Fighting, Anaya Phoenix [best affordable ebook reader .TXT] 📗

over her and slammed me into the ground. She aimed the sword at my neck. It was bigger and I could smell the power pulsing from it. I looked up and saw Amelia running towards her, my heart skipped a beat and thought of how it owuld kill her if she hurt Amelia. Amelia jumped on Izzy’s back, her legs and arms wrapping around her sister.

“Please come back.” She whispered, a tear slid down her face and I bit my lip. There was a moment of serene silence and the sword vanished. It slowly faded into nothing and Izzy fell to the ground, Amelia on top of her. I grunted and stood up.

“Really? A please?” I growled, steping over her and going to my brother. I put my hand on his chest, pouring magick into the wound.

“Luna, your back.” Alissa whispered, tears in her eyes.

“The magick is pouring through me, it’ll heal. All I need is a nice sleep and probably several years of intense recovery from silver poisioning.” I looked to Ander and knew I was in trouble, I couldn’t taste anything but bile. But I hadn’t thrown up.

“Take me to them.: I said before blacking out, once again.

 

 

                I woke up with, possibly, the brightest light that anyone could ever imagine shining directly in my eyes. I groaned and sat up, regretting as a breif wave of pain washed over me. I had over exerted myself, knowingly. I squinted and licked my dry lips, my throat aching for some sort of liquid.

“Luna.” I heard a soft voice say and cursed mentally.

“They couldn’t have sent me anybody but you?” I said, looking back at the tall figure that stood bravely behind me.

“You angered the old wolf, and you’ve got Gaia worried about your tolerance level.” Marissa walked to me and sat beside me.  I clenched my teeth against the tears and smirked.

“I just took a beating from one of the Old Ones, I think I can tolerate a whole bunch.” She stared at me, her eyes no longer black but the pale misted gray of the dead.

“You don’t have to be strong, not in front of me.”

“I would think it would be the opposite.”

“Here, I’m not your trainer. Here, it’s perfectly fine to cry.” I scoffed and shook my head, wanting to move away from her so bad but bing unable to do it.

“They’re got you brainwashed. Everything I do is recorded, in an earlier time you knew that.” Her lifeless eyes blinked and her face smiled. This wasn’t my friend. This wasn’t the woman that had been my second mother and had taught me mostly everything I know. I hadn’t fought with her, I hadn’t done anything with her. This was a puppet, this was a hollowed out and polished version of that woman and I hated it. Anger rose in me, thick and disgusting. It covered my hands and feet and slid up on my body until I could be nothing but repulsed by this drawing of my friends; only then it wouldn’t hurt to move away.

“Where are they?” I asked, standing up and crossing my arms.

“They’re waiting for you. Even the big boss.” I grit my teeth and nodded. I would have to get this over with and head back to training.

 

 

                They sat in their usual semi circle of thrones, each one a representation of everything in their domain. I wasn’t swayed by their grandeur when I was younger and I certainly woulnd’t be swayed now. They all looked down on me, humor and knowledge in their eyes. Well, in most of their eyes. Mother Moon’s eyes were black as coal and her hair was thick and wild. I’d almost never seen her this angry before. I had to admit, I felt accomplished.

“What the hell is wong with all of you?” My tone was clipped , and my eyes were red. I’d let a little bit of my rage truly show.

“We’re sending them all to you.” Felicia said, her leg cocked over the side of her throne, while playing with the end of her frixxy red hair.

“Yes, I got that. But why is Izzy the Fallen One?”

“Isabel showed the most potential, she’s strong and brave.” Ave said, her eyes evaluating everything in the way that only she could.

“I thought we agreed you were gonna leave my friends and family out of this.” My bones were aching and my body was practcally shaking witht he effort it took to remain calm and not shift.

“We agreed on nothing Luna, we’re Gods’. It’s rare we agree to anything, especially if it goes against something we want to happen.” Leo said, a little laugh making it that much harder to not snap.

“When I took the sickness-”

“When you tricked us.” Felicia interrupted, still not looking at me, but her hair.

“I thought that was all of you agreeing that nothing like that would ever happen.”

“You thought wrong, pup.” Ave said dismissively, her eyes glancing up and I knew that I had already been settled in her eyes.

“She has a family, she has loved ones depending on her to live. That’s the only reason I took the illness, so she wouldn’t be compromised.”

“I thought you took the illness to save your sister. Your meddling up stories now dear.” Felicia said, her foot kicking up and a small smile on her lips. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before looking to Mother Moon.

“I’ve given so much to protect those that I love. Please don’t do this and countermand all that I’ve done.”

“I’ve given more.” Her tone was gravelly and her eyes were still on me. Slowly she stood, her height more pronounced now that her wolf was involved. She raised her dress so that her feet were free to walk, all the while keeping her eyes on me.

