Prompt + story

Prompt: "Just take a deep breath or something!"    "TAKE A DEEP BREATH? It feels like my insides are being RIPPED OUT!" 

The air between the forest and mountains was chilly to say the least, even in the middle of summer. Zain and Emma's group had split up, so they could patrol in pairs. The four of them had walked through the forest together, made a rendezvous point, and then gone in different directions. 

Emma looked over at the mountains. They were so close, she could almost touch them, but before leaving camp, Master Eligio (Who served as camp director) had warned them only to watch the mountains, never to touch them or walk on their rock. 

She'd only found out there were mountains yesterday, despite spending three summers at camp, defending the magic forest. Her thoughts drifted back to the mountain. It was a snowy white, even just five feet from ground level, which Emma found strange, but then again, if the forest was magic if everyone back at camp could change into animals, if she'd seen a dragon attack two years ago, then what could possibly stop snow from being this low on the mountain during mid-summer?

"I'm hungry," Zain complained from next to her. The tips of his messy black hair were turning white with frost, and his hand kept drifting to the sword at his side as if making sure it was still there. He was tall and tan, just as he'd been when they'd first met three years ago. 

"Here," Emma replied, handing him a sandwich from her pack.

"You carry around sandwiches?" He raised an eyebrow, but he accepted the chicken sandwich and took a bite.

"You don't?" She countered.

"I definitely should," He wiped his hands on his pants. The dude sure could inhale food.

They stopped for a moment, and Emma looked down at her watch 1:16 it read. She sighed, two more hours until someone else's shift.

"Why do you think we're patrolling here?" Zain wondered. 

"I dunno, same as everywhere else, I guess," Emma answered.

"Nah, I think there's-"

He was interrupted by an arrow piercing his arm. Zain staggered, looking at the arrow in surprise like he couldn't believe it was there. Emma turned from her friend back to the mountain, knocking an arrow on her own bow. 

At the base stood a young girl, maybe a year older than Emma. 16? She held a bow, and a quiver was slung across her back. Her frost-covered chocolate brown hair was braided to one side and she wore white and grey armor over a T-shirt, and Emma wondered how the girl wasn't shivering in the slightest. The armor matched her white boots, which Emma could tell were concealing daggers. On her forehead, there was a metal circlet emblazoned with a small diamond at the tip.

The newcomer smiled and her eyes - pale frosty blue - twinkled maliciously. 

"Emmalyn Jade," She said, using Jade as a surname instead of the middle. She had the guts to call Emma by her full name. No One called her 'Emmalyn,' she never even told anyone that was her name, she always introduced herself as Emma.

"How do you know my name?" She demanded. "Why did you shoot my friend? And who are you?!"

The girl kept smiling as she regarded Zain, who had sat down was trying to get the arrow out of his bicep.

"I am Eira of the mountain, but I wouldn't expect you to know about us."

Emma pulled the arrow further back. "What do you want?"

"Me?" Eira smirked. "I was only sent to give you a message. A warning."

Zain suddenly flinched so hard he hit his head on the tree he was leaning on. Through clenched teeth, he grunted,

"Poison Arrows-"

Eira nodded, not at all concerned. Emma let the arrow fly, a warning shot. She knelt next to Zain and extracted Eira's arrow. Then, she bandaged the wound quick as possible and crosses her fingers she'd done it right. She wasn't a medic, but everyone at camp knew some first aid.

Zain's eyes widened and he let loose a scream.

"Jeez," Eira rolled her eyes. "Just take a deep breath or something."

"TAKE A DEEP BREATH?" Zain yelled. "It feels like my insides are being RIPPED OUT!"

Eira made a face like she was considering this, and Emma fixed her with a death glare. Her deep brown eyes boring into Eira's. 

"Fix him," She commanded. 

"Oh I'd love to, but sadly, I don't have medical supplies or training," Eira replied, calmly with a hint of and-I-don't-really-care in her voice.

Emma silently weighed her options. She decided her best chance was to call for Harriet and Jax. She morphed into a lion and roared her loudest roar, then she was human again.

Eira looked slightly shocked as if she'd never seen a person turn into an animal and back before, but she stood her ground and didn't run away screaming, which Emma had to give her credit for.

Zain, on the other hand, still had his face contorted in an expression that screamed 'I'M IN AGONY!' and didn't seem to care about the transformation thing, probably because the guy regularly ran around in the as a wolf.

"You had a message for us? Speak up," Emma growled, turning back to face Eira.

"Not you, specifically. Your entire camp," She replied flatly. "Keep out of the forest, the spirits are loose."

Then she turned and with incredible ease ran back up the mountain. 

"THAT'S IT?" Emma screamed. "YOU JERK, COME BACK HERE AND EXPLAIN YOURSELF! THAT'S LESS A WARNING AND MORE A THREAT YOU FOUL-"

She screamed some choice words, although she knew Eira couldn't hear her. She only stopped yelling when she remembered why she'd start. She turned towards Zain, who grunted. Emma helped him into a laying position on the ground and gripped his hand. 

"Stay with me, okay? You're going to be fine, just breathe."

The leaves rustled, and Emma drew her bow as two figures emerged from the woods. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw their faces and put her bow back on her back.

"What happened?" Harriet questioned. Jaxton winced when he noticed Zain on the ground. 

"No time!" Emma heaved Zayn up and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Jaxton hurried forward and wrapped the other arm around his own shoulders. 

"Emma, what's going on?" Harriet demanded. 

"Poison arrow! Details later!" 

Harriet needed no more, she immediately morphed into her animal form- a large barn owl. She hooted urgently and flew off, probably to play advanced scout or get the medics ready.

Jaxton and Emma ran as best as they could, Zain unconscious between them. They reached camp and found two medics waiting. 

They took over immediately, and within a few minutes, Zain's breathing steadied and he was taken to the infirmary to recover completely. Harriet found Emma and Jaxton trying to catch their breath on the green.

"Details, now."