"I fucking know enough!" I growl. "You can call me a child, a brat, a Cursed One, even a dog if you will, I don't give a damn! By the Moon Goddess, I am what I am, and I'll fight that damn curse until it finally ends! I'm sick of you witches trying to kill me or use me for whatever! Can't we work together for once? You think I'm a brat? You think you're better than Sadia? You're an old wench controlled by your emotions too!"
This time, she closes her mouth, visibly shocked by my words. I was expecting another mean blow of anger, but it's clearly not coming... Well, it was high time I finally talked some sense into her. She doesn't try to swing me around again, although I prepared myself for it. I focus on my inner wolf, and she's still there, fierce as ever, ready for a fight. Naptera doesn't try again. She's glaring as if she could kill me with her eyes, but she won't move, visibly stuck by anger.
This isn't our fight here, though, and we don't have that much time to lose either. Now that I'm alright, I'm more worried about whatever's going on at the surface.
“Liam, is everyone okay?”
“Don't you ever ignore me again!” he immediately shouts back, his wolf furious at me.
“Okay, okay, I'm sorry... Are you alright, babe?”
“We're... managing. It's getting tense here. Ravena disappeared and Ayesha came to help us out, there are too many humans, and since we don't want to hurt them... What about you? We haven't seen you come out, how are you...?”
“Bonus power from Clarissa, I'll explain later. I'll try to get out of here as soon as I can, so please hold on until then!”
“I will, but please stay safe and come back to the pack soon, babe.”
“Gotcha.”
I know Liam tried not to worry me, but from his words, the situation must not be ideal up there, and seeing how Ayesha had to stay behind to help, it's probably getting worse. I don't like the fact that Ravena escaped either. I'm not comfortable with the thought that this witch with a capital B is roaming free in my city...
"If you're done tossing me around..." I start, but Naptera's not having it.
"Shut up!"
She suddenly starts moving her hands around, and oh, Moon Goddess, I don't like what's going on. Water gathers in her hand, but it's... cold. Very, very cold. I've never seen this before. The water gathers like ice in her hands, and I suddenly don’t feel as confident about this anymore. The water takes a sharp shape, something that looks rather long, a bit too big, and too pointy as well. My wolf whines upon seeing this and I'm not feeling great either. My confidence from before melts like snow. What the…? An ice spike!
Oh, Mara, why did you have to open that big stupid mouth of yours...? Think, think, Mara, think... Ice. Of course she could manipulate ice, she's a fucking Water Witch! Come on, Mara, use your brain. What can I do? Even if I have Water Magic at my disposal, I'm way too fresh of a newbie to use it already. I just need to escape a damn ice spike for now, so let's just focus on what I can do!
My wolf. I need to listen to her. Stop thinking so much and simply trust her. Something I'm not used to, but it's never too late for a change, is it? I try to calm down, despite the threat, and channel her all I can. No, I don't just channel her; I give her complete control. I feel it coming like a sudden wave building from the inside. She jumps up, filling my limbs and using her instincts to take over my body. In a split second, she comes in, I step back; I'm a she-wolf. I'm an animal, and my human self disappears under the female wolf guiding my body. I hear us growl as a warning, and with a disgusted look, Naptera launches her weapon right at us. She's even better than I imagined, aiming right at us, but now that she's in control, my wolf is much stronger and more confident. No more whining. She growls, and just as the spike seems like it's about to hit us, she jumps to the side.
I can't believe how well she's moving in the water. How good we are. It's the two of us now, but her influence is amazing. I thought I was doing okay earlier, but the truth would be more like I was just glad to not be drowning. Now, we're just swimming around, my wolf moves so fluidly, so easily. It almost feels like... like the water's my natural environment. I can't believe how uneasy I was before compared to this amazing feeling. My wolf is definitely in her element. She moves swiftly, as if the water is her playground. Naptera's weapons fly past us, and I barely feel it above our shoulder. It's truly a strange and yet amazing sensation. The water gently caresses our fur, offering no resistance to her strong paddling. I smile, a boost of confidence coming in again. I'm hot, yet cold, the adrenaline kicking in. I know we can do this. We're good. We growl as one at Naptera, a clear warning.
As we swim, I notice our paw... it's white. Since when did we have any white fur at all? After a bit more paddling, it's clear only one is, though. The other one is still black and gold... I'm curious to see what happened yet again with my appearance. Surprise after surprise, really... Will I ever get used to this?
Alright, I'll worry about my looks later. I need to get out of the water first. It's been a nice little swim around, but they are waiting for me at the harbor, and I can't let Naptera play around with me like a cat with a mouse any longer. She doesn't look in a hurry to attack again, and I’ve had enough. Each time, it's the same. She attacks because she's angry, but I don't feel any murderous intent, so what? I growl, and start to swim away from her. I can't lose any more time with her. Either she attacks me seriously and we finish this, or she can finish her stupid tantrum alone. My friends are in danger, I don't have any time to lose here!
I start swimming, as fast as I can, feeling almost more fish than wolf. I'm fast, and although I can feel Naptera behind me, I'm careful just in case she'll attack again... I may have gotten more comfortable and less vulnerable underwater, but this is her ground, not mine. I have to get out of here before something I can't avoid happens...
"We're not done!"
I jump to the side just in time to avoid another one of her damn ice spikes. Seriously? I turn around and growl, but her eyes have... darkened. Oh, Moon Goddess, that can't be good. Not just that, but the water is getting colder too. I mean, really cold. Like ice-cold, and I don't fucking like it. I growl and swim, but I can feel the chill crawling closer all around me. The water gets more white and shiny, and although it's pretty, it's not the time to admire this. I'm going to be trapped like a freaking ice cube if I don't do something soon!
"...Perhaps you should thank me," she said. "You won't die. You'll stay here, child, trapped until someone else frees you... Your friends might find you, but at least, I'll take care of the curse meanwhile..."
I growl. Take care of the curse, my butt! And calling me a child as if she sort of likes me now? What the hell is wrong with this witch, is she that freaking stubborn that she won't admit she's wrong and headed for a dead end?
I keep paddling as fast as I can, both to get away and get myself out of here, but that won't work. Naptera's now somehow decided on keeping me underwater. Damn it, does she ever give up? She's not an enemy, but she's still a freaking pain! I'm not even that far from the shore, but I still need to get as close as I can, I won't even be able to get out of here by myself. The cold around me is just terrible. I feel like I'm taking a swim in some frozen lake, and when I glance up, it looks like some ice is appearing. I can't believe she's fucking serious about this!
Alright, we have to stop playing defense. I growl, looking all around for a solution, an idea. There's no miracle coming, though, just the two of us under the ice... Think, Mara.
I try to take deep breaths and stop swimming away; I need to focus on myself. I always find the answers inside, not outside. I need to stop running around blindly.
...I'm a Fire Witch. A Fire Witch, and also... a bit of a Water Witch? Damn, this whole thing is getting confusing, isn't it? I decide to close my eyes. Keeping them open or not doesn't matter as I can feel Naptera's attack coming at me through the water movements, but it helps me focus on my wolf and my inner flame. They are both a part of me. I had to shut down the latter to let the Water Witch inside me take over, but... Come on, this is my body. This is me. I knew it from the start. I am no ordinary witch, I'm... a patchwork. A freaking Frankenstein’s monster of a witch, something that shouldn't have existed in the first place.
...I am something impossible. How about we test that now, Clarissa, little Mara?
I open my eyes and shape-shift into my human form in a breath, an arrogant smile on my lips.
