Feral Magic

finally met his gaze.
Can I? His eyes seemed to ask.
Zak leaned toward her and somehow her body leaned back, closing the distance. She could taste the hot air between them now, could almost—
“Zak, we need you—”
Vixin pulled away, hiding the red blotches she could already feel rising to the surface.
Sam averted his gaze, suddenly interested in the night sky. “Um, sorry, I uh. Actually, it can wait.”
Zak huffed. “You’re already here, what is it?” Vixin couldn’t bring herself to look at Sam and instead focused her attention on the little model she’d created. Or tried to. With her heart racing the way it was, Vixin wasn’t sure she could focus on anything but the proximity of the young man who’d almost—
Sam cleared his throat. “We wanted to run the hunting rounds by you.”
Vixin released her breath. Right, there were more important things than her raging teenage hormones. For a few fleeting moments she’d forgotten they were on the run, without a home or food.
“Go ahead,” she said. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Reluctantly, Zak stood, gave her a last lingering look and followed Sam. She laid back in the grass and her breathing returned to normal. A cool breeze ruffled the trees and the heat in her cheeks dissipated.
Vixin kept trying to convince herself this wasn’t the time or place to be having such feelings. But if not now, when? When could she explore something beyond the bounds of friendship? When they were safe? Judging from everything she’d already experienced, safety was a long way off.
Vixin counted the long minutes until Zak’s return. He paused before her, but she didn’t open her eyes. “I’m not asleep if that’s what you’re wondering.”
He sighed and sat down on the other side of her mini model. “You probably should be.” She didn’t comment. “About earlier.”
“Don’t worry about it.” The lure of sweet darkness was close now. Her body had become one with the ground, her mind drifting with the foggy images behind her eyelids.
Vixin faintly heard Zak chuckle. “In the morning then.”

Chapter Eight
Rain, rain, and more rain. It’d soaked through every pore in her body. Even at night, she couldn’t completely escape. A fire only served to dry the outer layers and with the fear of pursuers, they didn’t have time to stop for anything more than food and light rest.
Zak hadn’t made another move on her and Vixin couldn’t decide if it were due to the miserable weather or their current situation. Truthfully, she was grateful. Between the hunger, cold, and bugs she might have bitten his head off.
Vixin heard the water long before she saw the raging current. Those at the front of the line collapsed in the wet grass, no longer caring if it soaked into their clothes. Some pulled out food, eating sodden meat and edible plants. They were losing hope, too tired to see the end was near.
Vixin stalked past them and stood at the river’s edge. It rolled and roared, licking her shoes with the promise of a painful death.
She steadied herself and ran an invisible hand over her magic. It no longer stung, but something still fought against her, as if it were warning her that it wasn’t quite ready. She grasped it anyway and twisted the power that flowed through her veins down through her feet and into the earth.
She searched the seedlings, taking hold of the sturdiest plants before dragging them through the mud. They sprouted, rising up and up and up until they bent from the weight and collapsed into the water. Those around her gasped and many stood, questions passing between them.
The current yanked at her creation, threatening to pull it from her grasp, but Vixin rooted the vines into the rocky bottom, digging for a foothold deep in the earth. Her plants crawled among the stones, anchoring themselves along the way before emerging on the other side. She rooted the ends into the earth, took a breath, and lifted.
The plants grew, rising above the current to give them safe passage.
The four people in their group able to use earth magic joined her, weaving their power into the anchor points on land. If they’d had carts or horses, she knew the bridge wouldn’t have held.
Vixin tottered, but Sam grabbed her elbow. She bristled at the touch, almost outright recoiled, but caught herself. “Hang in there,” was all he said before heading across the makeshift bridge.
Each eyed her, most reluctant to step foot on the swaying structure and she didn’t blame them. The way the current swirled and raged was enough to make even her skin crawl.
Vixin crossed after Zak and upon hitting the muddy bank on the opposite shore, she released her hold. Instantly, the bridge collapsed, and the river swallowed it like a starving animal.
She let a slow smile creep to her lips. Despite the misery of the rain, it had covered their tracks and now a river separated them from their enemy. It was just a matter of time now.
That night, they found a patch of trees and nestled against the trunks. No one bothered with a shelter, and most only removed their shoes to flex waterlogged skin.
Vixin studied their surroundings and let her gaze linger on the meadow beyond. Not a single light shone from within the darkness. She knew they needed to scout the area, ensure potential neighbors were a long way off, but she’d had enough of the rain and cold.
Vixin coaxed her magic into four trees. Those seated against them yelped in surprise, but she paid them no mind as she walked toward their center.
The trees grew and grew until their canopy blotted out the moonless sky. She let the branches tangle together then slithered vines halfway up the trunks. They circled to create a thick knot before reaching toward one another, intertwining