Elaya lay with her nose toward the east, toward the sea, her jaw on her crossed paws. She could smell her Sera. She had made sure that she could always find her lover, no matter what happened or where. The scent was very faint, but she could still detect it thanks to her impossibly powerful nose.
She knew that she had pushed Sera too far at the wrong time, but the point had become too important. Sera's flesh had called to her, her love had screamed to the wolf, but Elaya needed to know something simple. What mattered more to Sera. A moment's pleasure, or their immense lifetimes together.
Elaya could smell the future potential between them, and she longed for it. She had once given up hope for a future. A family. A love she had dreamed up since birth. She had been born a princess, a queen to be, with powers, wealth, and might. Her family had not cared about that, and developed within her enjoyment and need for the same thing they valued. Each other.
She had not even been three years old when she knew her one true dream. To wed under the boughs of her pack's trees to her one true love. She knew now who that was. She blinked and realized that tears were running down her muzzle, gleaming in the moonlight, and hissing as they hit the cool sand of the shaded section of beach she lay upon.
She raised her head and howled. Mournful and heartbroken. The sound was so loud and powerful it echoed across the mountains in the east, from the upper north to the south, and out into the sea.
Back at camp the Rythert's heads snapped up at the sound, and despite themselves they began to weep as well.
Elaya did not stop. She pushed herself up, strengthening the sound, howling without pause, seeming not even to need to take in breath.
Now the sound began to crash across the mountains, echoing louder and louder and louder, only growing in power, until the sound reached fully across the continent.
Far to the north the Metuzi all paused. Deep in a den two wolves raised their heads and growled. "Our daughter aches."
"yes. But she is unharmed. We must let her be."
The wolves of the pack stirred, and every one who heard the sound trembled, longing to rush to her aid, while the were and other creatures all over the land cowered, and many who had meant to cause trouble did not. The Metuzi Princess was hurting and their deaths could easily follow that sound.
Elaya howled and howled. The power, pain, rage, hurt, and so much more she had went into the howled, leaving it unbroken to carry for time untold.
Gerry went to a sniper's nest to be alone, unable to stop his own tears. He knew the sound all too well.
Rey's bloody tear stained his handsome face, thickening within his scar.
Drea hid within the spring pool crying quietly but so powerfully the pool was rising by inches already.
Amitiel and Narxis went to fly in opposite directions, the angels face gleaming with golden tears, while Narxis was stunned to find he could cry, the sulfurous black mudlike substance flowing out of his eyes burning his eyes and cheeks. "Damn you Elaya."
Ebony and Rhaeghal curled into their mothers, scared and sad, mewing in fear and heartbreak.
The sound thundered across Sera's water, vibrating the stone she sat upon. Then the sound cut off as from the water appeared a figure. She looked exactly like Elaya, but could not be the wolf. She smiled at Seraphina and crooned softly. "Well hello lovely. Why don't we pick up where we left off?"
The voice was powerful and sensual but it was not Elaya's. The figure was nude, and perfect, lacing any scars or any of Elaya's other signs of living.
Far across the land Elaya sensed the arrival of a figure but ignored it, still howling. Until the figure drew too close. Elaya's eyes opened and she slowly lowered her head, letting the howl fall. She spotted the figure and lunged forward.
The figure screamed, a passable imitation of Seraphina's sweet voice but no more. The figure crashed to the sand and tore at Elaya, screaming in rage, pain and terror, but the wolf would not be denied. She tore the creature's innards out, savaged it's limbs, severed it's sex organs, then growled into it's ruined face, it's blood coating her flash. "Who dares take the form of my Seraphina?!"
The creature whimpered and shifted. A skinwalker. A shape shifter like Malakai, but not of the land. It's blood turned to dark blue, flowing down toward the water.
"Why?"
The creature whimpered but shook it's head in ignorance. Elaya snarled and tore it's throat out, then gripped it's head and ripped it free, along with the spine, the crushed the skull, breaking off the length of the spine with a well placed foot upon it.
She then whirled and hissed. "Seraphina."
She howled once more, then was off. She tore into the forest, a wake of force behind her so powerful it created a crushing explosion of sound several hundred yards behind her. As she ran it fell farther and farther behind her speed growing. Her paws slapped across lakes, rivers, ponds, and pools throwing her along with even wetting the pads, unable to grip the wolf in her great speed.
The creature before Sera showed no sign of pain or fear, but she smiled. "Come my love. Allow me to please you." The water began to lap at the stone the redhead sat upon, tickling at her toes.
Elaya ran on, snarling in rage.
The argument did not upset her nearly so much as anyone daring to pretend to be her Seraphina. This induced a rage within her that would not be contained.
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