“The blue looks beautiful as usual, Mariyah! Do a spin for me, dear?” Lucinda held her sewing needle up to her lip.

Mariyah giggled and spun in a circle, her dress loosely flowing as she did.

“Oh!” Lucinda clasped her hands. “You look gorgeous, darling. Now, how do you want your hair, dear? The usual? Maybe something different this time?”

Mariyah bit her lip in thought as she debated different styles. “The usual, please. But braids on the side this time?”

“Oooh, I love it.” Lucinda began to work her magic on Mariyah’s thick black waves and soon her hair was in a beautiful low updo, wrapped in her braided hair. “Alright, go on, find Petrah and the others. Your father and I will be walking around shortly.”

Mariyah kissed her mother’s cheek and ran out the door. She skipped down the sunset lit cobble streets in search of one of her friends and called out Petrah’s name when she saw her.

“Mariyah!” Petrah shouted. “You’re here!”

“Oh, you look beautiful!” Mariyah hugged her and looked at her friend’s gorgeous yellow dress. “Are you ready for the food?”

“Siloh and Equevo have already begun stuffing their faces.” She giggled and took Mariyah’s hand as she led her to the large table that stood on the side of the streets. A long line of citizens awaited their turn at the banquet. “There’s the usual foods, chicken breast, mashed potatoes, corn, erm…” she stood on her toes as she looked at the foods, “Tortillas, plantains, donuts, fish, shrimp, and a few extra things as well.”

“I can hardly wait, Petrah…” Mariyah’s stomach grumbled as the two stepped closer and closer to the table as the line moved forward. Once she filled her plate to the top, she sat with Petrah on a small bench.

“Eat quickly, the king will be speaking soon, and then the dance!” Petrah elbowed Mariyah gently and the two of them began digging in.

Equevo and Siloh jogged over to the two girls after some time. “Just begun eating? We’ve already finished.” Siloh patted his belly and Equevo let out a loud burp.

“Oh, disgusting,” Petrah said as she finished her food. “Come on, we need to get to the square in time!”

Mariyah swallowed her last bite and ran with the others to the square, though the pit in her chest begged her not to go. As they arrived, the crowd had already gathered around the king’s balcony where two soldiers stood still.“Oh, he’s going to be so magnificent!” Petrah exclaimed, clutching her hands together.

“Are you in love with the king or something?” Equevo asked with a lifted brow.

Petrah elbowed him and stared up at the balcony. “Hush. He’s a wonderful king, he’s done so much for us.”

Mariyah’s stomach twisted at every word and the desire to scream at Petrah suddenly grew in her chest. She doesn’t know...she doesn’t know.

“Hello, my dear citizens!” a loud voice called out from above...Soliath. She couldn’t see him very clearly from where she stood, but she could hear him. “Thank you all for coming this wonderful afternoon. I trust you’ve enjoyed the food so far?” He smiled and looked down at the crowd that whooped and hollered in response. He chuckled, “Good, good. I’ll let you get on with your dancing and celebration of this wonderful day, but first I want to say a few things.” He clasped his hands as he continued, “I am so grateful for the helpful and eager attitudes of you all during this time. Because of your willingness, Seenparay has become a kingdom free of all foreign danger, beasts, and death. Seenparay is now rid of all Shifters and is prospering more than ever! While we may be the first to make the difficult decisions that we have made, I doubt we will be the last. I pray our fellow countries can make the same decision as us. Let us be the leading example, let us be the first change!”

The thought sickened her. Other countries joining in Soliath’s thoughts? It isn’t possible, and Soliath knows that. But the idea only adds to the brainwashing he’s been performing on these citizens.

The crowd clapped loudly for some time before he continued, “Better yet, the Shifter villages have reported no hostility and no danger, which means the Shifters are finally complying.” He smiled at the crowd. “I could not have done this without the help of my people. Without the reports, firm grips, and quick enforcement of my laws. The people, the people are what matter to me. And you all have helped me to protect you all. I can imagine how hard it must have been, all these years. Losing friends, even family members. But this sick curse of being a Shifter is just that- a curse. An illness, a disease. And we must rid ourselves of such things at once...even if that means we lose those we love.”

All Mariyah could think of was Olly. Olly’s smile, his laugh, and his joy. The only reason he was alive was because of the food she smuggled. If not for that, his blood would be on Soliath’s hands. She clenched her jaw tightly as she tried to tune out the king’s words as he continued. It was growing unbearable.

