✓ Kiergan
I ran back and forth, my heart beating loudly against my chest, while I swiveled around. Why did Orion just drop me here? What has happened to me?
I grabbed my head within my two palms, and closed my ears, while I let out a loud piercing cry, and dropped to the floor on my knees.
"Why am I experiencing this now that I'm supposed to be over there helping my friends?!" I sat on the floor muttering, my shoulders sagged, and my chest tightening, like the thought of losing my friends was weighing on me, and clutching my heart.
"Because you've lost connection with your wolf." A soothing voice called behind me and I jumped.
"Moon Goddess!" Finally, help has arrived. Finally, I'd get to help my friends. "How so? I just met with him a couple of hours ago."
"That amounts to nothing, child. You could lose him within a minute span of time, regardless." She walked over to me and placed a hand on my cheek. Her hand was so soothing, so much so, that I melted into it and closed my eyes, breathing in the smell of a mother eluding her.
I subtly remembered my mother who I hadn't seen in days? Months? weeks?
Slowly, I opened my eyes, and the Moon Goddess was staring back at me in the most tender way, with eyes so loving, and perhaps— longing. "Oh, child. You carry so much weight." Then, she removed her hand from my cheek, and stepped back. I could argue that I somewhat caught a fleeting look of hurt flash across her face. . . Or was it pain?
"Why are you here, Moon Goddess?"
"To help you. To help you regain custody of your wolf, my child."
"But, how? How am I supposed to do that when I've lost him?" My heart clenched at the thought, and I winced quietly. Never would I have imagined this day— longing for what I never wanted.
"Remember the last time you were in space? What did you think happened after you left your wolf and the young girl?"
The shock hit me so hard that I flinched. How could I have forgotten something so crucial?
"Is he dead? Has that monstrous child killed him?!" I fumed at the thought, and you could think that smoke was coming out of my ears at that moment.
"I will show you now." She moved closer and placed both of her hands on my shoulder, and suddenly we were out of the woods, and into a strange place— a place with ominous surroundings, with curvy and limp trees, just tangling and hugging around each other. The flowers here and there seemed to be rotten too, yet somewhat retaining their beauty.
"Where is this place?!" As I asked, my heart was beating loudly and fast, while I gazed around, darting my eyes towards every direction, surprised at the fast turn of events, and at the strange place.
"Your heart." The Moon Goddess muttered and started walking down the narrow part we were on. I followed suit, and so was the trees, which never ceased to want to grab me while they swung their limp branches.
"What do you mean by my heart?!" I questioned, leveling my steps with hers.
"This is where all of your emotions lie. And, these trees are what supports the growth of every emotions." She pointed my sight at a rotting tree, which looked ready to die in the next minute. "That's your basketball dream. It's rotting, because you no longer dream about it."
The Moon Goddess sighed heavily, and continued walking, then suddenly she stopped for a brief second and stared at a particular tree sternly, shook her head, and continued walking. I also stopped to gaze at the tree, but didn't see anything wrong with it, but simply that it was terribly rotten.
"What tree is that?" I called after, but she just grunted, and didn't say a word. "Moon Goddess?!"
Abruptly, she stopped in her step, and snapped her head back at me, her eyes glowing and straight with a blinding furious light suddenly gushing out of her. Then, slowly, her expression— perhaps well calculated— curved into a perfect smile, "We are here."
I stood rooted in my place for a couple of seconds, my body cold with shivers scattering through every veins in my body. What had just happened? What was that for?
"Come on. Let's go." She waved her hand, gesturing for me to come. I blinked twice and went to her, while she smiled, and took my wrist.
An electric sort of shock raced through my body abruptly, and I flinched, jerking my hand off, while wincing at the pain, which stopped almost in the same fast manner.
"What did you just do to me?!" I questioned her, my body tensed.
"Infusion of energy. Your human energy is a pain cry, and could be a detriment to you." We arrived at a cave and she stopped.
"How so? And, why are we here?" I asked, surveying the surroundings. The cave was the only one in the vast place, surrounded with just rocks and greenery.
"For your first question, What you're about to see is going to be too big for your human self to handle. And, for the second question, You'll see." She said and continued into the cave, crouching to prevent her head from hitting the natural arc of the cave.
My heart skipped a million beats as soon as I stepped into the cave. The sight before me was so appalling and terrifying at the same time.
My wolf was tied with shackles on the arms and legs to the wall, while he looked extremely battered. However, what sent chills down my bones was. . .
Orion. . . who was also chained to the wall with cuts all over his body.
"How did this happen? Why is Orion also here?" My voice came out a quivering whisper as though I was speaking solely to myself.
"A result of your hatred, fear, and doubt. You doubted your wolf. You hated Orion, and here's the result. " The Moon Goddess said, and came to place a hand on my shoulder. "Free them, and inadvertently free your other friends."
"But, how?" My eyes were pleading as I asked.
"You'll figure it out, child. It's your cross. Not anyone's to carry." With that said, she was gone— vanished into the air to wherever she came from, leaving me behind with this nightmare.
My heart pounded against my tightening chest as I made my way towards Orion, feeling rather guilty at the sight of him before me. What led to this? What could this be?
Confusion evaporated into my mind, and became a part of me, while I attempted to touch Orion.
He began to struggle, and I jumped, falling and hitting my bottom on the hard floor. However, I just couldn't stay on the ground and stare, so I picked myself up again, while trembling and touched him this time.
As soon as my hand was on his arm, he let out a loud scream- his cry wrenching and heartbreaking, and. . .
Boom. He was gone.
I flinched at the sudden disappearance and held onto my fast rising and falling chest, with fear gripping my heart, while I breathed heavily. What the heck was that?
"Kiergan. . ." I jolted and turned full tilt as my wolf suddenly breathed behind me. I winced quietly after taking in the whole of him looking worn out and terribly bruised, and it didn't help since he looked just like me.
Since he refused to speak again, I folded my hands into fists, exhaled sharply, and walked towards him, my leg wobbling slightly.
As soon as I touched his arm also, he disappeared, and everywhere became silent, just after the clashing sound of the iron with the ground.
My eyes darted around, suspicious of the sudden and disturbing silence, when suddenly my muscles began to twitch and crack, like something was merging with me, and trying to share every muscle in my body.
Pain blazed through my whole body as my bones seemed to break into pieces while I screamed, and squeezed my eyes shut at the pain.
Suddenly, the pain subsided and I dropped to the floor, breathing heavily, while slowly opening my eyes, not to the cave, but to a sight that shook me, and clutched my heart.
_____
"Orion!" I picked a race and jumped on the beast that was trying to claw Orion, battering it with every strength in me, until it dropped Orion, and dropped dead to the ground.