Moon Kissed

This is my best friends work, she's currently working on this idea and would like feedback so i said i'd post it on my site :) please let us know what you think :)

Moon Kissed
By
Midnight Monroe

19 Years previous...

Clarissa ran as fast as she could over the snow covered hills, her destination unknown as she clung to her child for dear life. Her husband was behind, murdered in front of her very eyes by those who should have protected her. Tears fell down her rosy cheeks as she tried to refrain from jolting her baby awake. She could hear them pursuing her, of course they would, and they wouldn’t stop until her innocent daughter’s blood stained the snow beneath her feet. How they could be so heartless she didn’t know. Was it not they who swore at her birth, with their very lives, that they would protect her child? Yet here they were, not two months later hunting her down like some rabid animal.
The snap of a twig had her changing her direction, heading further into the wild lands owned by the shifters. She knew she shouldn’t and that it was forbidden, but her heart could not witness the murder of her child too. Suddenly her breath caught in her throat, her feet coming to an abrupt halt as two snow leopards step out from a nearby bush.
“Please ... help me ... she’s just a child!” Came her own breathless plea to these two stunning creatures that belonged to the wild. The one to her left let out a throaty warning sound, its warm breath circulating within the cold air. “.... Please.” She begged as she dropped to her knees before them. If they should kill her, she would be fine with that, just as long as they protected her child. The smaller one of the two, the female she presumed, stepped forward. Clarissa held her breath, and slowly but surely she extended out her child to the leopard. She watched in fascination as the leopard stepped closer, stopped then stepped again. She presumed it was the male who was doing the low sound of a growl, but she couldn’t be sure. Who knew how many of these creatures were watching the interaction. Finally the female reached her and nuzzled the baby within her arms, no doubt picking out its scent as most animals do before lowering her head.
Not quite knowing what to do, Clarissa placed a kiss to her daughters head before placing her gently upon the snow beneath the leopard’s feet. Another low growl came from the other leopard as she released her child and slowly shuffled back upon her knees, watching fearfully as the male stepped closer to her daughter. Slowly and cautiously he did the same, his nose sniffing her child before looking up the female and letting out a small gruff noise. Small as she was, Sabina raised her tiny hand up and out towards the leopard, her small fingers gently touching its nose causing a small rumbling sound to come from the male. She watched as the female padded off, and not moment later a slender woman in a long coat coming out from where the leopard had left only a moment ago.
“What is her name?” The slender woman announced as she picked up Clarissa’s baby girl. “Sabina” She whispered, only to watch the woman shake her head, in confusion she mimicked her and shook her own head. “She will be called Skyler from here out, and she will know of your bravery and sacrifice. She will be raised as one of the pack, taught in only our ways and laws. Do you agree to these terms?” She declared, and will a small nod from Clarissa she turned and walked away into the bush. A single tear fell at the short and brief goodbye that she’d had with her only daughter, her blessed daughter who’d been born under a blood red moon. She looked to the male leopard who still continued to watch her, and with a small gruff he turned and padded off after the woman. Clarissa wept then, truly wept for all the things that had come to pass in her life. Her marriage to the love of her life, who was now murdered upon the snow covered hills of Laguna Capri, and her beautifully baby girl who was now to be brought up in the hands of those that should not have touched her fair skin.
“Sabina.” She whispered as she looked up to the heavens, no doubt she’d be joining her beloved husband soon. “There she is! Where is the demon child witch?” Came the gruff voice of a hunter as he pushed her forwards, she landed face first in the snow before rolling onto her back to look at the sky. She had no reason to fear death, she knew it would be painful, but she’d be free so soon from this savage way of life. Who knew life could end up so divided and cruel?
A loud echo of a gunshot reverberated around her as she felt a heated pain inside of her hip, bringing up her hand she noticed smears of her blood upon her fingers. Sick with the sight she let her hand fall upon her stomach. So this was how she was to die? She felt more pressure to her side as someone stumbled upon her, pressing down their weight as they straddled her tiny waist.
