Visions Unveiled Ch. 03

He chased her for the entire day. Every time he thought he should be easily able to grab her, she veered out of reach. He lost her trail at one point for over an hour because she kept disappearing to him. He found her against a tree where she was catching her breath. Justin was relieved when he noticed he could now see the girl up ahead of him clearly. Whatever spell she'd cast over herself had worn off, and either she didn't realize it, or didn't have the power to make it happen again. He smiled, thinking his chase was over, only to have her dart ahead of him once more. He picked up his speed to close in on her when he realized she had just run through a small creek and as he came up to it he forced himself to a sudden stop at the water's edge. His eyes narrowed on her in hatred for what she had just done, and his breathing was ragged, though his human features slowly took over once more. This creek marked a northern boundary of pack lands, and so the girl had just unwittingly crossed onto Kellen territory. If Justin took one step more onto his cousin's land, he would find himself the hunted one, as he knew Logan wouldn't hear of his return without Shane's expressed permission. He was livid and he wanted to maim the girl badly, but not enough to die over. At least not at this moment in time, so instead he watched her run into the trees, unfeeling of the cold rain pelting him from above.

* * *

The wolf veered off of the trail and deeper into the forest, he was heading for a rock alcove he knew well, where he hoped to stay the night until the storm passed. He marveled briefly at the coloring of the sky. While the sun had long since set on this winter's night, the storm clouds seemed to reflect back onto the forest floor, causing an inexplicable incandescent glow. The wind and slanting rain of the storm caused the light to ebb in and out, and he was in awe of nature's magnificence. He used the fleeting light to his advantage, helping to ease his journey towards his favorite rock ledge. The freezing rain had now been falling, as he rightly predicted, for over an hour, and he was ready to take cover for the rest of the night.

He was crossing through a small valley, adjacent to the rocky hills where he planned to retire for the night when a sound caught his attention, stopping him immediately. The sound was a rapid heartbeat, paired with rasping breath. It wasn't right, and the wolf focused on locating who or what it was. He had been a hunter for centuries, and knew the tell-tale sounds of a creature being pursued. Nothing about this situation added up though, because of the hour, of the weather ... it just didn't sit right with the man or the wolf. It took him mere moments to zero in on the source and he turned a corner just in time to see a human female running through the trees. A thousand questions sprouted in the man's mind, as the wolf simply eyed her, knowing she wasn't a threat, but cautious that whatever was hunting her might be. Quickly he cataloged her slight stature and that her clothes were sodden with rain water. She also seemed to be struggling with carrying some sort of satchel crosswise over her body as she ran. Suddenly though, she spotted the wolf, and further panic flashed through her eyes as she froze.

The strange lighting of the storm allowed him to see her clearly, and he could tell she was exhausted, and at the sight of him, terror flashed through her eyes. The wolf didn't like that one bit, something about this female caused a surge of emotion to rush through him. A protective impulse kicked in at the sight of her and so he eased slowly towards her, unwittingly causing her to retreat backwards. He saw her begin to slip on the slick rocks she was standing on and knew he had to make an immediate decision. If he didn't act now he was certain she would fall and crack her head into one of the sharp rocks surrounding her, and the wolf instantly decided he would not -- could not -- allow that to happen. He could see the panic triple in her amazing eyes, though he couldn't tell in the unusual light if they were blue, or green or another color entirely. He saw the realization in her face that she knew she was falling, and her fear was palpable to him even in the saturated air. But the wolf had been alive for many years. He was a Were, an Alpha, and a powerful at that. He had his own brand of magic that he didn't readily rely on, but in certain situations, he could call upon it, and at this moment he instantly decided this female was worth the risk. As a wolf he was very fast, but even if he could make it to her in time, his wolf's body was limited in assisting her. In fact, the wolf might just make things worse.

As he watched her falling dangerously closer to the rock, Shane finally made his decision and lurched forward. He shifted into his human form as he called forth a burst of magic that sent him flying through the air to land behind her on the rocks almost instantaneously. He fell to his knees and extended his arm just in time to prevent the back of her head from colliding with a sharp rock. His knuckles took the brunt of the damage, but he knew it was worth the small pain. As he cradled her head in his hand, he leaned over her and saw her eyes had closed. She'd gone unconscious as she fell, but at least she was in one piece. She was pale, drenched with rain, and had obviously been through hell. He shook his head, wondering what had happened to her. It was clear he couldn't leave her, she'd never survive the elements.

Shane raised his face to the sky, feeling the freezing rain sting his eyes. The temperature was descending yet again, and he knew the worst of the storm had yet to arrive. His human skin finally registered the bitter cold and even he began to shiver. He looked back to the fallen female and thought it amazing she had survived in this harsh rain as long as she obviously had. He noted her pallor, her obvious distress and he knew if she were to live, he had to get her indoors and quickly.

With no other choice, Shane gathered her in his arms and as he did, a bewildering feeling of déjà vu came over him. Quickly it was gone, and he sighed as he rose to his feet, he also gathered up her satchel, as it seemed important to her. He soon found the trail and made his way as steadily as he could. Shane tightened his arms, drawing her closer to him as her body began to shiver with cold. He shook his head again, noting how drenched with rain water she was. Her entire scent was cloaked with it, telling him she must have been in this storm for hours on end. He thought again of what creature dared to threaten this small female and the wolf sent a growl from his throat. Shane nodded in agreement, that if they came upon whatever cretin that had been hunting her, he would gladly tear it apart, limb from limb.