Fight By My Side
The Guardians Have Arrived
Austin had watched me Shift.There was a reason I hadn't Shifted in a while. After I had banished Jack and Vic from the Sanctuary and my emotions had been riled up, I had to let them cool down. Now as we know, when you're turning into your animal form, emotions seemed to get intensified. Now how much, well that depends on the form. For me, they tend to cloud my judgement if I'm not careful and they can spin out of control if I don't keep a check on them. If I hadn't changed back after I attacked Vic, I would've seriously injured him. That's where some Shifters go Rogue. When they can't control that little part that can seriously hurt someone, they go almost insane from the wild instincts. When you're flooded with emotions, like right now for instance, and you're in animal form, that can cause chaos.
So when I saw Austin standing at the doorway with the loud thunder behind it, Jack's fear reeking off him, my anger, my own fright, and the rising levels of anxiety, I nearly had a panic attack. My brain started to twist and turn as thoughts entered from every little facet. It's like a dam had broken and I was flooded.
Mike, Jack, and Vic leaped up. Jack and Vic went to my side and Mike stood near Austin, at the ready. I whined and back off. This wasn't supposed to happen. Austin wasn't supposed to be down here. I was going to loose the only family I had left. They were all going to be taken away from me.
"Easy, Wynter." Jack soothed. Planting my feet, I shook my head out. Now bouts of anger started to swarm my thoughts. Why did he dare to come down here? How dare he to come back and try to take away all that we had!
"Wynter, it's me!" Austin called to me. Something inside of me snapped. It was like the tight string had just broken. I should've killed him when I had the chance. That way we didn't have to deal with all of this.
Austin took a few steps forward and I growled. He froze in his tracks. What was he doing?!
Challenging you! He's challenging you!
The small voice whispered in side of my head. The one side spoke up, telling me that he was attacking me and I needed to rip out his throat.
No, that was just the adrenaline talking. That was just the other side of me. That was the side with the Gift. It could be dark sometimes.
I leapt at him again, but Jack and Vic pushed me to the ground, knocking me out of the air. I tumbled under their grasp and barked at them. Mike took hold of Austin’s arm.
“Austin, back up! She’s taking that as a challenge!” Mike warned him. Austin took the advice and backed up. Jack and Vic stood in front of me, obscuring my view of the two. When I didn’t see him, the small voice was silenced. I shook my head and turned around. Walking in circles, I closed my eyes and tried to think. Sweat glistened off my coat as I panted from the fear and anxiety.
I thought of the times Vic and I played out in the fields. We used to tumble around, chasing each other. Closing my eyes, I breathed in and out. From the corner, I could hear Mike instructing Aus to look down, don’t make eye contact and back up. It was all in case I decided to lunge again.
But I wouldn’t lose control this time.
Jack knelt just in front of me, placing space between us. “Easy now, Wyn. Feeling better?” He asked. I closed my eyes and shook my head to vanish the little voice. I whimpered a little and stepped forward, nosing his arm. Vic smiled and scratched behind my ears.
Turning back to Austin, I stared for a moment. Mike nudged him, giving the signal to look up. Oh man, I had really messed this up. I couldn’t control my thoughts and feelings and let them take over. Now look what I had done. Taking a deep breath, I thought back to being normal. Before I knew it, I was human again.
Austin looked up at me with shock once more. I stared at his eyes, silently begging for forgiveness. I awaited him pushing me away, yelling that I was a freak and he knew it all along. The seconds seemed to tick on and I almost screamed from the anticipation.
“You’re the most beautiful wolf I’ve ever seen.” He breathed out. The tension eased and I blushed. I looked back to Jack and Vic behind me. They shied away and looked to the floor. I don’t think we’d have another confrontation like last time.
“Why’d you come down here?” I questioned, still wary of his intentions. Austin snapped out of the daze he was in.
“Guardians, I saw them coming up this way.” He told us. No way, they never came up this way! The last time was about five years ago and they had only passed by!
“Did you call them?” Mike questioned with a hard stare. The lights flickered as the thunder boomed once again.
“No! No! I was just walking here when I saw them. No one was in the house, so I had to check around and make sure you knew.” He hurriedly explained. The three boys leaped into action. Mike went upstairs and bolted all the doors and latched three of the locks on the trap door and the regular door that led from the trap door to the bottom of the steps. Jack shut off all the light and fleetly shoved all loose items into assorted cabinets, making it look like no one was here. Vic turned off the lights as I took Austin’s hand and we all filed towards the infirmary room. Just underneath the stack of towels on the floor was another trap door. It was just another safety precaution we installed a few years back. Jack grabbed the cat off the table, waking him from his nap. Austin happily took the cat from him and held him close to his chest.
