Faira shouted as she looked back toward Marianne only to find the woman right in front of her. Before Faira could back away, the woman grabbed her hand, and the remainder of her flames extinguished as a chill spread up her arm. Her lungs and mouth refused to work as Marianne continued to speak.

Faira swallowed hard as the woman backed away, feeling as if she had dodged a bullet as Marianne waved farewell and disappeared. Taking a deep breath, she looked to the floor, a good portion of her willpower going to keeping her on her feet.

[i]Don’t collapse again. Don’t collapse again,[/i] she begged herself before her attention snapped back forward as the snarls grew louder and the forms of the wolves seemed to materialize.

“What, [i]hellhounds?[/i]” she groaned. She tilted her head slightly toward Little Ann, her hand moving to grip the girl’s arm as one wolf gazed hungrily at the child. “H-hang on to me tight,” she whispered as she reached for the feel of her powers for what felt the thousandth time that day—or perhaps night.

[i]Now![/i] she ordered mentally as the wolves leapt forward, Faira turning and bending to grip the child in hug. With her back momentarily to the beast, both she and Ann melted into shadow. 

No sooner had the two turned into a large gray puddle, than the dog landed atop where they had stood

With the world around them still visible--shadows only looking darker and more like tangible objects as they clung in the corners, and colors appearing a bit more vibrant--Faira instinctively directed their shadowed forms as the patch of darkness shot across the floor.

The wolf snarled in anger at losing its prey, its body turning to keep its target in its sight.

In the blink of an eye, the shadow rose and formed back into Faira a fair distance from the wolf, the child still in her arms. The wolf turned its snarling maul toward them, and its body sunk as it readied to leap again.

In one smooth motion, Faira straightened, pushed the child back behind her, and extended a hand toward the beast as it lunged. A ball of flame shot from her hand and hit the wolf mid-leap, its force sending the creature off course and making the stench of burning fur rise through the hall.

It landed a few feet away, skidding slightly across the floor before it righted itself, foam gathering around its mouth. It turned its feral gaze back to them, but as it got to its feet, laser bolts shot through it from Conna’Cel’s gun.

With a whimper, the beast fell limply to the floor.

With a vocal sigh, Faira looked to the robot man. “Thanks,” she breathed, then looked to Ann, her voice shaking slightly as she addressed the child. “You okay?”