Chapter 76 Seventy-Six
"Acting tough now, are we?" Marie laughed, taking Danica in. "Do you really think I'm scared of you?"
"You should be." Danica growled as she felt something within her begin to stir. "I still owe you for my parents; a life for a life sounds fair."
Tilting her head back, Marie let out a loud laugh. "Come then, little wolf, show me what you can do."
Lunging forward, Marie held out her clawed hands, ready to grab Danica, but Danica was faster, moving out of the way before turning and grabbing Marie by her wing. Heaving, she yanked and threw Marie to the side, causing the harpie to stumble.
Not giving her a chance to regroup, Danica pounced, tackling Marie to the ground. Shrieks escaped the harpie queen as she fought for dominance against Danica.
"Get off me!" Marie growled as she clawed at Danica's face. "How dare you, a puny wolf, think that you are any match for me?"
"It seems like this puny little wolf is the one in control right now." Danica laughed.
Wrapping a clawed hand around Marie's neck, Danica began to cut off the harpie's air. Eyes widening, Marie grabbed at Danica's wrist, trying to break her grip.
"Let...go...." Marie gasped as she tightened her hold on Danica.
Danica could feel her bones beginning to crack as Marie strengthened her hold, but she still held fast, refusing to let go of the woman who had killed her parents. All Danica could see was red, and all she wanted was revenge for everything the harpie had done, especially to her unborn child, who would never have the opportunity to see the world.
"This is for my parents." Danica growled, lifting a hand and letting it fall, connecting with Marie's face. "This is for my pack." She continued, allowing her fist to lift and collide with Marie's face again. "And this..." She huffed, lifting and slamming her fist down again. "This is for my baby!"
Her fist, which had connected with Marie's face three times, was now covered in the harpies blood. Though she had done extensive damage, it still wasn't enough to appease her rage.
"Baby?" Marie asked, smirking. "Did you just say baby?"
Coughing Marie let out a bellowing laugh that echoed across the area around them. Her face lit up in pure bliss at the thought of having taken the life of a child.
"YOU DESERVED IT!" Marie shrieked, still laughing. "YOU AND YOUR ENTIRE BLOODLINE!"
Seeming to develop a new strength Marie began to fight Danica off of her. Even though Danica had the upper hand before, it seemed that the harpie queen developed a new strength.
"Wha..." Danica gasped just as Marie used her wings to push off the ground.
Lifting off the ground, Marie sent Danica flying backwards into the dead body of one of Mason's pack members. Blanching, Danica struggled to get up.
"You thought you had the advantage, didn't you?" Marie cackled, strolling towards Danica. "You were wrong; do you think a measley little wolf could defeat me?"
Looking around, Danica tried to see if there was anything available to use as a weapon against the harpie as she continued to move forward, her face beginning to turn into a long, sharp beak. Letting out a shriek of rage, Marie opened her mouth, revealing rows of tiny, razor-like teeth.
Danica braced herself as Marie shot forward; with just enough time, she reached out a hand, grabbing hold of Marie's taloned one that attempted to grab at her throat.
"Now, now, do you really intend to prolong the inevitable?" Marie growled as she tightened her hands around Danica's.
A yelp escaped Danica as she began to feel the bones in her hand's beginning to break under the force of Marie's grip. Try as she might, she couldn't break free as the harpie continued to tighten, intending to break Danica's hands entirely, leaving her helpless.
Gasping Danica collapsed on the ground, allowing Marie to jump on top of her beak, which opened wide in a victorious grin. Using a taloned hand, she pressed against the soft flesh of Danica's stomach, determined to kill the child that remained within her.
"No!" Danica panted as Marie applied more pressure.
The skin on Danica's stomach began to be sliced by Marie's talons as she continued to push little by little, being sure to torment Danica as much as possible.
"NO!" Danica roared.
As the words left her mouth, Danica could suddenly feel a burning fire within her heart, one that seemed to spread throughout her veins and out onto her skin. Letting a howl explode from her lips, she arched, blinding white light exploding from her body, sending Marie flying and lighting the entire area around her.
The light traveled across the war zone like a wave, catching everyone off guard and stunning the enemy instantly. Just as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared, leaving the whole scene dark once more, aside from the few rays of morning light that had begun to bleed across the ground.
Gasping for air, Danica quickly sat up and looked around, trying to find Marie. However, the harpie managed to disappear, and with her disappearance, her army began to slowly back away and retreat.
Confused, Danica stood up and began to move forward, taking in the whole scene as if it were some sort of dream. The once-battlefield grounds were now left with bloodied and broken warriors who were looking around in confusion.
"DANICA!"
Turning, Danica had just enough time to gasp before Mason was pulling her into a fierce bear hug.
"What the hell are you doing out here?" He asked, pulling away long enough to take her in. "I thought I told you to stay where it was safe."
"I couldn't." Danica whispered as Mason hugged her again. "I just couldn't leave everyone to fight without me."
"Are you okay?" Mason asked, finally releasing his hold and again examining Danica. "Did you get hurt?"
Taking in Danica's form, Mason began to pale, his eyes tracing across Danica's scratched and bleeding stomach. A growl escaped him as his eyes darkened.
"I'm fine." Danica assured Mason, catching onto his line of thought. "It is nothing more than a flesh wound."
"Are you sure? We should go get you examined right away." Mason insisted, moving to pick Danica up and rush her to the hospital.
"I'm positive." Danica responded, stepping back. "Now isn't the time for this; where did Marie go?"
Looking around, Danica felt her anxiety growing; she couldn't make heads or tails about why the harpie queen disappeared entirely or why all of her minions followed suit.
"Leave that to me and Chris." Mason huffed in frustration. "We will do some investigating and see what her intentions are."
Nodding, Danica let out a long breath. "Until then, you should probably survey the damage and collect the dead."
Even though the war was over for now, that didn't mean that it ended without any casualties. Looking around,Danica took in the bodies that littered the area, some being wolves, others being harpies or trolls. From what she could see, a good number of wolves had lost their lives fighting for the pack. A reality that made her heart crumble into tiny pieces.
"Yes, let's do that." Mason responded grimly as they began taking note of all those that had been lost.