The cab pulled up at Moon Manor and I quickly headed for the door. I knocked and paced briefly on the steps. I was going back to knock again, when the door pulled open. Abby's brother Claude had a puzzled look as he stepped into the doorway.
"Ah, Mr. Reeves, right? What are you-"
"I'm sorry, I'm looking for Abby. Is she here?"
His eyes widened for a moment before he looked inside over his shoulder. Then, he pulled the door closed behind him, stepping on the porch.
"She's not with you?" I shook my head and he pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh. "She was here earlier. She was packing bags in a rush and mentioned something about two of you going on a trip up North. Fairbank, I think? Something about getting into a better atmosphere for the story?"
"No, she left the hospital before I woke up…"
We stood there for a moment, both trying to get our thoughts in order. I reassured Claude that Gwen was with Alex and he managed to remember the name of the airport she was headed to. He told me she left a few hours earlier and I was headed down the steps to hail another cab. The door suddenly opened behind us and Matthew Moon stared at me intensely.
"Mr. Reeves…" His voice came out dry and his eyes narrowed while he spoke. "Aren't you supposed to be meeting Abigail at the airport for your story?"
I felt a sense of pressure build in my stomach. The scowl he wore was making me uneasy. I tried to ready an excuse, but when I opened my mouth to speak, nothing would come out. Claude took a step toward me and held out a folded piece of paper.
"Abby left their hotel information here and asked him to pick it up."
I eyed the paper with confusion until Claude raised his eyebrows at me. I realized what he was trying to do and quickly got with the program. I took the paper from Claude's hand and headed to the sidewalk. I managed to grab the cab's attention and was just waiting for it to get through traffic.
"That girl," I heard Matthew Moon growl out, "She's going to make a fool out of us. Should have just got her admitted."
Claude said something argumentative, but I couldn't make it out. I felt a sudden irritation grow and before I knew it, I was turned back facing the solid figure.
"Mr. Moon, I'll have you know, your daughter is a rather remarkable woman. And, quite frankly, the only one I've seen make a fool of his family, is you."
His eyes widened with anger and his body tensed up. He began to form a retort, but I turned away as my cab pulled up. I got in quickly and closed the door. I didn't dare meet the glare that was coming from the top of those steps. But I could feel it burning into me. I managed to keep my composure until the cab pulled away, a sigh of relief escaping me and I sat back in the seat. I couldn't believe I had done that. I felt the folded paper balled in my hand and opened it carefully. "Find her" was the only thing hastily written on it. Well, that was the plan anyways.
The cab stopped at my apartment for me to grab the essentials and then took me to the nearest airport. I had to wait about an hour for the next flight out and I was restless, shuffling around the common areas of the airport aimlessly. Finally, the plane started boarding and I got to find my seat. The plane was small, but it was nearly empty as well. There were maybe fifteen people on board. I tried to get comfortable in the seat and felt something crumple under my coat. I reached in and pulled out the pages Abby had written. I had all but forgotten them in my rush and worry.
I flipped the pages over and tried to focus on the words. It took me a minute and I got distracted by the plane's take-off, but I figured this was probably the only time I had to finish Abby's story.
Devon's scent was all around me. I felt his warmth and tried to grow closer to it. Devon let out somewhat of a yelp that pulled me awake. I blinked at him and he suddenly nuzzled into my neck. I let out a sharp breath before sighing in relief.
"Abby, I'm so glad you're awake."
"Sorry for making you worry..."
He pulled back and his eyes locked with mine. They were filled with worry, but also relief.
"You got roughed up pretty bad…," he started softly, "Kala came and helped me clean your wounds. She said you lost a lot of blood… You've been in and out for about two moons..."
"… I felt like I wasn't going to make it..." I paused and Devon started to grow wide-eyed. "But when I was ready to give up, the Crow- Eva gave me the strength to get to her. I couldn't stop… I felt her rage and I felt my own… All I wanted was to save the pack… Even if it meant-"
"You killed her and you saved the pack. You avenged the pups, Corbin..."
I watched as the gentle smile crossed his lips. I hesitated, but I knew he deserved to know.
"Devon… I got to meet Eva…"
"What?"
I slowly managed to pull my weight underneath me and sit up. I turned away from him before continuing.
"When I passed out on the battlefield… I met Eva… Somehow, somewhere in my subconscious… She told me that she needed my help to stop the Crow. And, now, that her evil was silenced, she had to go…"
"You mean-"
I nodded softly and forced myself to look at him. Sadness overtook his face and it pained me to see him that way. I stepped up to him and his head dropped down.
"Devon…"
"She died because of me… And yet she still had to fight to save our pack."
"No. It wasn't your fault." He looked up at me with a doubtful look. "Eva showed me what happened. The Crow was watching. Even if you had gotten to her, she knew the Crow would take you both."