“So this festival is for you all! For your braveries and commitment to saving our kingdom. Enjoy, my dear people! Enjoy and dance, and please...celebrate our accomplishments! Let us be the example!”

The crowd boomed with cheerful applause and Mariyah’s hands pulsed with resistance as she forced her hands to clap together with a stone cold face. She looked around at those around her with beaming smiles. They don’t understand. Her eyebrows knitted together for a moment at the frustration that twisted inside her. She wanted to do something, anything, but she knew she couldn’t.

Loud music suddenly began playing as the crowd slowly diverted their attention to the dancing that started. “Mariyah, come on!” Petrah grabbed her hand and pulled her into the line of the dancers. Mariyah swallowed the lump in her throat and put on a smile for Petrah, following the dance steps that she had done every year she attended along with the long line of citizens who danced and sang as well.

After a long hour of dancing, Mariyah still couldn’t stop thinking about Oliver. She had danced long enough, and eaten more than Oliver’s village had seen in a year. She told Petrah of her fabricated exhaustion, much to her friend’s disappointment.

“It isn’t even night time, Mariyah.” Petrah looked at her sadly. “We always stay till twelve!”

Mariyah gave her a pouting face. “I know, but I’m so awfully exhausted. I suppose it’s because I’ve eaten so much food.”

Petrah just looked at her silently.

“I’m sorry. I truly am.” Mariyah looked back at her with sympathetic eyes. “Equevo and Siloh are staying, you’ll still have them, right?”

Her eyes lowered. “I wanted to be with you.”

Her heart fell and she considered staying...but the idea of seeing Olly overcame any thought relevant. “I’m sorry, Petrah. I had so much fun with you, and I will play with you all tomorrow, okay? Don’t be angry with me for being sleepy!” She hugged her friend who barely hugged her back and kissed her cheek. “I’m sorry…” she repeated, but Petrah had nothing else to say. Mariyah waved slowly and walked back to her house.

Seeing her parents weren’t home yet, she grabbed her sack and skipped into the streets. Looking around and seeing that most of the citizens were dancing in the square, she quickly made her way to the table of food, grabbing some food and wrapping it in cloth before setting it in her bag.

Hidden by the slow growing darkness as the sun set, she snuck out of the kingdom entrance and began her walk towards the village. As she arrived, she smiled widely with excitement to give her friends this food. She imagined their faces seeing such fancy treats.

“Mariyah’s here!” Marcy shouted, waving as she arrived.

Oliver looked up from his bow making and smiled. “Mariyah,” he said to himself as he stood up and walked over to her. “Welcome back,” he said looking at her. His jaw tensed as he looked at her beautiful dress and new hair style. He’d never seen her hair pulled back from her face like this.

“You look absolutely gorgeous, Mariyah!” Rose shouted as she approached her.

Mariyah blushed, “Thank you so much. I have some new foods for you.” She set down the sack and pulled out the wrapped foods. “This is from the Keynientose Festival in the kingdom. It’s really delicious food, you’ll love it. I’m sure some of you remember?”

“Thank you, Mariyah!” Many voices called out as more began to approach her. They quickly began to pick their choices of food, and passed the bag around to the other villagers.

Marcy’s eyes flicked from Olly’s continuous stare to Mariyah’s oblivious laughs with the villagers. He didn’t seem to care about the food at all.

Oliver stepped forward, motioning people back, “Calm down. Let her breathe,” he said with a light laugh.

“Yes! Give her some space! Goodness,” Marcy called out. She grabbed the bag and pulled it towards the middle of the village, everyone following her.“We’re sharing with everyone! Don’t be greedy.”

As the villagers laughed and continued picking out their foods in the village, Mariyah was left on the outskirts with Olly who stood across from her, watching her without a word.

She looked at him and smiled. “Aren’t you going to try some?”

He took a step closer to her. After a long moment of watching her, he shook his head, “No-sorry- I-I, I’m not too hungry right now.” He inhaled deeply as he looked at her dress, and back up to her face. “You look really nice, Mariyah.”

Her eyes flicked away for a moment and she smiled faintly as her cheeks warmed. “Thank you.”

He cleared his throat, “Beautiful, actually.”

Her eyes met his as butterflies filled her stomach and her tongue stumbled on her words. “Th-thank you.”

