Two weeks later…

Everything had been so peaceful. Cart traveling until sundown. Camping under the stars. Hunting spotted deer in the night for food. It reminded me of traveling with my parents when I was young. Mr. Applegate had been impressed with Ema and me when we went hunting. Ema had made enough arrows for a small army when we traveled in the cart. In the mornings, I would train her hard, so her skills wouldn't be dull from the lack of work.

“Girls! Quick run!” Mr. Applegate yelled running toward our campsite. “Into the forest quick!”

“Mr. Applegate, what’s wrong?” I asked as the old man came running toward us. Behind him, I saw a large shadow figure chasing him. What the hell was that? “Ema, get your arrows.” She gave me a nod as she grabbed her bow and quiver.

The shadowy figure roar behind Mr. Applegate, trying to swat at him with its claws. What had the old man gotten mixed up in? I could see golden eyes glaring at me as I prepared for battle. I pulled out my daggers, waiting for it to get close enough to strike. Mr. Applegate ran past me toward the forest, leaving the beast for me to face. The shadowy figure stood over me with its menacing fangs hanging over me. Great, I was facing a silver mountain lion.

We had entered the mountains a few days ago, but we hadn’t run into issues until now. My body started wanting to shift to take care of this giant cat above me. I kept my breathing calm as I tried to hold back the shift. I began to shake as I held in the shift. The big cat didn’t seem to care what was going on with my body as it pushed me down to the ground. I was at the cat’s mercy if I didn’t allow myself to shift. Shit. What could I do?

“Ro! Just shift!” Ema called as she released a barrage of arrows unto the mountain lion.

She’s right I had to shift or I was going to be a sitting duck. Maybe, I can shift into my wolf form instead of my wild shift. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to become my wolf self. My human ears folded in and pointed ears sprouted out the top. My arms and legs became furry as large paws formed at the ends. My spine stretched out of my skin and turned into my tail. In a moment, I was a blood-red coated wolf. So, the glamor charm did affect my shift forms.

“What the heck! Rosewyn!” Mr. Applegate stared at me stunned from behind a tree.

“Not now Mr. Applegate,” Ema called from the tree above. “She needs to focus or we may not survive.”

Mr. Applegate just stared at Ema, unable to process her words. The mountain lion pinned me down while my attention was on Mr. Applegate. I growled at the hissing cat on top of me. Taking the opportunity, I chomped down on the cat’s front left leg, causing it to roar in pain. The right paw came swinging at me, forcing me to let go of my hold on the cat. In a second, the cat bit the back of my neck. I was in deep shit now. Using my back paws, I pushed both the cat and myself to the ground, forcing it to let go.

We both scramble to our feet as Ema started firing arrows to give me a break. I shook off the pain from my bleeding neck. We began circling each other, trying to intimidate each other. The mountain lion was at least a head taller than me. My blood dripped from its yellow teeth as it growled at me. A normal person would be intimidated by this large cat, but when you are a fierce wolf, a cat, no matter how big, won’t intimidate you. Call it canine arrogance.

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I blinked and the cat pounced with its jaws open and claws out to tear me apart. I had to wait until the last second to move because the mountain lion was bigger and faster than I am. I can outrun a saber grizzly bear, but a mountain lion can run as fast as 50 mph, topping my 37 mph speed. The lion was quick to turn around and try pouncing again. To dodge the cat, I used my earth magic to tunnel into the ground, frustrating the lion. The lion pawed at me in my whole, trying to pull me out. I had to think of a better plan than hiding in this damn hole.

My daggers were the only thing that might make a difference in this fight. I dug a tunnel toward my daggers and grabbed them from my spot by the fire. Pulling back into the tunnel, I forced my body to shift into my human form. No need to show Mr. Applegate my base form. The fur, claws, ears, and tail receded as my wolf feature became human again. Drops of blood from transformed features and wounds ran down my body. The blood on my head mixed in with my blood-red hair, giving it a sticky wet look. I took a deep breath as I poked my head out from the whole to see the big cat coming right toward me. I crawled back through the tunnel to escape the lion’s paws.

One more breath before I force myself out of the hole. The lion heard me and turned back toward me. I quickly draw my weapons and charge at the lion. Using my small frame, I slid under the big cat, shoving my blades into its belly as it ran forward. Lion blood splashes onto my face as the lion escapes me, groaning in pain. The lion moved slower from its bleeding stomach as it tried to attack me again. I left several cuts along the cat’s legs as it clawed me. We both stood there bleeding when the cat finally gave up and ran off into the forest.

Falling to my knees, my breath became shallow. I was losing a lot of blood from the scratches the lion left on my body. “Ema…” I choked out. My head felt dizzy when water suddenly poured all down my body. The cool moisture stung the wounds, washing away the blood from my body. I took a breath when another bit of water rushed down my body. The dizzy feeling eased allowing me to open my eyes. Ema stood over me, dousing my body with water.

“Sometimes, I wonder how you survive these life or death battles,” Ema said. Her face was filled with worry as she looked down at me. “Mr. Applegate, get the medical supplies, quick.”

The old merchant emerged from behind a tree. He looked hysterical from what he had just seen, but that didn’t stop him from doing as Ema asked. He grabbed the supplies and came running to Ema. Ema pulled out an old brown medical book that Aunt Leah had given us from my mother. She flipped through until she found what she was looking for. She moved quickly like a magic machine grinding and mixing herbs before applying the paste to my skin. Mr. Applegate helped bandage me as I sat there in pain. Another concoction was made, and Ema had me drinking the medicine until she had me lay down to rest in the tent.

The moon had risen by the time I was safely in the tent. My enhanced healing ability had already begun working. By tomorrow, I would be moving around again, and we could keep traveling. I hoped Mr. Applegate would just accept what he saw and never utter another word about it. We didn’t need news of a girl and magic wolf taking on a mountain lion to circulate. Besides, we still had another two weeks before we reached the Wizard’s Guild. Uncle Axel did warn me that I may have to kill people to keep my secret. I hope that’s not the case with Mr. Applegate.

Ema came into the tent to bring some water. Her face seemed so serious. She was completely unlike her playful self right now. Is this what traveling with me will be like for her? Will she lose her playful side because of me?

Ema looked down at me and pinched my nose. “Quit thinking so hard or your head will explode. I worked hard to patch you up, so don’t let my work be in vain.”

“I thought I was the mature one,” I muttered trying to sit up.

“Mature, yes, but smart not as much as you think. Do me a favor and stop trying to kill my best friend, okay?” Ema’s eyes brimmed with tears.

I sat up and wiped her face. “Hey, I am fine thanks to you. No dying here, okay?” I hugged her. She’s like my little sister. I just want to protect her the best I can.

“Okay. Okay. No more tears. You need to rest.” Ema said, letting go of me.

“But, what about Mr. Applegate?” I questioned as I sipped on my water.

Ema giggled. “Well, you actually scared the shit out of that man. I think he’s burying his soiled pants as we speak. It’s safe to say he won’t tell a soul what he saw today. At least, he swore he wouldn’t when I put my arrow to his head. He screamed like a sissy.”

I was in total disbelief for a moment until I realized Ema was capable of threatening someone’s life. “Good job, Ema,” was all I could say as I laid back down.

“Get some rest. We leave at dawn,” Ema said as she left the tent.