Blue Violet

chapter 20



Ellie turned her attention to the woods, as the other three took off at a sprint in the opposite direction. She hoped she could buy them enough time, and she had to wait for them to be farther away before she took the next step in her plan. She didn’t want to frighten them more than they already were, and she definitely did not want them to turn around to try to help her.

When she was sure they wouldn’t hear her, she screamed, “Griffin! I need you!” Her cries were mental and physical, and she prayed her brother could get to her in time.

Ellie prepared to face her worst fears. She only had to wait a few minutes before she heard the wolves approaching. They’d heard both her falcon’s cry and her scream for Griffin, and were no longer attempting to be silent.

Without access to Griffin’s other power, his physical force-field which was his best weapon in a fight, Ellie quickly ran through her options. She had to keep the Vyusher occupied long enough to give her three friends time to get to the house. She’d have to actually fight the wolves to do that. Without hesitation, her body shimmered and quivered. Suddenly, a massive, ebony jaguar sleek as the night stood where a moment before had been a girl.

Ellie tried to form a plan. As a jaguar she had the advantage of size, strength, and weight over the wolves. She was outnumbered, however, which put her at a distinct disadvantage. She was going to need to use her brain and possibly her other powers. Knowing that the wolves were unaware they’d be attacking a jaguar rather than unsuspecting teenaged Svatura, Ellie decided to use the element of surprise to her advantage. She bounded high into a tree, her sharp claws digging in and holding her secure. Her sinewy body tensed, ready to pounce at a second’s notice. If she could take down at least one of the wolves immediately, it would give her one less to fight. Maybe it would also give her enemies pause. Anything to buy time.

The attack came in a rush, and instinct kicked in for Ellie. Three of the six wolves burst into view in the clearing where she and her friends had been just moments before. Ellie’s body tensed to spring. As the first wolf neared her position, she leapt into the air, landing on the large animal’s back. Digging in her claws, she used her powerful jaws to snap his neck with one sharp jerk.

One down, she thought, as she jumped off the wolf mid-tumble. She immediately charged the next closest wolf, who stood stunned and frozen with shock. Having personally witnessed the Vyusher wolf pack’s attack techniques once before when they’d decimated her own tribe, she knew if she waited too long, all of the remaining wolves would arrive, circle her, and overwhelm her. She didn’t intend to give them enough time to coordinate.

Ellie slammed her huge paw, claws unsheathed, across the second wolf’s face, likely breaking a good number of bones with the force of the blow. The wolf howled in agony but still managed to rally for a counterattack. He lunged at her, teeth bared. Ellie defensively stood up on her hind legs, but the wolf’s momentum toppled her backwards. He landed on top of her, his huge paws on her shoulders. He went for the easy kill at the jugular, but Ellie was faster, getting her back paws under his belly and pushing with all her animalistic brute strength. The wolf went flying through the air, crashing into a tree with a pained yelp before dropping to the ground.

Ellie didn’t wait to see if he had been knocked unconscious or just dazed. She knew one more wolf was in the clearing, and two more were out there somewhere, hopefully distracted by the fight rather than following the scent of her fleeing friends. She was just turning to locate the third wolf when she felt a searing pain in her hind leg. Letting out an anguished scream, she rounded on her attacker, trying her best to block out the throbbing agony.

He was close enough that she was able to surprise him. She lunged under his massive head and locked her strong jaws on his neck. She hadn’t got the angle quite right though, and only had a hunk of skin and fur between her teeth. Even so, she bit down and pulled back, ripping the wolf’s hide in the process, only a flesh wound, but it gave her a chance to get out from under him and put a little distance between them.

She backed away from the wolf, trying hard not to limp from her injuries. She heard another growl just behind her, and with the excruciating throbbing in her hindquarters, she knew she wouldn’t be able to defend against two fit wolves. Instinctively, Ellie jumped into the air and morphed into the falcon. She soared away, managing to just evade the wolves’ snapping jaws. She thanked the powers that be that it was her back leg that had been injured and not her arms, which were now giving her the gift of escape.

Ellie swiftly flew to a height above the tree line so she could locate all the wolves. Unfortunately, she’d only stunned the wolf she’d thrown against the tree. Four of the wolves were still in or around the clearing where she’d just been fighting them. One, however, had not paused for the fight, continuing to track his intended prey.

She hastily searched the ground for Nate, Adelaide, and Lila. They were close to the house, but not quite near enough to gain the attention of the occupants inside. Ellie gained as much height as she could and then moved into a stoop, gaining speed as she descended toward the lone wolf. Flaring her wings at the last minute, she shifted back into a jaguar and crashed into it with all the force of her weight. She had the satisfaction of hearing the beast yelp in pain as both Ellie and the wolf rolled, finally coming to a stop at the edge of the field behind the house. The same field Alex had seen her in only the night before.

Using her keen jaguar hearing, she could tell that her three friends still needed more time to get to the house. They were just far enough away that they wouldn’t be able to outrun the wolves in time.

Pushing to her feet, she faced the wolf and crouched into a defensive position with her ears laid flat back and her teeth bared. The wolf snarled in response, slowly stalking toward her, his ears pinned, hair raised on his broad back.

As she slowly maneuvered into the tall grass, keeping the wolf in her sight at all times, the other wolves emerged from the darkness, eyes gleaming, one of them limping.

Ellie kept her body between the wolves and their intended prey. She backed up, doing her best not to visibly hobble so as not to show sign of weakness. The wolves would coordinate and attack as a pack now. She knew what was coming… it was just a matter of how long. She’d fared better than she’d expected to so far, but much of that had been luck and the element of surprise. She had a sinking feeling that both of those things were no longer in her favor. The worst was coming any second.