“You wanna go sit at the bridge for a bit?” He looked around.

She nodded and looked at him with her brown eyes.

As they reached the bridge, Mariyah sat on the edge of the creek and dipped her toes in the water, Olly doing the same beside her. She puffed out a breath and pulled her hair down, undoing the updo that had already begun to fall out from the dancing.

He watched the hair fall down over her shoulders softly. “How was the festival?” he asked her.

“It was nice.” She shrugged. “Lot’s of food and dancing. I wish you could’ve been there.”

He smirked. “Me too. I’d like to show those Naturals some real dancing.”

She giggled. “Real dancing, huh? One day you will.”

His eyes softened, but he kept his smile. “Not sure about that.”

“You have to be hopeful. It’ll be okay soon, alright? It will,” she said, looking at him as they sat on the bridge.

“Okay, okay. One day soon.” He looked over at her, the trickling creek in the background.

The pair locked eyes with each other for some time, the fully set sun darkened the atmosphere. His eyes slowly danced over her face, from her thick black hair, to her soft and rosy cheeks, to her strong nose, and to her gentle but full lips, before they made their way up to her deep and warm brown eyes, accompanied by her thick dark lashes.

She gradually returned his stare, looking over each detail of his own face in return. His heavy green eyes, and the light smile that always stay hidden on his face. She studied his brows and his steady lips, before her eyes returned to meet his.

The only noises between them were the running stream that drowned out almost every noise around them, save for the loud singing cricket and occasional ribbets. The cool breeze occasionally swept softly against them. Her heartbeat felt almost loud in her ears as the two collapsed in each other’s gazes. She couldn’t stand the obvious intensity any longer as the nerves in her stomach made her look away and fall out of his gaze.

But he placed his finger under her chin and moved her to look at him once more. “Mariyah.” His eyes almost pulsed as they stared into hers, and her heart was now a strong thumping drum in her chest.

She swallowed the anxious lump that had climbed her throat.

“I feel such…” His words trailed off and she could see what looked like desire and hope descend into sadness and defeat. His head shook just barely as he stopped himself. “I wish things were different,” was all he forced out. But she could see that behind his eyes, far more wished to be said. Far more needed to be said. And she wanted to hear it so desperately.

“What were you going to say, Olly?” her voice almost begged him. Her lips fell apart, waiting for him to finish, waiting to respond to whatever was so intensely on his mind.

He looked up at the moon above them. “It’s getting late, you should get home, shouldn’t you?”

She could hear his slow breaths under the sounds of the first nightlife .“What? No- I want to know.”

He remained looking at her, his eyes hiding the thousands of thoughts that raced behind them. He hesitated for a long moment. “I meant it when I said you look beautiful.”

She looked at him, silently.

“I think that every time I see you.”

She bit at her lip, nerves twisting up her stomach. “Thank you…”

“And I wish I could tell you more. I wish I could tell you that..that I..” He gently placed his hand on the side of her face as he gazed at her, before pausing as the words refused to leave his mouth.

Mariyah’s breath had stopped long ago, it was only now that she had remembered to breathe. Her eyes were wide and her lips were parted as if she longed for something of his so desperately. His face slowly drew near her, his eyes studying her reaction with each inch that he closed between them.

“Tell me what?” She asked in a hushed whisper. She let out a soft and silent breath as she saw his face move ever so slowly towards hers, her eyes darting from his lips to his eyes until she soon realized she too was moving closer to him. And finally, as her eyes naturally closed.

Sensation shot down Mariyah’s shoulders to the ends of her toes as his lips gently pressed against hers. She could feel his hands move to her jaw, holding her firmly but yet so gently. His lips against hers, the warmth of his body, and the feeling of his touch all drowned out the thumping she felt in her heart.

She wasn’t sure how long they were embraced for. She placed her hands on his as he held her face, his thumb moving across her cheek. The feeling her heart felt was much more than she could take, and she never wanted to move. Never again could she leave this boy.

Finally, they gently pulled away, Mariyah’s eyes growing almost too bashful to look at him. She bit her lip, holding in a smile as the butterflies in her stomach spun around.

Oliver couldn’t help but smile as he watched her. There sat a gleam in his eyes that was undeniable. He opened his mouth to continue his previous sentence. “That I may lo-” he was cut off by the sound of subtle whispers coming from the trees. He turned his head around, trying to find where it came from. Mariyah froze as well, listening in for the sound they heard.

