{ Mia }
The forest was too quiet.
Leaves barely rustled. The air was thick, unmoving. Even the usual sounds of crickets and distant owls had disappeared, swallowed by an unnatural stillness.
My breath came in slow and shallow as I scanned the towering trees around us. Something felt… wrong.
Caw.
I flinched. The sharp cry rang out above me. Slowly, I lifted my gaze.
A crow sat on a low-hanging branch, its dark feathers almost blending into the night. But its eyes, its eyes gleamed, locked onto me like it knew me.
My stomach twisted.
"Mia?" Cole's voice broke through my thoughts.
I forced myself to turn to him. "Yeah?"
"You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."
I hesitated, glancing back at the branch. The crow was still there, unmoving, watching.
"I think… something's watching us," I muttered.
Ace followed my gaze, frowning. "It's just a crow, cupcake."
No. It wasn't just a crow.
I didn't know how, but deep inside, I felt it.
That thing wasn't a random bird. It was a sign. A warning.
And whatever it meant, it wasn't good.
Then, suddenly, Ash purred in my head. " Mia... Something's wrong..."
I froze. " Wrong? Wrong how?"
Ace turned around. " What's wrong cupcake?? Why did you stop? I told you it's just a crow..."
" No Ace..." I murmured. " Even Ash keeps telling me that something is wrong." I shook my head.
Ace's body tensed up. His jaw clenched and his nails dug into his palms drawing up blood.
" What exactly is Ash saying?" He growled.
" Word. By. Word. " He demanded.
" She said, ' Mia something's wrong.' but she didn't continue."
" Ask her what's wrong." Then, he froze and continued. " Wait, Conner feels uncomfortable too."
" Let's get outta here." Cole muttered and started to run.
Ace and I looked at each other and then nodded in understanding.
I gritted my teeth as a wave of heat flowed through me, snaking around my spine like a living flame.
My bones cracked, loud, sharp. A tremor ran through my limbs, my knees buckling as I clutched my stomach. It felt like I was being torn apart from the inside, yet somehow… I wasn't afraid.
I could feel it. The power. The shift.
My fingernails lengthened into razor-sharp claws, shining under the faint moonlight. My skin burned as golden fur sprouted along my arms, moving up to my shoulders. The heat in my chest grew, snaking up my throat until a growl, low and guttural, tore past my lips.
Ash's voice purred inside my mind, stronger than before. "Let go."
I did.
My body pounced forward, and suddenly, I wasn't standing on two feet anymore. My muscles realigned, my vision sharpened, colors shifting, night turning into something more alive. Every scent, every movement in the forest became clear.
The ground felt different beneath my paws. My ears twitched, catching the faintest of sounds the rustling of leaves, the distant heartbeat of something hidden in the dark.
I turned to Ace already in his wolf form, his fur a mix of gold purple and blue. I was mesmerized.
Ace smirked, though there was something unreadable in his gaze. " What do you think cupcake? " Ace growled.
I smiled my eyes wide. " It's beautiful."
He growled. " You're supposed to be scarred."
" Well I'm not. " I winked sticking my tongue out. " Now let's get to Cole, race ya." I winked running.
The moment my paws hit the ground, I was flying.
The forest blurred around me, trees streaking past in flashes of green and black. The damp earth was soft beneath me, my claws digging in with every powerful stride. I had never moved like this before, so fast, so effortless. It felt like I had been caged my entire life and was finally free.
A deep laugh echoed beside me. Ace, keeping pace, barely breaking a sweat.
"Not bad, cupcake," he called over the wind. "But let's see if you can keep up."
He suddenly surged forward, a blur of shimmering gold, purple, and blue.
I growled playfully. "Oh, you wish."
Digging my claws into the dirt, I pushed harder, my muscles responding instantly. I darted past fallen logs, dodged low-hanging branches, my instincts sharpening with every move.
Then, up ahead, Cole.
He had stopped running, panting, hands on his knees. His head shot up at the sound of our approach.
And then—
He screamed.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" He stumbled backward, nearly tripping over a root.
Ace skidded to a stop beside him, shaking his fur out, looking very amused. "Relax, man. It's just us."
Cole's wide eyes darted between me and Ace. "J-just you?! YOU'RE GIANT WOLVES!" He pointed at me. "Mia, you're glowing!"
I blinked. Was I?
Looking down, I realized my golden fur glowed faintly under the moonlight, a soft, almost delicate glow.
Ace snorted. "Told you she was special."
Before I could respond, a loud caw split through the air.
The crow.
I turned my head sharply.
It was there, sitting on a branch, staring at us with those knowing, eerie eyes. But this time, it wasn't alone.
More crows. Dozens. Silent. Watching.
A chill crawled up my spine.
"Ace…" I whispered my hands trembling, struggling not to take my eyes off them.
His playful smirk disappeared. "I see them."
Cole swallowed. "Okay… yeah. That's creepy as hell."
A gust of wind blew through the trees, and the crows moved, not flying away, but shifting, like a single person.
Then, one by one, their eyes began to glow.