Chapter Three

After receiving the good news that she would be assisted, Laila exhaled loudly before leaning on the tree behind her. She had to take a moment to process everything that had happened thus far, while her animal companion simply looked on, as if waiting for her.

As she got herself together, Laila looked at the wolf before her. Now that she was calm, she could appreciate its beauty, the way it stood in place, the way its fur danced in the wind; it was truly a magnificent creature, one that she could only admire from afar. It was almost as though Laila was being taunted; rather, she was taunting herself by recognizing just how beautiful the species really was, after years of convincing herself they were demonic creatures that were sent from hell to terrorize her.

Trying not to let negative thoughts cloud her mind again, Laila got off the ground and dusted dirt off her jeans. Looking at the wolf who was also staring straight back at her, she gave a warm and welcoming smile; it was Laila’s way of starting a friendship. Seeing as the wolf understood her the first time she asked for help, Laila assumed it would understand her again if she spoke to it;

“I’m not so sure how this is going to work, but I need your help”

Laila looked deeply into the eyes of the wolf before continuing.

“I’m looking for someone, but I don’t know where to start; perhaps you can help”

Being vague about who she was trying to find certainly wouldn't help, but Laila did not want to take the chance of oversharing. Even though she was promised help, she did not know if she could fully trust it.

Despite the lack of proper communication and information on her side, the wolf responded to Laila the same way it did the first time; it took a step further by advancing, indicating she should follow it. Without even a second of hesitation, Laila eagerly followed behind the animal, watching its steps carefully and cautiously. She was still amazed at the fact that she actually found a wolf and it was helping her too. Not much could be said, so all Laila could do was follow in silence. Where she was being taken, she had no clue, but anything was better than nothing.

The trees were thicker on that side of the woods; their leaves were also much greener than any Laila had seen so far, and the soil underneath her feet felt softer with each step. It was as if she had entered another world, one more fresh and beautiful. The wolf continued to head straight; not once did it turn back to look at Laila, but it wasn’t like she expected it to interact with her. It seemed to have its own motivations, whether they involved her or not; Laila was sure the wolf, just like herself, was onto something.

Going further and further into the woods showed Laila places she never knew existed in Grimshore. Back then, she didn’t have much interest in exploring the woods any further than she already did, in fear that she might find something dangerous, but the reality couldn’t have been more different from what she imagined. There was nothing dangerous about the woods, at least, not at that moment; it seemed normal enough, but the secrets it held would shock the entire world if they were found out, and with the way hunters had been frequenting there, Laila was sure it was only a matter of time before the secrets did get out.

Laila’s thoughts prevented her from realizing that her companion had stopped moving; only when it howled did she return to her senses. Stopping in her tracks, she looked behind to find the wolf standing still in front of a river. Laila looked at it quizzically, waiting for some kind of explanation:

“Do you want us to follow the river?”

The wolf's response was an unexpected one. Turning its back to Laila, it got into the body of water and stood there for a moment. Laila was still very much confused; she asked herself if it wanted a break from the walking, but it seemed unlikely considering it still looked active and ready to run. After a moment of thought, Laila felt a push from the inside of her, urging her to get into the water with the wolf. Normally, she ignored such wild urges, but it looked like the only option she had left. Following suit, she stepped into the river beside the wolf and awaited further instructions.

Now that they were in the lake, the wolf resumed moving forward. Laila now understood that she indeed had to be in the water, but she couldn’t understand why. Was the dry ground uncomfortable, or was there something special about that specific lake that they needed to be in it. Whatever the reason was, Laila was more interested in what she would find at the end of her journey; the anticipation was so high she could no longer remain patient. If it weren’t for the fact she needed directions, she would have run just to reach their destination quicker.

Despite how strong the river’s current became, Laila persevered through it; the wolf too appeared unfazed; it moved so casually, showing Laila that it wasn’t its first time. The more they moved upstream, the more difficult it became to find proper footing; even as determined as she was, Laila still struggled and nearly lost all her balance. Just when she was starting to wonder how far until their destination, her partner jumped out of the lake without warning, slowly following after it. Laila finally returned to the dry ground where she took some time to breathe.