Her heart almost came out of her throat as she suddenly heard a loud gruff voice shouting from the trees beside them, “Away from her!”

A figure emerged from the dark brush and with no time for any thought, Oliver’s head was thrown back, knocking him completely off the tree trunk as someone slammed him with the butt of some weapon. Mariyah shrieked as she instinctively collapsed with Olly, holding him and turning around to make out what was happening.

The lightning bugs knew this was no place to be. The only light that now illuminated the area was the dim rays of a sorrowful moon. Mariyah’s eyes made out a tall man- his uniform telling her it was a soldier of the Guard. “No!” She suddenly shouted, holding her hand up. “He wasn’t doing anything!!” her voice was almost a scream.

“What is going on here?!” the soldier shouted.

Mariyah’s words caught in her throat as she scrambled to think of some sort of excuse. “Nothing, I was just helping him with something!” she answered. She could barely hear her own voice over the sound of her pounding heart.

She quickly looked down at Olly who she was practically on top of, his lip beginning to bleed quite profusely. Oliver began to slowly get up as he whispered to Mariyah, “Do not do anything but listen to him,” he said in a stern voice with a tone so serious that it almost made her listen.

“Stay down!!” the soldier shouted, flipping what turned out to be a spear to point the sharp end towards Oliver, stepping over the fallen tree and looming over the couple. “You move one muscle, and I’ll end you here and now, beast!”

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Mariyah pleaded with the soldier as she knelt, holding her hands out. “You don’t understand- He wasn’t doing anything to-” Her head swung to the side as she was smacked in the face with such force she had to catch her breath.

The soldier gruffed, “Shut up, girl!’

She clutched her burning cheek and looked up at the man who was now face to face with Oliver’s now standing figure. Oliver’s face was cold and his eyes had darkened. “Don’t touch her.”

“Oliver, no,” Mariyah warned, knowing he was pushing it too far. She scrambled to get up and quickly pulled Oliver back, standing in front of him and holding out her arms. “Please, sir, you have to understand. I - we were just-”

“I said silence! Back away from the boy. NOW!” The soldier pointed his spear just a few inches away from Mariyah’s chest.

Oliver exhaled loudly, not breaking eye contact with the guard. “Mariyah, move.” He grabbed her arm and gently moved his thumb against her skin softly for a split second before tightening his grip and pushing her away from the two of them.

“Hands behind your back, boy. You are under arrest as a criminal of Seenparay, assaulting a young Natural girl. Seducing her with your wicked words. On your knees, NOW!”

And Oliver listened.

But Mariyah followed Olly to his knees, urging him to get back up before pleading with the soldier, “Sir, you don’t understand, please!! This was my choice, not his! Don’t do this, I won’t tell anyone you let him go! I will leave him alone, he will no longer be around me!” Her voice was cracking and her breathing was growing faster as panic began to spread throughout her body as the soldier ignored her and proceeded to pull a pair of shackles out of his belt.

Oliver looked at her, warningly, remaining on his knees. “Mariyah, stop. I promise you, it’s okay.”

But she wouldn’t take her eyes off the soldier. “They’ll kill him if you imprison him, you can’t do this!!” she shouted, standing up and stepping closer to the soldier. “You can’t, PLEASE-”

“Shut up, girl. You’re lucky you’re not going with him!”

She could see in his eyes this man would not give in no matter how hard she begged. And the idea of Oliver being hurt was not something she could bear. She wasn’t thinking when she grabbed the spear from the soldier's unexpecting hands and tossed it to the side.

Mariyah grunted as she began to wrestle for his shackles, the soldier tugging back and shouting at her. “RUN, OLLY, GO!!!” she shouted as she turned her head to look at him with pleading eyes. “GET UP!!!!” She screamed out, her eyes beginning to blur from the tears. “Oliv-”

The soldier quickly swung his hand back and hit the girl against the back of her head, knocking her down. He began to climb on top of her, looking at Oliver who had begun to stand up. “Move and I’ll kill her!!” he shouted, staring at Oliver.

Oliver held his hands up immediately. “I won’t move, sir! I’m right here- I’m not going anywhere. You can quit laying your hands on her,” he said loudly. He looked down at Mariyah with broken eyes shaking his head. “Why’d you do that?” he almost whimpered to her.