“In here!” I hissed to Austin. Mike bolted the infirmary door with three inside locks as Jack, Vic, Austin, and I climbed down the ladder to the dim room. A single electric light shone from a dim bulb. Mike latched the door and crawled down next to us. It was a large, room completely made out of stone and wood planks on the floor. Carpet were everywhere to muffle any stray sounds. There were four sleeping bags laid end to end, a week’s worth of dried food, plenty of water, and three replacement lights. The small group huddled on the sleeping bags.
Although I hoped that we never had to use this room for more than a few hours, but we always had to be prepared. Mike crawled beside Vic. Although we could hear nothing, that didn’t mean they were gone. If we heard them, that meant they had gotten into the basement. I shook with fear, and Austin wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer into him. The fear was zapped instantly. Ashton purred in the darkness.
Faint footsteps was heard from the first floor, but nothing else. They seemed to disappear just as quickly as they came. We still had to wait another half hour to be sure. It was only twenty minutes into our waiting period when the black faded and all I could see was the face of the Guardian that killed my parents. I heard the gunshots. My breathing hitched as even the dim bulb couldn’t extinguish the choking void around me. All I wanted was to go see the night outside. At least that was open aired darkness, and not the cramped area down here.
“Wyn, what’s wrong?” Austin asked me quietly, rubbing my shoulder. A pounding head, like the shots of the gun, beat my head. Vic’s face peered over to mine in the darkness. The anxiety returned.
The bullets, they flew from the open muzzle. They found their target and beat the life out of my parents until I witnessed their bodies washed away in the rivers of blood. Then they saw me. That Guardian that killed my parents was cheered on as he chased me. I was too slow, too slow to our run him. I was treading through cement and the Guardian pressed the back of his gun into my head.
“They’re back, they’re back, they’re back.” I choked. The dim light illuminated Vic’s concerned face. Austin held me tighter, but as I looked to his face I leaped out of his arms. It was the dead face of my father, the last fight etched out on his blood lips.
“Dad!” I cried out with a sob. Vic reached over and pulled me towards him. I fought back, but couldn’t see a thing so I was forced to give up.
“What’s wrong?” Mike asked me quietly. I dug my face into Vic’s chest. It was warm, familiar, and comforting. He was the only one that made me feel so safe and helped to calm me down.
“She’s having another panic attack. The Guardians must’ve brought back old memories and she was already having a lot of anxiety over the past few days. Shifting didn’t help it.” Jack explained. The bullets started to fade in the distance and the faces floated away. I closed my eyes, but heard the trap door open.
“Clear.” Mike called after a moment of checking. The rest of us climbed back out and started to head off to bed. We always kept the doors locked after something like this happened, just to be safe. Only the infirmary was unlocked. Jack pointed to a spare bedroom for Austin to sleep in. As he headed off there, I put Ashton back in his comfortable little spot.
“Goodnight, little guy.” I scratched under his chin as he laid down. After closing the door, I headed off to the main room. The lights were still turned off. Two arms came around me as I stared off into the darkness. I let out a little squeal before a palm clamped over my mouth.
“Shhh…” Austin’s voice whispered. I sighed as the urge to whip around and beat the unknown attacker died down. “You okay?” At his question, I shrugged and nodded.
“You just looked like my dad, and I was having bad flashbacks. My mind’s been a little screwy for the last few days.” I sighed. I didn’t want to deal with these panic attacks, but that was a side effect from seeing you parents die. Leaning into his warm chest, I intertwined my fingers with his.
“I’m going on watch!” Mike called to me as he pushed by us, interrupting our conversation.
“Well I’m sorry that I’m just as handsome as your dad.” Austin joked lightheartedly. I punched him in the shoulder and looked up into his twinkling eyes.
“Some people can’t help it.” I let out a light chuckle. He bent down and unexpectedly kissed my temple.
“Wynter, you let me know if you need anything.” And with that swift and sudden gesture, he turned back to his room. When I regained my senses, I stumbled off and into bed. Vic caught me in his arms as I started to get into bed.
“You feeling better yet?” He asked, holding my shoulders.
