Magix

~ Prologue ~

There was a cool breeze outside but it did nothing to combat the blistering heat that bit across my skin as I searched for shade. I sighed and carried on walking desperately searching with my eyes, any shade would do, I just needed to hide from this heat!

My eyes spotted the entrance to a wood, I smiled and increased my pace so as to reach there quicker and cool off in the shade. I couldn't wait, I was so overheated and tired. Saying that, I could feel my energy beginning to return at the prospect of being cooled off by the shade. My pace quickened even more and soon enough I reached the wood and burst through the entrance and into the divine coolness it provided.

Smiling I began walking through the woods, gently brushing against the trees as I walked by and occasionally I would pick up a stray leaf if it fell by me. Being in the hushed wood made me feel so safe and oddly enough the quiet didn't affect me, it felt as if the wood was keeping quiet and just embracing me by its peace. It was a good feel. I stayed like that for a few hours before it started to slowly get darker and the temperature began cooling down more and more.

Time for sleep I guessed. Slowly I began to search for a place in the trees that was high enough that I would be safe but low enough I could get out the tree easily. There were lots of places and I could go to sleep in but none of them felt right, I continued to search not knowing why it felt off for all the places but I was more than willing to follow my instincts.

Eventually I found myself a good tree to sleep in and swiftly I climbed up into the tree and swung myself round onto three branches that crossed each other and made a perfect area to sleep in, I could curl into a semi ball and stay supported easily and it wasn't too far from the ground but far enough that I wouldn't be threatened by anything on the ground. Smiling I snuggled up into myself and within minutes drifted into a peaceful sleep.

I woke up early the next morning, the woods were yet again quiet but this time it made me feel uncomfortable, as if they were giving me a warning that something bad was going to happen. I shuddered and slowly, quietly uncurled myself and pushed myself up into a crouch. Slowly I surveyed the area around me and looked for any signs of danger or anything out of the normal through the gaps in the trees. I found nothing but the unsettling feeling only increased.

Cautiously I got ready to lower myself from the tree until I heard twigs snap off to my right, startled I sucked in a small breath and glanced over. My heart stilled. "Shit!" I cursed quietly though it seemed to be in some other language, I could understand the meaning though. Through the trees I could see a trio of human hunters with bows and arrows. They prowled along looking for game, instinctively I knew if I was spotted I would be considered fair game too, though I was sure they would not eat me, no, they would do unthinkable evils to me. I shuddered and watched them.

The trio of hunters grunted to each other as they walked noisily through the woods and crunched the twigs under their boots. Such noise would only alert all game they sought to kill. I shuddered, I hated the idea of them killing in these woods, what was the point, they could live easily off vegetation and fruits. Then again, these were humans, males at that, blood thirsty and arrogant were the words usually used to describe them.

As the trio came closer to were I stayed hidden I had a sudden fear well up inside my stomach, I might be up in the trees but the way I was now, I was not fully hidden, I could be caught at any moment if they chose to look up. Quickly and quietly I made up my mind, I would need to move along the branches till I could get away. I slowly got up and began to creep along the branch till I got near enough to the edge to jump to the branch of the opposite tree, keeping myself just ahead of the trio of men.

This I kept up for as long as I could, it was scary, they were aimlessly wandering deep into the woods and I was scared of what they would do if they found my kin in here. Of course they weren't my actual family kin as they were a slight variant but they still counted and I wished no harm upon any creature, not even humans even though I despised them.

Swiftly I began to realise however, I might need to attack the trio to keep them from going any further, I however didn't have the power for using Magix at the present moment and had long since lost my weapons. I furrowed my brow and cringing leapt out of the tree, there was nothing else for it.

Quietly, as was the way of my kin, I landed behind the trio and they noticed nothing, I hated to do this to them as it was an unfair way to fight but I had to. I grabbed the nearest one from behind, my hand over his mouth so he couldn't shout and my other quickly cutting off his air supply, he died within the minute. I closed my eyes and sent the man's soul a blessing, it took a few seconds.

