I looked around, confused. I was back at my old house. I swear I was just outside somewhere…
As I tried to remember, it felt like the thought was running away from me. I was sitting on the back steps of the house I grew up in. It was one of my go-to places to clear my mind. I looked around at the familiar scenery; the trees, woods, and tall grass. It looks beautiful on the outside, but inside, this house was ugly. I lived here with my father, sister, brother, and my mother before she died.
Inside the house I heard my father yelling at someone and dishes being broken. A cold shiver ran up my spine, hoping he wouldn't come outside. I heard a shrill scream and some other things breaking. I covered my ears and fought the tears that were forming. I sat there, pathetically, shivering like a leaf, and frozen in place. I'm too much of a coward to be a heroine; whoever he is after will have to save themself.
I heard the back door open and saw my cat, injured, running from the house and out towards the woods. I panicked, afraid she might be seriously hurt, and ran after her. I could hear the screams and angry bellows fade as I ran into the woods. I ran as fast as I could, shouting after my cat. She usually came running when i called her name but this time she was too spooked. I followed her deeper and deeper into the woods until I was out of breath. My chest was heaving, I couldn't seem to catch my breath.
The woods were colder than the field due to the lack of sunlight, and the air was damp and smelled fresh and clear. I sat on the ground under a tree to recover my energy. As my breathing slowed and became less labored, I took a minute to appreciate the beauty of the woods. It always looked like autumn in here, with the fallen leaves on the ground and the amber hue from what little sunlight filtered down through the trees. The silence of the woods was so serene and calming.
Meow~
Bella! My cat!
I looked towards the sound and saw her sitting on a fallen tree, looking at me. She was a fat smoky grey cat with yellow eyes. She had a small round face that was too cute not to smush. When I saw her running from the house she looked like she was hurt, but now she looked completely fine.
I got up and walked towards her. She meowed again and arched her back as she leaned into my hands for scratches.
I sighed, she seems fine. "You worried me, girl." I said as I kissed her little head.
She started to prance off into the woods, like she had a purpose, and looked back at me as if to say 'are you coming?'
I laughed to myself and decided to follow my cat. Why not, I thought to myself.
I followed her a little ways into the woods down a deer path. She didn't seem to have any particular direction in mind and just kept walking. Just as I was considering heading back to the house, She hopped over a rotting tree trunk that was on the ground and went around some shrubs. I went around the corner to give her one last petting before I headed back. I called out to her as I climbed over the trunk, "Bella… pspspsps here, bells"
As I rounded the corner, I saw her morph before my eyes into a fiery red little fox with a huge fluffy tail.
What the…?!
"Bella?"
Meow!~
I've never heard a fox meow before.. this was weird. I approached her and reached out to pet her head. She didn't move from her sitting position. I paused, as something seemed off. Suddenly, she grew 9x her normal size! What I thought was one big fluffy tail was actually multiple tails. She looked down at me with her big golden eyes, as if she had something to say.
Daughter~ I heard a voice in my head say
I looked around for my mom, even though there was no reason she should be out here in the woods.
Daughter, you must awaken.~
I felt lightheaded and suddenly remembered what I was forgetting! Marshall! I transmigrated, I haven't lived here with my family in a long time. I looked up at the huge Kitsune in front of me, likely a figment of my imagination after hearing about the progenitors.
"Are you talking to me?" I asked out loud, feeling like a fool.
The huge Kitsune just looked at me and blinked innocently.
I sighed, "Only I would have such a ridiculous dream…" I said out loud to myself.
Who are you calling ridiculous?~
My head snapped up at look at the kitsune and saw her squinting at me, looking offended.
"Huh??" I asked, mouth agape, looking as stupid as I felt.
Heh. It is nice to be able to talk to you, but we don't have long. You must awaken.~ the voice inside my head purred.
Awaken? This is definitely a dream, but how should I wake up. I looked around for a clue, maybe like a magic door something? when I glanced back the kitsune was gone. I started to walk through the woods back towards the house where I started. As I walked, the leaves on the ground became more dense. they were just scattered on the ground but now they are up to my knees! I tried to trudge on but they felt heavy on my legs, like quick sand.
I tried to forcefully lift my leg from the leaves however I found that I was sinking more quickly. I saw a low hanging branch and reached for it, panicking. It was just outside of my reach! I was sinking too quickly, it was up to my hips. I strained myself trying to reach, a cold sweat breaking out. I am afraid of small spaces, I could never swim indoors or play in leaf piles due to my strange phobia. I felt my heart racing and tears sting at my eyes. I felt like all the breath was being sucked from my chest as I desperately tried to keep my head above the leaves. It was no use, however, as they quickly swallowed me and my vision blackened.
I tried to scream for help but no sound came out, I tried to run but no matter how hard I tried, I got nowhere. I was lost in the darkness and scared. Tears streamed down my face and my chest hurt. I curled up into a ball and cried. I wish Marshall were here. I'm so scared..
In our short time together he has shown me more kindness and unconditional love than any human I ever met on earth. I know I can't stay with him forever but I really want to. Both puppy Marshall and human Marshall, I love them. I love him.
I love him?
Yeah, I think I do. I felt my chest tighten even more as my body shook with each sob. He will probably hate me when he finds out I've been lieing to him. I need to tell him myself before he finds out. I will tell him before I leave.
I continued to sob uncontrollably in the cold darkness; My emotions were all over the place. I shivered from the cold as I tried to get myself under control. Suddenly I felt light, like my body weighed nothing. The oppressive darkness that was weighing me down had lifted. I realized my eyes were closed and tried to open them, but they wouldn't cooperate. I felt warmth surround me, I smiled and embraced the welcome sensation. I took a deep breath to calm the emotions racing through me. As I breathed in I smelled something familiar… like a husky aroma mixed with the fresh smell of the woods. It was calming and alluring at the same time.
My emotions gradually calmed, I felt safe. I tried to move my arms but they wouldn't cooperate, like something heavy was holding them down. I tried again to open my eyes, and the darkness was replaced with a warm glow, and my eyes were met with a beautiful sight.
I blinked my eyes to adjust my blurry vision. I felt like I was being bear hugged. All I could see was Marshalls huge chest in front of my face which had a golden glow from the candles in the room. We were back at home. I looked up met his sparkling purple eyes. My eyes felt swollen and kind of stung, as if I just finished crying. I must have been crying in my sleep, I bet I look like a disaster right now.
"Did you know your eyes change color?" He asked in a deep voice, not breaking eye contact.
"I-" I tried to answer but my throat was still tight and my husky voice cracked.
"You are probably thirsty after crying so much. Here," He sat up with me still in his arms. With one arm wrapped around me, he pulled me to his chest and with the other he reached around me and grabbed a glass from the bedside table. "Have some water. Uncle gave it to you." He said as he relaxed his grip on me and handed me the water.
I nodded in thanks and drank it all in one go. This refreshing feeling… this is recovery water. I looked at Marshall, surprised, as he refilled the glass from a decanter.
"He said you would need this. It's all for you and he insisted that you finish it as soon as you wake up." He said, as he put the empty decanter on the table at his side of the bed.
I finished two glasses of the water and felt good as new. Even the stinging in my eyes went away. I looked up at Marshall's loving gaze, determined to tell him the truth about who I was.