Out of The Woods (COMPLETED)

Chapter 13

I rushed along the narrow halls with Miriam. The hallways grew unfamiliar as we ran towards the back of the mansion. Finally she reached a room and through it open in a frenzy and I quickly followed her in and shut the door.

"Here's the note." She said, handing it to me as she ran over to the window. I was momentarily confused until she pushed the window open. I wanted to shout out in joy at that moment.

"I've been here a lot longer, I get certain perks." She mumbled.

She hurried over to where there was a package left open on her bed with slices of bread. She quickly crumbled them in her hand and threw them out the window, so that any birds near would be attracted to the crumbs an land on the roof next to the window. Her glassy, panicked eyes met mine as she tried to offer me a smile, but it ended up as more of a grimace.

I guessed she'd picked up some bread when she was on kitchen duty. I had to owe it to her, she was smart. Soon I heard the tweeting of birds as two or three landed on the roof and I rushed over as they stared back in curiosity.

"I need one of you to deliverer a note for me. Can any of you do that?" I pleaded and watched as their tiny little eyes lit up in shock.

Is it just me or is that human speaking to us?

A bigger bird puffed out his chest and faced the smaller one. Indeed she is, that however is no human. It's a nymph. The bigger bird approached the window carefully, until he was a footstep away from the windowsill.

I will deliver your message, nympyh. Where is it going?

I wanted to sigh in relief as I took the small note, I had crumbled it to as small as it could get and I saw that Miriam had attached a small piece of twine so that it would be easier to grasp onto.

Do you know where the Littlewood werewolf pack is? It's somewhere near the north?

His little eyes lit up in understanding and I almost wanted to cry in appreciation. He gave a small nod. Who will I deliver it to? The alpha?

I nodded quickly and passed him out the note and he took it between his beak carefully. I won't fail you he said as he took off. My heart bubbled up with worry as I saw his little form fly off into the distance.

I felt relief kick in until the shouts bounced off the walls and echoed down the hallway. "AURORA." Every cell in my body froze as I registered the anger behind the voice and I began to shake.

"Ooooooh no." I said as Miriam through me a dry look.

"What did you do?" She asked frantically as I rushed out into the the hallways, leaving her without an answer. I didn't want to pull her into a problem I caused so I ran straight towards the anger. I would face it straight on, and hope for the best.

But to my horror, Miriam had ran down the hall after me. "Run away." I hissed and she stubbornly shook her head. "We're in this together now. If I die, so be it. I'm sick of this life and I refuse to live like this anymore."

Her determined tone knocked the air out of me, I was so stunned, barely able to believe that the timid scared girl I had met over a week ago could be the same girl running down the hallway after me. I suppose the rage and frustration at having her life ripped away was bubbling up in her and something I couldn't see.

Until now.

I rounded a corner, seeing Darcy and Cavin standing angrily in the middle of the hallway. Cavin was still fuming and I could almost feel the anger radiating off him, however I almost felt more uneasy at the dark and calculating look in Darcy's eyes as he stood behind him.

"Lily, come here." He said and I was surprised to see lily step out into the hallway, her long red locks falling around her shoulder as she stood beside Miriam as I, taking on a fighting stance.

I felt a certain endearment towards the two that stood by my side. They could've easily walked away but they chose to stay and fight alongside me. My heart filled with the thought but my thought process was cut short.

"I will not allow you to harm my luna." Lily sneered before shifting into her wolf form, a snarling ball of grey fury and then she lunged towards Darcy. Darcy seemed startled at her newfound strength and determination as her small body collided with his and sent both of them tumbling to the floor. Her werewolf strength and my added healing abilities had given her the strength needed and combined with her growing hatred and wild need for vengeance, it was almost a fair fight. Cavin's eyes narrowed in on me and before I could react, his hand was around my throat and I was thrown towards the wall, my back colliding painfully with one of the picture frames handing on the wall and as I slid down the wall, so did the picture. Glass shattered as the frame hit the ground and I quickly plucked up the largest piece of glass I could see and held it out in front of me.

Cavin let out a small laugh, his narrowed and dark as he took small, almost condescend steps towards me.

"It would've been so much easier if you'd stayed the docile little doe." He said, shaking his head and I grimaced before launching myself towards him, in an effort to catch him off guard. My plan backfired as he effortlessly kicked me into the wall and the glass fell out of my hands.

"Let's make this more interesting,no?" He asked as he walked towards Miriam who stood in the middle of the hall, caught between two fights like a deer in the headlights. Her eyes widened with fear as we both registered his words.

"I wonder how you'll feel knowing it's your fault she's dead." Cavin sneered as he grabbed onto his shoulder and sank his teeth into the side of his neck. I stilled, my breath failing to reach my lungs and my eyes failing to comprehend what I was seeing as Miriam shrieked, her arms flailing as she hit him in an effort to free herself of his grip. Her terrified eyes stared back at mine and as I watched the life leave her eyes, it kickstarted my body again and I grabbed the shard of glass and stabbed Cavin through the thigh. He hissed and Miriam fell to the ground. His hollow eyes met mine as he quickly advanced upon me. However, this time I didn't freeze. I knew exactly what I had to do. The one and only defense mechanism built into Nymphs, a gift given to us by the gods.

I could feel it bubbling up within my soul as Cavin stalked towards me, the eyes of a predator settled intently on me and I felt an involuntary shiver run through my body. I learnt of it when I was young, not from the elders of course, from Finn, who was never suppose to tell us. The elders had told him, as he might need it if he were to leave the city and get into trouble.

Nymphs could heal, any wound or pain inflicted on a person, we had the ability to heal. But we also had an ability that many nymphs were still unaware of. As why would we need to protect ourselves in the safety of Arden? We healed wounds but we stored those wounds something in our souls. So to speak, we can heal, but we can also inflict.

So as Cavin approached me, I willed this knowledge to give me whatever power I could muster up as just as he reached to grab me, I unleashed it all on him. Isaac's pain-riddled frame flashed before my eyes and I willed the same pain to grip Cavin. He gasped sharply as it hit him and fell to the floor, gasping softly.

I felt regret ripple through me as I watched his shaking body but I knew that it was the only way to save my friends and I.

My friends. That's what they were, and I would everything I could to protect him. I hated violence but I could fight back if I needed to and in this instance, I needed to.

My eyes fell to where Lily had pretty much managed to take down Darcy. Miriam grabbed the shard of glass I had earlier and shoved it through his chest as a final attack and then three pairs of wild and frantic eyes met each other in the empty hallway.

"We need to run."