*
I opened my eyes again trying to understand where I was and what was going on, it looked like I was in a dark room with pots of mist everywhere and it also felt like I was asleep for ages.
I sat up and jumped down from the stone platform I had just woken up from, I looked down at it and realized that it was a little cloth between me and the stone.
I looked around again and realized that I was in the castle's underground healing room, I knew that because I'd been here once as a child.
Also, this was the room my mother gave birth to both my brother and me, so it was a special room, but the question now was what was I doing here?
"Glad to see you're awake princess." I heard in my head.
"Hey? What happened?" I asked Brenessa.
"How should I know? You went lights out on us and when you woke up you acted like someone held a knife to your favourite stuffed animal and then you made them give us a shot." Brenessa said annoyed.
"Oh... I'm sorry. I didn't know I put you through so much." I said quietly.
"What's wrong with you Avy, you're scaring me?" Brenessa said more calmly now.
I thought about it a bit and remembered the horrible dream I had earlier, I was sure that I hadn't had anything to eat since I came back from school but I still threw up anyways.
"Wo girl! Calm down. I'll take over from here, you just rest." And just like that Brenessa took over my body and took me back to the stone platform.
"But it's so uncomfortable." I whined.
"Do you want to get better or not woman!" She snapped at me.
"You humans are so selfish and inconsiderate of others, what if something had happened to you?" Brenessa said getting emotional.
"I'm sorry, I- I don't know what happened to me, all I remember was that I had a dream and it was so scary." I explained to Brenessa.
"A dream?" She asked so I explained the whole thing to her as I remembered it.
"Wow... That's enough to make a grown man cry." Brenessa said trying to lighten the mood but it didn't work for obvious reasons.
"But... It's just a dream, right? A part of your imagination that just wouldn't stay put. I'm sure there's nothing to get worked up about." Brenessa reassured me.
"Thanks, but I'd rather not have dreams like that anymore. I could barely leave my room more or less go to war. That's crazy right?" I joked.
"Yeah, but not to cause a commotion, I think it'll be for the best if we keep this from Father." Brenessa suggested, confused I rolled to my side and asked.
"But why? I tell my Dad almost everything going on with me." I asked.
"Well, for now, we don't know when mother will be coming back and the stress of you being in danger? I don't think the old man can handle any more of it. You should have seen him after you passed out, it was definitely not a sight I would want to remember." I felt bad after Brenessa explained this to me.
"Look, I'm not trying to make you feel bad, I just don't want to put father in that position ever again and I'm sure you want the same thing too." I nodded in agreement.
We were going to keep all my dreams from Father and maybe tell mother when she came back.
Just after that moment, we heard the door open and someone walked in, I turned around to find the last person I ever wanted to see. Aspen.
"Hey." He simply said.
"Hey."
"So... What's up?" He asked.
"Well if you're here to check if I've kicked the bucket, no. I'm still kicking, thanks." I replied sarcastically.
"T-that's not why I asked. Can you be mature for just one second, I genuinely came to see how you were doing. Just forget it." Aspen said turning back to go and I felt bad.
"Wait! Did you really mean that?" I asked him.
He stopped at the stairs, and let out a loud sigh before walking back toward me, which was extremely weird and out of character for Aspen.
"Yes. It was really scary when I saw you drop in front of the school, when I rushed to you, you were already passed out." Aspen explained.
"Y-you brought me back?" I asked confused.
"Who else would help you, you're as good as an eye saw at school if not for that wolf of yours." Aspen said.
"Just when I thought we were having a normal conversation, so should I thank you for helping me or apologize for making you lose face." I asked with my arms crossed.
"That's not the point-"
"Then what is the point Aspen, whenever we're at school you ignore my very existence and then when we're at home you treat me like I'm another commoner in the castle, honestly that's not how a brother or even a future leader is supposed to behave." I said cutting him off.
