When I woke up, the first thought in my noggin was, I'm still alive. I was still in the valley full of wildflowers but instead of lying face first in the dirt, my head was on a man's lap, his fingers gliding through my hair as he hummed a beat I had never heard before.
He smiled down at me as he continued to hum. I felt a bit awkward, but grateful that he was here. I tried to sit up, but his hand moved from my hair to my chest, pushing me back down, his smile disappearing.
"You should lie down for a bit longer, you're still unsteady," his voice resonated in the glade, surrounding me with more butterflies than a mere voice could actually accomplish.
"I think I'm ok. I feel a lot better," I paused, finding that my voice was rough, and my throat dry. I needed something to drink. "Thank you for helping me", I continued, as I began to look for my tea. I saw it near the man's toes. Too far to reach, yet so close.
I noticed how much of his leg was showing. Most men of my acquaintance wear long basketball-type shorts, but this man must wear shorter ones since I could see his knees. I moved down and grabbed my water bottle filled with tea, opening it and drinking it all down before I sat up. My head was still fuzzy, but I was alive, so it didn't matter how dizzy I felt.
I turned around to face the man. My mouth, the very mouth that drank all that tea, dried up again as I saw now that the man was bare naked. Not a scrap of clothing on him.
"Excuse me," I sort of yelled, as I turned back around and looked down at my belly. I thought I would see some dirt on my shirt, but it was spotless, and my stomach didn't even hurt from landing on it.
I tried to recall my fall from earlier, convinced that I fell before I passed out, but I was not hurting anywhere.
"How did you get out here, and how did you drive the car here without crashing into a tree?" the man asked me. I wanted to look at him to answer, but his nude state made me hesitate, then decide to answer with my gaze focused on my lap.
"I was following the moon, then, I don't really know, hours passed, then I found myself here. Before I knew it, I was waking up to the sun." My answer sounded ridiculous to me, so I didn't expect him to believe me.
"Where's the pup's father?" He asked another question.
"Excuse me, pup? Is that a reference to females being bitches? Don't call my baby a pup", I flared out. The audacity of a complete stranger calling my unborn child a pup! I looked over at him, no longer caring that he was naked, and showed him my ire.
He smiled, showing one dimple on his cheek, the other cheek flat. Then I noticed his eyes. Those animalistic eyes, it was like staring into a wild creature's gaze. One eye is blue, the other brown, but they could have easily been found in a large dog breed. They lacked human traits, yet, he was clearly human.
"So, where is the baby's father?" he rephrased, but it felt like he was just humoring me.
I calmed down, thinking. I am in an unknown region with an unknown man that saved me from a wolf, who is now asking me about the male who impregnated me. He's not asking me if I am OK, or if I need to go to the hospital, he is butt ass naked, and not showing any care about his state of dress, or lack of.
I feel the panic setting in. I slowly reach into my legging pocket, which costs extra to buy leggings with pockets, like seriously? I got my keys in hand and slowly rose up, my heartbeat ricocheting in my ears as I made my way back to the car. I kept the man in my periphery as I opened the car door. As I slid in, he finally made a move.
I tried to close the door and lock it, but within a second his hands were holding the door open as he smiled down at me.
"I can't let you leave just yet. You said the moon brought you here, which is my land. You don't know how you made it through the thicket of trees, which means the moon was guiding you specifically to this place. You are pregnant with a pup and smell completely human. I can't let you leave until I get more answers," he then picked me up and carried me out of the meadow, his long strides moving faster than normal. My heart rate beat even faster as his sturdy arms surrounded me.
I didn't feel safe necessarily, but I didn't fear for my life either.
"Calm down, I won't hurt you. I have a friend that you can stay with. She's a bit quirky, but she will be able to help us both figure out what's going on," the man continued, "My name's Austin, by the way. To be honest, I did a bit of snooping while you relaxed and found your license. You are a long way from Visalia, California, Abby."
He moved my head against his shoulder, and readjusted his grip to where I was in a princess carry. I'm not the smallest woman, plus my muscles are more compact, so my little frame is a bit heavier than females that are not as muscular as myself. Yet Austin was carrying me as if I was 90 pounds instead of 130. I may even be heavier now that the baby is growing, but even so, it won't be by much.
I felt the urge to lift my head, but it was like he knew what I was about to do as I heard a real growl come from within him. A growl!
I put my head back, relaxed and let my mind wander.
Which made me think of my stalker. Since he never left any notes or presents like typical stalkers, the police just treated it like I was overly excited and imagining things. Then, when I was raped, they took my stalker complaints a bit more seriously. In more ways than one, I always felt that the man who did betray me was in fact the stalker. Especially when he said I was his in that gravelly voice.
The alley was so dark, I never saw what he looked like. That thought keeps my dreams of that night active and on point. Maybe if I had actually seen what details his face held, I would be able to move on from this. But instead, I drove away, leaving everything and everyone I knew behind me. I wish I could leave my thoughts behind me too, but they seem to linger.
The man's heartbeat was relaxing, as was his smell. Fresh cut grass mixed with pine, but with a disgusting scent of oleander. Weird, since I like oleander, but not on him.
His scent was very similar to the monster that raped me. Too similar. Yet, instead of making me feel fear, I felt safe and secure.
Perhaps because he smells more grassy than pine, whereas the monster was more pine than grass.