He stared at me intensely and I nuzzled my face into his neck. He let out a soft sigh and I pulled back, just enough to press my forehead against his.
"You remember what you said in the fog… Before the fight? How you were torn between your feelings for Eva… And me?" He nodded gently and I continued. "Ever since I met you, I felt like I was drawn to you. I always felt comfortable just being with you and Corbin. I feel like I knew it was Eva that gave me those feelings… But, when her spirit had left me… I still-"
The words got caught in my throat, but Devon's soft eyes let me know I didn't need to continue. He embraced me, resting his head around my neck. He laid back down beside me and I curled up against him. I felt my heart pound in my chest and it made me a bit nervous. That is, until I felt the same rhythmic thumping coming from the body beside me.
I can't begin to recall how much time passed while I lived with the pack. And, to be honest, I didn't bother keeping track. After the Crow's magic had faded from the woods, things were different. The pack lived in a pleasant peace with the Northern wolves. Things were as they were long before I came to this world. The land itself had also begun to heal. The air was lighter; clearer and the wildlife flourished like I had never known. The pack was alive with life as well. A new generation of pups were beginning to grow up. I'd be lying if I said the thought of having a family with Devon didn't cross my mind.
We had grown so much closer through the many moons we spent together. Even though I hadn't really thought it possible. We would go out on excursions together and sometimes just bask in the sunlight. There was nowhere else I ever wanted to be than by his side.
During one of our walks, we were wandering an area of our woods that wasn't tread often. We were in a sort of low wooded area and, for some reason, I caught a familiar scent carrying my direction. I tried to shake it off as we continued onward, but there was something stirring in the depths of my mind. We continued onward and I had stirred Devon up into a bit of a chase. I had hurried ahead a bit until I came across a small stream. There was something familiar about it still.
"Abby…"
Devon's voice sounded far away and faint. I hadn't realized it, but I found myself heading up the bank against the current. I eventually was racing up along its side, following it. It was as if I was searching for something and I didn't even know what it was. I heard Devon calling for me again as he followed behind me. Suddenly, the stream and woods opened up into a beautiful meadow, laden with flowers. There was almost something magical about it. In the middle was a strange cave-like structure, covered in vines and blooming flowers.
"It's… It's a house… A cottage…"
I had come to a stop, eyeing the building with interest. Devon stepped up beside me and his body tensed up, his ears folding against his head in caution.
"Abby… We shouldn't be here…"
I hadn't really heard him. My feet slowly carried me towards it, almost like I was being called.
"… I've seen it before… But I can't remember where…"
Devon called out my name again and I turned around. He was still there on the edge of the woods, watching with alarm. My eyes were pulled back to the cottage and before I knew it, I was standing on the wooden porch. A strange wind gently blew from inside the building and caused the door to creak open. I peeked inside and looked at all the dust and cobwebs that cluttered the floors. I heard Devon let out a pleading whine. I turned to him and gave him a reassuring smile.
"It's okay, Devon. I just want to see some more. I'll be back."
He clearly wasn't convinced, but I continued inside. My paw prints trailed behind me imprinted in the dust. I had a memory flash of a little girl that looked like me; how I once was. She wandered into a place like this as well… It seemed like a dream...
I continued deeper and saw a worn old rocking chair and beaten up couch. In my vision, the little girl sat on the couch and I heard two voices. One was like mine and the other I didn't recognize. They were talking, but I couldn't make out the words. I looked down the hall and saw faint footprints; human footprints. I followed them, the wood creaking under every step, to an open door. I looked inside the door and saw torn, scattered papers lying in the dust. I felt fear begin to creep up my spine. What was I afraid of?
I looked around and felt my eyes were drawn to an unusually clean book. It's bright red cover stood out in the dirty dark place it was in. I felt myself being pulled to it. I tried to jump up and look at it, but the stand it was on toppled to the ground. The book was thrown open and I saw strange symbols on the page. I wasn't sure how, but, for some bizarre reason, I knew what they meant. I read the words aloud and felt a strange wind blow around me gently.
"A spirit freely Given, The magic Wolf Song, To aid Another, To right a Wrong. To take another Home, End another's Strife, To help Another, And guide another Life."
What could that mean? It seemed like something I heard before, something I knew. The wind began to stir up and the page of the book flipped over. I saw another passage and read it carefully.
"A lesson Learned… A Wrong Made Right… A Give Life… An Ended Strife… Return to the Past… Remember what was Lost… Memories to Last… But at the Highest Cost…"
My heart began pounding wildly and I feared it would stop altogether. A sudden pain engulfed me and I yelped out in pain. I called Devon's name in a broken cry. The wind raged around me, circling me in a terrible spiral. My body collapsed and everything went dark for a moment.
