AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sparks of dread flared in my heart.
Dropping the bow and arrow, I turned and ran down the hill. The wind whipped against me, the downward momentum pushing me to go faster. A sob slipped past my throat as the crackle of fire sang on the wind blowing past me.
I ran faster, my sight narrowing to the right of the village where my home was, where I’d last seen my parents.
Howls came from all around me, and terror rose in the back of my throat, a scream pressing forward. Townspeople were already in their wolf forms, scrambling away from the growing inferno.
My foot suddenly caught on a root, and I went flying. The ground came rushing toward me as I smacked into it so hard, all the air swooshed out of my lungs, and I cried out in shock.
Fear tightened in my chest. My parents…they were all I had. “Please be alive, please.” I began to sob with terror at what awaited me in the village.
The fire grew worse, and even from my position, I felt its heat on my face, the smoke stinging my nostrils.
With renewed panic, I scrambled to my feet, pushing past the pain in my knees and shoulder that I’d crashed down on.
Our town was ruled by the wolf shifters who lived there, with guards to keep us safe. How did this happen?
More howls came, and the fires raged higher.
Crackling and snapping, sparks flew in every direction.
Leaving the hill behind, I darted frantically to the village while people ran past me, yelling at me to turn around.
I didn’t listen to them. I couldn’t.
I cut across the pebbled street where the smoke grew thick. My eyes stung, but I covered my nose and mouth with my sleeve and ran madly. Fire roared all around me, flames bursting out of windows, licking the walls, scorching them with burn marks.
People were screaming, most running away. The blaze was giant, towering over the town. Some homes were completely engulfed, others untouched.
I sprinted across the open marketplace where people were rushing in every direction, frantically yelling for help.
Bodies lay in front of some homes, burned to the point where I couldn’t recognize them. Smoke curled up from their bodies, and a scream got caught in my throat from seeing them.
I forced myself to look away while tears filled my eyes and smoke assaulted my senses.
I finally came upon my family cottage. A small brown building that was perfect for the three of us. By some miracle, it hadn’t caught alight yet. The only reason I could guess was that we were located at the rear of the village, backing onto the woods.
The blaze behind me heightened, the gust of wind lashing at my hair, engulfing me with the stench of smoke. I coughed, the pain like acid on my throat.
But I kept going, rushing past the open front gates, and I burst into the house.
“Mama,” I frantically yelled. “Papa!”
I ran into one room and the next, my pulse speeding. Had they escaped?
Outside the window, the neighbors' house glinted orange with the fire.
Darting into the kitchen, I tripped over something. I moved too fast to catch myself and fell forward, landing on my hands and knees. The faint scent of blood found me, and I tasted it on the back of my tongue.
Crying out, I swiftly twisted around to find exactly what I’d fallen over.
“Papa,” I cried, fear piercing my chest.
He lay on his back on the tiles in a pool of blood. Wide open eyes, he stared at the ceiling. Blood gushed from his slashed throat. It spilled from him, running down the side of his neck.
My heart struck my ribcage, and I desperately shoved myself back across the floor until my heels hit the iron stove.
Tears rushed down my face, and I curled in on myself, hugging my knees, my head spinning.
