The sun snuggled down beneath the afternoon clouds as Visena shifted into wolf form. 

She stuffed her jumper and underwear into her sweat pants and tied the ends together to make an easy transport bundle. Visena's wolf nuzzled her nose through the hole and raised her head high, letting gravity adjust the more comfortable collar, praying it would hold as she sprinted along the rolling hillocks. It was exhilarating reconnecting with her wolf again. It felt much longer than a few weeks since her last shift.

A spattering of vehicles passed by, and Visena quickly ducked into nearby rushes each time. Then, she watched and waited, belly low to the earth and ears flat against her head.

She didn't feel like ending up on the news.

'Natures anomaly.'

Or,

'Silver wolf sighting- hoax or newest cryptid?'

Visena couldn't recognise any familiar scents despite pushing her nose to the earth. No wolf or human scents at all. She was troubled by this. The silver wolf ran faster, pumping her legs hard to find something. Anything.

Each time she would crest one hill, she would face another. It was much too late when Visena realised she should have run the way she had come from and not in the direction Yrsa's car drove.

The heat had scrambled her brain.

Now the likelihood of ending up in Zeirs hands despite Thana's intervention seemed likely.

Thana. She had looked dead. Surely it couldn't be that easy to kill a Vampire, though—a Vampire in the sunlight.

Yrsa shot her so many times.

A small robin flitted around Visena's giant head. It tittered and chirped in her highly sensitive ears before flying high out of reach. While she did not want to hurt the dainty creature, she couldn't help but snap at it as the minutes went on.

What do you want, you little shit?

Visena willed the bird to understand somehow. It flew above her quietly, and Visena carried on running. Then, just when she found a good rhythm, a sharp, earsplitting chirp rang in her ear.

The silver wolf dug her paws into the dirt and skidded to a halt. She watched the bird with murderous fury but took a pacifying breath. The calm wind tickled Visena's fur, and her dry nose twitched. The robin cautiously landed on a nearby cattail.

Clever thing.

It had landed just out of pouncing distance. Black beady eyes peered into Visena's opalescent ones.

The little bird tilted his tiny fluffy head to the side. Visena found herself doing the same before shaking her head with a huff. She let a grumble rattle around in her chest. Nothing happened. The creature tweeted in reply and jumped to another cattail.

Visena contemplated trying her luck catching the thing or shifting back at the very least. The bird seemed aware of her predicament and flittered to yet another plant. He was headed in a southwest direction each time in the opposite direction of the road. 

Do you want me to follow you? 

The bird seemed to chirp in reply, flying slightly further away while keeping a careful eye on the silver wolf.

Visena's paws left a plume of dust behind her as she followed the creature. The shift took a toll on her body, and her pace remained slow. Nevertheless, the hours passed quickly along the trek. The robin stayed on its southwestern course and kept an eye on Visena. It never seemed wary of the wolf, perhaps curious more than anything. Sometimes Visena felt like it was judging her. The soulless eyes and incessant chirping were enough to drive any creature mad.

How on earth you have survived to this point will remain a mystery to me. Visena thought, staring at the bird's backside. It had stopped checking on her and began reciting all the sounds it had ever heard. The symphony included a dog whistle and a strange horse whinnying sound.

Looking off to the horizon Visena allowed herself to dream. Her walking had reduced to a wobbly amble, and she found peace in her imagination. Letting herself drift in and out of consciousness, the mirage became her truth.

Walking out from the approaching forest, she would see a tall, dark figure. Earth and cinnamon scent would intoxicate her senses as long muscular arms embraced her. She would look up at his cherry lips and tousled hair and smile. Gideon. Her mate.

He would say something witty. And kind. And loving.

His fingers would brush the nest of hair from her face and kiss her all over. He would say, "I love you." And she would give him everything.

She wished he had marked her when they had the chance. She imagined herself as a wolf, just a wolf, living contentedly with her gorgeous mate. Instead, she was dying of heatstroke and creating a fantasy that would never come to pass.

Visena's eyes started to roll back in her skull, tongue lolling to the side. Dry and rough. The robins chirping became frantic as she collapsed. Not one step more. The sounds seemed to come in and out of focus. The sun had disappeared. When did that happen?

The gentle night breeze picked up, no longer brushing through fur but pale, shivering skin. Her clothes had shifted around her torso, providing some modesty against the evening sky. The moon was yet to rise, but Visena knew it would be rotund and glorious. A waxing gibbous. Almost full.

Laying flat against the hard ground, Visena watched as the stars danced and shot across the sky. She imagined them to be the Sky Fae flying high above the earth, the ones that escaped the monstrous actions of their Earth kin.

She shimmied the dusty tracksuit over her head and dressed half-heartedly. She lost consciousness at least once with her pants half hitched.

Visena's head felt enormous as she looked around. A forest loomed nearby. Pitch black and uninviting. She attempted to crawl but fell flat, winding herself in the process. The last thing she remembered before succumbing to the darkness was the embrace of frozen limbs and the sensation of flying.

~~~

A/N

Another shortish chapter- seems to be my M.O

I enjoyed writing this chapter a lot - her spiralling into unconsciousness was a fascinating thing to imagine. 

Where do you think she is at the end of this chapter? 

What do you think will happen next?

Any predictions for the fate of our dear Visena or the Invictus wolves?

Until next time xxx

K <3