Mariyah struggled under the soldier’s heavy body as he scrambled for the knife that had fallen on the ground from his waistband. Oliver noticed and took a few fast breaths before he suddenly ran towards the soldier and shoved the man off of Mariyah. He quickly held his hands up after, taking some steps back to show his surrender. “I’m sorry, just please don’t hurt her,” he said looking at the guard, breathing in and out heavily.

The soldier's face was clearly enraged as he started shouting at the boy, “You’ve got some nerve, pig!” The soldier grabbed Mariyah’s dress who was trying to crawl away and pinned her down once more. He grabbed her arm that was tucked under her and pulled it out. “I’ll cut off her hand for laying it on me, and if you so much as say a word, then I’ll kill you here and now! And I’ll warn ya son, you’d much rather die at the gallows than to my blade.” The man’s eyes were cold. Cold and heartless. And Olly knew there was no reasoning with him.

Mariyah looked at Olly with serious eyes and flaring nostrils as she mouthed the word “run” with tears now streaming down her cheeks. “PLEASE!” she screamed out, her pained scream echoing throughout the forest. Tears filled her eyes and she clenched her eyes shut in panic, waiting for the feeling of pain to shoot through her body. Shifting was an option, but that would only make things worse right now. She pictured Olly sprinting away, safe, and that was all that mattered. If he was safe, she could endure the pain of losing a hand.

The soldier held one arm down with his knee, and her other arm with his free hand. He lifted a brow at the strange marking on her hand, but paid no more attention to it. Gripping his knife, he prepared to cut off her hand. She clenched her jaw as she readied for the pain, her heart thudding in her chest.

“Please, don’t touch her!” Olly shouted, still not having moved an inch from Mariyah. His eyes kept jumping from the soldier to Mariyah as he thought of a million things to do, but few ended with Mariyah getting home safe and unharmed.

No! He was supposed to run! “Olly, please, LEAVE! GO!!!!” she pleaded, her throat cracking as she stretched her neck to desperately look at him, her face reddening.

But Oliver wouldn’t take one step back. He continued shouting at the guard, “You can take me instead- you don’t need to hurt her like this.” His eyes looked to her and the soldier in fear as he tried to protest. He had been walking the line of not interfering too much in fear of what the soldier would do, but seeing Mariyah get hurt? He couldn’t.

But the soldier did not listen and as Olly stood there, fighting with what move to make, the soldier lifted the knife up in the air, preparing to slam it down. In a split second that felt like eternity, the boy shifted into a coyote and sprung on top of the guard. He tackled him to the ground and howled at him loudly before biting the man in the shoulder. “Mariyah, run!” Oliver shouted through his sharp bloody teeth. “Go HOME!”

“OLLY, NO!” She shouted, struggling to get up. As she looked back to Olly pinning down the guard, even more panic grew inside her. Her chest clogged up with fear as she scrambled to stand up, processing what was happening.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

Her heart was pounding in her ears.

Staring at Oliver on top of the guard who was crying out in pain, she froze in her tracks in shock. She couldn’t believe what Oliver had just done. She stumbled backwards, but did not take off, having no intentions of leaving him behind. Tears filled her eyes as fear strangled the panicking girl’s throat so much that she was wheezing loudly through her clogged lungs, and she hadn’t even noticed. “I don’t know what to do, Olly!” she screamed out as she stood there, almost sobbing in overwhelming panic. No thought was rational to her. And her mind felt like a storm.

Oliver looked at her with such severity. “Please, just go!” He wasn’t telling her anymore, he was begging, his mouth bloody from the guard’s blood as he was struggling to keep the man down. His eyes pleaded with fear that only froze her. A tear slipped down her cheek as she was just about to run but her legs would not move as she saw the soldier reach his hand out while Olly was desperately shouting at Mariyah.

Her face fell as she noticed the soldier scrambled for the dagger that had been knocked out of his hand.

“OLLY!!! MOVE!!” she screamed out, her eyes wide with terror as she began to sprint towards him. She reached her hand out, almost as if she knew her legs were not fast enough.

It felt so slow but it happened in only a second, with no time for Oliver to react.

The soldier clutched the dagger with a firm grip, and plunged it into the side of the boy’s torso.

A whimper left Oliver’s throat in pain.

“OLIVER!!” She was screaming, but she couldn’t hear over the ringing of her ears from the panic she was suffering. Her body shuddered and her eyes suddenly grew blurry, only able to focus on one thing at a time. Adrenaline was rushing through her.

