Smooth Amber
Night came onAmber's P.O.V.
My eyes shifted around in the darkness, great, trees, trees and oh look fantastic more damn trees! Ugh, I hated dreams sometimes. My ears perked up as I heard a whimper to my left. I turned quickly to see the wolf limping towards me, he was normal sized this time. I rushed towards him quickly not even thinking about the possibility of him attacking me. I ran my hand gently over his fur searching for the source of his pain. “What’s the matter buddy? What happened?” Yeah like he’s going to ing answer you Amber, I think I’ve watched too much Lassie. “Is Timmy drowning in the well?” I added sarcastically but I immediately felt bad as the Wolf whimpered under my touch. “Ok, I’m sorry buddy, no screwing around. Let’s fix you up.” I ripped at my shirt and wrapped it tightly around his injured paw trying to be as gentle as possible. I went to wipe my hands clean but before I could I noticed that the blood is black and I looked up sharply at the Wolf. It lowered its head eyes glowing and teeth baring, he wasn’t looking at me though and I felt the ground behind me sink a little before I whirled around quickly kicking out at whatever was behind me. The demon stumbled back and I noted the bite and scratch marks all over the demon’s face and chest. “So much for Lassie, more like freaking Cujo.” I heard a deep growl coming from behind me, but strangely I didn’t feel threatened. “You sit this one out boy, I got this.” I meant to rush forward but a hand pulled me back and I whipped around to see those green eyes staring into mine again. “Krys?”
“You can’t help him Amber.” I looked desperately between the wolf and the demon.
“Krystal let me go!” Her grip remained strong as I tried to pull away, watching helplessly as a heavy demon fist came in contact with the wolf. I growled and tried to pull away more fiercely, “Goddamn it Krystal! It’s going to kill him!” She pulled me closer to her, wrapping her arms around me from behind, pushing into my stomach. I whimpered in pain, and the wolf whimpered back. My eyes watered as I watched the demon fling the wolf easily into the air. I pulled harder and her hands dug deeper into my stomach. “Krystal! Let me go! Krys, please!” Then all at once everything went black and I gasped into the room.
Krystal was sitting next to me on the bed looking concerned. “Are you ok Amber?! I just went to get the ice cream and when I came back you were screaming, what happened?!” I reached across my midsection instinctively feeling at my bandage and felt a telltale wetness there. Krystal’s eyes widened as she followed my hand with her eyes. “Oh my God Amber!” She quickly pushed my hand away and grabbed the first aid kit rushing to change my bandages. “How did this happen? What were you dreaming about? Amber what happened?”
I stared at her for a moment before speaking. “I… I don’t know Krys. There was a demon and a Wolf and then you were there. You wouldn’t let me go, why wouldn’t you let me go?” My eyes started to water again remembering the dream. Krystal leaned towards me and kissed my cheek calmly.
“It wasn’t real Amber, I’m here now. Whatever I did in that dream, it wasn’t real. Okay? We need to go see Vic now, this is… this is too much.” She finished wrapping my stomach quickly and called out for her mother.
I shifted around on Victoria’s sofa uncomfortably. They were all staring at me like I’d lost my mind. Victoria pulled her glasses off cleaning them for the 15th time since I started telling them about the dreams. “Well, that’s… indeed. What did you say the demon looked like?” I sighed and rather than explaining it to her for the 100th time I grabbed a piece of paper from her coffee table, drew a quick sketch and flung it towards her. She looked at the paper then looked at me impressed. What? A girl can’t have skills? I shrugged and she nodded. “Yes, well that’s rather useful.” She muttered and went over to her laptop searching for God knows what, leaving me under the scrutiny of all the other backups. Tiffany was the first to break the silence.
“So I hear you have new Wolfy powers, some kind of super smell?” My eyebrows shot up at that and I turned to Krys wondering just how much they talked about when they left her room earlier. Krystal just blushed and looked away from me guiltily. I smirked and looked back at Tiffany.
“Yeah, and I growl a lot.” Taeyeon nodded knowingly.
“You get over that, but the sniffing? That kinda sticks around.” I grimaced at that, great I’m going to be sniffing people indefinitely. Thanks a whole ing lot wolf girl. Krystal laughed at the look on my face and swatted my shoulder gently.
“Oh don’t be such a baby, you’ll get over it.” She leaned in closer lowering her voice down to such a slight whisper that only I could hear her when she spoke. “I promise not to tell people when you sniff me.” I knew that shouldn’t have been y but I couldn’t help the low growl that rumbled in my chest as I looked back at her. I felt as if I was about to pounce on her before I heard a nervous cough coming from in front of us. I shifted my focus and watched Victoria furiously clean her glasses. I laughed.
“What’s the what Vic?” She cleared before speaking.
