Perplexed, she tripped on a stone and fell down. The wolf stood in front of her and cried out. Both were looking into each other's eyes. Ceris' face was covered with a mask, only eyes visible. Maybe the wolf noticed that Ceris was frightened; maintained an arm length distance. Second turned to minutes, slowly and out of curiosity, Ceris touched the wolf's head. The soft fur made her feel good so she continued to caress the wolf. The wolf purred at first and approached Ceris and licked her hand. Then it circled her and at last leaning on her lap, it sat down, closing its eyes.
'What the…!! Why do I feel as if it is behaving more like a dog?' Chuckling, she played with its fur. She wasn't afraid of the wolf but rather fond of animals having fur. Eri loved to stay in cat form so Ceris didn't want to miss the chance to play the wolf fur when it had degraded its defense against her.
In the novel and folk tales only had she heard that there were werewolves, beasts that could transform into human and other sort of supernatural entities. It was a first time; she had seen anyone turn into wolf. She wasn't fearful because of the boy's transformation but rather curious about this world. Her perspective of the fantasy world was broadening.
'Hope one day I will be able to meet all of those supernatural creatures!!' Only thinking about it made her so excited.
As Ceris was playing with the wolf fur began to feel sleepy. The fire made them cosy.
The next day, it was early morning when Ceris opened her eyes groggily. Something soft was in her arm. Turning to face, she found herself cuddled with the wolf. She tried to remove her arms as it was sore but was unable to. Remembering the night and the wolf in her arm; Ceris concluded that the events expired wasn't a mere dream. With a light smile, she cuddled the wolf and once again was asleep.
She slept well after a long long time.
It was almost noon when Ceris was wide awake and found her arm empty. Abruptly sitting up, she looked around. The wolf was nowhere.
Once again, she was confused if the events transpired were an illusion or what. Checking her ankle, she found it had swelled and was a bit uncomforting to move. Despite it, she stood up holding the bushes and slowly dragged her body out of the cave.
It was better to move on than to be trapped with the unknown. She neither knew the boy nor wanted to be entangled. Who knows the wolf won't be dangerous or attack her even if had cuddled her before. Ceris had a principle that she would never hold anything that's never going to be owned by her and was very possessive of her things. She had been emotionally attached to the wolf but not so desperate.
The pain from her ankle made her yelp as she took small steps forward. Sweating, she continues.
The woods were quiet, not sure where those small animals from before went.
A rustling sound from the bushes could be heard behind her. Ignoring it for more than twice, she sighed. Stopping for a while, she sat down.
"Shoosh" a white wolf came into her view from the bush. The fur was covered in mud and patches of blood. On its mouth was something.
Approaching slowly it stood in front of Ceris and put the thing in her feet.
Ceris has assumed that the wolf had left but didn't expect it to…
Holding the thing, Ceris made a sign language to ask if it was for her. The wolf pushed her hand towards her mouth as if asking her to eat.
Chuckling, Ceris stroked its fur. The thing in her hand was a precious herb that could heal her swelling and lessen her pain. But the herb was dirty and needed to be cleaned before using. Who knows where the wolf got the herbs or who cares.
Using the surroundings, Ceris tried to stand but hissed in pain. The wolf immediately walked to her feet as if saying something. Ceris couldn't speak and the wolf couldn't talk her language so their conversation was awkward and hopeless.
As she took a step, the wolf would gently knock her. Not understanding a thing, Ceris stood straight.
A sound from within her resonated in her mind.
"It is asking for you to climb on its back."
"Huhh!! Isn't it dangerous. I mean, why would it want something like that? Where does it want to take me? Wait…who are you? Where are you? How can you read what's on my mind?" Ceris panicked.
"Don't fear me. I can't tell you about me for now but remember I would never hurt you. I reside within you. Don't think much about me. Deal with the current issues." The voice was void of emotion.
"How…how…can I not be afraid of you? A stranger, an unknown–?"
"I promise I would never hurt you. But first of all treat yourself and find a way to leave this place." The voice reminded her.
"Oh!! Okie…even if you can't say about yourself atleast tell me your name." Ceris tried to accept the situation. She was used to prevailing in whatever circumstances thrown at her. What could she do even if she doesn't agree with the setting? So it was of no use.
"I…I don't have a name. Why don't you give me a name?" Emotions in the voice changed in a blink of eye and Ceris noticed but didn't dwell on it.
"Umm…I am bad with names too. Let me think it for later, hehe. Hey you, do you know how can I communicate with this wolf? Is it okay for me to engage with it? I am new to this world…is this—"
"Stop it. You have lots of questions. But for now hurry, you will know the answer on your own."
"Hey you…" Ceris was excited that she had someone to talk to but the voice stopped responding to her.