Chapter 1. The Dream

The room was in complete darkness, not even the tiniest sliver of light was able to find a way through the dense black.

The only sound she could hear was her own staggered breathing, a musky smell invaded her nostrils. To try and let her senses adjust to the oppressive gloom, she inhaled deeply and closed her eyes.

A deep rumbling caused her to open her eyes quicker than she would've liked. Beads of sweat started to form on her forehead, physically exposing the fear she was beginning to feel.

As if sensing her fear, the rumbling intensified. She squinted into the dark, although not clear she could've sworn that a pair of golden eyes had appeared.

                 

Swallowing hard, her instincts were telling her to run, to get away from the ominious noise and the beams of light that seemed to glow brighter as the thundering growl increased.

Hands trembling, she tentatively reached behind her, trying to feel for an opening, a loose brick, anything that would give her hope for escape. The tips of her fingers shakily touched cold, damp stone, she continued to fumble along checking for a small difference in texture or temperature. Nothing

Panic and fear rose up in her throat like bile. The eyes were becoming clearer and closer as the growl intensified again. Now she thought she could see a glimmer of teeth.

Backing up as far as she could, she pressed herself against the wall, head turning sideways as she desperately tried to blend in.

She held her breath as the creature that the eyes belonged to inched forward. In her limited experience, having never shifted personally, this was not normal wolf behaviour. Surprise, speed and strength was what she was taught, this was something else altogether. This was torture. Whoever this was, was basking in causing her fear, soaking it up as if lying in the sun's warm rays.

A tear slowly traced its way down her cheek. 'This was it', she thought. No escape, no chance of survival. Who would miss her? Would anyone really care? The faint images of her parents swirled in her mind. Only them. She hadn't even come of age yet so hadn't had the chance to find her destined mate.

All these thoughts were making her feel more desolate. She had to accept her fate. The creature adjusted its posture, getting ready to pounce. She could hear its claws against the stone floor.

With one last deep roar, it leapt into the air towards her. Her scream deafened her as she squeezed her eyes tight and braced herself for the coming of death.

Just as she felt the hot breath and teeth of her attacker bearing down on her throat, it was gone. Her eyes opened wide and she sucked in a lungful of air. 

The cold stone wall behind her was gone. She was in her bed, in her room. Safe. Talia cried with relief as she did everytime she had this dream. It was becoming more frequent. She longed to know what it meant.

How could she tell her parents about it. They would just fuss and worry. Talia didn't have a friend she could confide in, prefering to blend into the background and acting like she wasn't there.

Maybe it would become clearer when she turned 18 and met her wolf for the first time. Maybe. 

Talia lay there for what seemed to be a long time, taking slow steady breaths and wiping away the tears she wasn't fully aware she had shed.

Glancing at her alarm clock on her bedside table, she noticed it was only 02:00. 'Urgh', Talia let out a frustrated groan.

Flipping her pillows over so the cool side soothed her slightly swollen face, she pulled her blanket over her head and silently lay there until she fell back into a dreamless sleep.

Talia was woken abruptly to a knock at her door, 

"Talia... Talia darling, it's time to get up for school. Breakfast is almost ready.", Violet, her mother, called from the otherside of her door.

Looking at the clock again it was now 06:45. She'd overslept.

"Just coming.... I'm getting up now.", Talia answered back quickly. Her voice was croaky and she didn't recognise it as hers.

Throwing the covers off, Talia padded through to her bathroom and turned on the shower. As it was heating up, she looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes still had a slight puffiness to them but all other traces of her disturbed night seemed to have disappeared. She quickly brushed her straight, white teeth as she went in search of a towel.

Having found one, she threw her toothbrush in the sink and jumped in the now hot shower. Talia let the water run over her for a few minutes, letting it warm her down to her bones before washing her hair and body using her favorite banana shampoo and jasmine scented bodywash.

Conscious of the time, she went as quick as she could. Stepping out of the shower with a towel wrapped round her and one wrapped around her head like a turban, she made her way back into her room towards her wardrobe.

Talia grabbed a long sleeved, black and white baseball t-shirt, dark green skinny jeans and her black converse trainers. Simple with nothing that made her stand out. Just the way she liked it. Noone took notice of anyone that dressed this way.

After she was dressed, she rubbed her hair with the towel and ran a brush though the natural waves of her red hair. She scrunched the ends, satisfied with the way it looked. Her hair always looked like she'd spent a fortune having it styled like she'd spent the day at the beach.

A quick slick of clear gloss on her pink, pouty lips and a thin layer of eyeliner to highlight her big Hazel coloured eyes, she was ready to face the day again.

                

Talia sprinted downstairs when the smell of freshly brewed coffee and bacon and eggs wafted up to her. Her stomach was growling with hunger.

"Oho... You would think that we never fed you", Lachlan, her father laughed as Talia slid into her seat at the table. He affectionately tussled her hair as he went to put his dishes away before he gave Violet a kiss on the cheek and headed out the door.

"You do look thin, Ali. It wouldn't hurt for you to eat more.", Violet's voice held a note of concern.

Talia wrinkled her small nose slightly as she grimaced at her mother's words. "Oh no, I eat plenty... Anymore and I'd end up sluggish and unable to train.", she piled her plate high with scrambled eggs, bacon and toast as if to prove a point.

She had a slim almost slight figure but she was strong and trained hard in her combat classes. If only she could be as strong in her dream, instead of a cowering wreck. She sighed a little at this thought.

"Are you OK Ali? Is there something you want to tell me?", Violet's mothering instinct was spot on even though she wasn't Talia's biological mother.

"I'm fine. Just didn't sleep well.... Worrying about the exams coming up. I really want to pass so I can go to college...", she faded away before finishing this sentence. Violet got quite upset everytime Talia going to college was mentioned.

"It's OK Ali, of course you want to do well, you've always studied hard. Don't mind me.", sniffling, Violet turned her back to her adopted daughter, who's entry into their lives was like a ray of light and hope. The thought of her leaving, even for college, left a void in her heart.

Talia washed down her food with her coffee before standing up and saying, "I'm gonna be late... Love you", she gave Violet a quick hug and ran out the door.