The Shifters: Katrina
Part Two - Ch.17: Trouble & the Nightmare

A roar. Nails scraping against wood. The cry of a bird, the revolting sounds of squelching wounds that oozed blood. Cracking as bones broke.

I've seen this before.

The compound was in ruins. Bodies laid in the streets, shops had broken windows and weapons were embedded in nearly every surface. The surrounding areas, the earth, air, the trees, were all destroyed. Filled with screams, marred by blood, burnt by raging flames. And, of course, each body of water was not blue. It was not reflective of the world around it. It was filled to the top with red.

Why is this happening again?

Why am I dreaming of this?

I was above it all, standing on the edge of a roof. Watching. Waiting. My hands glowed in this dream, my left fingertips drawing dancing blue lines in the air while the right fingertips held the same in red. It meant my powers were awake and I was using them, but what for? I wasn't helping.

I want to help.

Once again, I focused on that familiar head of pink hair; Nathan. A human boy stumbling through the crowd of fighting shifters. There was an arrow through his shoulder, and burn marks up one leg. He was suffering, his face contorted in pain. I could hear him speaking, hear him scream once.

"Kami, no!"

My eyes trailed to the other head of pink hair. She was in her human form as well, and I watched as a large wildcat pounced, its claws raking down her front. A tiger.

I need to save them!

The girl standing on the roof refused to move. That version of me watched as Nathan collapsed, his head facing my way as he screamed one last time in pure agony. Screaming not only for himself, but for Kami.

"Run!"

She did, stumbling away from the tiger that began attacking others. I knew where she was running to. Soon, she'd be at my side, asking me a question I would not hear. Would not remember.

I watched as Nathan slowly went unconscious -- or maybe even died. His eyes fell half-shut, his voice cracking and dying away. With him going still, the tiger shifted its attention from the pink haired siblings to another. A wild cat barely smaller than it, the coat a gleaming yellow with dark spots. Cheetah.

Coraline.

The two clashed. They fought viciously, harder than anyone else. They were matched well, but I found myself watching the crowd around them. The crowd that was down to only a few shifters, most of them laying broken on the ground.

Expectedly, my view point changed from looking down below to looking to my left. There stood Kami, her face stricken with tears, claw marks from her collar to her calf, left there by the tiger. She bled profusely, her face contorted in pain. Her grimace held grief as well, and I saw her glance downward. Fresh tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Why did you let him die?"

My lips formed a silent reply I couldn't comprehend.

Why did I make the choice? I need to know. Damn it, what is going on?!

Anger joined her grief and despair. She said something I didn't comprehend -- but the girl did. I shifted, my wings extending, casting a long shadow on those below. There was another shout, a promise I couldn't understand.

Then, the fire blew up in my face.

Bright. Powerful.

Cold.

And blue.

A scream that I forced myself to bite back on woke me. Something had happened that I couldn't remember, bits and pieces of the dream staying with me. The scream died in my throat, a choking sound replacing it. I rolled out of bed, hitting the ground of my dorm room with a painful thud. Something about blood and fighting, something dangerous, lingered in my mind. Something that was incomprehensible to me in this moment.

I laid face down, forcing myself to breathe as my forehead dug into my rug. I was clawing, clawing at my throat, face and the floor. It hurt, it hurt my heart to see whatever I'd been shown by my own mind.

The terror resided, eventually. I laid on the floor, shifting onto my side, and panted for a good ten minutes.

Just survive today, I told myself, just survive. Day twenty-seven. Make it to day twenty-eight.

Tomorrow, the festival would be over. My new almost-friends would be gone, leaving for their own homes.

It left a bad taste in my mouth.

Shaking off the nightmare, I forced myself to my feet and into the shower. Once I was dressed and ready for the day, I left the room and the negative thoughts behind me. Pushed them down until I felt my mood rise, a carefree attitude taking the place of my fear. A shaky smile rose as well, and I found myself aching for something to do. Trouble to get into. I knew I'd have to train later on, but I had enough time to blow off some steam.

No one stopped me as I slid down the banister, a sheet of ice accompanying me to make it a faster trip. I shot off of it with a shriek of surprise, never having sped myself up before. I grinned, skidding while I tried to regain my balance. A new breath of motivation and confidence filled my lungs -- I would be okay today. The compound would be okay.

Unless I caused too much trouble, though I'd try to avoid it.

Other female students cast me sideways looks as I skipped down the hall, red and blue apprentice bands hitting together as I swung my arms. They pegged me as the girl all the rumours were about, but I found myself almost content with that fact. They respected me, and some of them even gave me friendly looks. Those facts alone made me forget all about my nightmare, and instead, I felt a bubble of happiness in my chest.

I knew exactly what I'd do to cause some mischief.

I ran through the streets, running to the busiest section of shops. Once I was safe in an alley between two stores, I curled one hand into a fist, staring at the smooth surface of the wall. With a cry, I smashed my fist into it, a crack appearing even in the tough brick. I watched with a grin as a white wave of power followed my strike, spreading out even to the busy road. It struck items and people, knocking some over while simply stirring others. I laughed aloud. The waves seemed to cause a ruckus, but they didn't hurt anyone. Not really, save for a few scrapes when someone fell. Before the guards could blame it on me, I ran to the next alley, hitting another wall. This went on for about an hour before I heard something that made my blood run cold and a maniacal giggle bubble up.

"Katrina, you brat!"

Oops, I grinned, Kami's mad.

With that, I ran as quickly as possible, heading for the lake outside of town. Footsteps accompanied mine -- the guards were not only good fighters, but amazing trackers. I'd have an angry python shifter on my hands soon, but I didn't worry. Not like I did that much damage.

I snickered. I told them I was a troublemaker.

Just as I got to the water, I heard a growl that meant that she finally found me. With a shriek, one that was equally amused as it was afraid, I dove in, feeling her nails scrape against my ankle as I just barely avoided her. Using the water, I shot to the center of the lake, laughing. Kami stood at the edge with wet hair from when I dove, the splash soaking most of her clothes as well.

"You better hide! Damn it Katrina!"

All in all, what a good morning.

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