love.
She joined the pack of wolves circling the Fire Witch. With the seven of them now, she thought victory would surely be theirs in a matter of seconds, but the Fire Witch turned to and fro, deftly warding off each attack, flinging wolves away from her in every direction.
It was a deadly dance that seemed would never end. The wolves’ only accomplishment was to ward the thing of Death off, closer to the creek, and away from their village. The Fire Witch hadn’t tired and seemed oblivious to any wound they managed to inflict, healing before any wolf who had managed to bite, had hardly the chance to let go.
The crows circled around the melee, pecking at eyes and pulling out tufts of fur, as they came to the aid of their master, who hadn’t needed their help in the least.
White Wolf had just caught one of them out of mid-air as it swooped down, and was in the process of killing it, when a sudden movement on the other side of the creek caught her eye. She broke the bird’s neck, and flung it to the ground then turned her back on the fight to stare at the giant gray wolf who had befriended her years before.
The Wolf stared at her calmly across the creek. He looked deliberately beside him at the enormous sycamore tree, then back to her, willing her to recall a memory from long ago…
She remembered. The branch she had used to spear the Fire Witch before her escape into the woods had been from that of a sycamore tree much like the one that stood before her. She had inflicted more pain then, as a small girl, than an entire pack of wolves was able to do now.
Thank you, Swift Foot, she thought, as The Wolf watched her from across the creek. He stood, bowing his head low as he heard her thought, and acknowledged the truth of his name and his undying love for his Shining Star…the Moon. He turned then, and melted into the trees like a ghost.
White Wolf became Ella once more as she began a futile search for a loose branch from the tree. Try as she might, she found none. Sharp yips registered again in the back of her mind, and she knew they were losing. If something didn’t change soon, all would be lost forever and Bright Eyes’ sacrifice would have been for nothing… It was then she noticed a deep gash in the side of the tree. She looked closer and discovered it hollow.
Meanwhile, Running Wolf turned to check on her. She pointed to the hollow tree and back to the Fire Witch who now clearly had the upper hand. He nodded once quickly, and then joined back into the fray with renewed hope that his tiny white-haired sister had a plan to trap the evil that was so close to winning. Within seconds, the wolves backed the Fire Witch into the cold water of the creek.
One of the first lessons Ella had learned upon being adopted into the tribe, was that wherever there was life, there was also magic. Nature was full of life. Every tree, every blade of grass, each drop of rain, even the wind had magic. But even though she had heard the tales of spirits of the water, Ella had never before witnessed the full magic of the Water Beings.
The Water Beings were fairies so tiny they could not be seen. Each one was given charge of a single drop of water from the time it left the clouds and traveled through the sky as a raindrop. Gentle and timid by nature, they were always generally overlooked and forgotten by everyone, except those who enjoyed a walk in
She felt his spirit brush softly by her as it left his body. Ella threw her head back and screamed, filling the air with a chilling, heartbroken howl.
That anguished cry momentarily distracted the Fire Witch, and one of the wolves took the opportunity to clamp his teeth into her shoulder. The Fire Witch screeched a sound full of fury and anger that brought White Wolf back. She left the body of Bright Eyes, and came for her revenge, her white fur soaked with the blood of her love.
She joined the pack of wolves circling the Fire Witch. With the seven of them now, she thought victory would surely be theirs in a matter of seconds, but the Fire Witch turned to and fro, deftly warding off each attack, flinging wolves away from her in every direction.
It was a deadly dance that seemed would never end. The wolves’ only accomplishment was to ward the thing of Death off, closer to the creek, and away from their village. The Fire Witch hadn’t tired and seemed oblivious to any wound they managed to inflict, healing before any wolf who had managed to bite, had hardly the chance to let go.
The crows circled around the melee, pecking at eyes and pulling out tufts of fur, as they came to the aid of their master, who hadn’t needed their help in the least.
White Wolf had just caught one of them out of mid-air as it swooped down, and was in the process of killing it, when a sudden movement on the other side of the creek caught her eye. She broke the bird’s neck, and flung it to the ground then turned her back on the fight to stare at the giant gray wolf who had befriended her years before.
The Wolf stared at her calmly across the creek. He looked deliberately beside him at the enormous sycamore tree, then back to her, willing her to recall a memory from long ago…
She remembered. The branch she had used to spear the Fire Witch before her escape into the woods had been from that of a sycamore tree much like the one that stood before her. She had inflicted more pain then, as a small girl, than an entire pack of wolves was able to do now.
Thank you, Swift Foot, she thought, as The Wolf watched her from across the creek. He stood, bowing his head low as he heard her thought, and acknowledged the truth of his name and his undying love for his Shining Star…the Moon. He turned then, and melted into the trees like a ghost.
White Wolf became Ella once more as she began a futile search for a loose branch from the tree. Try as she might, she found none. Sharp yips registered again in the back of her mind, and she knew they were losing. If something didn’t change soon, all would be lost forever and Bright Eyes’ sacrifice would have been for nothing… It was then she noticed a deep gash in the side of the tree. She looked closer and discovered it hollow.
Meanwhile, Running Wolf turned to check on her. She pointed to the hollow tree and back to the Fire Witch who now clearly had the upper hand. He nodded once quickly, and then joined back into the fray with renewed hope that his tiny white-haired sister had a plan to trap the evil that was so close to winning. Within seconds, the wolves backed the Fire Witch into the cold water of the creek.
One of the first lessons Ella had learned upon being adopted into the tribe, was that wherever there was life, there was also magic. Nature was full of life. Every tree, every blade of grass, each drop of rain, even the wind had magic. But even though she had heard the tales of spirits of the water, Ella had never before witnessed the full magic of the Water Beings.
The Water Beings were fairies so tiny they could not be seen. Each one was given charge of a single drop of water from the time it left the clouds and traveled through the sky as a raindrop. Gentle and timid by nature, they were always generally overlooked and forgotten by everyone, except those who enjoyed a walk in
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