Don’t shift. The dangers and consequences that act would have....but Olly is about to be killed. I need to save him. I need to save him.

Don’t shift.

Don’t shift.

DON’T SHIFT!

In a second, her body instantly morphed into a feline creature, a lioness with fangs out and claws unsheathed. She charged at the soldier without wasting a second and let out a fierce lion scream. Oliver’s body limply tilted to the side and rolled off of the guard, while the soldier scrambled to his feet in an instant, struggling to get away.

The soldier fell into panic as he saw what he thought was a Natural girl, shift into a most beastly shift. His knees almost buckled under him...he had rarely seen a Shifter with such a vicious form. She didn’t have a marking? He slowly walked backwards, holding his hands out to signal his surrender. “Easy now...easy,” he said as he stared into Mariyah’s dark lion eyes.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she didn’t know whether or not to kill him-could she actually kill someone? She stared at him as she panicked, unsure of what to do. Instead of striking, she stood in protection in front of Olly as the soldier quickly climbed onto his horse, pulling up a young girl who Mariyah hadn’t noticed was standing there with a pale expression as if she had seen the devil.

Petrah?

“P-Petrah?” Mariyah whined, her eyes stricken with betrayal. Petrah held onto the soldier, looking at Mariyah with a face of shock for a short second before looking away and holding onto the soldier as they took off, galloping away faster than he ever had.

She stood with broad shoulders and her lioness chest puffed out with fearful eyes that tried their best to look scary. Once the soldier was out of view, she shifted into a human and turned around to her friend who lay on the grass. The shock of seeing Petrah soon disappeared as she returned her attention to her love.

“Olly,” she whispered breathlessly, falling to her knees beside him.

He watched her as he lay on his back and gently shook his head. “Why?” he asked sadly, blood beginning to drench the fur on his side. He shifted back into a human and stretched his neck to look at Mariyah. He stared at her in distress as she kneeled beside him. “Why would you do that?” he asked in a hushed voice as his eyes looked into hers, his voice almost came out as a cry.

“Why would you?!” she replied, her voice cracking as she watched him grunt in pain.

“That was so stupid…he’ll tell people.”

Her lip quivered as she looked at him, her trembling hands pressed against the sides of his face. All she wanted was to protect him. “He was going to kill you, I couldn’t let him!”

His hand reached up slowly to Mariyah’s cheek. He grazed it with his shaking fingers. “He already has.”

Her nostrils flared in distress as she looked down at his side. She touched the wound with her hands and looked at the dark red blood on her fingers. She shook her head whimpering, and lifted his head onto her lap. “No,” she mumbled, “No, I can fix it, it’s just a small wound- how do you feel? Do you feel okay? I can fix it, I can fix it-” She looked down at her blue dress and suddenly grabbed it, trying to rip off a piece. She struggled to tear any of the fabric, screaming through her clenched teeth and tears in frustration. She gasped in defeat and just quickly bunched up the end and began pressing it onto his bleeding wound. She had never seen so much blood.

He winced and shook his head, placing his hand on hers. “Stop...stop...it’s okay,” he protested, clenching his eyes shut.

She noticed his growing pale face. “No, no, Olly, oh, oh, God. God! Olly, I need to take you back to the village,” she said to him as she took in the severity of the wound. She had begun wiping the snot that had begun to drip out of her nose as her eyes welled up with tears that were just waiting to fall.

He whispered to her, shaking his head, “Please don’t move me.” He looked up at her with heavy but bright eyes.

“Olly, we can run away. I can try to…” She grunted as she thought of morphing into a griffin, and her body swiftly did. “I can carry you away. Let’s go, please!” she suddenly shouted. She begged with a quivering bottom beak as she tried to get him to sit up. “I’m strong enough to carry you like this. Let me hold onto your arms." She wrapped her talons around his arms and flapped her wings once, lifting up part of his body.

A loud groan came from his mouth. “Stop! Please, please, stop. It hurts too bad,” he whimpered.

Her sympathetic eyes looked at the pain in his face, and she quickly lay him back down and shifted into a human.

“Just let me lay here,” he looked at her with a sorrowful emotion that said more than his words.

