Chapter 41

Taeyeon was huffing, her front legs were hurting as ! She was sure Yuri had her own set of wounds too. They were defending Yerim now as she fed. They realized too late that they were being chased by clay wolves. The very same wolves that attacked Luna and Victoria in China. ‘You still good Taeng?’ Yuri growls behind her as she defends the other side.

“Can you feed faster Yerim?!” Taeyeon growls- unsure if Yerim could even understand her since she was in her wolf form. But Taeyeon could feel soft lights emitting at her back, Yerim seemed like she was healing. She turned her back and she was right. Then Yerim turns to another tombstone and draws existence to drink again.

They got stuck here at the cemetery after saving Yerim from the dungeons. She told them to take her to the cemetery to feed so she can help her sister fight against Hwayoung. A soft light emits Taeyeon’s body and Yuri’s body feels lighter now, it turns out Yerim has now started to heal them. “Protego!” she shouts and a barrier shielding them appears. “We won’t win against them. Anything you do to them will be done to you.” Yerim says.

She was now back on to her feet, contrary to her appearance when they got to her- she was barely alive a while ago. “Life ers.” Taeyeon thought. Both her and Yuri shifts back to their human form. “Then what do we do now?” Yuri says.

“Wait.” Yerim says as she goes to another tombstone to feed. Before Taeyeon could even control herself, she hits Yerim at the back of her head. “Hey! Don’t you think you’re overfeeding already?! These people have families that want to remember them.” Yerim rubs the spot she got hit and shouts, “I’m going to tell on you! My sister won’t let you get away with this!”

Yuri laughs at them. “Hey it’s fine Taeyeon. It’s not like she’s feeding from people who’re alive. Besides- the living has to go on. Just view it as us helping them move on from the dead.” She turns grim after her last sentence. “She’s right. Besides. I’m doing this so we can get away from here and help my sister already.” She closed her eyed and fed with another existence.

Since this was a very old cemetery, the graves she had fed on had the most existence. Giving her power she needs at the moment. The longer the people are remembered, the higher they give her power. She was already full. Taeyeon wasn’t wrong about overfeeding but it needed to be done. She opens her eyes and says, “Get close to me. I’m gonna wash away this dirt.”

Just as she said, Taeyeon and Yuri stood close to her. “mare fluctus¹!” she shouts, a wave of water washes of the clay wolves into nothingness. But they start to form back again. “Damn Hwayoung, so persistent! mare nihilo²!” she shouts again- and waves came crashing down again, only this time the wolves didn’t form back anymore.

Yerim turns to them. “Let’s go. I have a bad feeling about my mate…” she whispers.

_{1. mare fluctus - sea waves}

_{2. mare nihilo - sea of nothingness}

“ this .” Victoria mumbles as she grows near the camp. “ing witch- I’m gonna die. I should’ve died back there.” She says as if she's about to cry which earns a pained laugh from Sooyoung. “Is the girl called Seulgi that scary?” Victoria stopped walking and closed her eyes as if she was remembering something traumatic in her own way. “You have no idea- and you don’t want to find out.”

Something from Sooyoung’s Shadow jumped out. “What the-?! Taeyeon unnie? Yuri unnie?”

“Yerim…” Sooyoung whispered as she breaks free from Victoria’s support and dropped at the arms of what seems to be someone younger than her.

Taeyeon and Yuri dropped on their knees puking. “What happened?!” Victoria rushes to their side but flinches away as they puke and looked away.

“Never, ever try shadow-ing-traveling” Taeyeon says

Yuri wipes her lips at the back of her hand, “Never again.”

A glow emitting beside Victoria caught her attention. The girl Yerim was effortlessly healing Sooyoung. “Who...?

“Dara’s lil’ sis” Taeyeon says before heaving for another round of embarrassment and Victoria looks away again from her. ‘So, she’s the nature abomination…?’ Cogs in Victoria’s head are turning like crazy but was cut off by the said ‘abomination’. “Why are you here? Where is Hwayoung and my sister?”

“She’s back there fighting her. I got kicked out of the battle with a spell I don’t even remember what- a fire curse Dara unnie says.”