“I have given time, effort, and life to this. I’ve been giving a lot longer than you have. You are not the only one that’s been asked to give to fight this war. You are not the only one that is suffering, you are not the only one that’s fighting. Do you think any of us wanted this?” She stood directly in front of me, forcing me to look up to meet her gaze. She waved her hand in front of me and we weren’t in Eternal anymore.

                It was green here, lots and lots of green. We were in a clearing, surrounded by trees and inhabited by lilies and chrysanthemum. The trees were thick and he richest brown I’ve ever seen. A girl ran through the flowers, stirring up the sweetest scent my nose had ever encountered. She was about four or five, her brown hair hung halfway up, and she wore a lavender dress. She giggled as she ran from something, looking back to see if it was close. Movement further up in the field caught my attention and a glint of silver made me realize it was a wolf. The girl was going to get hurt. I looked up at Mother Moon only to find her watching the scene with a small smile. The girl ran closer to where the wolf was waiting. Anxiety rose up in me as the girl giggled and ran faster, picking flowers and being oblivious. Without warning the wolf pounced, silver and huge it’s mouth open and ready. I watched in silent fear as the wolf transformed into a younger version of Mother Moon, her hair curlier and free. She gripped the girl and rolled, both of them giggling like crazy. Mother Moon lay on her back, the girl raised above her.

“We had lives we had to give up. Lives that we were content with.” She raised her hand again and it was dark. We were in a forest, the heat of it reaching me and making me sweat. The leaves hung heavy and dark. A child of about eight ran past me, fast and silent. He stopped and cocked his head, I looked up and saw a younger version of Felicia pershed on a tree, her eyes bright orange as she watched him. He took a step and she pounced on his back and tackled him to the ground. He grunted and she laughed, a soft tinkling laugh.

“Mother, must you always pounce on me?” He spoke in thick Italian and she laughed.

“Must a jaguar always be fast?” She retorted before changing into a lithe cat and running deeper into the forest. He chuckled and shook his head before changing into a tiny tiger and running after her.

“Children we adored. Homes we were attached to.” She waved her hand again and we were in the sky, angled toward the sunset. Next to us stood a cliff with a cave impressed into it. Ave sat cross legged at the mouth of the cave and looked over the edge. Two eagle chicks sat next to her, she picked one up and dropped it, then watched as it caught the air and flapped slowly.

“Just like that, little one.” She said in soft german, before picking the other one up and dropping it. It plummeted, squeaking before shifting back to human.

“Mother!” The girl yelled, trying to shift back. Ave jumped off the edge, and shifted into a hawk. She flew further down, extending her claws. The girl grabbed on and climbed up until she sat on top of Ave’s back. Mother Moon waved her hand again, silent  and mournful.

“Mama, I’m scared!” A girl groaned. Light filled a small cave to show the girl writhing on the floor, her bones moving and shaping. Urse crouched next to her, lightly petting her hair.

“I know Sasha, jsut breathe.” She said calmly, her face was anyhting but. The first change was almost always painful.

“I don’t want the change anymore, take it away Mama.” The girl whimpered, unable to move. I could smell the pain and fear wafting off of her from where we stood, several feet away.

“Sasha, please. Just breathe, just like we practiced.” Fear was in Urse’s voice too, it wasn’t a secret that lots of pups died their first time around back then. Evolution had given us a big whopper to eat, and back then we’d had to just take it. Few died, but it was feared more back then. Sasha went still before her body burst into a bear, all the bones and fur sliding into its right place all at once and Urse looked relieved.

“You did it!” Urse announced with pride, her arms circling the cub and squeezing. Tiny bear roars came from Sasha and Urse laughed.

“We had families too, Luna. We had people we would die over and over again to protect.” She waved her hand and we watched as a young Leo got trampled by lion cubs. He laughed, deep and actual, as he pretended to be hurt.

“Get off of your father now, kids.” A soft voice chided, the smell of cooked caribou hit my nose as their mother came and pulled them off of him. Her hair was short and brown, he looked at her like she was his world. Mother Moon waved her hand again and we were back in Eternal, something told me we hadn’t really ever left.

“We’ve all given up things we love to protect our species. Families, homes, friends, and mates. All given up so that we might have a future as a whole species. You cannot throw that away because it’s not fair, you cannot choose now to destroy all that we’ve worked for, and for what? This is a war Luna, not something that we can brush off. People will die, people die in real life. You’ve been in your own personal hate bubble, blaming everybody for everything that’s happening. Did you stop to think that maybe it’s happening because it was inevitable? Do me a favor, don’t be such a self centered brat?” She turned and calmly walked to her throne and sat down. All of their eyes were grave, Felicia had her hand on her heart and a