‘Kill. Cut. Burn. Devour.’
The whispers were no longer almost inaudible sounds made rarely. They have become a frustrating part of my day now. No one else could hear them, and any time I asked if anyone heard them, I was met with a strange look. Going to the healers proved fruitless. They merely told me it was just stress and to take a break from fighting for a couple of days. That was easier said than done and I did not believe it could be stress causing it.
No. This was something else entirely, but I couldn’t figure out what it was.
“Are you sure you are hearing things and you are not just tired?” Jay asked, his expression worried as his hands felt my forehead to see if I had a temperature. I narrowed my gaze at him. I didn’t need any words to show him how unimpressed I was with his words. “Fine, fine,” Jay sig
Covering the distance as a wolf compared to the first journey here is much more exciting. I almost completely forget about the whispering voices as I enjoy the sights, smells, and sounds of the forest as we run through it. Though I don’t stop to enjoy the moment as this isn’t us going camping or something. Had we not constantly been attacked and in danger, I would have loved to experience this at a more leisurely pace. Sadly, I don’t think we will ever get that pleasure unless Jay decides we should pack up and find another home. I don’t see that happening anytime soon though. That has been his pack’s land for generations, and it is a suitable spot with food, water and has proven to be profitable enough that we don’t have to rely on outsiders for help. It’s no wonder he could pay off my parents’ debt. They don’t need the money but can sell pelts and meat or anything they don’t use themselves.
“Are you sure about this?” Jay’s voice stirs me awake as I find him not in the bed with me. It’s late, and we had gone to bed together, so he should have been in bed still. I frown as I get out of bed, but pause as I hear Bucky’s voice join in with my mates. “It’ll be safer for you,” he mumbles. He doesn’t sound happy at all. “I don’t know what attracted the demon spirits to her, or if that was a familiar or the demon’s work that helped her escape. What I do know is that she will go mad if she gives in to the whispers. They want her to harm anyone and anything. Including you. She might not have the ability to ignore them for too much longer.” “She’d never hurt me!” Jay’s voice sounds firm, but I can tell from the subtle hitch in his tone that he is anxious. I slowly
For what feels like days, when it has only been two at most, Bucky has been sitting in the middle of his meditation circle. I do not know what he is doing, but whatever it is, he requested me to allow the silence to wash over me. I don’t need to meditate, but he said being relaxed and quiet might keep the demonic spirits from being excitable. I admit, the whispering has become less frequent lately, but they haven’t gone entirely. I’m not sure what to make of it all and by all accounts, I should have lost my mind during the first time they showed up. Perhaps it was never an instant thing? Even Bucky can’t know everything. Looking out the window, I can’t help but miss Jay and the rest of the pack. I’ve been speaking with Jay through the mindlink, so it has been less lonely, but nothing compares to his warmth and the feeling of being safe. I absently put another
After a while of Bucky looking for me, and me making sure the Alpha has gone, I come out of my hiding spot. He seems relieved to see me again and slumps down on the floor. I crack a small grin at him and motion to the herbs and things that I had shared a space with.“Ah. No wonder,” Bucky chuckles. “He would have seen and caught you had you fled out a window. Quick thinking. I never thought he would show up like that,” he admits with a shake of his head.“Me either.” I glance out the window to the once more still countryside. “What he said, is it true? Is there some legend or myth that says I will hurt everyone around me?”Bucky joins me and shrugs. “There might be, but it is no doubt a self-fulfilling prophecy. That is the issue with things like that. The more y
‘Return. Burn all’The whispers wake me up. I look around quickly, then realising no one is there, I sigh and shake my head. I refuse to listen to them. There is nothing that could make me do what they suggest. They’re persistent, that’s for sure. Looking up, I notice the sun has moved to a much more comfortable position in the sky and so I continue my journey up the mountain.The snow crunches between my paws. It feels strange at first, but I get used to the feeling soon enough. I am starting to feel a little hungry. I take a moment to survey my surroundings. If I go any higher, then there might be nothing to hunt and eat. I decided to take care of that before continuing with my journey. Thanks to Darnell for teaching me how to survive as a wolf during the times I am stuck in the wilderness.
The forest is as foggy as it had appeared to be from the position on the mountain. Perhaps even more so. I had to rely heavily on all of my senses as a wolf to navigate my way through the place. The feeling of me not belonging here grew stronger with each passing moment, but the whispering voices grew ever quieter the deeper in I travelled. It was a surreal feeling of anxiety and peace merged into one whole.I wasn’t sure of the direction I needed to head in, so I allowed my feet to take me wherever felt right. There were no distinctive markings or paths and even if there had been, the forest had long since destroyed anything. If I was close enough, there would be at least something that resembled the remains of a castle, though… right?Lumi is pretty silent as I travel through the forest. The sense of not belonging there seems to make her uncomfor
As I make my way inside what is left of the inner castle grounds, I find myself drawn into one particular room. Unlike the others, this one is almost fully intact still, but the darkness within makes it difficult to see until my eyes have fully adjusted.I’m in what used to be the throne room, it seems. A large chair made of stone sits upon a raised platform of sorts with two smaller thrones sit either side of it. The drapes have mostly been eaten away by moths or plucked by birds, and the fabric is quite faded, but I can still just about make out the designs on them.What draws my attention, however, are the two blood-red eyes peering back at me from one desk near the thrones. It had almost blended into the darkness with how black the creature was, but as my eyes adjusted more, I made out the creature’s shape.A raven.The black feathers looked more like the midnight sky with no moon or stars, those b
As I waited for the last of the sunshine to vanish behind the horizon, the rays through the fog and trees caused a hypnotic display of shimmering dancing shadows. I had to admit, even though this place was not comfortable to live in, it was, at the very least, beautiful in its own right. Hunting in this strange place had been tricky at first, but I found that if one stayed still long enough, an animal would soon show up. Life was in abundance here, and the animals did not know what a wolf was. They still ran when I lunged at them, of course, but with them never seeing a predator like me before, they made it all too easy. Finally, darkness came and the raven Aderyn returned. It then led me deeper into the fog-filled forest. It was hard going with the fog and shadows, but it didn’t help that the raven was as black as the surroundings, so it blended in far too w