The Element: A Shift in the Water (Completed)

Chapter 52- Thousand Eyes

I am the storm
I am the sto-orm
I am the storm
So wait
-Of Monsters and Men

Everly

Bones snap, warp, and join with neighboring tendons. A barrage of growls and roars boom into the night. It is an unholy sound—a sound of war and destruction that sends shivers through my body.

Blink.

Branches pop as easily as bubbles in a bath when Bel harnesses the power of wind. The force pushes the group of misfit-monsters back and tiny fragments of leaves to glitter through the air, prickling my skin on impact.

Blink.

My pack-mates shift and attack. Thea goes after her aunt, met with magic and powers beyond my comprehension. A blast of heat singes my skin from a fireball Caylin launches toward the dragon-man. His scaled features shimmer with the flare of each flame cast into the night air. Ash and smoke swirl as my family and friends become blurs of action.

Blink.

A throb inside my chest makes its way up my neck, choking me.

Suddenly, all I see is Zeke — literally. Everything else falls away. I no longer hear the commotion of war exploding around me. Every natural body movement is on hold as I watch my love, in wolf form, fight the vampire. I yearn to help, but I know what I have to do.

Squeezing Momma's hand, I begin to pull her away from the fight and towards the forest. "Momma, we gotta go!"

She begins to pry her fingers out of my grip. "But, Evie...I can't leave—"

"We have to! You can't shift," I begin to explain, sensing her hesitation as she looks towards Logan. The Alpha Bear has shifted into the mighty grizzly that rests below his skin. "He's gonna be fine. They're all gonna be fine. But we have to get you away from here."

I lead us into the woods, forcing her to run until the roars and shouts fade behind us. And then, we keep running. Soon, we are trudging down a mountain. Twigs scrape along my skin and the fabric of my dress gets hooked by the thicket of briars along the forest floor. The prickly, scrambling shrubs wrap around my ankles — like devil's snare — and dig into my flesh.

The uneven terrain proves difficult for Momma who stumbles along behind me, running as fast as she can. But she's quickly exhausted. "Momma," I begin with panted breath, "We're almost to the holler." I encourage when the small valley between the mountains becomes visible.

My feet slip outwards on the wet, decaying autumn leaves as we near the bottom of the hill, causing me to collapse and slide through the sludge. Losing my single-strap heels on my way down, I come to a stop at the base of the mountain. Glancing back, I watch Momma go from tree-to-tree in an effort to fight gravity and remain standing. Her pinball method brings her to a stop in front of me.

The cold night air shocks my throat and lungs as I inhale deeper. "Gotta...keep...moving," I pant. Pulling myself up to my feet, I grab Momma's hand and continue.

With each footfall, a jarring pain shoots ankle to knee. My heart beats frantically as the darkened sky becomes less visible. Storm clouds roll-in, accompanied by flashes of lightning tucked in their ominous billows.