Book 2 Before Fight

“We will attack when the sun rises. Someone needs to train Kimi for a bit longer and then we all need to get some rest. Joshua, you take guard duty first, wake Abornazine after an hour.” Michael turns from us to the makeshift houses they built when they arrived. The rest of the pack follows except for Erick, Joshua, and me. Hannah is sitting watch in an old tree as we prepare to fight.
“I promise I won’t hurt you this time.” Joshua smiles shyly and I can tell that he still feels bad for breaking my rib.
“You’re not the one bound to promises if I remember correctly.” I joke as I begin to shift.
“Oh, she got you there, Joshy.” Erick teases as he and Joshua both join me as wolves.
“Alright, so you remember everything that we’ve taught you, right?” Joshua questions, completely ignoring Erick.
“Yes. Keep your eye on your enemy, never turn your back, and always be alert.” I respond quickly. I’d made sure to have those memorized before the end of my two weeks of training was up.
“Good. Alright, are you ready?” he nods his head in approval.
“Yep.” I bend my knees slightly and lower myself into a crouch. Adrenaline begins to pump through me as I prepare to fight.
Joshua attacks first and I work hard to dodge as his jaws snap wildly at my face. I know he isn’t actually going to hurt me, but with how close he had gotten I felt a chill run through me. We continue on for a while before I sense something else.
I turn just in time to see Erick leaping through the air towards me. Without thinking I lash my claws out and rip through the flesh on his leg. He tumbles to the side as I turn my attention to Joshua. A smile is plastered on his face as he stands bare in front of me.
“That was amazing.” He laughs as he looks over to Erick. “Did she hurt you very bad?”
“You say that with laughter in your voice, maybe she should get you too.” He licks the blood from his coat, trying to get rid of any trace there may be of him ever being hurt.
Quickly I run to where clothes are hidden and change back into human form. I really enjoy shifting now, it feels—I don’t know how to explain it. I pull on pants and a short shirt that barely covers my stomach. It feels awkward, but it’s better than having no clothes at all. Erick is in the same form as the rest of us now and he lies in the grass looking up at the stars.
“Are we done here?” he asks as I join them.
I shrug. “I suppose.”
“Well then, I shall see you all tomorrow. Be ready for some killing.” He smiles broadly as he makes his way to where the pack set up camp.
“You can go ahead and go to sleep Hannah, I’ve got watch now.” Joshua calls up to Hannah.
She falls from the tree and lands gently on her feet. “I doubt they’ll attack, I’m pretty sure they know the rest of the pack is here, but be on guard just in case.” She turns to me. “Are you coming?”
“I’m not really tired, I slept a lot yesterday, what with my whole broken rib and everything. I’ll catch up later.” I smile in reassurance and she nods with a light grin before turning her back and joining the others.
“You really ought to get some rest, we have a big day tomorrow.”
“I know, I’ll join them in a moment.” I’d been wanting to do this all day, now is my chance. My heart hammers against my chest as I take a step closer to him.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, obviously picking up on my racing heart. It sucks that my it can’t be as quiet as the rest of me. He takes a step closer and wraps his arms around me. “You have nothing to worry about, tomorrow is going to be fine.”
I pull back and look up into his muddy brown eyes. His hair is pulled back from his face, reminding me slightly of the way En usually wears his hair. I shut my eyes to get rid of the thought. This is it. I push my face up to his and kiss him urgently. His arms close around me tightly as he returns the kiss. It’s as if I can’t breathe. My heart hammers harder in my chest and through my ears, blocking out all other sound. No matter how much I don’t want to I pull back I must. I try to relax and try my best to calm my breathing. I look back up at Joshua after a moment; his eyes are wild as he stares down at me.
“What was that for?” he asks. I can tell now that he too is breathing heavily and I can feel his heart racing under my hands.
“Just in case.” I answer as I slide my hands from his chest. “Good night.”
His arms are still wrapped around my back as he gapes at me. I work to get them loose, fiddling with his fingers as I stare up into his eyes. Finally, without any help from Joshua, I unwind his hold on me and place his arms by his sides. With my fingers still tangled in his I lean forward and rest my cheek in the crook of his neck. I inhale deeply, taking in his earthy smell before pulling back completely and removing my fingers from his hold.
“Night.” He whispers as I walk away. The night seems cold now without his warm arms wrapped around me. As I near our little encampment I grab a long dress from the pile of clothing to use as a blanket.
I crawl into the small shelter that Hannah and I are sharing and lie down, pulling the dress over me. I smile and close my eyes. Hopefully my dreams will just be that over and over again.
“Have fun?” Hannah asks with amusement in her voice.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I stumble over the words, surprised that she’s awake.
“Please, you were nervous before I left, you were practically chewing your lip off. And now you walk in all smiles, your heart hammering harder than when I left.”
I sigh. I won’t be able to keep anything from anyone around here. “Fine. It was great.”
Hannah laughs. “Now that’s what I like to hear.”
Silence fills the small room as I sit and think.
“Hey Hannah?”
“Yeah?”
“Did you—well you don’t have to answer this if you don’t want, I was just wondering. Did you and Blu ever…”
I can feel her go stiff beside me. “We kissed. Once. That was it.”
“Were you as nervous as I was? Like, if you love someone, is that normal?”
“I was terrified.” She whispers as she moves her hand to her neck. I can hear it as she runs her fingers over something.
“Oh.” I murmur as I stare up at the sticks leaning against one another to make the shelter.
“That was when he died.” She whispers after a moment of silence. I feel like someone just hit me in the stomach. All the air in my chest has vanished. As soon as I feel that I can’t take it anymore oxygen rushes through me and I can hear Hannah’s soft crying.
I roll over and pull her close to me. I’d never seen Hannah cry; I never imagined that she could. Seeing it happen makes sorrow overwhelm me and I hold her tighter as her tears wet my shoulder. I fall asleep holding her, tears of my own streaked down my cheeks.