Wolf

It was early morning, the sun had not yet risen over the horizon and Kaida was walking with stealthy steps through the corridors of the Little Palace with her riding boots, her kefta and her hair, as usual gathered in a braid.

She arrived at the stables and there was Okivia.

"Good morning beautiful," Kaida said, pulling from her pocket an apple she had stolen the night before from dinner. "Fancy going for a ride?" Okivia whinnied and Kaida smiled broadly.

Carefully and lovingly, Kaida saddled her horse and before leaving the stable she climbed on.

As she walked through the stable doors another black horse appeared in her field of vision.

"May I join you?" the darkling asked kindly.

Kaida nodded her head. "But we have to hurry, it's getting late and the sun is about to rise" and with those words Kaida galloped off with Kirigan behind her.

Kaida rode into the forest until she reached a small cliff in the highest part of the forest where she could see the beautiful sunrise perfectly.

"It's beautiful," The General said.

"I come here every morning before I start all the training," Kaida explained, watching the sunrise. "But you already knew that," she said with a smile.

"I see you've improved," he said with a smile.

"That's what training is for," she said with a smile"This is the only thing of the day that makes me forget that all the people I live with hate me," Kaida said sadly.

"They're just envious of you," Kirigan said. "Besides, not everyone hates you.... I don't," and after those words Kirigan began to ride back to the Little Palace.

Kaida smiled, took one last look at the sun, now fully risen, and then proceeded to reassure him.

Kaida opened her eyes to see the sun wasn't even rising, she signed in frustration and went back to sleep.

A 7-year-old Kaida walked barefoot on the scratchy ground in the same clothes she wore a year ago.

Her whole body hurt, too much, she could hardly stand, but if she let her tiredness win over her she would receive a punishment and that was the last thing she needed at that moment.

"Come on, Kaida, let's get you some more tests," he said, opening the door to her cell.

"No, please, I don't want to go back to the lab," Kaida said in fear.

"Girl, don't make me make you, you know it will be worse," he said in an annoyed voice.

Knowing it would be much worse for her, Kaida walked out of her cell and began to walk the corridors that almost every day, if not every day, she walked in her bare feet.

The man and she arrived at the lab and as usual made Kaida sit in a chair and strapped her hands and feet together.

The screams of the others could be heard throughout the room and soon they were joined by Kaida's screams.

Kaida woke up screaming and sobbing but as usual no single tear ran down her cheeks.

"Kaida! Are you okay?" Jake asked her worriedly.

"Yes, yes, just a bad dream," she said, trying to calm down her breathing. No one knew about Kaida's live before she was 10.

"You were screaming as if someone was torturing you," Jake said, looking at her really worried.

"I'm fine, let's get ready. We need to find the Stag," she said standing up from the bed.

They got ready in a couple of seconds and left the place. They paid the guy that was taking care of the horse and started riding towards the woods in complete silence.

"Stop here," Kaida said to Jake in a glade of the wood. She got off the horse. "Let's find the Stag,"

Jake got off the horse and fixed his eyes on Kaida, who began to form the purple mist around her. Jake couldn't take his eyes off his best friend, it was the most impressive thing he had ever seen. Purple mist surrounded them both. Kaida opened her eyes and in front of them appeared the perfect image of the Stag in the snowy forest.

Kaida made the image disappear. "You can't say anything about this to anyone. No one knows I'm capable of doing that, and I intend to keep it that way," Kaida explained.

"Not even The Darkling?" Jake asked in surprise.

"Not even him. I guess I never trust anyone enough to tell him all my secrets," Kaida said, lifting her shoulders.

"Yeah, not me either," Jake said in a despondent voice.

"What was that for?" Kaida asked with a frown.

"Because I don't know anything about your past," Jake said frustrated.

"Because it's none of your business," Kaida said, annoyed.

"Yes it is when you wake up screaming saying you don't want to go to the lab," Jake said angrily.

