Kierra

I only sleep for a few hours or so when I wake up gasping, movie slides of my sister dying going over and over in my head, tormenting me. I manage to stay in wolf form, but I have to move so I don't injure Bastion with my thrashing.

It seems I'd gone from one nightmare to another and they all play in my head as I make my way upstairs. Almost fall back down them twice before Asher comes up to my side to steady me the rest of the way up, making it just inside my bedroom door when I lose the wolf, unable to hold it anymore. I collapse on the cool wooden floor with sobs breaking from me.

It's always blood anymore, just red everywhere. Most of my dreams anymore seem to be looked at through blood-covered eyes. Images of my sister covered in it, the Vampire that took her also bathed in crimson as he reaches out to her on his knees, chest cracked open to reveal a black heart within that's bleeding profusely.

A bloodied wolf is off to the side and can be seen as I drown in all the blood, my body trying to use it to breathe and sustain itself. The feeling of skin tearing and bodies breaking has me cringing in on myself. Then it changed to an image of a very large black and gold lion who stood in front of her as she cried and reached out for vague figures that were in a fierce fight.

She starts out standing there as her, then shrinks down to form a smallish cat with large, sad golden eyes. The feline jumps towards me in a panic, then trails away to show something else.

A painting.

I recognize this. It's one I painted years ago. It melts along a wall, turning into black and red smoke which then forms into a shape. At first I thought it was a male, but thinking back over everything, it could have been female.

The figure had ahold of Faline, pulling her away from me. Standing behind her before sinking very long fangs into her neck. Tears of blood come from my sister with a feeling of betrayal and sadness, a tentative friendship ripped brutally away leaving the taste of ash in my mouth. Meanwhile, the fading light of my sister flickers and sputters, threatening to go out.

I screamed in the dream, I scream now.

My throat goes raw as the heavy feeling of failure consumes me, crushing my heart. Wracking sobs leave my body that's turned to solid ice. Thoughts go back to the dreams as I rage at an ice wall, beating against it till my hands are bloody. Screaming my rage and fury at it, the emotions so hot they melt the thick brick. I jump through it to grab up my sister who's slumped there.

The Vampire laughs off to the side before they disappear back into smoke. I hold my sibling to me and beg her to come back, to not leave me alone in this new world.

I yell.

I scream.

I whisper.

Enfolding her ice-cold body within mine, I push my warmth and life into her. Seeing the fangs, I rip into my own wrist and pour it into her mouth. When nothing is forthcoming, I tear at the other. Still nothing. I finally slash at my own throat and hold her to me as that ruby flow finally shows itself.

Whispering to her to take my life so she can live hers, figures surround us and offer their lives as well. I have no idea who they are, all I see is another wolf, two other felines, and a small canine.

As their blood flows into her, she finally starts to warm. I hand her over reluctantly, not wanting to ever let her go again. Everything then goes black, but the dreams weren't done with me yet. Faline lives, but she's in great danger.

The blackness finally showed that small cat with the large gold eyes, a cougar on one side and a leopard on the other, chains link each bigger cat to the smaller one. The chain on the cougar comes out of its chest to wrap around its neck, then leads to the one that is my sister. The leopard's chain goes from my sister's forelegs to its chest and forelegs.

The links are large, thick, and black with living whirls of red and gold within them. Each large cat tries to go in a different direction, but my sister is stuck in between them. Other figures surround them, all with the strong feeling of danger emanating from them in waves.

Both large-chained animals keep headbutting her as she stares at me, then they turn and walk in either direction again. Faline as a cat walks slowly to me before molding back into her human self, almost to me when slashes appear over her belly.

I cry out, but she only slightly winces, tracing a hand over them as they start closing almost instantly, her bloodied hand goes up till it meets against mine. Another set of chains wrap around our hands and leads to our hearts.

These ones just as large and thick, but these are red. The living whirls within them bright green, gold, and white. Looking up at her with tears in my eyes, she only says one thing. One thing in a whispered tone that brings with it the feeling of love and compassion.

"Soon."

Just a single word, but it has hope swelling within me till I feel I'm about to burst. I turn into a pale wolf and she into a feline made of shadow, paw to paw before we turn and stand back to back. The motion comes with the feeling of strength.

I jerk as a howl jars me back to reality. Letting my eyes focus, I'm outside my home, sitting in my backyard. The howl had come from me.

Don't know how I got out here or when I turned back to wolf, but the feeling of excitement within me cannot be withheld as I raise my voice once more. Sharing the knowledge that I will be reunited with my sister soon. It needs to be soon with all the danger that's starting to gather around her.

Asher's at my side, Bastion on the other. I can see and feel their happy smiles as they pick up the emotion that I share with the dark sky. We all sit there in silence for a few minutes as I watch the stars.

When I feel Bastion shiver, I nose him and head back to the house, pushing him along in front of me. Can feel Asher's anxiety and questions, but I ignore him till I get the child back into the warm house, noticing that he's still in his pajamas, bare feet, and an unzipped coat.

"Boy, what do you think you're doing going outside when it's this cold in bare feet? You're gonna lose some toes."

I wait to chastise him till we're all back inside, granted I used to and still do the same, but that's different. That whole double standard thing you know.