Her eyes widened with horror and panic as she noticed his eyes growing heavier and heavier, struggling to stay looking at her. “Noooo!!” She looked at his wound as she continued pressing onto it, and looked back at him frantically. “Ughh!” she screamed out. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what to do,” she repeated in a panicky cry as she looked down at her trembling hands now covered in blood. “Oliver!” she whined as she began to sob. “I don’t know what to DO!!!!”

“Mariyah...it’s alright,” he whispered, his eyes wavering as he began to look up at the trees.

“No, no, please.” She panted as her panicked breathing grew labored. “Please, don’t close them,” her voice cracked as her tears fell onto his shirt. She gently moved more of his body onto her lap and moved her hands to hold his face in her hands as she rocked him gently, trying to keep him awake. “Please, Oliver, please?” She looked into his weakening eyes that were finding it harder and harder to stay open.

The red blood from his side spread to coat his shirt and began to stain Mariyah’s dress as well. “Oliver, look at me, please, look at me, Olly!” she shouted as she continued to press her dress into his wound before watching his green eyes force themselves open to meet with her brown ones. “Olly!” She held his cheeks with her hands. “Please don’t leave me like this, plea-”

“Please, calm down, angel,” he said, slurring his words with the blood and saliva in his mouth. He suddenly focused on her face again, forcing himself to stay conscious with every last piece of strength he held inside him. “You’ll be okay, I promise, Mariyah.” He licked his reddened lips. He inhaled deeply before coughing, blood dripping from his mouth. He was calmer than her, much much calmer. His green eyes searched hers for the hope he could always find in them. “I’ve loved you from the start. You need to know that.”

“I’ve loved you as well, Olly,” she whispered. She watched him before closing her eyes as a tear fell down her cheek. As she closed her eyes, imagining him passing destroyed her. She grew resistant once again and her eyes shot back open. “No, Olly, you can’t leave! Truly, I’m begging you to not go. Please, listen to me, please try. Try to stay! I need you to stay here. You can’t go-you can’t!!” She held him so tightly in her arms, pressing the side of her face against his as she thought maybe that would keep him alive. “You’re not trying hard enough!!” she shouted at him, feeling his muscles relax, “You’re giving up, Oliver! Don’t you dare! Please? Please?”

“Listen to me, while I have the energy to speak,” he forced, grunting in pain as every word was a battle to push out. He grasped her forearm tightly.

“Oliver, you-”

“Mariyah.” He muttered in a voice that silenced her and forced her to contain herself. She looked at him with wide and panicked eyes. And she realized how selfish she was being. If these were his last moments, she must stop herself from making them sorrowful.

His weak eyes searched hers before he began, “You already know the truth behind your dangerous thoughts,” he whispered. “You weren’t given the ability to shift-” He let out a cough, “into different animals,” he choked out, “for no reason.”

She stayed silent, taking in every word that he said while suppressing her loud whimpers as he continued. “Keep me in here,” he struggled as he lifted his finger to her chest where her heart sat, “Please…so wherever you go-whatever you do-” Blood began to fill his mouth more and more. “I’ll be with you,” he gurgled out. His arm fell back down and his eyes continued to look at her with tears glistening as they filled them.

She looked back with a face of pain. His heart broke as he watched her struggle as hard as she was. A single tear slid down his temple at the sight.

Her lip quivered as she listened to his words. She shook her head and brushed the hair that stuck to his face from sweat. “I’ll never let you leave it,” she said in a cracked voice. She buried her face into his neck and began to squeeze him tighter…tighter and tighter…

For maybe if she held him tight enough,

his soul wouldn’t have room to slip away.

Mariyah finally gently pulled back and her brown and teary red eyes stared down at Oliver. And his looked right back at her. Unspoken words lingered on their lips for there was not enough time to express the feelings each one had been dying to share. Not enough time for Oliver to tell Mariyah how she gave his gray life an abundance of color and light. How she lit his heart in a way he had never felt before and will never feel again. How she was all he thought about day after day and night after night. And how he had fallen absolutely and undeniably in love with her and her soul.

Not enough time for Mariyah to tell him in return that she could live her remaining days in front of him and only him and to her that would be more than enough. That she was pulled to him like a spell had been cast upon her, one she did not want undone. And that she too could not catch herself as she had fallen deeper and deeper into this flowering endless hole of love for Oliver and his soul. A hole that was not truly endless, but a pit with sharp spears aimed upwards at whatever dared to fall inside. And that happened to be her heart.

