Chapter 90: #87 Soil, Water & Fire

I nod, and he gets up with me. We're now used to the ground shaking, enough so we can somehow stand up and face the mess in front of us. I look around, and see several other wolves get in position. Ben looks ready to go, growling already, his fangs turned towards Ravena.

Selena looks ready to go too, but her husband and Nora stay back. Damian Black is the one to step forward a few steps away from her, after a quick lick from the white wolf next to him... I feel my throat tighten again, seeing wolves I don't even recognize about to run with us towards danger. Lysandra, who had fallen down like all of us, rolls down and stands back up on all fours, into the appearance of a dark brown wolf.

"Mara, you stay behind me," says Liam

"But..."

"No buts, Babe."

Before I can retort anything, Liam turns himself into a black wolf, and growls softly. Oh, Moon Goddess... I better not lose that furry black butt of his.

"Alright," I sigh, with a quick kiss on his muzzle. "Don't worry about me, I'm not leaving you one second."

*Everyone get ready!* Shouts Selena in our head. *The goal is to get to the witch and knock her out! You get there as fast as you can! If you can't make it, keep running until you get out of there, and watch out for those gaps!*

Those large openings on the ground are what worries me the most. I haven't looked at one from up close, but I can guess I'm not going to like whatever's down there. There's a strong smell of fresh, labored soil in the air, and something more bitter, like soot... That might be me, though. For a second there, I hesitate to shape-shift to my wolf form, but I'm pretty sure I can keep up anyway. Moreover, I'll be more efficient with my powers if I can move my hands.

"Ayesha, stay there with them!"

"You're a crazy witch," she grumbles. "Crazy but brave, I'll give you that..."

From the way she stares at the path in front of us, she wouldn't have risked going there anyway. I can understand her. This wasn't her fight in the first place... I'm even glad she somehow managed to stay, keep up and help us. I wish I had time to check where Naptera's at, but I don't have time; That's one too many witches for me to watch, and there's only one I can afford to focus on for now.

*Boyan, Lysandra, Tonya, you take the left side. Isaac, Ben, Johnny, on the right. Everyone else, follow your Alpha or Beta! Go!*

We start running, fast as the wind, despite the violent earthquakes breaking all around.

It's even worse once we actually get close to that East Point Ground Place. It's in the shape of a convex sphere, but Ravena's attack has completely changed the area. I see stones turned upside down, torn off the ground and thrown away. I actually see one literally spit out by the soil a few steps away from us as we sprint our way in. If we get hit by one of those... It's going to hurt, bad. Damn it...

We run, as fast as we can. Because we're focused on speed rather than staying standing, our feet barely touching the ground before we jump again, we're not as bothered by the uneven grounds moving under us. It's more about finding the next place to land on, and making sure we don't trip over one of those endless crevasses. I try to focus all I can on Liam, but I'm scared for literally every wolf who followed us. They are all behind; as Liam said, he's definitely the fastest. I can barely stay behind him, and I feel my fire behind me, reacting to my need for speed and propelling me like a comet. The only ones fast enough to keep up with us or Damian and Selena. The black wolf seems to shorten the distance at each jump with his monstrous size and dark aura. He's like a dark shadow, landing where he wants with no regards for the state of the ground underneath him. A couple of times, I fear he's about to disappear in one of the gaps, but he immediately pulls himself up and keeps running as if it was nothing.

Meanwhile, Selena's just as impressive. She's like a white bolt, light as a feather and fast as the wind. I'm amazed at her gracious run, and how she lands swiftly everywhere, as if she weighed nothing. Moreover, I can feel her golden aura extending all around us, as if she was lending her strength to everyone around. I bet she's mind-linking them all, coordinating this attack and ensuring we don't lose anyone...

Right. I need to focus and do my best, too.

We can do this. We're already half the distance there, and I can now see the details of Ravena's expression. The crevices are long and deep indeed, but if we focus on the land that's been spared, we can do this. It just gets harder and harder as we get closer to the epicenter... I hear one wolf howl, trapped back, with nowhere left to land. She has to go back and find another path. Another one, a grey male, almost falls before his friend comes and bites his nape to pull him up. The situation is definitely getting more and more difficult as we get close...

