Shade The Echidna Novels & Stories

The darkness loomed around them like a cloak. Sekhmet carried an old-fashioned torch he pulled from a hole in the wall to light the way. It was a bit theatric and unnecessary, considering vampires and werewolves alike could see in the dark. But it set the mood for torture nicely; causing shadows to dance across the walls. A bleeding.

Kal was on edge most of it, but we got through it incident free. My hand healed about 3 days in and by then all my marks had also disappeared, so I convinced Kal to let us shift. We ventured out alone into the thick forest and shed our clothing, making sure to tuck them somewhere we’d remember. I loved being able to see and feel what Echo did through her, we were smaller, a dark grey color, and Sabre was... glorious. He was a dark red and probably twice our size. His muscles were massive under his fur and his eyes were a bright green that made Echo melt into herself.

Chapter One: A New Beginning Aqua’s heart raced as she walked through the imposing iron gates of Crestwood High. Another town, another school, another chance to start over—if only it were that simple. At 5'10", her presence commanded attention, but she preferred to stay unnoticed. Her dark skin glowed under the morning sun, and her eyes, a striking shade of amber, held secrets untold. She pulled her hood tighter, hoping to shield herself from the prying eyes she could already feel on her.

Kai is strong with his magic, but he chooses to have a balance between his hybrid abilities where Ever tends to favor her witch side. Kai and Shade are a great team. Shade is an all black wolf and is fierce. If he wasn’t my son’s wolf, I’d be intimidated. Stella is a similar coat to Sasha and is honestly a giant puppy, although she has a tough side. Sasha is only a giant puppy when she is with Zane. Other than that, she is a vicious wolf.

The whispers around the chamber grew into a cacophony of screams. The mirrors rippled like water, and dark, wraithlike figures stepped out, their forms shifting and indistinct but their intent clear. “Shades,” Ellara said, her voice taut. “They feed on doubt and despair. Be careful!” The shades lunged, their movements erratic and lightning-fast. Zoe ducked under one’s swipe, her claws glowing with Aetherian energy as she counterattacked. The shade let out an unearthly shriek as her strike connected, dissipating into smoke.

:D Thank you for the journey, lovelies! #TheBlackShadowPackSigningOff xoxo, Cassandra M

It didn’t matter because Zeke was getting tired. Zeke stared up at him, chest heaving. For the first time, I saw the fear. Zeke only spat curses and lunged at me again like a madman. Shade surged inside Ezra, and in one swift movement, he shifted, his massive black wolf form crashing into Zeke. The fight that followed was brutal. Shade overpowered him easily, sinking his fangs deep into Zeke’s throat. Zeke thrashed, claws raking the ground, but life drained from his eyes as Shade held firm. When it was done, Ezra lifted his head to look at me. Then in a sharp movement, he snapped Zeke’s neck off his torso, carried it to me, and dropped it on my feet. Like an offering.

Because of this, they were often rounded up and forced into labour with another species called Shade. The Shade were like gigantic spiders with extremely thick skin and had claws protruding from a joint in all eight of their legs that surrounded the top of every hoof. They had huge, spiked mandibles that were forever clicking away, and eyes that were tiny slits. Compared to them both, I was useless. I was only five; my tiny teeth and weak claws could not defend myself against something that was near eight feet tall, so I stayed on the outskirts of the Unit with Tin before returning to the safety of our burrow every night.

From one of them emerged a shadowy figure with glowing eyes, its presence sending a chill through the room. “This is a Shade,” Master Varyn explained. “It is a manifestation of collective fears. To defeat it, you must work together to exploit its weaknesses. You will have 30 minutes to figure it out. Fail, and the Shade will dissipate—but so will your chance to advance in this school.” As the Shade prowled the chamber, Anna felt a knot of anxiety tighten in her stomach. She glanced at her friends, their faces mirroring her own apprehension. --- The First Encounter