I heard footsteps running toward me and let out a sigh of relief when I saw Devon's face. But that disappeared in an instant. His face was contorted in fear and aggression. He was tensed up, teeth were barred, and fur bristled. I opened my mouth, but nothing would come out. He lunged for me and I frantically managed to fumble out of his way. He tumbled into a stack of books and turned to me, ready to try again.
Fear overtook me. Devon was trying to kill me. I tried to get up and run, but my legs struggled to function. Stumbling and tripping the whole way, I did finally make it out the door, Devon hot on my heels. He went to jump for me again and barely missed. He smacked into the wall with a thud and a yelp. My heart ached at the sound, but I couldn't go to him. I made it into the woods and just kept running. Tears rolled down my face and blurred my vision. Somehow, the ground seemed so much rougher under my feet. But I couldn't worry about that now. Why was Devon trying to kill me? It didn't make any sense.
I stumbled up a hill and broke through the treeline. Something hard and hot was under my feet, not like any dirt or rock I had felt before. I heard this rumbling growl like it was coming towards me. It wasn't any animal I had heard before, but it felt like I knew it. I just couldn't remember what it was. Then, I saw bright lights like the sun come racing towards me. I jumped back to get out of the way and found myself rolling to the ground as my feet fumbled beneath me.
I heard the growl stop and then soft thuds. The sound of footsteps running came shortly after and I looked up to see two human figures coming towards me. They slowed as they approached and I began contemplating whether I should run or try to fight them. They spoke softly to one another and I made out a few of the words. One of them, a man, inched his way closer and knelt down slowly. Panic flushed my features as I had made up my mind in that moment.
I forced my legs to cooperate and ran back into the woods. My feet still fumbled underneath me and I let out a growl of frustration. However, it wasn't a growl like I had heard before. I remember looking over my shoulder, hearing them call out. Before I knew it, my foot had slipped on a wet stone and I found myself sitting in the middle of a creak. I was trying to get back up and something made me freeze where I sat.
In the water's reflection was a face that I hadn't seen in such a long time. I was human. I had aged since the last I saw myself like this, but I recognized myself. A wave of shock and anxiety spread through me like a wildfire. I didn't even hear the footsteps come up behind me. Suddenly, something warm and heavy was laid gently on my back. I quickly spun around and caught the man off guard. He flinched, stepping back slightly as we stared at one another.
"It's alright… It's okay…"
His voice was concerned, but calming. I saw as the other, a woman, inched her way forward from the trees. The man held out a hand to me and I stared at it for a moment. I wasn't quite sure what I was supposed to do with it. I cautiously reached out my own and he helped me up to my feet. The woman came up at my side, gradually, and I flinched when she went to pull the blanket more firmly around me. She smiled softly and I felt somewhat at ease.
They helped lead me back to their vehicle and I sat on the edge of it's floor. My head started to hurt as old memories started to come back. Things I had long forgotten. The woman managed to get me in one of the seats and closed the door. She took her place upfront by the man and I turned to look out the back window as the woods were being left behind us. I saw a flash of white creep up onto the asphalt and then watch us for a moment before darting across. Our eyes locked in that brief time and I felt an overwhelming sadness. One that seemed to be mirrored from theirs. "Devon…" I felt another tear roll down my face as I watched the trees continue to pass, going farther and farther away.
Everything after that went by in a blur. I remembered being taken to the local authority station and managed to tell them my name. They realized who I was by some fliers that had made their way up North from where I lived. My father was called and Claude was the one to come get me. I didn't even recognize him at first. He was a man in his early 20's now.
At first, I was confused and in shock. I tried to tell Claude and Father what had happened, but my father told me I must have been confused. I started to grow frustrated from being told it was all in my head and went through a spiral of emotions, namely depression. Father finally decided to take me to the "best shrink money could buy." The psychiatrist listened to everything, but then tried to convince me it was a reaction to my trauma. That my mind must have made up this fantasy world to cope. What I had experienced, what I went through… All of it was brandished into my mind forever. How could I pretend it was all a hallucination? That the pain, the love, the fear, and everything I had experienced wasn't real?
I constantly got into yelling matches with all the different doctors Father took me to. Most of the time a chair went through a window or I would lash out with my fists. Eventually, I learned that as long as I fought and denied their "studies" or "findings", the longer Father would keep forcing me to be seen by them. He even threatened to institutionalize me at one point.
Eventually, I started denying it all and agreeing with the doctors. My mind, however, was not as easy to convince as my mouth. After saying "Wolves are wild animals. They cannot speak. They have no feelings. They are not like humans" so many times, I felt like I was even muttering it in my sleep. After almost a year and a half, Father finally let me come home.
