Encounter In The Woods

It had been six months since Storm had gotten them out of Black Rose, the cold was as much a danger to Winter as being alone in the middle of the woods was. The sunlight made the snow sparkle, the now leafless trees looked like they were coated in white sugar. It was rare that anybody visited this little clearing of hers, whenever somebody did she would just watch from her tree until they left. She never spoke to them, she never revealed herself out of fear.

They had attempted to join three packs, two of them had told her to go find the Haloing pack but they had not been able to tell her how to find said pack. The last one had simply beaten her then forced her out of the pack lands. She spent a lot of time in wolf form as Storm in order to not freeze to death and to hunt. She had figured out how to enclose herself into the tree so that it formed a small hut in order to keep her out of the elements, she had also learned how to build a fire and cook the meat that Storm caught for them.

When she was able to speak with her wolf Storm kept saying they needed to find a pack, or that’s what she thought she was trying to tell her. Just like her own thoughts Storms thoughts were disjointed and scattered, a side effect of living on their own. She also now knew that there were no packs in the area that would accept them, but she also knew that they were safe for the time being. Even though being alone was slowly driving them insane, especially with her nightly nightmares. She did not get much sleep at all. Between the lack of sleep, the lack of a pack bond, and the nightmares themselves they were slowly becoming feral. Once they became feral either Storm would fade permanently or Winter would. If Storm faded then Winter would become a Dark Haloing, if Winter faded then Storm would simply turned Feral and become one of the insane wolves of the forest.

“Storm? Were you?” She asked, hoping Storm could answer.

“I here. Pack. Find pack. Need pack.” Was all she got in response before Storm vanished from her awareness again.

It had taken a long time for Winter’s injuries to heal, in that time the two of them had learned to cast a shield, throw fire, and call a storm. There were some blackberries nearby that Winter was also able to eat as well as the meat that Storm was able to catch and as a result Winter had gained a little bit of weight because she was eating more regularly. Her scars were still raised, they all appeared as pink or red marks all across her body. There were places on her wings where nothing grew.

It was a cold morning, there had been heavy snow the night before and with Winter unable to communicate with Storm at the moment she was unable to shift and go hunting. Winter heard voices down below and looked out of her shelter, once in awhile wolves would wander through as they traveled between packs. The travellers were never aware of her, and they never stuck around for long. As she looked down she saw Inferno walking with another woman with brown hair who went by the name of Abigail, and a male with jet black hair who went by the name of Adam.

"I do not understand why you insist upon coming all the way out here to relax Inferno." Adam said to Inferno.

"I told you Adam, I like it here because there is nobody to disturb me. The closest pack is at least a day away. I have you and Abigail to protect me, there are very few reasons why I should be afraid to come out here." Inferno replied. “Nobody has contacted us to warn us that Dark Haloing’s are active again, or that there is a problem with the barrier that keeps them back.”

"Adam is right, Inferno, something has been happening out there. The sex ring and the lack of answers surrounding how such a thing has gone unnoticed may just be the tip of the iceberg." Abigail, stated. “I know that nobody has been able to verify the presence of the Dark. But that does not mean that they are not out.”

Inferno sighed and looked around, she saw a long on the ground and held her hands over it. A warm light spread from her hands, melting the snow and creating a dry spot for her to sit in the sun,”There is not a lot that we have to fear. There is nobody out there who is a match for us.”

“And if there are Dark Haloing’s outside the barrier? Or if there is something wrong with the barrier?” Abigail demanded.

“Look. There are three of us, we can at the very least hold until help arrives if something was to happen. I need to clear my head, think of more ways to track down that sex ring. “ Inferno told them.

“Do you want to bounce some ideas off of us?” Adam asked.

“In a minute. I would like to sit and breath for a few moments. Then we can talk about the sex ring and the other problems that it may signify.” Inferno told them with a sigh. She really did just want to sit and relax for awhile.

Storm stirred in the back of Winter’s mind at Abigails words, “Talking….Sex Ring? Why?” She asked.

“Don’t know. Listening.” Winter replied.

She stayed and watched as Abigail and Adam sat down across from Inferno, this was different then from when other wolves came through. Winter did not want them to stay, she had no clothing and this was her den. They were too close, she was especially nervous about the presence of Adam. The two females she was less concerned about.

Abruptly the air changed, chills went up and down Winter’s spine and she felt afraid. She looked around, trying to figure out if it was just a major storm rolling through or if something else was going on. Then movement caught her eye, three men walked into the small clearing. Their eyes were blood red with no whites, their hair was sooty black. As they walked further into the clearing the other three stood up, they looked surprised to see these individuals.

"Who are you?" Abigail asked, she sounded frightened.

One of the men started to laugh, his laugh was cruel and full of malice. "Who are we? Well, I suppose we could introduce ourselves. But....we have no desire to tell you our names. Here is how this is going to work little lady. You two women will come with us, and we will kill the man." As he finished speaking he spread dull black wings, they also appeared to be covered with soot.