“Yes I am.” I answered. Vic grinned as I flopped back into bed. Vic crawled under his own sheets. The lights clicked off and I tried to let my brain drift off.
So when I saw Austin standing at the doorway with the loud thunder behind it, Jack's fear reeking off him, my anger, my own fright, and the rising levels of anxiety, I nearly had a panic attack. My brain started to twist and turn as thoughts entered from every little facet. It's like a dam had broken and I was flooded.
Mike, Jack, and Vic leaped up. Jack and Vic went to my side and Mike stood near Austin, at the ready. I whined and back off. This wasn't supposed to happen. Austin wasn't supposed to be down here. I was going to loose the only family I had left. They were all going to be taken away from me.
"Easy, Wynter." Jack soothed. Planting my feet, I shook my head out. Now bouts of anger started to swarm my thoughts. Why did he dare to come down here? How dare he to come back and try to take away all that we had!
"Wynter, it's me!" Austin called to me. Something inside of me snapped. It was like the tight string had just broken. I should've killed him when I had the chance. That way we didn't have to deal with all of this.
Austin took a few steps forward and I growled. He froze in his tracks. What was he doing?!
Challenging you! He's challenging you!
The small voice whispered in side of my head. The one side spoke up, telling me that he was attacking me and I needed to rip out his throat.
No, that was just the adrenaline talking. That was just the other side of me. That was the side with the Gift. It could be dark sometimes.
I leapt at him again, but Jack and Vic pushed me to the ground, knocking me out of the air. I tumbled under their grasp and barked at them. Mike took hold of Austin’s arm.
“Austin, back up! She’s taking that as a challenge!” Mike warned him. Austin took the advice and backed up. Jack and Vic stood in front of me, obscuring my view of the two. When I didn’t see him, the small voice was silenced. I shook my head and turned around. Walking in circles, I closed my eyes and tried to think. Sweat glistened off my coat as I panted from the fear and anxiety.
I thought of the times Vic and I played out in the fields. We used to tumble around, chasing each other. Closing my eyes, I breathed in and out. From the corner, I could hear Mike instructing Aus to look down, don’t make eye contact and back up. It was all in case I decided to lunge again.
But I wouldn’t lose control this time.
Jack knelt just in front of me, placing space between us. “Easy now, Wyn. Feeling better?” He asked. I closed my eyes and shook my head to vanish the little voice. I whimpered a little and stepped forward, nosing his arm. Vic smiled and scratched behind my ears.
Turning back to Austin, I stared for a moment. Mike nudged him, giving the signal to look up. Oh man, I had really messed this up. I couldn’t control my thoughts and feelings and let them take over. Now look what I had done. Taking a deep breath, I thought back to being normal. Before I knew it, I was human again.
Austin looked up at me with shock once more. I stared at his eyes, silently begging for forgiveness. I awaited him pushing me away, yelling that I was a freak and he knew it all along. The seconds seemed to tick on and I almost screamed from the anticipation.
“You’re the most beautiful wolf I’ve ever seen.” He breathed out. The tension eased and I blushed. I looked back to Jack and Vic behind me. They shied away and looked to the floor. I don’t think we’d have another confrontation like last time.
“Why’d you come down here?” I questioned, still wary of his intentions. Austin snapped out of the daze he was in.
“Guardians, I saw them coming up this way.” He told us. No way, they never came up this way! The last time was about five years ago and they had only passed by!
“Did you call them?” Mike questioned with a hard stare. The lights flickered as the thunder boomed once again.
“No! No! I was just walking here when I saw them. No one was in the house, so I had to check around and make sure you knew.” He hurriedly explained. The three boys leaped into action. Mike went upstairs and bolted all the doors and latched three of the locks on the trap door and the regular door that led from the trap door to the bottom of the steps. Jack shut off all the light and fleetly shoved all loose items into assorted cabinets, making it look like no one was here. Vic turned off the lights as I took Austin’s hand and we all filed towards the infirmary room. Just underneath the stack of towels on the floor was another trap door. It was just another safety precaution we installed a few years back. Jack grabbed the cat off the table, waking him from his nap. Austin happily took the cat from him and held him close to his chest.
“In here!” I hissed to Austin. Mike bolted the infirmary door with three inside locks as Jack, Vic, Austin, and I climbed down the ladder to the dim room. A single electric light shone from a dim bulb. Mike latched the door and crawled down next to us. It was a large, room completely made out of stone and wood planks on the floor. Carpet were everywhere to muffle any stray sounds. There were four sleeping bags laid end to end, a week’s worth of dried food, plenty of water, and three replacement lights. The small group huddled on the sleeping bags.