Suddenly, I feel the ground fall under my foot. I can barely realize what's going on, but the landslide gets worse, and without a chance to react, I feel myself pulled down.

*Mara!*

Selena's call got Liam's attention, and I see my mate turning back, but it's too late. I feel the void underneath me, and I just know I'm going to fall. Panicked, I move my arms around, trying to find somewhere to hold on. Everything's going too fast for me to have time to use my magic. I'm going to fall...

My feet suddenly hit the water. ...wait, the water? I glance down, and before I know it, I'm deep up to my waist. I look back, but it's a real stream coming my way, flowing through the crack and probably spreading to the others. A brutal flow of water slowed down my fall. What the hell is going on?! I swim up to make sure I stay at the surface, but the water is quickly filling up this gap, and I'm pushed up, back towards Liam...

*Mara, you okay?!*

I grab his fur as soon as I can, and he bites my top to pull me out of there, the two of us out of breath. I'm soaked, but, Moon Goddess, I'm alive... I look down at the large crack that almost killed me seconds ago, but the water level is already going back down. That was salt water, wasn't it? I glance around, looking for an answer, until my eyes stop on a silhouette standing afar from us.

"Naptera..."

She doesn't move or try to say anything. Even if she did, she'd probably be too far for me to hear. All I can get is her sullen expression, but she looks... resigned. So she decided to lend a hand, after all?

*Mara, let's go!*

I nod, and get back up on my feet behind Liam, as we resume running like crazy. I'm still soaked from my dive just then, and my head... full of questions. Naptera took our side? Or was she just helping me once? She stayed afar, does that mean she isn't going to help in the fight? As long as she doesn't cause more trouble.

I keep running while I'm torn between hundreds of questions. Suddenly, I feel something coming. I slow down. I can't see it, but all my senses are alert, like a pressure coming from right in front of us.

"Liam, stop!"

My mate brutally brakes, and jumps out of the way as something, indeed, seems to emerge from the ground. It's a little hill at first, but it keeps growing and growing in front of our eyes, until it stands as tall as a man. Liam and I growl, but we also slowly retreat, careful where we step. What the heck now...

The strange uphill suddenly makes a very, very weird sound and breaks into two. It's almost like an egg opening, and before I can even worry about what's coming, a silhouette emerges out of that muddy mess.

*Holy Moon Goddess, what the fuck is that thing!*

I have no idea. It looks somewhat human, but a human made of clay by a four-years-old! That thing has no face, just a rough shape of four limbs and a head, and it steps out of its shell, a moving bundle of fresh soil and mud. What the bloody hell are we looking at...

*Golems!* Liam's voice echoes in everyone's minds. *Watch out!*

Just as he says that, I hear a furious growl somewhere behind. I glance back, and a silver-grey wolf is already pinned on the ground by the golem that has taken over him.

*Johnny!*

Two wolves that were behind him jump in to attack and bite that thing, but... It's just bloody mud! I turn around, and as I expected, it's Ravena's doing. Her head is now turned towards us, her face distorted by a horrible rictus that doesn't even look human. Her eyes have gone completely dark... What the hell has the Curse done to her!

*Mara! Do something, we can't bite those things!*

Indeed, Johnny Seaver and his wolves keep attacking the bundle of soil and trying to get it off him, but it's like fighting against a landslide! I turn around, and the one in front of us is big and menacing, too. It launches its large fist towards Liam, who dodges it with a jump to the side. Still, if he gets hit or trapped by that thing... I step back, careful to stay out of reach, and look around, but those things have appeared all over East Point Ground, ready to guard their maker. They are attacking the wolves closest to them, everyone that came to attack with us. Selena and Damian Black have no issue dodging theirs, but the bigger wolves like Boyan, Ben and Tonya are in trouble. They are too big, and they don't have enough safe ground where they are to dodge that thing without risking falling into a crack!

How do I help them? There are meters between us!

*Lysandra!*

A scream pierces the air, and I see one of the wolves about to get swallowed by those gaps. From a distance, I can only see her silhouette, trapped between the two edges and desperate to get back to the surface. There are two golems on her, and they are pulling her in towards the crack! Her paws on the edge, she's trying to pull herself up, but there's too much weight on her, dragging her down. Bloody hell, I'm too far!

