Chapter Forty-Eight – The white owl

Ariel screamed before leaping into action. She grabbed an arrow from the quiver, using the furniture as stepping stools before landing on the floor in front of Kieran, her arrow pointing at the woman.

Her smile turned into a frown for half a second, before she readied herself for a second fight. Though she had been asked not to touch her, how could she not when had leaped into the fight like a warrior princess?

“You should have stayed away” The woman said, but Ariel wasted no time with words. She advanced at the woman, using her arrow as a knife, stabbing and dodging around the living space.

With a knife lodged in her side it was difficult to fight with both hands. She would have removed the blade, but the risk of bleeding out kept her from it. And the warrior princess wasn’t about to give her a moment’s pause to do it anyway.

Ariel was fueled with rage, making her aim unfocused, the woman dodged time and time again, but it also kept Ariel from being sliced open with the knifes on the other woman’s hand. They looked like claws, sharp and dangerous. And they had been used to injure her loved one. She didn’t know if he was still alive or not, she wanted to call for help, to check. But the moment she stopped the woman advanced, trying to injure her as well. It was fight or die, and Ariel wasn’t about to die.

But she had to check. One quick look was all it took. One moment of distraction and the knife’s nicked her. Not badly, but enough for a red line to appear, little drops of blood escaping though the scratches.

It got her attention again, her eyes narrowing.

The woman paused, catching her breath. Tears of sweat were present on her temples, the smile she had worn for a long time had turned into a snare as the pain in her side kept bothering her. Moving hurt. She had to get the thing out. As Ariel looked over to Kieran, searching for a sign of life, the woman used the moment to grip the weapon, pulling it out as she screamed. She would feel blood covering her shirt in an instant, but she didn’t care. She now had a new weapon, and her opponent was too distracted.

He didn’t breathe. His chest didn’t rise and fall. Ariel lost all will to fight.

The arrow cluttered to the ground as her legs gave in. Tears welled up in her eyes as she cried out in pain. She didn’t care about the other woman. About how she was lifting his blade, ready to strike.

Ariel readied herself for the pain, embracing her fate. With Kieran gone she had nothing.

But it didn’t come.

Instead, a loud hoot pierced the silence as a white owl flew in through the door, heading for the other woman.

It all happened so fast. One moment the owl was gliding through the air, the next the woman hit the ground with a loud clatter, a large leopard standing on top of her, claws digging into both her shoulders as the woman gasped for air.

Ariel was stunned. Too shocked to move a muscle.

“Get of me lousy cat!” The woman shouted, squirming under its weight, but the cat didn’t listen to her. Instead, it laid down on top of her, crushing some ribs in the process.

One paw moved from her shoulder to the woman’s throat, pressing down until the woman stopped moving.

The leopard then sniffed the woman, making sure she was imoboliced, before retreating back, slowly shifting back into a female Ariel knew so very well.

“You’re one of them” Arial gasped, her voice nothing more than a whisper. She wasn’t sure if she were to be angry or not. She’d known Katlyn for years; despite the age difference she considered her one of her near and dear friends. And she was one of them. One of the people who could change at will. But she wasn’t a wolf. She was something else. And she had just saved her life.

“We don’t have time for that nonsense now” Katlyn said bluntly, going out to the hallway and grabbing the longest coat she could find, wrapping it around herself.

“Is she?” Ariel continued, finally able to move away from the woman that had attacked her.

“No, I didn't kill her, I try to avoid that kind of activity” Katlyn answered as she came back into the room, walking straight over to where Kieran sat propped against the wall, half hidden by the couch.

Ariel didn’t even have to ask the question; she knew it already. He’d lost too much blood, there was no way he could survive it. The expression on Katlyn’s face told her enough.

“You need to call the police” Katlyn rose to her feet.

“I can’t” Ariel mumbled.

“You have to” Katlyn walked over to where her friend was sitting on the floor. Her expression empty. Shoulder slumped and head falling forward. She looked like she’d lost all will to exist.