I remember staying in my room for days, only coming out in search of food. During one of my outings, I finally met Alex, my little brother which Father had adopted. According to Claude, Father had adopted him when a woman he was seeing got pregnant and didn't want the baby. Gwen had all but raised Alex with Claude, Father was, of course, absent most of his life. He was so bright and beautiful. The moment I met him, I fell in love with him.
To me, there was no point in getting up and going anywhere. I missed the woods and the pack to the point it was almost unbearable. And Devon… Just his name was enough to make my heart ache. I fell asleep many nights, waiting to wake up next to him again; to feel his warmth, hear his heart, and never leave his side. He was always on my mind. And, although most days the pain was almost unbearable, I never wanted to stop thinking about him.
It took some time, but I discovered that I could drown out the thoughts, the memories, by going to loud places and surrounding myself with noise. I'd venture out to nearby bars or go to random concerts or parties. I'd just be there, having a drink, and let the noises consume me. Father would constantly scold me; lecture me about the image I would bring to the family, but I didn't care. He wanted to cage me and keep me quiet. If I was going to be the caged animal at Moon Manor, I was going to pick my own cell.
Whenever I came home, there'd be a huge fight; yelling, screaming, and things would occasionally be thrown. After we both had had enough, I would try to run and hide in my room. But, more times than not, Alex would be hiding at the top of the stairs, crying. I would always usher him back to bed and comfort him. It became a sort of bonding between us.
One night, Alex asked me why he hadn't seen me in any of his pictures and where I had been for so long. I was going to tell him the same tale Father had spun about me going to a fancy schooling program, but the more I thought about it, the better parts of my story would seem much more captivating to a child. I started telling him little stories to help him sleep or to give him encouragement. All of which Father didn't know, of course. Alex had become a sort of outlet for all me. The life I was supposed to keep hidden, I could now freely talk about to ease the pain of being forced to forget it. It helped, but was still not enough. So, I continued to go out, Father and I continued to fight, and the cycle just kept repeating.
On the eve of my 25th birthday, I was sitting in a slump at a table, once again trying to suppress the memories, ease my pain. I closed my eyes and started to succumb to the numbness only to be woken up by an awkward man in a suit. My first impression was that he was like all the others, trying to get the story that Matthew Moon fought so hard to keep hidden. Just some other schmuck who wanted to make his mark and his money.
With the others, I would have left in a blaze of annoyance, but this one seemed different to me. I was still sure to tread lightly at first, getting a better idea of him. So, I made the first attempt to tell him my story. I honestly expected him to blow me off like the doctors and leave, believing I was a nutcase that needed to be in a hospital. But, to my surprise, he seemed to enjoy listening to me and my story. It was an odd feeling for me; having someone other than my little brother enjoy my story. I would be lying if I said I wasn't still skeptical about him.
After a few sessions, I actually began to enjoy his company and look forward to his company. All I could think about was spending time with him and watching him light up with each new piece to my story. He reminded me so much of someone I cared deeply for; someone I always missed.
I felt myself growing closer to him with each passing meeting. It was a strange feeling, longing for someone and feeling guilty for missing another. It was like I had found a piece of Devon inside him and thought I could fill the whole in me where he belonged... I wished it could be true… But Devon was a piece that could never be filled by another… It shouldn't have taken me this long to figure that out…
For some odd reason, I felt a pain begin building up in my chest. I wiped my face and realized there were tears. I tried to regain my composure as I read Abby's last note.
"After my dream, I know the pack needs me. Something evil is coming or is already there and I must go to their aid. This vision came to me for a reason. I have to find a way back. I will find a way back. I cannot thank you enough. You helped me to find happiness again when I thought it near impossible… I wish you well with your book."
She signed her name at the bottom and I noticed the few water marks. This must have been hard for her. I held them loosely in my lap and stared out the window of the plane. I let out a deep breath and it fogged up the window. Abby had told me of her pain, her longing, and her love. But, after all that, why did my chest feel so heavy? As if she had left me behind? I didn't have a "love" for Abby. Nothing more th I did enjoy the time we spent together and listening to her story, but I never had some sort of bold feelings for her… Did I?
The plane landed and, as I got off, I looked around frantically at the few faces in the airport windows. I had some sort of hope that she would still be inside, trying to plan her next move. I wasn't surprised when I didn't see her, but I let out a sigh of disappointment all the same. I stepped outside the airport and went to hale for a cab. Midthought, I realised I had no idea where I even needed to go, but the cab had already pulled up.
I got in and just asked him to take me to the nearest hotel. He started driving and I tried to call Abby again. There was still no answer. Wherever she was, I could only hope she was safe.
***** A/N: If you like what you've read or are enjoying things so far, lemme know! I appreciate any feedback anybody wants to give! Thanks! *****