"Fuck if I know about any of that shit, yes I've done a lot of bad things to you and I'm sorry but I've only done what I was told, I've never been able to think for myself before." Aspen snapped back.
"All my life I've always been told that I'm better than you and that was how I should live but the moment I saw you on the floor and I realized that I may never get to see you again... I- I... I panicked." Aspen said with pain in every word he spoke.
"I felt stupid for letting them get to me now, what if.. what if I had lost you? I'll be tagged as the leader who couldn't save his sister let alone care about her. I'm not talking about my ego or position here but... We started this journey together, it wouldn't be fair if you left me to complete it alone." His eyes were teary now.
"To be honest, I've always envied you, you have no responsibilities, people don't watch your every movement and decision, even with that, you do your best at school and at home even though no one notices, I guess... I guess I just got jealous and wanted to outshine you." I listened as Aspen poured out his heart for the first time to me.
"I guess... what I'm trying to say is... I'm sorry, for everything. You deserve a proper apology, just- just don't die on me." He finished.
I watched him stunned at everything that had just come out of his mouth, I searched my head for what to say but when I couldn't find anything I jumped down the stone slab, walked over to him and gave him a tight hug.
"As much as you've earned the title of the worst brother of the year, you're still my brother and I'm definitely not going anywhere anytime soon." I said reassuring him.
"You better not and don't get the wrong idea, I'm still better than you." He said hugging me back.
For the first time in years, I hugged my brother and this time I wasn't forced to or fight for it.
"Okay, okay. Don't get all soft on me before I tell everyone at school." I said pushing Aspen away.
"You wouldn't dare." He said, but I stuck my tongue and ran around as he tried to catch me.
"By the way. I'd like to apologize to your wolf too." He said during the chase.
"To Brenessa?" I was taken as much as she was, she didn't say a word or growl when Aspen was talking but now he wanted to talk to her.
"Yeah, her. It's a her, right?" Aspen asked cluelessly.
"What do you say." I asked Breny in my head.
"Whatever, I already hate him, what's the worse that could happen?" Breny said.
"She's listening." I told Aspen.
"I guess you're kinda like my sister now, so I wanna apologize for our last meeting and if I've said anything offensive to you." Aspen apologized.
"It's about time you came to your senses." Breny said and went back immediately.
"So we cool?" Aspen asked.
"Yeah." I answered for the both of us.
"Cool, now I have a request." Aspen said with folded hands.
"What?" I asked curiously.
"Can I please see your wolf up close, I've only gotten to see you guys from afar during your pieces of training with Mom and that devil wolf." Aspen said referring to Kendra.
But before I or Brenessa could answer we were interrupted.
"Not until she's fully recovered and this is if Brenessa agrees to show you." Father said walking in.
"Father!" We both said at the same time.
"You know, wolves are very particular about who they show their forms to because when they shift back to humans they become very vulnerable. Heavens knows how long it took your mother to convince Kendra to show herself to me." Father explained with a smile.
I looked at my father first before I turned to Aspen, it was weird having all the men of the family attending to me.
"Anyways, Avya the doctors said you passed out due to stress, probably from the constant training in your new form. So you need to take it slow from here, alright?" Father explained, I nodded in understanding and a smile.
"Oh and I hope you thanked your brother too, he was a big help in all this too." Father said finally. Aspen stood there with a smug look on his face as if waiting for a thank you.
"Yes father, I'll be sure to do that." I said with a big smile.
"Good, you can go back to your room now and have a comfortable rest and then later we can have a chat. Is that fine with you?" Father asked and I nodded again.
"You young man are coming with me, we have a lot to talk about." Father said taking Aspen with him.
"What? Wait... I- I haven't finished visiting Avyanna yet." Aspen screamed as he was dragged away by our father.
I laughed feeling better already, it looked like things were going to look up from now on, forget that stupid dream, it doesn't mean anything like Breny said.
I picked myself up and returned to my room to rest a little more before waking up later to finish my school work.