“We’ll ask again, where is the child?” Came a new voice, and she looked upon her new attacker. He was your average hunter, built big in size, his hair cut short as he looked down upon her. Suddenly he gripped onto her throat, her hands instinctively went onto his to loosen his grip, but he kept gradually adding more pressure to her windpipe. “I don’t think she’s getting the message Joe, how about putting another round ...” One hand released her throat as his fingers travelled to the opposite side of her shot hip, “...here.” And without a seconds hesitation he leaned aside slightly as the other hunter shot yet another bullet into her body. She knew her muffled scream had echoed out, but just how far she didn’t know. Maybe someone would hear and save her from this cruel fate, but she was wishing for a miracle and the last had happened when she’d given birth to Sabina. The hunter leaned forward as a tear slid across her cheek, she tried to move, but could only cry more in disgust as he leant closer still to lick the tear from her face. How could one act feel so repulsive to her every senses? She wanted to gag, scratch that; she would have if it wasn’t for his gigantic hand holding her throat hostage.
“You are going to tell us!” He growled near her ear, but she simply refused and turned her face from him as best she could. Like hell would she give up her daughter, her daughter was going to live whether that meant giving up her life or not. He moved only slightly, but it was enough to cause her to bite her lip in pain as she felt more blood seep into the snow beneath her.
“I want my turn with the wench!” Came the original hunter’s voice that’d pushed her down into the snow. The other male smiled down at her, his jaw clenched tight yet his crooked teeth were still visible. He caressed her cheek ever so softly. “Play nice my little pretty.” And with that he got up off her body. She wanted to crawl away, cry and scream. Anything, just as long as they’d let her be. She managed to roll onto her stomach with a groan, her nails digging into the soft snow trying to drag her battered body away. “Well look what we have here, seems like we got ourselves a crawler!” They laughed, but she didn’t care, she just wanted to go. Her body was instantly shoved down harder into the snow as one of them sat roughly upon her back, and grabbing a fistful of her long hair he yanked back her head.
“Where are you going honey?” He asked in sick and twisted way, her insides practically screamed and begged to be free of him. His breath was hot on the back of her neck, his breath foul like the heavy smoker and drinker she assumed him to be. Using his free hand he forced her face to the side and she cried out in pain, he kept a firm grip of both her face and hair as he leaned forward on her back to savagely kiss her lips. In anger she bit on his lip causing him to howl in pain and pull back, and the look he gave her made her realise that was to be the biggest mistake of her life. In an act of pure undiluted aggression he forced her face into the snow so that she couldn’t breathe, she batted helplessly at the snow until he got up and flipped her back onto her back and straddled her again. She noticed a small drop of blood that beaded up on his lower lip, her mind smiled at the fact that she’d had some ounce of revenge. “You think that’s funny?” He demanded, outraged at the possibility that a woman had got the better of him. His hand came out of nowhere as his slap forced her face to the side, she could feel the sting of it on her lip too, no doubt he’d split it open. Before she had time to even think he roughly grabbed her face and forced her to once again look upon him, his smug smile evident as he loomed above her. What did she ever do to deserve this punishment the fates had handed to her?
“Let’s get this finished, you heard the boss, he wants the kid not her!” The guy standing said as he looked down upon her in disgust. With one last savage kiss upon her cold lips the hunter got up off her with a smile, her heart beat erratically knowing what was soon to come. There they stood, side by side both looking down upon her in satisfaction. They glanced upon each other once more before they looked back to her, she could feel her heart hammering in her chest. The loud thrum of its beats pulsing in her ears over the sounds of their voices, they were saying something important but she simply couldn’t hear them. Her eyes were focused intently upon the gun that was now being aimed in the direction of her heart, then down to her stomach and slowly up to her shoulder. They were toying with her; the sadistic thugs were actually toying with life sentence. She felt fresh tears build as they kept re-directing their aim across her body, her vision blurred as they went higher then lower. Why couldn’t her death have been simple like her husband’s?
She finally let go of her tears as she used up her last remaining strength to mourn, in her last possible moments of life she cried for the death of her husband and the loss of her beautiful baby girl. And what for, all for the damn prophecy foretold more than forty years ago, that’s what. Finally the hunters looked down upon her one last time, their discussion at an end as they raised the gun in aim of her head. Her time had finally come; she was at peace with herself. She said a small prayer to the heavens as she dropped back into the snow and closed her eyes her mind finally....

The gun echoed one last time into the night, the hunters angry at their loss of the child yet satisfied that they had claimed yet another life. In time they knew they would once again reclaim the child, and when that time came, the prophecy would cease to exist as they lay down her blood as a sacrifice.

Author's Note

ignore any grammar errors as this only a first write, please provide feedback on everything please :) all views welcome xxx