“And Krystal?” Yuri asked. “Back there…” Vitoria says sheepishly to which Yuri face palms. “I-I was supposed to bring Sooyoung back to camp and fetch Seulgi. Dara says she needs to fetch her… mate?” she tries to wiggle out of the errand.

“We have to go back to the cemetery. I’ve used it all up to save Sooyoung. I need to feed again before helping Dara unnie.” Yerim says and Sooyoung holds her. “You can’t go back there with Dara.” Yerim shakes her head, “It has to be this way. I need to see this through.”

“There’s no way I’m shadow traveling again!” Taeyeon yells puking yet again. Yerim looks at Yuri but Yuri avoids her eye and looks at Victoria. “You go with her. We’ll take Sooyoung back to camp.” Victoria was overjoyed! She didn’t have to face Seulgi now! She pulls Sooyoung up who was still weak but out of danger and pushed her into Yuri’s arms. Then she pulls Yerim up linking their arms. She posed a salute and says, “Okay! You guys tell Seulgi where Krystal is!” She grins and nudges Yerim that they should leave now.

“Hey w-wait!!!” Yuri shouts after them as the fade into the shadows. “- we’ve been had by Vic.”

“I don’t care- anything but shadow travel.” Taeyeon says.

Krystal was amazed. She was amazed how could Wendy hold her herself against Hwayoung as she watches Dara and Hwayoung fight in air. “You fought that mosquito ?” She says as she hovers her hand over Wendy’s wounds wo was leaning on a tree “sana vulnera_¹” she whispers over and over and notices Irene putting one of her little paws over Wendy’s hand. “What is she?” Krystal voices out unconsciously. “Sooyoung said she’s a shapeshifter.”

(_{1. "heal the wounds"})

Krystal stops healing her, “this is all I can do. I haven’t learned much yet. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, it’s enough to survive and fight.” Wendy smiles.

Krystal looks over at Irene who was now looking at her; probably thankful. “If you’re a shapeshifter then I’m guessing you can turn into something else too besides this…form?” she asked.

The fox was surprised. Krystal laughs “I’d take that as you haven’t thought of that.” She spoke. “I’ve heard about this before from bed time stories. I’m not sure if it’s true of it will help you.”

“What is it?”

“In Norse mythology there’s a couple. Wolf deities called Geri and Freki, the greedy…” she looks at Irene, “and the ravenous.” She finishes looking at Wendy. “It’s a very old story but, they said they were the first ever wolves to recognize their mate even before irresistible bond was a thing. They made a connection just by seeing each other’s appearance. Maybe… Just maybe- if Irene can shapeshift into a werewolf, both of you can recognize each other as your one true mate again.”

Wendy looks over at Irene. Just because their connection has ben severed doesn’t mean that they love each other less. But a mate is necessary for a werewolf’s spirit to live on.  “It’s worth a try. Can you do that for me, babydoll?” the fox just nods towards her.

Krystal backs off and gives Wendy space. Wendy then turns into her wolf form, nudging her snout at the fox as if urging her to try and copy right after her. The fox closed her eyes and for a minute nothing happened. Then suddenly she began growing, a growl came followed right after and there came black fur with red streaks wolf. Wendy howled and Irene followed as they circled each other.

The howling of wolves cut the fierce battle going in the air between Dara and Hwayoung. “No!!!” Hwayoung shouts as she saw Irene had turned into a wolf. Dara followed where she was looking at and saw Wendy glowing as she and the other wolf circle each other while howling. “Irene shapeshifted?” she whispered.

Hwayoung was about to dive and attack them but she was pushed away by the blinding light, it was too blinding Krystal and Dara had to cover their eyes and look away. When the light recedes, Wendy was back in perfect health as if she didn’t suffer any damage earlier. Her fur has now turned brighter red than before with black streaks, while Irene’s was black with red streaks. Wendy wolf form stood proudly as Irene came closer to her snuggling her snout at her neck but facing at Hwayoung as if blocking Wendy’s throat.

“That fur…” Dara whispers.

Krystal snickered. “Geri and Freki.”

“They’ve been blessed by deties Geri and Freki. Their bond has mended!”

Wendy growled, and if Hwayoung could understand her right now? It would roughly translate to “You’re ed now.”