In the middle of her getting back her energy, the wolf suddenly ran off on its own, leaving Laila in disbelief, so much so that she couldn’t even call back for it. Laila didn’t want to believe that the wolf would take her all the way up a river just to desert her, but she also couldn’t understand what was going on; her journey had already been full of twists and turns, and this would be no different. As she had already decided to trust the random wolf, she just had to wait. Laila waited for it to return; the only other option was to find her way from then on, but that was a risk she wasn’t ready to take.

As she was in the middle of sorting out her thoughts, the wolf returned, but it wasn’t alone. To Laila’s shock, the wolf returned with friends, but not ordinary friends; they were friends just like her; they were human. Laila stared wide-eyed at the wolf's companions, both females, one with short blonde hair and the other a brunette. They stared back at Laila, but not in shock; they seemed more tense, defensive almost. Being at a loss for words wasn’t helpful in the situation at hand, but there wasn’t much Laila could say; all she had in her was an introduction, but where would she go from there?

Before Laila could open her mouth to speak, the brunette spoke up; her voice was gruff, which was quite fitting for her image;

“Who are you and what are you doing here?”

Laila’s heart began to beat faster; it wasn’t that she was guilty, but her current position made her feel like she was. With all the hunters' stories, anyone would be suspicious.

“I asked you a question!”

“I’m…my name is Laila, and I’m here because I need some help”

“We don’t even know who you are; why would we help you?”

“It’s just-”

The blonde woman immediately stood in between Laila and the brunette; with her back to Laila, she looked to be defending her.

“Claire, easy, remember what Grandmother said”

The blonde woman's voice was more pleasant to the ear than Claire’s; it was low but not so much that you couldn’t hear her.

“It doesn’t apply to everyone, Samantha,” the brunette fought.

“You’re right, but look at her”, Samantha stood aside for Claire to get a better look at Laila, who was still on the ground.

“She doesn’t feel like just anybody”

The statement took Laila by surprise; she had no idea whatsoever of what she meant by it, but she wanted to find out. Claire’s gaze was so intense it felt like it would burn into Laila’s skin, and all Laila could do was look back at her.

“Where are you from? You’re definitely not from around here,” Claire finally spoke.

“A long way from here, but I came into Grimshore yesterday”

“And what are you looking for? You said you needed help, but with what exactly?”

“I’m trying to find somebody; he’s…from around here, so I thought someone could help me find him”

Samantha knelt in front of Laila and gave a reassuring smile, one that brought ease to Laila’s troubled self.

“Come with us; I’m sure we can assist you in some way”

Laila was glad to hear Samantha’s proposal but held in her excitement until Claire gave her approval. As she was outnumbered, acceptance was the only option.

“Fine, but if you so much as look at me funny, I will hurt you”

“Fine by me, thank you”, Laila sighed in relief.

Looking at the wolf to the side, Laila smiled brightly, mouthing “thank you” at it. The wolf shared her excitement with her, eagerly; it ran forward, waiting for the ladies to join it.

*~*

Laila’s walk with Claire, Samantha, and the wolf was quite an interesting experience. No one said much of anything, but the energy surrounding them communicated the overall feelings of the group; it was awkward. Laila wondered where the trio was taking her. Samantha’s statement played back in her mind a few more times as she tried to understand what she meant. It was true that she wasn’t just anybody, but how could Samantha have felt her difference? What did she know?

The deep thoughts came to a halt when everyone else did, standing in place. Laila peeked around Samantha to see what was up ahead. What was revealed left Laila in awe; it was so spectacular it almost felt unreal, but before she could fully marvel at the beauty of the newly discovered landscape, Claire blocked her view like a bodyguard protecting its client:

“Listen, I don’t trust you at all, but for some reason, you’re here…”

Her eyes darkened as she went on.

“If something happens, I’m just going to assume it’s you, and when I do…you better pray to the moon that I don’t catch you”

Pray to the moon? Why would I pray to the moon, Laila thought, but to avoid any more friction, she bit the bullet to abide by the rules placed?

