The Shadow of the Sharpshot (by Glamour and Fallon)

## Prologue

Eagle Sharpshot shot out of the burning building, clutching something very tenderly in his arms against his chest and protecting it as he skidded in the snow.  When he stopped, he opened his eyes and looked down at his precious bundle, a young girl not yet five.  He cradled her in his arms as he stood up, slightly wincing at the small burns on his arms and wings.  Wrapping the child in his cloak and setting her down behind a tree, he rushed back to burning house to retrieve two others.

By the time he had pulled them out a safe distance away, they were already dead.  With tears in his eyes, he buried them under the snow and walked home, carrying the child in his arms.

## Chapter One

A girl of about nine with hair as black as night and eyes as green as emerald burst out of the thicket. She continued to sprint, her hair flying out behind her. A look of determination spread across her face. As she leapt over a fallen tree, a loud rustling came from the bushes behind her. The girl spun around, her hands balled into fists. Suddenly a large creature burst out of the thicket, snarling. His amber eyes were narrowed and he crept towards the girl, fangs bared.

“Amarok!” The girl cried, grinning. “You scared me!”

The wolf barked, his tail wagging playfully. The girl stepped forward, patting Amarok, her smile widening as the massive wolf licked her hand.

Suddenly a loud, worried voice called out, causing the girl to jump. “LAYLA?!”

“I’m over here!” Layla called back. A tall, serious looking man with silvery hair and cornflower-blue eyes burst out from the bushes, panting. He ran up to Layla and wrapped his arms around her.

“Don’t ever run off like that!” He said, his worried face wrinkled and pale.

Layla bowed her head, sadly. “I’m sorry Beech,” She mumbled. “I just needed to go for a run. I wasn’t planning to go this far. But then I heard something and got scared. But it was only Amarok.” She said, nodding at the huge wolf.

Beech nodded and started to walk back in the direction they had come. “Let’s go back. Sequoia will be worried.”

Thirty minutes later, they arrived at a clearing. A cottage made of wood and straw sat in the middle, surrounded by a large garden and a fountain. The stepped through the open door, taking off their coats. Layla immediately went down to Beech and Sequoia’s room. “Sequoia?” She called. Opening the door, she stepped inside. Layla screamed. “BEECH!!!!!”

The man ran down into the room. He gasped and tears ran down his face. “Layla, go to the living room and wait for me.” He said, quietly. As Layla stepped out of the room, Beech turned back. A small, petite woman was lying on a bed. She was extremely pale and her eyes were open- glassy and lifeless. She was dead.

## Chapter Two

The nine-year-old Agell with pale blonde hair and bright silver-blue eyes giggled as she ducked behind a snow-covered pine tree, the sound of a snowball hitting the trunk just a second after she did so.

“That’s cheat’n!”  a young voice cried.

“Is not!”  she shouted back, making a tightly packed snowball in her hands.  Suddenly, snow was dumped on top of her head and she screamed, turning red with fury when she heard the three different laughs.

“Gotcha!”

She stood up abruptly, glaring at her three older brothers.  “That’s not funny, Arctic!  Not *fair* either!”

The darker blonde Agell laughed out loud, throwing his head back as he ruffled the top of her head.  “Take it easy, squirt.”  He opened his eyes, his dark blue eyes dancing with delight.

“Stop calling me “squirt”!”  she yelled at them.  She tried throwing snow at her two older brothers but they dodged them.  Growling at them, she ran away in the snow, opening her white wings and flying away.

*Always picked on; always the brunt of their pranks, I hate every bit of it!*  She wiped the tears that were forming in her eyes, her face gets hard and her eyes sharp.  *I’ll show them.  I’ll train hard and prove to them that I’m stronger than all* three *of them.*

She used her foot to break off a branch form a tree, pulling out her small dagger and started to whittle away the tiny pieces to create her first bow and a few arrows.

*I’ll show them just what it means to be a Sharpshot!*

## Chapter Three

*Layla stared at the man standing in front of her in disbelief.*

*"You're tricking me! My parents didn't die in a fire! You are my father! And Sparrow is my mother! You can't be my uncle!" Tears rolled down her face. Eagle stared at her, sadly.*

*"It is true. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner." He answered, his face blank. Layla looked at her cousin, desperately. "Please tell me it isn't true Fly!"*

*Fly looked away, not wanting to make eye contact with her. Layla let out a sob and turned on her heel, spreading her white wings and taking off. If Fly or Eagle yelled, she didn't hear them. She didn't hear anything. She couldn't see anything either. A strange sensation filled her. Layla was falling. And falling. And falling.*

Layla woke up with a start. Sweating, she reached towards the light switch. After a couple of minutes of groping round in the darkness, she flicked the light on. White light filled the room, as Layla sat up, frowning. She'd been having that dream every night now since Sequoia died. Layla had no idea why. This was the first time she'd dreamed about running away, but she could still remember it vividly. After she had fallen into the forest, she was rescued by Beech and Sequoia. They took her in and raised her as their own. She'd lived with them ever since.

Layla frowned again. *Should I tell Beech about this? Nah, he'll over-react. But I've got to do something!*With a decisive nod, she turned to look out her window.

## Chapter Four

"ARCTIC!!!" Fly screamed, dripping wet. She shook out her white Agell wings and glared at her older brother. "You're such an idiot!" She yelled. "That wasn't funny!"

"It sure was." Arctic said, high-fiving Polar and Osprey. He doubled over, laughing. "Your face!"

Fly glared at her brothers again and stalked out of the room. "Mum!" She cried.

Sparrow Sharpshot looked up from her book. "Hmmm?"

"Arctic filled up a bucket and put it on my door! And now I'm soaking!" She whined.

Sparrow rolled her eyes. "Those boys are such pranksters." She didn't seemed too worried about it.

Fly frowned. "Aren't you going to tell them off?" She asked.

"Well, it's just water, isn't it? You'll survive."

Fly threw up her arms in annoyance and stomped off. She opened the front door and slammed it shut, fuming. Spreading her wings, she took off, heading towards the forest close to their house. She always went there when her brothers were being idiots. Which was quite alot.

As Fly soared over the thick, green trees, she smiled. The sky was her happy place. Feeling the wind in her hair was magical.

Suddenly she spotted something in the trees below. A hooded figure jumped from tree to tree, while a large wolf chased her below.

*That person is being chased!* Fly thought, frantically. *What should I do? That wolf's twice the size of me!*

The figure dropped out of a tree and landed on the wolf's back. Fly relaxed. *Oh, he's tame.* As the person patted the wolf, her hood fell down. Fly frowned. *Where have I seen her before?* The girl had raven-black hair, the greenest eyes Fly had ever seen and pale skin.

The girl looked up and spotted Fly. With a look of terror, she urged the wolf on, quickly disappearing into the bush.

Fly frowned again. *Who was she? And why did she look so familiar?*