"Stop it! What had happen to me is none of your business and if I don't want to tell you I won't tell you," Kaida said angrily.

"I... I'm sorry, I know your past isn't easy, but I'm worried about you," he said more calmly.

"You don't have to worry about me. Now, come on, I know which way to go to find the Stag." she said not wanting to continue talking about that.

They started walking with the directions Kaida was giving. They spent day and night walking, hugging each other trying to survive the night. Jake hunted a rabbit so they could eat.

The days went through Kaida waking up in the middle of the night because of her nightmare and searching for the Stang and for Sturmhond became something habitual, and she was exhausted.

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"Did you try to locate The Darkling?" Jake asked while they were walking in the middle of the woods.

"Yes, it's impossible, I can't see him, it must be because he's really powerful," Kaida said, concentrating on not falling into the snow.

Suddenly Kaida stopped walking.

"It's everything okay?" Jake asked her.

"Someone is in pain, I can feel it," she said and started running. Jake started to follow her.

They came to an area full of snowy trees and next to one of them was a beautiful snow-white wolf with gold eyes, something that called Kaida's attention, lying with its beautiful fur stained with blood.

Kaida gasped in surprise and ran to him, "Saints, who did this to you?" Kaida asked him with her eyes lit up with tears. Jake stood there looking at her. "Poor animal. You are suffering a lot," she said with tears in her eyes.

"Kaida, you should end his suffering," Jake recommended.

"I know," she said, putting a hand on the wolf's head. Jake handed his knife to her and with a tear running down her cheek she killed the wolf. "I'm so sorry. I truly am," she whispered.

"Come on, he should be around here!" they hear someone scream.

"They are probably the ones that shot him," Jake said.

Anger was the only thing that Kaida was feeling when four men appeared in front of them.

"Hey! Who killed the wolf?" one of them asked angrily.

"I did, but just because you hurted him and he was suffering," Kaida said with anger in her voice.

"That wolf was for us, now you are going to pay," the same said angrily and they all lifted their arms.

"No, you must pay for what you did," Kaida said with anger. Purple mist ran out from her fingers and went towards the men's neck and with one move they fell to the snow neck broken.

Kaida gasped in surprise. "I-I didn't know I could do that," she said in surprise.

"We should bury him," Jake said.

Jake buried the wolf while Kaida tried to process what she did.

"Here, a tooth from him, "Jake said.

"Ho-how did you get it?" she asked him.

"I found a wood stick with it, I thought you would like to have it," he said sitting next to her. Kaid gave him a thank you look and broke a piece of her clothes to make a necklace.

"Come on, we need to find the Stag, we lost too much time," Kaida got up and did what she did days ago, but now something changed.

"I can see the path," she said in amusement.

"What do you mean?" Jake asked, confused.

"Don't you see the mist?"she asked him, pointing at the floor where purple mist was showing her the way.

"No, I don't see anything," he said looking at her confused.

"What the hell? Well, it doesn't matter. Come on, I know where the Stag is," she said with excitement.

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Two days went through after that and they continued walking and Kaida seeing the mist showing her the path towards the Stag.

The sun was falling when they saw a bright light in front of them, Kaida reconiced Alina and she was touching the Stag in the middle of a bubble of light.

Excited, Kaida stood up from behind the bust they were hiding but a feeling came to her and she turned around to see Jake.

"You need to leave," she said.

"What? No. Are you insane?" Jake asked, confused.

"He is here or nearby, you need to leave, right now," she said, clearly stressed.

"The Darkling?"

"Yes, The Darkling, I can feel it, you need to leave, if he sees you, he will use you to control me. You need to go," Kaida said worriedly.

"And where should I go?" he asked.

"Just go, and when all this finish I'll make you know that I'm fine, but please you need to go and me warn Alina,"

"I don't want to leave you," he said.

"Jake, I'm begging you. Go," Jake looked at her unsure.

