I try to get up on my front paws but they buckle under me again.
Fuck me. I don't want to go out this way.
I'm forced to lie down with my head on the ground, breath clawing up and down my lungs
Then there's rustling.
My ears perk up and I lift my head as I turn to the noise. Is Vasilisa up? No, she can't be! An Amarian!
Shit! I'm dead!
“Princess Ignatia?”
I bare my teeth and growl as dark eyes face me. It's a woman I don't recognize, her skin golden brown and her dreads nearly as black as her eyes at the roots, but the color is sandy at the tips. She's dressed in a black cloak.
Fuck! I can't be defenseless against an Amarian!
“Relax, Princess,” the woman soothes and puts her hands up defensively. “I'm not here to hurt you.”
I narrow my eyes on her. What is she on about?
There's more rustling from behind her before another woman with blonde hair in a black cloak appears.
I snap my jaws at them, hoping to scare them, but they don't react. They're going to kill me!
“No, Ignatia,” the first one says. “It's okay. Look at me.”
I glance at her irises that have turned completely black and that two canines are sticking out from under her lips. I look away only to whirl my eyes back. She's a dreamscreecher?
“Lumi told me to look out for you, so I came to the cleansing ceremony hoping to find you. I wandered the woods a bit and found your scent. I'm Minerva by the way.” she murmurs as her teeth retract. “Camila here is an ally. The cloak is a symbol of that. We're only here to help.”
I noticed the cloud, clasping her cloak at the neck. The same cloud is on Minerva's cloak. I've never seen that before.
I don't reply, not wanting to waste more energy on it. I don't have a lot to spare.
She sits beside me, putting her hands down. “We know you're exhausted, and we're going to get you to safety. Rest now. We’ll take care of you while you do.”
I scrunch my nose. It's not like I have a choice.
It's comforting to know that there's another dreamscreecher here. How or why, I can't make sense of, but at least there's someone of my kind.
Would've been nice to know that there were others in this city beforehand.
I rest my head on the ground, as Minerva and Camila start to discuss things. Meanwhile my eyes can barely stay open. I need to sleep. I desperately need it.
Just before I let myself sleep, there's a sting in my shoulders. I yelp meekly, but don't have the strength to react otherwise.
“It's okay. It's only to turn you human again.”
Only seconds after Minerva's words, my fur retracts. My body transforms but only a few seconds in do I stay conscious before falling away into a void of darkness.
Chapter 65
Amias
Kill the dreamscreecher!
I slowly open my eyes to familiar fluffy white sheets and beige walls that are neatly painted in my room. Ahead of my feet stands a white dresser with gold swirls. There's a family painting with my parents, a twelve year old Eramsus and a six year old me.
