The dream that followed was warm—one where I played with my brothers and father, but soon I found myself in familiar scenery. Again, I was unable to stop the nightmare from reoccurring.
"Rem, you shouldn't follow us up here. You know that!" Aiden scoffed, crossing his arms.
I tried to make my way up onto the roof where they were. Nothing would stop me—especially the annoying teasing. My two brothers were identical twins, resembling my father's red eyes and silver hair, which helped their fluffy ears and tails appear more elegant.
"Yeah, a luma like you shouldn't do what we do!" Caden taunted me, unknowingly pushing me even further.
"I'll do as I please!" I growled from where I was, trying to climb up the stupid pole they used.
It was unfair how they were both Lycans. Their strength and agility surpassed mine, even though we came from the same parents.
Wolves! Their fluffy tails and ears are also illegal! Why do I only have a tail?!
Even though it was difficult, I made enough progress that Caden finally helped me get to where they were.
"Not bad for a luma." He grinned.
I huffed for air, "You could've helped me from the start!"
It was like looking in the mirror when they faced each other—the only identical twins from our quad.
"I have a name, Cady." I pouted, glaring at the wolf, who chuckled before scuffing up my hair.
He was a bully, even though I knew he wanted to push me to see if I could do it. Though Aiden was bothered by the fact I was there. He was more worried about what would happen if something happened to me.
Mom and Dad always told them to limit me as I wasn't a full Lycan like them, which was something my careful brother always did. I rarely listened to his worries, though.
"Dad will yell at us if something happens to you!" Aiden tried to make me go back down, triggering me to curl my lips downward before sticking my tongue out at him.
"No! I'll be fine!" I huffed, getting up to the tiles.
Aiden rolled his eyes, "Famous last words."
"Shut up! You two aren't supposed to be here either!" I added for them both to look at me like a tattletale, but I was no snitch!
"The maid's such a bore that we wanted to explore. Oh, that rhymed!" Caden smirked, walking past me and towards his brother, who shook his head.
"But with you'll only slow us down like always," Aiden complained, waving his hands.
As if I'll go away with that! Stupid!
Usually, when we were out, Dad would ensure I would keep up with them. I always rode on his back while they ran through the woods. The wind in my hair felt amazing, but sadly, I couldn't shift into my wolf form.
Sometimes, the lumas couldn't shift because their human side was more potent than that of the Lycan, which appeared to be my case. I didn't even have fluffy ears, just the tail. At the same time, my actual ears were pointy rather than the normal round ones humans had.
I would get confused for a peredhil, a half-elf, which usually would happen if I ever hid my tail inside my clothes.
"I won't!" I huffed, trying to keep up with the two.
From the roof, I could see the whole manor grounds. The rose garden was Vera's favorite place to hang out, as there was a small gazebo where she could sit to read her books. Mom often sat there in her free days, enjoying their time together.
The manor was a luxury as we never needed anything or lacked experience. Dad was the one who always took us out of the Silver Fang Manor, which, much to its name, had a white decorative theme. Our grandfather built it before he died in the fall of Silverant, our home.
There were no traces of the horror that occurred more than thirty years ago, though. The twins and I loved anywhere we could get our robust energy out.
The dirtier we get, the better it is!
Part of me felt terrible for leaving Vera behind every time we went out, but she never wanted to come with us. Unlike us, her human part dominated, leaving her without any of the features our brothers and I had.
She always preferred to be surrounded by literature instead of the wilderness.
Who would like to stare at a book all day? Bah! Such a waste of time!
For me, the adventure was better than anything else. Whenever Aunty Amelia attempted to dress me in dresses, I felt out of place. Although Vera loved them, leaving me to wish I could rip them off me.
For being born as quadruplets, we were all different from one another. Our quad was composed of identical and fraternal twins, yet each had unique perks. Aiden was always serious and had a dash of daring, while Vera was elegant. Caden was a carefree spirit who could usually be seen lounging the day away.
I'm the youngest of us, but only by a few minutes! I'm also the best one of all of us! What are my qualities… Uh… Well, I'm the suborn of the bunch. Once I set my mind to something, there is nothing that's going to stop me!
Aiden and Caden, even though they loved to adventure like me, weren't keen on getting dirty like I was. We could hear the maid call for us, which caused us to snicker on top of the blue tiles on the roof.
"She'll never think of finding us here." Aiden cackled while standing near the edge of the road, watching out for the unsuspecting maid.
Caden relaxed by lying down to sunbathe when I made my way to our lookout, wanting to see what he was gazing at.
"Rem... you shouldn't be here." He scowled at me.
Dad scolded them the last time I broke a bone, but he wasn't like this because he thought of me as a burden. He acted like this because he cared about me, but I considered him annoying and mean.
"I'll be fine!" I puffed myself up and placed my hands on my hips.
Just how many times will it take for him to believe me? Bah. Annoying!
"Right..." he trailed off, shrugging.
He stared at me with his crimson eyes, leaving me growling in response.
"Ah, let her be. She'll be okay." Caden tried to downplay that I was there, wanting peace instead of bickering.
Aiden grumbled before going towards him, scowling. The moment he left, I noticed an orb next to me. My eyes sparkled as the sphere danced around me. It was the first time I had ever seen anything like it.
The way it shimmered reminded me of a…
A fairy, maybe? But don't those live in the elf lands? Ah... I must be lucky to see one so close to Silverant!
A hum left my lips, enjoying the orb's presence. At this point, I still couldn't hear their voices, only experiencing the hues of colors for myself. I found myself enchanted by this blue orb floating around me.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it, but if Dad comes later to yell at me. I'll rat you out as the source who let her stay here." Aiden pouted.
The reason he was so bossy was that he was the eldest. Caden came after him, while Vera was the second youngest of our group.
"Whatever." Caden shrugged, enjoying the sunlight on his skin.
Aiden took another step towards the lazy brother when I finally broke through my awe.
"Do you guys see this?" I asked.
Both ignored what had come from my mouth, continuing to bicker behind me. I reached for the sphere, only for another to appear next to it, triggering me to pull my hand away. Before I knew it, they surrounded me.
Unsure of what they were, I began to take steps back as more of them appeared. When my brothers noticed what was happening, it was too late.
"Rem!" Caden, who had sat up because of Aiden's bickering, shouted at me.
He saw me dangerously close to the edge. When I heard his voice, I spun to face him, only to lose my footing, triggering them both to bolt to me, but I fell out of their grasp and into the floor below.
Ah… What… Why are you two gazing at me like that? Everything will be—
The moment I hit the ground, I jolted awake, gasping for air.