“Well, Amber. It seems that your dreams are rather telling. The demon you drew is the same demon that the Elders used to infuse you.” I looked at her blankly. “Right well, it seems that your inner hunter is trying to fight off the werewolf infection, that’s why you’re having these dreams of the demon and the wolf fighting.” Krystal perked up at this.
“Oh! So all we have to do is help the demon thingy beat the wolf and Amber will be fine.” I pulled away from her quickly.
“No!” Everyone stared at me surprised. “I… I can’t. Krys, I… that wolf. I feel connected to it. I can’t let it die.” Before she had a chance to respond Victoria spoke up.
“Yes she’s quite right Krystal. As soon as she was scratched the Wolf was infused with her being. If the demon succeeds at killing it there’s no telling what would happen to Amber. It might kill her as well. This is possibly why Amber feels such empathy for the Wolf in her dreams.” I looked at her confused at that.
“But… wouldn’t it happen the other way around too? I mean… if the Wolf kills the demon… won’t the hunter part of me go too?” She nodded solemnly at that and I became a whole load of confused. “So what the hell are you saying Vic?! Either way I’m done?! This doesn’t make any ing sense, why don’t I feel loyal to the demon like I do the wolf, it’s not adding up!” I got up and in her face ignoring the pain in my side as I did. She moved back slightly placing a calming hand on my shoulder, I shrugged it off and she sighed.
“Amber, if you’d let me explain-“
“So ing explain already!” I barked at her, I knew I shouldn’t have attacked her like that but damn it I’m dying and she’s taking her sweet Mary Poppins talking time! She sighed again and looked over at Krystal. In a moment I felt her hand in mine and she was pulling back towards the sofa. I let her pull me and I sat down in a huff.
“Right well, to answer your questions. Part of the reason you might not feel so loyal to the demon is because it’s a demon, you recognize it as a threat. Also you might remember that unlike the other hunter hybrids you were infused with the demon Xialeth, who is a lot more malicious than some other demons.” I rolled my eyes at that, yeah I remember. How could I forget? It was that mistake that messed up my entire life. Victoria hesitated before she continued. “But it’s not entirely true, the demon has been infused with your soul, and now it needs you in order to survive, it also understands that you will resist it and that’s why it uses Krystal. She’s a projection of the hunter, its way of keeping you out of the way as it fights the Wolf.” I felt Krystal’s hand go rigid in mine, I wanted to tell her it wasn’t her fault, that it wasn’t her in the dreams but I couldn’t seem to wrap my head around the whole thing. “There is a solution Amber. It’s quite dangerous, but if Krystal-“ She cut Vic off quickly, squeezing my hand as she did.
“Yes, whatever it is I’ll do it.” Vic regarded her carefully before nodding and proceeding to explain the details.
“It’s a rather complicated spell. We’d have to induce a dream, like the ones Amber has been having the past couple of days.“ I winced at that not liking the sound of it already. “More than that Krystal would have to join Amber in the dream, that way the demon won’t be able to take the hunter form. “ I looked up at her confused.
“I don’t understand, how will that help? I thought I couldn’t kill either one of them?” She nodded at me.
“You can’t, but you have to make sure that both the Demon and the Wolf are on equal strength levels for the spell to work, from what you’ve said it doesn’t sound like the Wolf is faring very well against the Demon.” I nodded at her, understanding.
“I have to even the playing field.”
“Yes, if they aren’t on equal power levels when we finish the spell then one will win over the other one and…” She trailed off.
“And I croak.” Krystal winced at that and Victoria nodded solemnly.
“Well we won’t let that happen then, we’ll go kick some Demon !” I smiled at Krystal’s enthusiasm, her determination was contagious.
“Krystal I’m afraid you won’t be much help, you’ll have too much trouble of your own trying to fight off the demon’s ability to take your form. That’s why it’s so dangerous to you, if this should not work, and one of them is killed, you will be stuck. There will be no returning your soul to your body.” My eyes widened at that, no ing way.
“No ing way!” I turned to Krystal. “I can’t let you do that Krystal, no way, there has to be another way.”
“I’m afraid not Amber.” Victoria looked between me and Krystal before speaking again.
“This is our only option, and it must be executed swiftly before we run out of time.” Krystal squeezed my hand again and I turned back to her.
“We can do this Amber, you can do this. I’ll be there with you, we were the first. We are the strongest, there’s nothing we can’t take.” She smiled at me and before I knew what was happening she leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on my lips. “I won’t let you give up on me.”
“Uh…” Smooth Liu, smooth. She laughed and turned back to a very uncomfortable Victoria.
“Let’s get to working on this spell Vic!” Victoria nodded and looked towards me.
“This will be very trying Amber, are you ready for this?” I was still staring blankly at Krystal as Victoria spoke, not really hearing anything she said.
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