"You were going crazy. First giving off pain, then horrible grief. Kept going back and forth until the last one had you feeling very happy. I wanted to stay close in case I could help in some way."

He sounds dejected, so I push close to him, nosing over his face, ears, and neck till I get a smile, rubbing my head against him as I make my apology.

"I'm sorry Bastion, I don't even remember going outside. Last thing I recall before I was reliving my dreams was collapsing in my room and turning human, unable to hold onto the wolf. I think I was screaming at some point too, throat still feels a little raw."

Both he and Asher nod. They both tell me that I'd thrashed on my floor for a bit, turned wolf then went human again, doing so multiple times before I stayed as a wolf. How I'd bolted upright and almost went through the back door to get outside. Bastion had managed to get it open before I broke through it. Looking over, I can see where it's a bit more dented up than it was before. Whoops.

Asher pipes in now and then, but it's mostly the boy telling me what happened. The midnight canine just watches me the whole time. Probably scarred him for life since I seem to keep flashing him.

Feeling the wolf smile, I look over to him, a doggy grin splitting his maw as his tongue hangs out. Pervy dog. That gets his eyes sparkling in laughter, but there's an edge to them.

The feeling of wanting to run, stronger than it was before, starts riding me hard. My feet have me almost dancing around in place from being so antsy. When Bastion notices, he asks if I want to go back out.

I do, but I hate constantly leaving him, and I tell him as much. He just gives me a look before opening the back door again. Nosing at him before tentatively looking out, the outside calls me to join it.

My nose sniffs at his neck till he squirms, then I take off. Don't know if Asher tags along or not, being more focused on stretching my legs out. The elation of knowing Faline will be found soon courses through me and gives me wings.

Doesn't mean I'll stop looking, since I still don't know where she is. The painting I'd seen in the dream, I did it years ago yet it shows again now? What does it mean?

Silver paws move swiftly through the brush, weaving through hibernating trees and under pines. Dead fallen branches get leaped over, then I stop. Almost abruptly as I catch the scent of that elusive fox. Putting my nose to work, I follow it as I think over things.

The image had been one I'd dreamt of. It always seemed fitting since I have always identified with the wolf and seen my little sister as a feline. The small one in the dreams, is she really a cat now?

Looked leopard, but the markings were all wrong, let alone her size. When the large leopard had stood next to her, she was less than half its size. Overall, I mean. Not a common cat, that's for sure.

Not paying attention, I'm led right into a burr patch, my nose colliding with a larger one. Just lovely. My thick fur attracts them like sponges, and the one sticking to the end of my snout has me going cross-eyed.

I pull myself free easily enough from the large tangled bristle bush, more just a case of backing out slowly. Going up to one of the thicker trunked sleeping trees, I attempt to get the one on my nose off without making it worse. But of course, that's exactly what happens.

Grumbling and looking around, Asher is nowhere around, so safe bet he stayed with the little imp. Trotting off a little farther to find a lower branched pine, I make my way under it. No one may be around, but it's a little more protection from the elements, the wind having started to pick up.

I may be crazy, but I'm not stupid.

Don't quote me on that though.

Once under the sweeping out branches, I pull my skin to me. The bite of cold hits instantly. I may like the cold, but when stark naked, frigid is still frigid.

One on my nose falls off within moments, the ones in my hair though... This is going to suck. Leaving those for when I have Bastion's help, I get to work on the others covering me.

Not sure how I managed it, but crouched against the tree, a burr gets pulled off my inner thigh. Too much higher and I really would be bitching. When all from my body are off, leaving only those in my hair, I shift back.

Can imagine the back and forth is making it worse, but I'll deal. Making my way out, my mind is made up about this damn fox. Tipping my nose up, then down to get a hold of its scent again, I find it easy enough, seems to have been all over this area.

If it's a female with a den, then I'll leave her alone, but if it's a male making a nuisance of himself, steps will be taken. Not drastic ones, but he'll get a foot up his ass for sure. Leaving a scent trail right into that thing was not cool.

Looking for the strongest trail, I follow it. Doubt I'll have any more luck than Asher, but the practice is good and it's helping my antsiness. Need anxiety relief? Start following your nose.

Having already run a couple miles from my home, most tracks I find lead back to it. I decide to follow the one that goes near my absent, demented neighbors house. Not sure if Benji would be able to get a team out this fast, but never know.

When I get closer, I slow way down and start creeping forward, keeping low and close to trees. Damn bright ass fur of mine will make it impossible to sneak up on anyone, even more so when the moon shines bright. It isn't tonight.

Other scents start finding my nose aside from the usual wildlife. The fox is one, Asher another, even get hints of Xavier. New ones are being carried on the wind and I can't remember if we'd shut the doors or left it open to air out.

Think I'd closed them, not wanting to draw any predators into that death trap. Items had gotten left there; gloves, face masks, and the plastic sheeting. I really suck at this whole subterfuge thing, leaving my scent out like that.

My ears go back, then raise when poking my head around a tree. Not at the treeline around the abandoned place, but I'm close and coming up on the 'backyard'. From here I can see shadows moving around, but nothing distinctive.

Making my way closer, I keep downwind as much as possible. A few upright substances can be seen milling about, the scent of wood smoke becoming stronger by the moment. I can smell the rankness of old death, so even if I had closed the doors, they're open now.