Changed

LARS

The men and I watched in horror as lady Kerrienne knelt down by our dying laird. She placed hands now engulfed in flames on his chest and spoke softly but her words carried to us.

“You are the starting line of a new race. Your children will become warriors of myth and legend. You’ve only just begun.”

Her body started shaking, then wings of fire sprang from her back as she held her hands over his chest and spoke.

“I cast this spell into the night, bind these two souls and give them back their light. Goddess, spirits hear my plea. Take what was torn and make it new. What was two will now be one and only by the death of the sun can it be undone.”

I felt the power in her words as she spoke. Once she finished speaking, she fell forward onto Emrick’s chest. Scota let out a mournful wail that sent chills down my back and grew large again.

EMRICK

I woke up gasping with Kerrienne laying half on top of me. I wrapped my arms around her and knew immediately that something was wrong. She felt cold to my touch. Lars and Kerrienne’s father walked up to us, tears running down their faces.

“She sacrificed herself to bring you back laird.” Lars said.

NO, I screamed silently. I picked her up then stood. I looked around at our men, some of which were holding weapons to the enemy’s throats. Others were supporting our injured.

There was a mournful wail coming from behind me. I turned with Kerrienne in my arms to find Scota now back to her normal size sitting on the ground, her wings wrapped tightly around her body as she rocked to and fro. The sound was coming from her and it wrenched my soul in two.

“Kill them all.” I growled, in a voice that barely sounded human.

As the last man fell, I felt Kerriene expel her last breath. There was a popping sound in the air then our ships could be seen floating on the water.

Without any words, we boarded them, taking our dead and leaving the enemy’s where they’d fallen.

The trip back to my keep seemed to take forever without Kerrienne. I growled at her father like an animal when he suggested I lay her down on a bed. I held her in my arms, refusing to put her down, trying to force my life energy into her body.

My eyes have been red since I woke up to find that she’d sacrificed her life to save mine and all the men skirted around me, keeping their distance.

When we finally got back to my keep, I bathed her and dressed her in a beautiful flowing silver gown. Everyone mourned alongside me but I didn’t care. I was drowning in my pain. I laid her down in the great hall so that everyone could come and say their farewell.

The night before I was to inter her in my family’s crypt, I watched her unmoving form as the moon shone through the windows, highlighting her body in its glow.

As I watched her, I fell to my knees in sudden pain. I felt like I was being ripped apart, my body feeling like it was being run through by a thousand swords. I watched my fingers lengthen and my nails turned into claws. Watched my ripped clothes fall from my body to the ground as my body tore and bowed to remake itself into something new. Then I was standing on four paws. I heard running feet enter the room as I shook my body like a wet dog, then Conmael appeared in front of me in a flash of light.

“Mmm, I did not see that coming.” He said looking directly into my new, wolf eyes. “But no need to panic. Your laird will be fine.” He said louder to the shocked faces of our people.

No need to panic! Is this asshole serious? Kerri is dead and it left me feeling like I’ve been torn in two. Not to forget that I was an animal now. And not just in a metaphorical way. I growled in his direction. He knelt in front of me and spoke softly. “You and Kerrienne are true soulmates and your souls have an agreement that whenever one of you dies, you will wait in the afterlife for the other. When one of you is reborn, so too shall the other so that you may find each other again. This is only the beginning. Have a little faith my boy.”

I growled at him again, baring my teeth at him aggressively. He chuckled before disappearing into thin air once again.

...

I laid down next to her in my new wolf form. My paw draped across her body possessively, growling at anyone who came near her as I fell into an exhausted sleep. I soon became aware of an outside heat source. My new wolf eyes opened to find her body smoking. I jumped away from her, walking backwards, growling at the flames that licked alongside her body. She was soon engulfed in flames.

My loud whining brought half the keep skidding into the great hall. They all stood around the door stunned into silence at the scene unfolding before them.

Well, I thought I guess I won’t have to live without you for long, my love.

I threw Sarah and Kerri’s father a sad look as I leapt into the flames. My only intent, to join her in death. Losing her had left a void inside me that I doubted anything could fill. I felt the flames’ heat as my body was about to land into her pyre then a hot gust of wind threw me across the room and away from her burning body.

I crashed into a wall. The pain of hitting the wall rendered me breathless for a bit. I stood on shaky paws and threw my head back. A loud mournful howl escaped my throat causing everyone present to cover their ears.

Her body was reduced to ash in seconds. I walked towards what remained of her.

Why did she have to save me? I thought. Watching her die in my arms was painful enough but this... I shook my head from side to side as I looked down at what remained of the only woman I’ve ever truly loved.

It took me some time to realize the ashes were in the shape of a female body, her body. Everything else around her was in pristine condition, like there hadn’t been any kind of fire at all.

Sudden dizziness overtook me and I fell near her ashes. I felt my eyes roll into the back of my head and my heartbeat slowed to a crawl.

It seemed like an eternity passed before my ears picked up a faint heartbeat. I felt energy return to my body as I stood staring at her ash-shaped body, daring to hope…