"You cannot be here, you are trapped." Inferno desperately stated, she was extraordinarily pale. Adam and Abigail looked at her, not sure what was going on.

"The barrier is down, has been for 8 months. So, are you going to come with us willingly or are we going to have to fight.” One of the men taunted.

“What is going on?” Abigail asked urgently.

“They are Dark Haloing’s.” Inferno answered. Abigails and Adams eyes went huge in understanding.

"It is a fight." Adam answered the Dark Haloing, spreading wings himself. They were grey with pure white edging. Abigail did the same, her wings were a pale blue with white edging. Inferno rose and joined them, her own red and orange wings spread wide.

Winter became very excited when she saw wings that were very much like her own. The fight between the Dark Haloing’s and the other three had begun. It became quickly obvious that Abigail, Adam, and Inferno were out matched. The Dark Ones were winning, the others had already resorted too defence. Each trying desperately to send out a distress call, but none were able to successfully cast the spell to summon aid. A shield had gone up around them. The shield was a mixture of red, blue, and orange colour. All three were trying to hold the shield, every so often one of the colours would fade as one of them tried to call for help. The colour that had faded quickly appeared again when the the shield started to buckle.

“Winter, help them." Storm told her urgently.

"How?" Winter asked Storm, “Call storm?”

“No, too risky. Control weak.” Storm replied.

“How?” Winter demanded again.

“Don't know..Shield? They weakening…Make go away” Storm was right. The first three were barely holding their own, and to make matters worse more people with black wings were emerging from around the clearing and also throwing power at the rapidly weakening shield. It was now 8 against 3.

"All right." She told Storm, then for the first time since their escape from Black Rose they combined their consciousness in order to make a solid barrier around Abigail, Inferno, and Adam. There was a sound like breaking glass as their shield shattered, and she cast hers. Winter was not fast enough, two of the blasts hit Abigail and Adam. They were incinerated instantly.

Inferno had flinched but quickly knelt and a red ball formed in her hand, "This is Inferno of Blue Moon calling any Haloing nearby. I have been attacked, my guards are dead and I am currently being protected by an unseen ally. Hurry, if you can hear me please acknowledge." The ball itself was small, dark red, and barely visible. Inferno looked concerned, and was very pale. For a moment nothing happened, then the ball quickly suddenly grew large and turned gold before vanishing.

Two of the men with black wings had figured out where Winter was hiding and were throwing power at her personal shield. She could not hold much longer, she was holding a shield around Inferno as well as herself. Inferno, Abigail, and Adam had managed to destroy three of the eight Dark Haloing’s. Two remained but Inferno was dangerously weak, and Winter had no training at all. For now, the Dark Ones were focused on Winter.

"Whoever you are, hold on. Help is on the way." Inferno called, she did not look so good, she was quickly going even more pale. Just as Winter’s shield finally shattered, and she reeled in shock from the backlash of the broken spell then she heard the cry of a large bird of prey. Everybody looked up, including the black winged men, and saw a massive bird flying towards them. It was all red and gold, its eyes were jet black and its claws were silver. It had a massive 150ft wingspan and was focused on the battle. This bird was a phoenix by the name Fireball. It cried again as a distracted Winter was blasted out of her perch. As she fell she saw the Dark Haloing’s burst into flame, it was the last thing she saw before she crashed into the forest floor and lost consciousness.

As Winter hit the ground with a loud thud Fireball landed gently beside her and shifted to reveal Angel of the Phoenixes. Angel knelt on the forest floor for a few moments, wings spread wide, taking in her surroundings. She spread out her power, searching for traces of the Dark. The only trace she found was within the girl on the ground.

"Who is that?" Angel asked. She was unsure about how to proceed, and was uneasy about the young girl laying on the ground. Winter looked badly injured.

"I do not know. Angel, look at her wings." Inferno had seen that her ally's wings were a deep purple-blue with white edging, but what caught her attention was the lightning like pattern that started at the centre of each wing and spread to the wings edges. She also noticed how muted the deep colours were, almost as if they were slowly loosing their vibrance. Winter was thin, and naked. Her hair was black with thin white, purple, and green streaks running through it. Inferno immediately sensed the wolf inside the girl, "I think this is the girl who caused that storm. She is so small...." She told Angel.

"I do believe she is what most wolf packs would call a runt." Angel told her grimly. She walked over to the unconscious girl and gently rested a hand on her shoulder. "She is badly injured, I can stabilize her but we must get her back to Blue Moon. She may need a stronger healer but I do not know for sure. She may also need a mind healer, and will definitely need her mate as well as a pack link. I can sense traces of the Dark in her, but I do not think that she went willingly to the Dark. I think she may have been driven there, but I do not know for sure.”

