Even though she fought fiercely against the Shadow, Annabelle was still much weaker than it and was not much of a match. The Shadow was faster than her for one and it had that shield of darkness around it that she could not penetrate if she tried. Of all the times for this damn thing to show up it just had to be now! Oh how she hoped that Simon was going to arrive soon; she could sense that he was gathering the forces but she had a feeling it still would not be enough. This thing was powerfulâ€¦ she could only hope that she could keep it distracted long enough. Her already dark black fur was wet with blood and her eyes shone darker than their usual brown; though her body was covered in wounds she was ready to destroy this thing once and for all even if she had to do it herself. Suddenly a dark cloud loomed over the city and then a smirk formed on the Shadowâ€™s lips.<br/><br/>The Shadow bored into her with those hideous, empty eyes of his, the sight of her blood on the ground making him laugh. It didnâ€™t even sound like any laughter she was use to hearing. This was a dry laughter that sounded void of any emotion, much like a stale wind chilling your bones. And it definitely chilled Annabelleâ€™s bones. She growled at the Shadow as it lunged at her again, only to stop dead in its tracks.<br/><br/>â€œAnnabelle,â€ Simon spoke out, â€œI have gathered the other wolves. Theyâ€™re all willing to fight; now we must proceed. What shall we do, Annabelle?â€ This had taken a lot longer than he had expected and he knew she would be angry with him but the wolves were afraid. The other Seers in the city were very, very limited and Simon could not seek them out with his weakened abilities. Nevertheless the man had brought with him a grand army of a few strong looking wolves but every last bit of her said that even this would not be enough. At least he was trying. The man may be broken but he was still a fighter at heart when he really put his mind to it. Impressive, very impressive this man was, she thought to herself. Continuing to keep an eye on the Shadow she gave him a nod of approval. No wonder why Maeva had broken him, she reminded herself.<br/><br/>â€œGood. Now all we need is that blasted necklace. This damned Shadow appeared before I was able to send my wolves to grab it and I had to step in.â€<br/><br/>â€œMy army of wolvesâ€¦ donâ€™t worry, my sweet Annabelle, we will destroy anything that stands in our way.â€ The wolves seemed to perk up at the sound of Simonâ€™s voice.<br/><br/>The shadow, slowly breaking free from the restraint spell Simon had placed on him, suddenly vanished. Annabelle felt her fur stand on end. Knowing that it was more than likely headed towards the other group she knew she had to find It again.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>Where the hell was Drake going?<br/><br/>Beyt wanted to ask him the very moment they started running but she had a bit of faith that he did. Or maybe she just wanted to have faith so she wouldnâ€™t worry so much. Her injury was slowing her down a hell of a lot and Gimmel had to come support her, push her along, so she wouldnâ€™t fall behind. From deep within, she almost felt a pang of guilt knowing she was slowing them down but she remained strong. Weakness must not be shown at a time like this. Once they got to the field everything was supposed to be calmer but instead things became a lot more intense. Nobody knew what was going on or where they were supposed to be going and Beyt could easily tell by the look I Drakeâ€™s eyes that he did not want to be in this situation.<br/><br/>â€œWell how should we know?â€ Gimmel growled lowly, â€œWe followed you hoping you would know. Shadows arenâ€™t something that should be taken lightly, we need to keep going, but we also need to think of a course of action.â€ He stood completely still, ears alert and keeping an eye out for danger wherever it may lurk. Beyt felt another bad feeling coming on but she was sure that Gimmel knew well that it was coming back. It made her wonder if Annabelle wasâ€¦ no she didnâ€™t want to think that. When she first met the she-wolf she was not sure what to think, hell she wasnâ€™t sure what to even make of the wolfâ€™s sudden change of heart, but something said that they needed her on their side.<br/><br/>Suddenly, a scrawny timber wolf jumped out of the field and pinned Fatal to the ground, trying to gnaw at the necklace. Poor wolf didnâ€™t even stand a chance as the necklace seemed to act on its own and before the wolf could get its fangs on it, it burst into flames, let out a horrible cry of pain and then died.<br/><br/>Beytâ€™s eyes widened. â€œItâ€™s back again.â€<br/><br/>Sure enough the Shadow manifested before them once again, looking right at Jhene like it had before, â€œDonâ€™t think you can run from me Reneeâ€¦â€ he spoke before lunging at Jhene.