Lyric The Fair

Flying Fish and Sparkling Waters

Lyric was perched delicately in the tall grass, picking little plants and looking at them as closely as possible before identifying them. Each new plant she picked made her smile grow just a bit more. She didn't have a lot of spare time at the moment but she had to pull as many roots and plants as she could before they set off again. She picked up her sharpened stick and began slamming it into the dirt to the side of the plants. She pressed down through the earth, beneath and to the side of the roots, pressing up into the middle of the plant to remove it with all roots intact. She smiled happily as she pulled two plants up, all roots intact and healthy looking. So, keeping this method that was proving very useful, she began to pull even more plants as fast as she could. As she sped up, she noticed that the sky around her began to grow dark, blocking out the son as the storm clouds rolled in.

Lyric looked up at the sky, her eyes squinting as she wondered what storm was heading their way. They had been caught in rainstorms several times but the skies now were looking far more dangerous than any she had seen. She decided to pick up the pace. As she kept going, the roots began to snap. Her frustration became the only thought she could manage to hold. The clouds came in quicker, the wind picking up and beginning to whip her hair around her face, snapping her hard in the cheek. Panic rose in her throat, tasting of fear and vomit. Her heart began thundering hard in her chest, so hard that she could see it through her shirt.

The growl rumbled low and steady, louder than the approaching thunder and whipping wind combined. Lyric's head rose as the stick tumbled from her hands. Near the ledge of the trees stood a huge black wolf with shining silver eyes. The animal was staring at her, its head cocked slightly to the right, as a thin line of drool fell from its open mouth. The teeth shined menacingly in the light of the storm, glinting and sparkling even as the sky grew more and more dark. Captivated by the sight, Lyric rose to her feet and faced the beast with fear in her eyes. A second growl erupted from its throat, sending a powerful shockwave through the grass, slamming into her chest with such force that she stumbled back a few steps.

The wolf ran forward, all four paws pushing the massive body of muscle and black fur in her direction, as Lyric turned and began to run. Her legs pushed her as fast and hard as they possibly could but, the sound of the animal coming up behind her let her know that she had no hope of escape. The daylight faded into a dusky, stormy vision. The wind pushed against her face and body, trying to hold her back and stop her from getting away faster. A howl burst through the sound of the wind and ran its way down her spine. Lighting split the sky and threw earth in her face as it exploded in front of her. With a scream and a twist of her hips, Lyric swerved away from the new obstacle and pushed herself even harder.

Moment after moment, lightning strike after strike, she swerved and ran. The wind whipped at her feet, twisting and turning like a rope to wrap around her ankles, forcing her to stumble and fall like a stone. Lyric's body skid across the grass, her cheek splitting open and bleeding as the grass cut the skin like a knife. The wolf came in with deadly speed, jumping towards her, its teeth bared and aiming for her throat. Lyric closed her eyes as the wolf closed its jaws. The teeth felt warm around her throat, soft but the claws scratched against her skin as sharp as knives. The teeth felt soft, with a give that was reminiscent of a human's fingers. Lyric's eyes snapped open to stare into the dark brown eyes of a stone of a woman.

A scar stretched from the woman's cheekbone and down to her chin, breaking the smooth dark skin like the lightning that split the sky. The woman's strong, long-fingered hand was wrapped around her throat, squeezing slightly, just enough to make the point that Lyric was not in change. The woman brought her face closer to Lyric's studying her as the words began to fall from her mouth. Her voice was low, rumbled, and vibrated in her throat as she spoke, sounding much more like the wolf than Lyric thought possible for a human being. "Where is it you think you are going, Little Bird?" The dark warrior asked.