I opened my eyes and snuck up behind the next man and attempted to do the same to him as I had done to his companion. Unfortunately I was caught in the act, as I reached out he caught site of my movement in the corner of his eyes and spun around knocking my arms out the way and pulling out his sword. This alerted his companion of my presence. My eyes went wide as he cut across my arm, I hissed in pain and retreated back a few steps, the pair followed me closely with their eyes and their movements. Just my luck.

Glaring I kept retreating till my back hit a tree and I was forced to flip myself up into its branches. The one pulled out a metal object I had been told about recently, it was a gun if I was correct in my analysis. It fired a round metal object called a bullet that could go straight in and out the other side of any creature remotely human like however it took a while to reload it as it only had the capability of containing one bullet at a time. The weapon however was lethal and deadly, I cringed, I was in trouble.

The man sniggered and pulled the trigger releasing the bullet and letting out an almighty BANG sound, it echoed through the woods and luckily for me the bullet thudded into the wood beside my injured arm. He wasn't a very good shot but it was enough to make me turn and run along the branches swiftly leading them away from my kin and into a remote area of the woods that was used solely as a battling grounds.

Cringing I lifted my hand up to hold the wound in my arm closed as I muttered a few choice words that a lady should never know but there you go, I wasn't your average lady. Growling softly I ran along listening as they followed me, it wouldn't do to go too fast and have them loose sight of me, just let them follow. Soon enough I reached my destination and flipped myself out the trees and landed behind them as they entered the clearing.

Both men sucked in a breath, the clearing had been recently used and the woods were still cleaning it. On the floor, no more than two feet away from the men was the result of the last battle. A young boy lay dead on the floor, his body had begun to slowly decay and the woodland animals had begun to feed of his body for nutrients. Out of his chest protruded a spear, its point embedded deep into him, there was blood stains all around it and I watched in slight disgust as the men pointed out how pale his body was and how he looked pathetic in his death. They even had the nerve to call my kin barbaric for not cleaning up the body and burying it afterwards.

Deciding to make my presence known I bent down and picked up an ample sized rock and flicked my wrist, it travelled quickly and smashed into the sensitive point that is the join between the neck and spine on the human body. It had hit the man nearest me, he swore and both men whirled around to face me, their faces full of anger as they stared at me. I took a step forward and then they charged at me.

It was stupid of them really as it made themselves open to any attacks I decided to place upon their backs, I grinned and at the last possible moment, I flipped myself up into the air and landed easily on the ground behind them. Whirling around I slammed my foot into their backs and sent them hurtling to the ground in a matter of moments. They groaned and pulled themselves up off the floor and attempted to charge again, and again I repeated my actions and sent them slamming into trees this time as I had kicked harder.

"Pathetic" I muttered sullenly in the same tongue as I had before. They started at me and suddenly there was a bang, I looked down and saw they had shot a bullet at me and it had caught the side of my stomach leaving a bloody gash. Furrowing my brow I touched it and cringed, it stung, ouch. Glaring I decided to give them something to shoot for, I reached behind me till I touched a tree or what should have been a tree, no instead I felt a body, warm to the touch and then a pair of arms wrapped around me.

"Forna" my name, it was whispered and I felt goose bumps at the sound of it. It was my fiancé as the humans would put it, in my kin though, he was my mate, for life. I relaxed as he wrapped his arms around me and cuddled me to his chest, just by being there I could feel his emotions pouring off in roles, he was scared but relieved. Joyful that I was in his arms but angry I had been hurt. I reached my hand up to his face and traced the worry lines above his eyes in a soothing pattern to show I was safe. He sighed into my hair and stroked my stomach carefully avoiding my wound, I smiled.

Wait, my wound, I never finished those men. I looked over to where they were and saw that all the colour had trained from their faces just before two arrows had hit them squarely in the chest and from the way they were stuck, I guessed the arrows had pierced straight through their hearts. I cringed and turned to face my mate, I leaned up and gently kissed his lips before everything went black.