The dog-thing in front launched itself at her and slammed into the magic shield, the impact reverberating up her arm and she hissed with the shock.
Another of the things shoved through the door, its matted fur catching in the splinters that had recently been the door frame. Faith couldn't quite get her mind to accept that these creatures were not only real but were in the cabin's kitchen. Claws that made her think of dinosaur movies dragged across the wood floor but barely left scratches. Some tiny, vaguely rational part of Faith's brain was impressed at how delicately and carefully the creature was putting its paws down.
The rest of her brain was nearing panic.
The first wolf-thing slammed into her shield again and Faith gritted her teeth together. She kept one hand wrapped around Kaylee's shoulders, holding the girl's face into her side to keep her from seeing these monsters while the girl whimpered.
Up close she could see that the dog-things weren't actually gigantic, only eye-level with her hips, but they were dense with muscle. The huge claws were matched by teeth that were revealed by the snarling jaws, and those horrifying red eyes...
She pushed her power through her arm, strengthening her shield where it glimmered faintly in front of them. Her mother's words flitted through her mind, warning her to never, ever use her magic in public where anyone could possibly see her. 'They'll find you and they'll kill you, baby. So make sure you only ever use your power when you know you are alone and safe, and that nobody can see you.”
Well, Mom. Sorry to break that rule, but I think this would be considered a special circumstance. Not that I know if these things can talk or tell anyone or... god what the hell are these things?
The monster growled, low and angry, and the sound went straight to her monkey brain and activated just about every flight instinct she had. If she and Kaylee weren't backed into a corner, literally, she might have tried it. Although, weren't you supposed to never run from a predator?
Whatever, her shield would only last so long. The second of the monsters flung itself at her and snarled when it bounced off her shield. The impact reverberated up her arm again making her flinch slightly, and she realized that she had less time than she had thought. The first monster noticed her reaction and it growled a bit louder before lowering its head and charging her.
Damn, that hurts! She bit her lip to stop a sob. This wasn't anything like her practice sessions or her childhood tousles with Crissy. She didn't remember the pebbles or paper airplanes that they used in those easy moments ever hurting her. This was neither easy nor painless as the impacts reverberated through her magic and into her body.
Small hands curled into her shirt and held tight, and she clenched her jaw and dug deep to send a little more power into the shield. She didn't have much more left to give.
There was a bang in the backyard and one of the monsters glanced toward the sound but the other one– the leader, she thought– leaped up, slashing its claws down the shield. A trail of sparks showered from the impact and skittered over the floor to fade away quickly.
She cried out, startled as welts formed on the arm she held up in front of her, supporting the shield. What the hell?
"I want to go home. I want to go home," Kaylee was whispering into her hip. Me too, sweetheart.
The monster shook itself and turned back, getting ready for another lunge, but before it could leap, the last remnant of the door crashed open, ripped from the hinge, and a blur slammed into the creature's side with a loud crack. When they skidded into the far wall and stopped, she saw it was a man– well, probably a man? A man-shaped creature at least, but no human was that strong or that fast.
The man– for lack of a better word– stood, and after a glance to make sure the creature was down, spun to face the second monster who had stepped back momentarily in surprise. That moment didn't last long before it leaped at the man, claws out and its teeth bared in an angry yowl.
The man dodged to the side and brought his hand up, and the creature made a burbling, choking sound before slamming into the wall about where the man's chest had been before sliding down to land on the first one. The man jerked and she saw that he was pulling a long knife out of the creature's body.
Was this a good thing or a worse thing, now?
The man pulled a cloth out and cleaned the monster's blood off his blade and contemplated the bodies on the floor at his feet, then as he slid the knife back into the sheath on his thigh, he turned, obviously getting ready to leave.
And stopped dead, staring at her with wide, shocked eyes.
She stared back, frozen, but determined to keep Kaylee safe at all costs. She tried to find more power to send to her shield but could tell that she didn't have much left to use.
The man walked over to her slowly, hands clearly visible and palms out, as if he was approaching a stray animal. Heavy biker boots didn't make a sound on the scuffed wood floor of the cabin, and considering how big the man was, that was impressive as hell. Every
