The Shifters: Katrina
Part Two - Ch.28: the Friend

We had no choice but to split up, especially when I realized Sam and Max had gone off on their own already. The plan was to lay in wait until the hunters showed themselves. Our group of twelve became four different teams, each with a specific person who would alert the others if the hunters ever appeared. Luke, Rowan, myself and Cory were leaders. Luke had Ben and Wyatt with him, Rowan had Antonio and Anna, Cory had Dani and Liam. That left me with Sonya and Emma. My team took the earth entrance and Luke's took the air entrance, which made them opposite of us. The entrance to my team's right was fire, where Rowan took Antonio and Anna. Last was the water entrance, manned by Cory, Liam and Dani. Each team had at least one person who could control their entrance.

Before the other teams could leave, I pulled the three leaders to the side.

"Listen," I told them, "this is dangerous. If anything happens, just run. This isn't our job, remember? We're just doing this until Coraline can help us. Gene and Chloe will be back with reinforcements in no time."

Rowan and Luke nodded while Cory gulped. "Katrina, are you sure we're strong enough for this?"

Oh, Cory, I thought. He was always so playful, so peppy. It hurt to think that he was afraid now.

I steeled myself, fixing a confident stare onto my face. "We have to be, Cory," I said firmly. "I believe in us."

He exhaled slowly before mustering up a small smile. "Okay. I'm good to go."

The four of us shared a nod before the boys took their teams away. Sonya, Emma and I positioned ourselves near the earth entrance. Both of my friends still with me had control over the earth, and I was hoping that they'd be able to keep the entrance shut tight.

Minutes passed before anything happened. I heard a roar across the compound, but forced myself to stay still. If anything happened, one of the three on a team would be sent out to notify the others.

"I'm worried for them," Sonya blurted as another roar crossed to our position. "That could be Luke."

"Stick to the plan," I ordered. I didn't care about being bossy at that point. I cared about making sure everyone was safe.

I cared so much that I missed the dirty look Sonya gave me.

If only I'd seen it.

However, I was too busy focusing on the entrance. There was a slight rumble from the tunnel, one that meant the wall of stone on the other side was moving. I remembered passing through it with the guards. It was a dark, long tunnel, but not one that would stall the hunters forever.

"They're here, too," I hissed. "Quick, you two, bury the entrance to the cave."

Emma nodded. "On it!"

I kept my eyes on the open mouth of the tunnel, seeing Emma's hands glow green in my peripherals. She was able to crumble the sides of the opening before the movement stopped. Pieces of dirt mid-air froze as well, as if someone was contradicting Emma's control. Sweat rolled down her forehead.

"Emma?" I prodded. The two earth shifters were on either side of me, meaning my face was turned away from Sonya as I stared at Emma. "What's wrong?"

"Someone... Someone stronger than me is keeping it open. I... I can't close it."

I scowled. Either they had a shapeshifter with them, or someone on my side was screwing with me.

My mind flickered to the hill Rowan and I hand been on. The broken branches on the floor and disturbed plant life. They had to have been from whoever was spying on us, but the only thing I'd found in that forest was Sonya as a panda. The routes she'd taken were the easiest for her to squeeze through, which would've disturbed any bushes she rustled along the way.

Sonya, who was able to manipulate earth and similar materials.

I tensed.

My instincts kicked in just in time to push Emma out of the way of the bear. Somehow, she'd managed to catch both of us off guard. Emma was sprawled in the bushes as I landed flat on my back, head hitting the ground with a painful thud. I was pinned, pinned by the giant black and white form above me.

I can't believe you figured it out just in a nick of time, Sonya's voice echoed in my head.

"No. It couldn't be you," I gasped, trying to blink away the dark spots in my vision. "You were always the nicest person, Sonya."

Her weight kept me down, pressing into me from all sides. The panda was relatively harmless still, just effective at keeping me useless as Emma groaned and the sound of footsteps became louder. They were in the cave, and therefore the footsteps of hunters.

You don't get my struggles, Katrina, Sonya thought to me, her mental tone harsh and unforgiving. I was soft. Everyone always thought of me as nice. Not powerful. Not strong. A liability. No one recognized any of my potential.

Not until I got an offer I couldn't refuse.

"So the hunters bribed you?!" I demanded. "Is that it?"

Her laughter filled my head. No, of course not. I still love our species, Katrina. Just not this compound. Not anymore. I got an offer from someone powerful, and they had a connection with the hunters, she purred, but naturally, I love seeing the hunters appreciate my utility.

I growled. "You wanted praise, is that it?"

Sonya snapped in my face. I nearly flinched, but was instead more worried about Emma and the hunters coming out of the tunnel. I estimated about half a minute left before they came through.

I wanted praise for skill, something you have been getting since we first got knocked on our asses by those power waves of yours!

"You don't know what you're talking about," I sneered. I kept the red glow hidden as heat, and to my surprise, real fire built up on my palms. Sonya's black eyes twinkled with hatred, but before she could hurt me, I twisted my wrists and grabbed whatever part of her I could, flames licking up from my skin and onto her. The panda yelped, leaping to its feet and examining the burns on its legs. With the distraction in place, I began to roll, taking Sonya with me. The panda lost balance as I rolled into two of its legs, knocking it to the ground. Getting to my feet, I grabbed Emma and yanked her upward, keeping her as steady as possible.

"Emma."

She looked at me in a daze.

I snapped my fingers in front of her face. "Emma."

Alert and wide eyed, Emma looked from me to Sonya. "What is it?"

"Tell the others the hunters are here, at this entrance. And that there's at least two rogues. Sonya's one of them. Use your form to hide."

Emma, a chameleon, wouldn't move as fast as someone that could sprint like a horse or fly, but she was hard to catch. Sonya and her helpers would have a hard time barreling through me and stopping Emma from getting help. The girl processed my orders and ran into the bushes, shifting within seconds. That left me alone, standing between Sonya and the hunters that were spilling out of the tunnel.

I bit down on my bottom lip, hard. The pain kept my head clear as I switched between watching the hunters and watching Sonya. The panda shifter had turned back, standing as a proud, white haired teenage girl instead of a lumbering bear. Green glow coated her entire body from head to toe as she glared at me.

"Go on ahead, hunters," Sonya ordered. "My leader will be waiting for you."

"The tiger, miss?"

Sonya glared at the hunter who spoke. My throat went dry as I pictured the nightmare. There weren't enough hunters for the exact scene to happen, but it didn't stop me from worrying. If a tiger was really behind this, then I didn't know what to do anymore.

Except for preventing my nightmare from becoming reality.

A growl rumbled up in my throat. Before the hunters could move, thirteen of them in total, ice shot from my fingertips. One arm was completely covered in blue glow while the other had red, the ice taking form of the hunters' legs and gluing each one to the ground.

I turned my back on them, glaring at Sonya.

"If they want to pass, someone is going to have to kill me."

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