Through the Ashes

Prologue

Fire engulfed the world before Faelyn. Everywhere she turned, there was red scorching the land. She could no longer make out the huts that once scattered the field, housing her Pack. Ash and smoke billowed into the night sky, carried by the angry wind that whipped the bright flames across the land. The full moon above looked too beautiful for such harrowing events taking place below it.

"Faelyn!" Her long, slender ears twitched as she heard her name through the commotion. Her icy eyes swept the area around her to find the source, her heart pounding in her ears.

"Mother? Daemon?" she screamed out into the night. Fear bursting in her chest, her eyes began to water. Her vision began to blur and the anxiety gripping her heart only worsened. Where was her mother, her brother? What was happening?

Two strong arms suddenly looped around her small waist and hoisted her off of her feet. Adrenaline surged through her veins and she began kicking, wailing for help. Her skin began to shudder, crawling along her muscles and tendons as the wolf inside of her began to fight its way out.

"Mother! Help!" she shrieked, her body wriggling madly in her assailant's arms. "Let me go!" As she screamed the words, her head kicked back as hard as she could manage. There was a sickening crunch, and she felt warm, sticky blood begin to run down her left shoulder. The smell filled her sinuses and her eyes flashed with hunger. The bloodlust began to take her and she growled lowly.

The arms around her waist loosened enough that she could wriggle her way out of them. She hit the ground on four paws, whipping around, ready to lunge. The second her eyes fell on the woman on the ground, she froze. Mother.

Her fur fell away as she lunged to her mother's side, more tears flooding her eyes. Her mother's clothes were torn and burned, her skin covered in deep gashes and scorches. Her nose was broken from Faelyn's hit, blood covering her lips and chin.

Ezra's eyes slowly opened as her daughter leaned over her. "Run." she murmured very softly. "Faelyn, you must run."

"No! I wont leave you here!" Faelyn began trying to lift her mother into a sitting position, but fumbled and slid, her mother toppling back over. Ezra groaned softly and closed her eyes again.

"They are here for our family. You must leave." The pain was evident on her face, the desperation to save her daughter etched into her hazel eyes.

"Mother, no." Faelyn sobbed out, her body trembling. "I'll get Daemon, we'll get you out of here!" She began to stand, but Ezra grabbed her hand and yanked her back to her knees.

"Look at me." The ferocity in her words was sudden and made it impossible for Faelyn to object. "Your brother is dead, or will be soon. You need to leave, Faelyn. You must go!"

Pain flooded her senses as a deep sorrow embedded itself in the pit of her stomach. The strong realization that there was no escaping this situation very quickly forced itself into her mind. She felt an intense sadness overwhelm her, a whimper escaping her lips.

"Please..." she begged softly, her grip like iron around her mother's hand. Her body was quacking from the sobs raking up her throat. "Don't make me leave."

Ezra gazed up at her daughter lovingly, her eyes taking in every feature of her delicate face. She had spent so much time preparing her for this moment, hoping it would never actually come. Tears trickled down her cheeks, carving rivers into the dirt and soot that smudged them.

"My beautiful child," she rasped faintly. "This is what you have prepared for your entire life. Every moment before now, every evening you spent in the forest with your brother... they were to make sure you were ready."

Faelyn's eyes were overflowing with tears. Members of her Pack tumbled past her, shouting and coughing, trying to escape the flames and their enemies. She heard her name, her mother's name, Daemon's name being screamed, her people pleading for guidance. They were all a blur. The flames that were nearly engulfing her and her mother were just twinkles in the corners of her vision. Her glacial eyes were trained on Ezra, her mother. The woman who had birthed her, raised her, protected her—and prepared her.

Ezra saw the realization set into her daughter's mind, and for the first time since Faelyn was born, she felt relief. Her daughter was going to do what she was told—for once. The thought almost made her laugh. Instead, she reached up and brushed the tears from Faelyn's cheeks and pulled her face forward. She pressed their foreheads together and peered into Faelyn's eyes one last time.

"Run, my sweet girl. I will always be with you."

Faelyn did as her mother had told her. She ran, barefoot, through her village. She saw up close and personal all the damage that had been done. Houses were burning, some already reduced to piles of smoldering ash. Everywhere she looked, there was destruction. Her people had fled, some still trying to escape. But others—her heart twisted as she saw the bodies that lined the streets. Her people had been slaughtered—women, children, soldiers. The dead were in piles, their skin smoking as ash and burning debris drifted over them.

With what felt like a knife twisting in her gut, Faelyn pushed herself harder. Her feet were cut and blistered, burned to nearly nothing. Every step was agony, her breathing ragged and painful. Most of her journey away from the flames was blurred by the constant pouring of tears from her eyes. Her deep burgundy hair, once pulled back in a beautiful braid, now clung to her face and neck from the sweat, making her look wild. Her body was covered in ash and grime, blood splattered on her white nightgown.

She did not stop until the roaring fire was only a haze on the horizon, and the screams had turned to the songs of the night's creatures. She came upon a shallow spot in a river that she knew well. Daemon had taken her through these forests—though not this far out—and showed her how to navigate using the flowing water. She fell to her knees on its bank, finally able to take a moment. And in that moment, she fell apart.

The forest echoed with her screams, her sobs of pure agony and heartache. The creatures around her fled, the sadness rolling off of her in waves. None could bare to be near such a broken being. She fell forward, her hands landing in the shallow water that lapped at the river's edge. There she caught a glimpse of her reflection, the sight causing her to gasp in horror. The girl in that reflection had aged significantly in the past couple hours. She looked older, harrowed by the ghosts of her past.

She also saw the moon in the reflective surface. It beamed above her at its fullest, drawing her attention. Slowly, she turned to gaze up into the deep ebony night sky. Stars twinkled off in distant galaxies, places where the world was better for others besides herself. They winked down at her, as if promising a better tomorrow. She swore that she heard the moon whisper to her that night, assure her that everything was alright. What made the tears return, though, was the voice was that of her mother.