The Dark Ones

1232 Words
A small town in the Werewolf Realm Fire burned on the horizon and thick black smoke curled up into the sky. Lissa could see the fire burning closer and felt her heart racing. She looked over at Wren and she could see the resolve on his face. They both knew the dark ones were approaching. Screams could be heard in the distance as the flames burned higher and crept closer to their house. “Hurry, get Lumina and take her out the back way. I will hold them off as long as I can.” Wren said to Lissa. “I’m not leaving without you” Lissa pleaded with Wren. "We're stronger together!" “You must keep Lumina safe. The Oracle told us our daughter was special. Please go, Lissa.” Wren said back. “There is no time to argue. We need to stick to our plan. We knew this day was coming.” “I love you Wren,” Lissa said and turned to their daughter's cradle. Lissa scooped Lumina out of the cradle and held her tightly to her chest before turning back to look at Wren. “I will see you again Wren.” Lissa said to the man she loved with hope, her voice only quivering slightly. “I love you too, Lissa, please you need to hurry.” Wren said to her. Lissa turned and ran out the back door. Lissa’s nose was assaulted with the smell of smoke and blood. It stung her eyes and made them water. She quickly ran through the darkness with the smoke continuing to burn her lungs and nose. She had Lumina covered to protect her from the blaze that was quickly approaching. Lissa had to get to the lake where the escape boats would be if she wanted to keep herself and Lumina safe. She looked down at her small daughter before running into one of the back alleys leading towards the boats. Wren watched Lissa leave with their young daughter and had a feeling that he would never see them again. He had to fight the dark ones so they had a chance to get to safety. Wren stayed low to the ground, creeping slowly to the window where he kept his arrows and crossbow. He reached for his crossbow and sat with his back to the wall under the window. Wren pulled the drawstring back and loaded an arrow into the rail. He quickly scanned the room to find something to create a diversion. He sat near to the woodstove that they had used to keep the house warm and saw a few blocks of wood. They would do for a diversion. He grabbed one of the blocks of wood and aimed for the open window on the other side of the cottage. He would use the sound as a distraction. He hurled the block and heard it crash and bump and thump. Wren quickly popped his head up enough to see what he was aiming for. Not far from the window he was spying over, he saw a dark one looking in the direction of the sounds created by the block of wood he had just thrown. Without hesitation, he aligned his crossbow and let the arrow release with a low thrum of the crossbow string. It flew through the air piecing the dark one's head through the temple. The dark figure’s lifeless body dropped to the ground with a thud. Wren ducked back to his original position under the window, grabbing for more arrows to load into the quiver on his back. In one quick motion, Wren placed the crossbow in the harness, also hanging from his back. He had to act quickly before the dark one revived. Wren jumped up, racing to his weapons chest, which contained his family’s sword. He opened the chest and the lid clunked loudly. Reaching in, he pulled out the sword and turned to leap over the window ledge and ran to the fallen dark one. Without even attempting to find out if the dark one was dead, he swung his sword, severing the head from the dark one’s body. The dark one burst into fluid shadow, the completely black, humanoid-wolf form with six-inch claws disappeared. It was the only way to make sure they did not revive. Wren moved silently through the dark shadows to put his back against the wall nearest to him. He pulled his crossbow out and scanned the tops of the houses. He loaded an arrow again and lined up his shot. A dark one appeared above him on the roof. Wren let the arrow loose and the dark one fell with a loud thud at his feet. Pulling his sword from its sheath, he quickly beheaded it. Wren walked further into the center of the town to find a group of three dark ones. He felt the overwhelming urge to just surrender. A mind trick that the dark ones would use to defeat all in their path. He resisted the urge and notched another arrow. He waited for just the right moment. Slowly Wren breathed out and took his shot. The arrow flew through the first dark one's head and landed in the second one's thigh. The two dark ones still standing turned their fiery red gaze on him. His location was now compromised. He would have to fight them as best he could. He ran to the fallen one and severed its head, before it could revive, and he would have three to deal with. Wren held his sword tightly as the dark one, with the arrow in its thigh, walked towards him with no regard for self-preservation. The dark one's soulless eyes stared into Wren’s soul, pulling at it, trying to devour it. Wren resisted with everything he had and when the dark one was over him, he thrust his sword up through the dark one's abdomen and up through its head. They didn’t have blood, they seeped a black shadow, that slowly dissipated into the air around them or would be quickly absorbed by a nearby dark one. This is what happened at that moment. With Wren’s sword still impaling the dark one in front of him, the other one approached and sucked in the dark shadows of the one he had just killed. Now the dark one approaching him would be stronger and empowered with whatever life force the other had. If you could call it a life force. Wren lifted his sword in defiance towards the dark shadow coming towards him. “Come on, you soul-sucking, good for nothing, monster. Just try it, come at me.” Wren yelled out at the dark creature slowly stalking towards him. Suddenly, another dark one appeared behind Wren, lifting him and throwing him up into the air. Wren felt himself hit the ground before he was hit again by the empowered dark one. The air in his lungs had been forced out by the hit and it caused him to gasp for air that he could not get. He rolled over and stood, still not getting a breath in. Pain seeped through his body at the agony of not being able to suck in a breath. He would continue to fight with all he had though. These dark ones would meet their death tonight. Wren wasn’t going to go down easily.
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