*Mara, go!* Selena urges me.

*But...*

*Just go, you stubborn witch! We will save her, you stick to the plan!*

I can't go, they are all about to get killed right where they are! The two gigantic brown wolves jump to help pull Lysandra Jones up. They are too far, I can't tell who's Boyan and who is Tonya. There are just two gigantic bundles of brown fur, battling on the edge and trying to bite her where they can pull her up, or crush the soil around her. As soon as they do though, we see two more silhouettes of clay emerge from the ground behind them. Oh, hell, no... The two golems grab the brown wolves, either trying to pin them down or push them to the edge too. With horror, I see the ground tremble and crack under their feet, looking about to crumble. No, Moon Goddess, no!

"It's fucking mud, you idiot!" Suddenly roars Ayesha.

I see her run towards us, to the closest group of wolves. She charges up her fists with fire, and suddenly, shoots it right at the mountain of soil trying to suffocate Johnny Seaver. The grey wolf has to turn his head to protect himself, but as soon as the witch's fire hits the mud, it suddenly stops moving. Of course! Heat solidifies it! That thing stops moving, and the wolves attack it. It's slow, but they can get rid of all that soil and move away from it, now that it's not moving anymore.

I focus on my inner fire, and turn around, shooting a large blast towards the one attacking Liam. It was high time. That thing had just about trapped him under his arm, a grip of mud around his waist, but as soon as it's solid, Liam growls furiously and gets out of there. I turn back, but the brown wolves are still struggling, and I have to hold my fire. I can't shoot! If I solidify the clay around Lysandra, it's going to get heavier, and that ground is already on the verge of collapsing with all that weight... Shit! What do I do? I turn to try and find Naptera, but she's nowhere to be seen. Where the hell did that bloody witch go! I try to watch around us, but there's no way I'll be able to fill the creaks with enough water until it gets all the way to the one under Lysandra...

Suddenly, as I'm desperate for a solution, my eyes meet with Lysandra's. We lock eyes for a second, in a strange moment that seems to just stop in time. It's strange. Although she's so far from me, and in her wolf form, I'd swear she's smiling at me...

*Go, Mara fucking Jones.*

It hits me violently. The reality of what's going on, of what's at stake, and what I simply can't do. I'm trembling, but those words push me away from them. I take a step back, and another. Still locking eyes with her, until I have no choice but to look away, my heart ripped in two. I don't watch what happens. I just hear the ground that collapses, and the terrible ruckus that follows the earthquake on the other side of the area. I hear voices of dozens of wolves screaming in my mind, calling their names in despair. Each voice hurts a bit more than the other. I hear some yelling orders, but I run. I cry, and I keep running. Someone yells at me to keep running, again, and I have no other intention.

I run to put an end to this madness, as soon as possible. I'm furious, I'm broken, and I'm ready for this bloody fight. I gather my inner fire like a volcano prepares its lava, and I suddenly shoot it in front of me, bursting that clay monster in front of us. The mud sprays all around, but I don't stop, and run past it as if I was flying. The black wolf runs just as fast, now staying right next to me, ready for our next opponent.

They keep coming. One golem after the other, and I can hear the fights going on behind us. Those monsters of clay are trying to slow the wolves down, and throw us into the gaps. I'm not powerful enough to produce enough water and fill the cracks like Naptera did, but I burst my fire at each one I can. As soon as I spot a wolf or more fighting one of those monsters, I launch my flame to burn it. Some wolves even have to dodge my violent firepower, but I have no time and no patience left for self-control right now. I hear Nora's cries, and Selena's anger. I feel them as if they were right next to me, and I can only hear them right now, and Liam. They are like a voice overpowering everyone else, like my soul sisters following me where I'm going. I feel their pain and anger like mine, but I don't even have time to check on the others. I just have to keep running, I have to put an end to this.

You damn Curse, you're going to pay for this...

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*Author Note: thanks for reading, please leave a comment if you enjoyed! See you soon for more! ^-^