"Okay, but please let me know if you are okay," he said.

"I'll do it. But now you need to run. Run as fast as you can," Jake nodded and with one last hug he started running. "Alina!" Kaida screamed running towards her.

"Kaida? Wh-what are you doing here?" the sun summoner asked, confused.

"We don't have time, he is here, I can feel it. You need to kill the Stag," Kaida said in a rush.

"No, I can't, I can't do it," Alina said.

"Didn't you hear me? He is near by, we need to leave, but we can't leave the Stag alive, if we do that he would kill him,"

"I can't..."

An arrow flew towards the Stag making him fall to the snow "You should have listened to her, Alina," the voice was clear and cold. Kaida's body tensed and slowly turned around. Kaida put her hands together ready to fight. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Unless you want me to hurt your little friend," The Darkling pointed behind and a Grisha walked to the front holding Jake.

Kaida's eyes opened in surprise and fear. "Leave him out of this" she said.

"I'm sorry, but no. He is the only way I have to control you," he said with a smile.

"I'm sorry, they were just behind us, so when I started running they took me," Jake apologized.

Kaida shook her head "It's not your fault," she said.

The Darkling raised his hands and Kaida knew what he was going to do, but before she could do anything Alina got in the middle. Luckily, he was able to turn his body in time to not kill Alina. Kaida breath in realive.

All humor was gone from the Darkling's face as he slammed his hands together and a huge wall of rippling dark- ness surged forward, engulfing Alina, Mal and the stag. Light bloomed in a pulsing, glowing sphere, sur- rounding Alina and Mal, keeping the darkness at bay and blind- ing their attackers.

"Impressive," said the Darkling, "Baghra taught you far too well. But you're not strong enough for this, Alina."

"I'm not going to let you get to the Stag," Kaida said, getting in front of him.

"I don't want to hurt you, Kaida. Get out of my way," he said really serious.

"No, if you want the Stag you need to get over me," the brunette said, putting her hands together to form the cut. The Darkling noticed that and created the cut making both of the crash.

Kaida fell to the snow without strength, the cut took more of her energy than she thought.

"Take her," the Darkling ordered. Ivan walked towards her and grabbed her from the floor.

"Kaida," Jake called her worriedly.

"You can't have the Stag," Kaida said, trying to sound stronger than she was feeling.

"Kaida, leave it, you are about to pass out," The Darkling said. Kaida thought there was worry in his eyes, but she knew it was just a fake, he didn't love her, and that truth hurted her.

"No," she said, fighting Ivan. The purple mist started to fly out of her hands.

"If you try something I'll kill him," he said pointing at Jake. Scared of losing him, Kaida made the mist disappear, "Good girl,"

Kaida didn't know what was going on inside the light, but she knew Alina wasn't strong enough against the Darkling and that her light would disappear at any moment.

The light disappeared and all Kaida could hear was Mal's scream and Alina trying to find him.

When the darkness disappeared two guards were holding Alina and other two Mal.

"Be still or I'll kill you where you stand," Ivan snarled at Mal.

"Leave him alone!" Alina shouted.

"Shhhhhh." The Darkling walked toward her, one finger held to his lips, which were curled into a mocking smile. "Quiet now, or I will let Ivan kill him. Slowly."

Kaida tried to get free from the guard that was holding her, she didn't want to see Stag die, she didn't want to feel it, she had made a connection with him to find it, and she didn't want to feel it.

"We wasted enough time," The Darkling said. He strode forward and without hesitating slit the stag's throat.

Kaida screamed in pain and fell to the floor on her knees. She was painting on the cold snow, it hurt a lot, too much.

"Kaida!" Jake screamed really worried.

"Put her down to sleep. We will wake her up for the Fold," The Darkling ordered.

"No. No!" Kaida started to scream terrified, she didn't want to sleep, she didn't want to have nightmares.

Ivan walked towards her and then, the world turned black for Kaida.