“I can’t” She repeated.

Katlyn was about to say something but was interrupted by a flashing blue light and the sound of sirens coming their way.

“One of the neighbors must have called” Katlyn rose to her feet. It made things a little easier.

“You want me to stay with you?” She looked down at her friend. She couldn’t leave her in the state she was in.

“I can’t” Ariel said again.

“You’re in shock” Katlyn sighed, sitting down next to her friend, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. She didn’t know how she would explain everything that had happened to the officer that came running up the stairs, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw the scene before him.

“We need medic immediately” He called over his radio as he and his partner walked into the apartment, mindful of where they stepped until they spotted the two women sitting on the ground. Then they rushed over to their side, one of them wrapping his jacket around Ariel.

“Are you hurt?” One of them asked. Katlyn recognized him. Jasper. His green eyes were filled with worry as he looked at her. She shook her head.

“She has a scratch. This one is unconscious but breathing. I wouldn’t rush with her though. He on the other hand” Katlyn pointed to where Kieran was propped against the wall in a pool of blood.

“He’s dead” Ariel muttered. “He’s dead – and I can’t fix it”

“Hush now” Katlyn soothed. Though Ariel had tried to kill Adam less then twenty-four hours ago she couldn’t abandon her. She was just glad she had decided to keep an eye out for the both of them. But she regretted not interfering sooner. Maybe she could have saved him,

“She’s in shock” Katlyn said to Jasper, who nodded slowly. Behind in several medical worked came in, two of them heading over to Kieran and the other two to the woman on the floor. Katlyn helped Ariel move to the couch, so they were out of the way.

“Is there anyone you’d like us to call?” Jasper asked, his partner giving them space and observing what happened before him. This was a crime scene now, and he made sure to note down everyone who came and went, what they touched and so on.

“No” Ariel answered shortly.

“Anywhere you can stay?” He continued.

“No” Ariel answered again. She couldn’t stay in the apartment, and there was no way she was going home to her fathers. If she hadn’t been locked up there, she could have…

“We need to check your injuries, and I’ll have to ask for your clothes. They are evidence” Jasper tried to be understanding, but he also had a job to do.

“I’ll help her” Katlyn helped Ariel stand and lead her over to another part of the apartment, where the bedroom and bath laid. Another officer dressed in white scrubs joined them moments later, helping Ariel out of her clothes, and taking swaps from her fingers, face, fingerprints and DNA for reference. When they were done Katlyn helped her into some new clothes and packed a bag for her.

“She’ll be with me. I’ll see to that she sees a doctor, and I’ll call you when she’s ready to talk” Katlyn told Jasper as they emerged from the bedroom, her arm still wrapped around Ariel’s shoulder. He gave them an all clear before an officer escorted them back outside to a waiting car. Katlyn had made a call when they were alone.

“Where are you taking me?” Ariel asked as Katlyn opened the door for her, helping her inside.

“Someplace safe” Katlyn asked as she climbed in after her, smiling at Xavier who sat behind the wheel.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” He asked.

He’d answered the call from Katlyn when he walked around the pack property. Everyone was still sound asleep, and after the chat with Talia he’d needed some fresh air. The sound of a phone ringing had interupted him. It had taken him a little while to lacte, and when he saw the called ID he answered. She hadn’t had much time to explain, and neither had he. But when she asked him to come pick her up, he couldn’t say no.

“Do you have a better one?” Katlyn asked.

“She could stay at my place” Xavier offered.

Katlyn thought about it for a second before he shook her head.

“Someone just attacked and killed her boyfriend and was ready to kill her. I know you can do many things, but right now the safest place for her to be is the clinic at the pack house”

“He’s not going to like it” Xavier voiced, but that wasn’t any of Katlyn’s concern right now.

“I’ll deal with it later” Katlyn sighed and leaned against the seat, her arms wrapping around Ariel once again.

Xavier glanced at them in the rearview mirror once more before turning out into the street and heading towards the pack house.