He spoke, breaking the excruciating pain that froze the two of them as they stared into the souls of one another, “You’re gonna be okay, Mariyah,” his voice came out quietly. And though he smiled at her, his eyes were growing distant, which broke her heart even more. “Don’t forget about our bridge,” he said breathlessly. “And the love I feel for you.” He lifted his hand to her cheek, thumbing away a few tears as he stared at her with a deep sense of hopeless longing. And it tore her to pieces. “I wish I had time,” he gasped out, his hand falling to the ground, “to tell you how much.”

“Oliver,” she whimpered, “I could never forget.” She leaned down and kissed his lips gently and briefly, feeling a small smile growing under the kiss. She gently pulled away and looked down at the small smirk that sat on his face. One that never failed to bring her comfort, until now. She wiped the tears off her face and kissed him once more. “I will never forget anything between us.”

He only nodded his head as he looked at her carefully, using every last bit of energy to take in her features before he left.

She grasped his hand and held it up to her cheek in desperation, watching him with a quivering lip and broken eyes.“I will love you to forever, Oliver,” she cried out through her tears. “I promise you I will.” her voice cracked and trembled as she spoke. “I loved you always, and I will never stop. Please know that, please know that!”

And his eyes gleamed for just a second as he looked at her one last time. “My Mariyah,” he whispered. She could see the small beginning of another smirk tug at the corners of his lips.

But it never lifted.

And his eyes closed for the last time, crushing Mariyah’s heart.

As Mariyah watched his eyes close, a small gasp fell from her lips as if she could feel a piece of her heart quickly being ripped away. She held him closer in her arms as her countless tears streamed down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered repeatedly into his ear as she rocked him, her face distraught.

“I should have done more...I’m sorry,” she bit her lip until it bled as she thought of all the things she could have done differently that might have resulted in him still being alive. She screamed at herself, throwing her fist into the dirt beside her over and over again. She shook Olly’s body gently, thinking it would bring him back. Maybe he’s only asleep or unconscious!

“Oliver, come on!! Don’t do this please, you don’t have to go.” She held his face in her hands tightly as her entire body began to tremble. “Wake UP!!!” Panicked and heart broken, she stared at his lifeless body.

There was a stillness of the forest around her as if there was no creature who dared to make a noise. Her heart shuddered, and she wanted nothing more than to fall back into a dream. A dream where she and Olly lived in a peaceful world. For even if it was fake reality, it would feel real to her. And she would take any alternate reality where she could be with Olly in peace, no matter how fabricated and false it would be.

She looked down at his body ,and she stared at his pale face. “Oliver, I am so sorry,” she whispered. Her burning eyes would not stop with the tears as her eyes repeatedly wandered over his face. His golden locks that once bounced across from her as they danced. His closed eyes that once squinted as he grinned at her. And his still lips that always silently asked her for a kiss.

A pure love that was destined to sprout.

But the cruelties of this world paid no mind to destiny. They paid no mind at all.

She took his hand in hers and held it tightly as her heart pulsed in pain. Her head fell between her shoulders as she began to sob loudly, her chest heaving with each wail. The tears that streamed down her face would not relent, and the rapid breaths that she took in would not slow.

She gasped for air as she looked up at the dark sky. And a sudden interruption put her suffering to a pause. My family. She shot up to her feet before looking down at his dead body once again. Her knees almost buckled under her and she hunched over, her hands grasping her knees as a loud and ugly weep escaped her lips, and her shoulders began to convulse, sobs pouring out of her. “I need to take you back,” she cried out.

Once her chest finally calmed down...she lifted him up and held him under his arms, dragging him along the path to his village until she grew too weak and suddenly collapsed. The tears streamed down her face more and more as she looked at his lifeless body. She sat over his body for some time, crying quietly and screaming at the frustration she felt inside her. Her clogged lungs forced out raspy inhales and exhales as the panic attack ensued.

Minutes of her mourning and suffering passed and she was soon drained of all energy. Her eyes burned and her cheeks were raw from the constant tears that trickled down them. She swallowed the pain in her throat and closed her eyes. A pain so severe, one she has never felt before.

But she had to take him back and get home. Her eyes opened as she had calmed down and pulled him onto her lap. She held him tightly and looked at the dead body in her arms. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek before her last words to him, “Love you to forever, Olly.” She held him closely in a hug one last time.