"Angel....the Dark Haloing's. Is it true? Is the barrier down?" Inferno asked her desperately wanting it to not be true. She was not sure how to respond to what Angel had just told her, she was not sure how somebody could be driven into the Dark.

"I think it might be, Inferno....I do not know for sure though. Nobody does, not even Sapphire and Diamond." Was the grim answer, Angel was trying to focus on Winter. A golden glow had surrounded both of them, it was taking a lot of energy just to stabilize her. ”She can be moved now. I will escort you both back to Blue Moon.”

"How? I cannot fly myself and this girl. And I will not be able to lift her onto you with my power if you shift. Will you carry her? Can you make it to Blue Moon yourself?” She asked Angel. Inferno was not sure that she could fly herself to Blue Moon, let alone her and a passenger.

"We will carry you both. I will shift and take you back to Blue Moon. I know very well that you might not make it there under your own power. I can make it, I have back up on the way to make sure we all make it to Blue Moon in one piece.” Angel replied quietly. She was tired herself, but knew that she could make it to Blue Moon. If they were attacked they would be in trouble. She knew there was a patrol relatively close by and had already alerted whoever it was.

"We?" Inferno asked Angel. She looked around for another Haloing but saw no one then looked back at Angel, badly confused.

"Myself and Fireball, my phoenix." Angel paused and looked at Inferno, "She will be able to lift both of you onto her back. I promise you, she will not hurt you.”

"I was not aware that you knew the name of your beast. When did you learn her name? Also, how can you work magic in your beast form? We cannot.” Inferno demanded, confused.

"Roughly 8 months ago. All of us did at around the same time. By all of us I do mean all Haloing's who shift into a mythical beast, I do believe the canine and feline Haloing sects have always been able to speak, hear, and know their beast by name. To answer your other question…it has to do with the fact that I shift into a beast that is, by nature, magical. Phoenixes, Dragons, and Griffins all have innate magic of their own. As a result we are able to channel our own magic through them.” Angel explained softly.

Inferno stared at Angel for awhile before nodding in understanding, then stood back and so that she could shift. Once she had shifted the great bird looked at her and Inferno felt something simply lift her onto Fireball’s back, the injured girl was placed in front of her.

"If you could hold her upright as we fly I would appreciate it. I can hold the two of you on my back easily enough but I worry for her breathing should she not be seated upright." Fireball's mind voice was strong, and wild. However, Inferno found that she did not fear her.

"Of course.” Was the response. Inferno got the girl seated upright and steadied her as Fireball launched into the sky and took them to Blue Moon.

A couple of minutes after taking flight a brilliant green dragon flew along side of Fireball, they were quiet and did not introduce themselves. Sunlight sparkled off of their scales, silver claws could be seen at the end of each massive paw. She was small in comparison to Sapphire and Diamond, with a 200ft wingspan she was slightly larger than Fireball. Her eyes were silver and glittered with intelligence.

“Angel I have a question.” Inferno said.

“Ask away, use the mind link as it is easier to hear you.” Angel replied.

“Who is flying beside us? And…Why did you say that the girl may need a mind healer?” Inferno asked.

“¨The dragon beside us is Emeraldflame, she is going to escort us back to Blue Moon. If we are attacked I will not be able to defend us. As for your other question…Did you see the colouring on her wings? The way that they are muted like that indicates that this girl has been touched by the Dark. How far the link goes is difficult to say until somebody can see into her mind. I will tell you now, it may be too late to pull her back. Although the fact that she protected you is a good sign.” Was the response. Inferno thought about that for a little while as they flew then asked.

“How will she be linked to the pack without causing chaos and destruction in the pack link if she has a link to the Dark? Will you need help to heal this girl?”

“I can place a barrier in the pack link to prevent any Darkness that is in her mind from spreading into the pack link. That will protect the pack but still allow her to be grounded by the pack. It may not be enough though, she may need to be directly linked to somebody. That somebody would have to be her mate, and whoever that is would be well within their rights to reject her as she is right now. Also, I am hoping that the healer that you have will be able to heal her more serious injuries while I give her a visual of her internal injuries.” Angel explained. Inferno considered the information Angel had just told her, and debated whether or not it was wise to tell Angel what she suspected.

“I think I know who her mate is, and I can tell you now that he will not reject her. You are welcome to rest at Blue Moon before flying on to Fortress Phoenix.” She eventually told her. She felt Fireball tense underneath her, Angel did not reply to her statement. As they landed at Blue Moon Fireball lifted Inferno and Winter off of her back and gently placed them on the ground, she held them upright as she shifted back into Angel. Inferno watched as Emeraldflame turned on wingtip and resumed her patrol. She wondered if they would ever meet her again.

“I might take you up on that offer.” Angel replied. She did not comment on the other information that Inferno had just told her. A moment later Angel turned to look at Inferno and commanded. “Explain why you think her potential mate will not reject her as we walk.” She then picked up Winter as Danté arrived to support Inferno.