“I understand”

With that, they continued into the new territory. Laila was surprised to see so many people living in one place, especially in the woods. But the most astonishing thing was how humans and wolves coexisted with each other; human children played with cubs, and grown-ups talked with them as if they could actually hear each other. The whole place felt like a fever dream; if it wasn’t for all the abnormal things that had happened thus far, Laila wouldn’t have believed any of it.

“It’s beautiful”, Laila uttered

“It is, isn’t it?”, Samantha responded.

“It looks like something straight out of a dream”

“The river has that effect on people; it’s what gives the place all its beauty”

The area which she was in was not normal; this, Laila knew, she also had a theory as to why it wasn’t, but she awaited more information before saying anything.

Coming to a stop at what looked like a campfire, Claire turned to address Samantha;

“This is as far as I’ll go since you’re convinced you can help her; you handle the rest”

Her tone was passive-aggressive

“Thank you, I’ll keep you posted,” Samantha responded.

Giving Laila one last look of intimidation, Claire signaled the wolf to follow her. Seeing as it was about to leave, Laila thanked her new friend for assisting her, and her gratitude was happily accepted, much to Laila’s delight. Once they were gone, Laila followed Samantha closely; since their destination was not known, she had to stick closely by to not get lost.

“So, Laila, right?” Samantha spoke up.

“Yes, that’s me”

“Who exactly are you looking for and why?”

Those questions had not been properly answered yet, so it made sense for them to be asked again, but Laila did not know how to appropriately answer without giving out too much information.

“Um, he’s…an old friend, and he kinda owes me”

Samantha went quiet after Laila’s response, sighing internally. Guilt made her chest heavy. Laila felt terrible for lying to Samantha, who vouched for her in the beginning; she wouldn’t have even made it that far if it wasn’t for her, yet she couldn’t spare at least the truth.

“It’s alright if you don’t want to tell me, but grandmother, she sees everything; keep that in mind when you enter her presence”

It was Laila’s turn to be quiet at Samantha’s response; being told that she was being taken to a person who sees everything was just as unsettling as it was amusing.

Not even a second later, they already arrived at their destination; it was a teepee made of white and blue cloth. Laila had never seen one up close in person; its design was simple yet beautiful, and a peek inside from the small opening revealed it was much larger on the inside. Samantha looked at Laila for a moment, as if she were making sure of something, confirming a thought in her head.

“Wait here, I’ll announce your arrival to Grandmother”

Samantha went inside, leaving Laila for a brief moment. In that time, she took deep breaths in preparation for her meeting. It was rather strange how conscious Laila had become, and all because of a person she had never met and only heard of that very day. She didn’t even know if the power Samantha claimed she had to ‘see everything ’ was real or not, but she was still very much on her toes about meeting her.

After a short moment, Samantha peeked her head out of the teepee to address Laila

“Grandmother will see you”

Dusting herself off to be more presentable, Laila let out a strained breath before following Samantha in. Her assumptions were right; it was indeed bigger on the inside, with the ground covered with carpets made of cloth and pillows made from only God knows what; the overall atmosphere was calming. At the center of the teepee was an elderly woman draped in thick blankets; her hair was two strands away from being completely gray, and her hands, which tended to a basket, had wrinkles like someone who had been in the water for too long.

Laila was unsure of what to do at that moment as the woman barely even spared her a glance, though, from the way it seemed, she was sure the grandmother did not have sight. Kneeling beside Samantha, they both looked forward at the elderly woman for a while, waiting for her to speak. Only after she was done closing the basket did she address Samantha. Laila sat in silence, waiting for her turn to speak while memorizing what she would say.

“Grandmother, this is the girl I was telling you about; her name is Laila”

Still confused about what to do, Laila opened her mouth to greet the woman before her, only to be cut off almost immediately

“A newborn”

“A what?” Laila blurted out.

Samantha intervened.

“No, Grandmother, I meant Laila; she’s beside me right now”

Lightly nudging Laila’s shoulder, Samantha directed her to hold the old woman's hand, receiving it immediately in hers. The grandmother held onto Laila’s hand tightly, murmuring something.

“A newborn”, she repeated.

Samantha’s expression spelled out disbelief; whatever her grandmother told her must have been that shocking, but Laila could not understand a single thing of what was going on.

"But that’s impossible, Grandmother”

Samantha exclaimed.