Draven couldn't hear what his father was saying about this being a sign that the purge was truly holy. He focused hard on the voice he'd heard asking back, "Protect who? The wolf?"
No other words came but a sense of rightness passed through him.
"I will," Draven promised.
Tuning back in, Draven realized that his father was still preaching about the Goddess's will. He waited for a break in the man's words before interrupting, "Forgive me, Father, but I must go now. The Goddess wills it."
Draken finally lowered his arms, "Of course. Go, son, do as the Goddess commands."
Draven gave one final bow before turning toward the ledge. Jumping up onto the railing, he looked at the city below as he shifted into his preferred form, a raven. Spreading his wings, he took off, heading straight for Red Peak Mountain.
**********
Meanwhile, Griffin was faced with a dilemma as a growling Axel was behind him and his blank faced mother was in front of him.
"Kael, what is going on?"
Kael didn't respond right away, just shoving Griffin back and taking over. Before he could blink, Kael had pinned Leandra to the ground by her neck. As she stared up at them, unblinking, Kael finally spoke. [I don't know when it happened but she's under a vampire's mesmer.]
Axel prowled forward, his growling shifting into a rougher snarling. [Is there any way to break it?] He asked, stopping just out of reach.
[There should be a mark on her somewhere. If we cut the mark, the mesmer will break.]
Nathan's sleepy voice suddenly came through, "Is that what I'm smelling? There's a strong smell of blood coming from the base of Leandra's spine."
Griffin and Kael were both startled at the comment. Making sure to keep Leandra pinned, Kael flipped her over and lifted the bottom of her shirt. There, right above her waistline, was a sigil. Within a circle, there was an inverted cross with a u cutting through the center and a spiral above it.
As they watched, the spiral glowed a bright red, the smell of blood growing stronger.
Carefully, Kael lengthened one nail and dragged it across the spiral. As the sigil was broken, a beam of red light exploded from it, throwing Kael and Axel backwards toward the tree line.
Disoriented, neither of them could stop their human partners from resuming control. As the light faded, Nathan and Griffin rushed forward to check on Leandra.
As they got closer they were able to see the sigil just as it faded, leaving only a faint burn in its place.
Nathan and Griffin continued to watch as even the burn mark slowly started to fade. A soft moan drew their attention as Leandra struggled to move.
Griffin carefully gripped her by the shoulders, turning her onto her back. Relief flooded his system when he saw that Leandra's eyes were clear, that odd blankness gone.
"Griffin?" She asked softly. "How did I get here?"