Although I hoped that we never had to use this room for more than a few hours, but we always had to be prepared. Mike crawled beside Vic. Although we could hear nothing, that didn’t mean they were gone. If we heard them, that meant they had gotten into the basement. I shook with fear, and Austin wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer into him. The fear was zapped instantly. Ashton purred in the darkness.
Faint footsteps was heard from the first floor, but nothing else. They seemed to disappear just as quickly as they came. We still had to wait another half hour to be sure. It was only twenty minutes into our waiting period when the black faded and all I could see was the face of the Guardian that killed my parents. I heard the gunshots. My breathing hitched as even the dim bulb couldn’t extinguish the choking void around me. All I wanted was to go see the night outside. At least that was open aired darkness, and not the cramped area down here.
“Wyn, what’s wrong?” Austin asked me quietly, rubbing my shoulder. A pounding head, like the shots of the gun, beat my head. Vic’s face peered over to mine in the darkness. The anxiety returned.
The bullets, they flew from the open muzzle. They found their target and beat the life out of my parents until I witnessed their bodies washed away in the rivers of blood. Then they saw me. That Guardian that killed my parents was cheered on as he chased me. I was too slow, too slow to our run him. I was treading through cement and the Guardian pressed the back of his gun into my head.
“They’re back, they’re back, they’re back.” I choked. The dim light illuminated Vic’s concerned face. Austin held me tighter, but as I looked to his face I leaped out of his arms. It was the dead face of my father, the last fight etched out on his blood lips.
“Dad!” I cried out with a sob. Vic reached over and pulled me towards him. I fought back, but couldn’t see a thing so I was forced to give up.
“What’s wrong?” Mike asked me quietly. I dug my face into Vic’s chest. It was warm, familiar, and comforting. He was the only one that made me feel so safe and helped to calm me down.
“She’s having another panic attack. The Guardians must’ve brought back old memories and she was already having a lot of anxiety over the past few days. Shifting didn’t help it.” Jack explained. The bullets started to fade in the distance and the faces floated away. I closed my eyes, but heard the trap door open.
“Clear.” Mike called after a moment of checking. The rest of us climbed back out and started to head off to bed. We always kept the doors locked after something like this happened, just to be safe. Only the infirmary was unlocked. Jack pointed to a spare bedroom for Austin to sleep in. As he headed off there, I put Ashton back in his comfortable little spot.
“Goodnight, little guy.” I scratched under his chin as he laid down. After closing the door, I headed off to the main room. The lights were still turned off. Two arms came around me as I stared off into the darkness. I let out a little squeal before a palm clamped over my mouth.
“Shhh…” Austin’s voice whispered. I sighed as the urge to whip around and beat the unknown attacker died down. “You okay?” At his question, I shrugged and nodded.
“You just looked like my dad, and I was having bad flashbacks. My mind’s been a little screwy for the last few days.” I sighed. I didn’t want to deal with these panic attacks, but that was a side effect from seeing you parents die. Leaning into his warm chest, I intertwined my fingers with his.
“I’m going on watch!” Mike called to me as he pushed by us, interrupting our conversation.
“Well I’m sorry that I’m just as handsome as your dad.” Austin joked lightheartedly. I punched him in the shoulder and looked up into his twinkling eyes.
“Some people can’t help it.” I let out a light chuckle. He bent down and unexpectedly kissed my temple.
“Wynter, you let me know if you need anything.” And with that swift and sudden gesture, he turned back to his room. When I regained my senses, I stumbled off and into bed. Vic caught me in his arms as I started to get into bed.
“You feeling better yet?” He asked, holding my shoulders.
“Yes I am.” I answered. Vic grinned as I flopped back into bed. Vic crawled under his own sheets. The lights clicked off and I tried to let my brain drift off.
Notes
Please don't be a silent reader! Tell me what you think of it so far!
@Crazy_Wild_Mouse
haha don't worry about it! It happens to me all the time, especially when I'm typing on my phone! XD
Awwww thank you!! I'm really happy that you love it! This is honestly one of my favorite stories that i've written, even though it's not one of my most popular ones. The part with Alex....the tears don't stop falling ;_; But thank you so much! Your words are too kind!! :)
5/1/15