Secrets of the Willow

Chapter 33- Unimaginable beings

“How far are you going to take me?” I asked Conall as it felt like we had been walking for at least an hour in silence.

“Far enough, just in case”. He replied as he continued to walk in front without looking back at me.

“Just in case what?” I hesitantly asked as a cold shiver ran along my body.

“In case you freak out. I’ve never done what I’m about to do”. He said and my breath hitched in fear of what he could possibly do to me and what I was about to endure.

“No!” I exclaimed shaking my head as I stopped in my tracks. “I’m not going any further. Whatever it is you got planned, just get it over and done with! If you and this THING want me dead, then just f*****g do it”.

“What? Eva, I would never hurt you”. He claimed with a dismayed frown.

“Yea, so you keep saying!” I retorted with a scoff “What the hell are we doing here then?” I asked as I waved out my arms in exasperation.

“It’s ok Eva, just trust me”. Conall insisted as he attempted to hold my hand.

“No!” I snapped back as I ripped my hand out of his. “Why should I trust you? I know you’ve been helping that monster kill people! So just get this s**t over with and stay away from my friends!” I rambled furiously.

“What? Eva!” He responded with a shocked expression.

“You know what, I’m not going to play this game! You want me dead, then go ahead! Come after me, but if you go near my friends one more time I’ll rip you apart!” I snapped with a deathly glare as I turned on my heel and began to walk away from him.

“I KNOW ABOUT THEM!” He called out which made me stop and look over my shoulder at him.

“You know about what?” I asked with a scowl.

“About the…. The wolves”. He replied in a hushed voice so no one else but us could hear. “I know them”.

“You know them?” I questioned mockingly as I almost laughed at his attempts to trick me.

“If you let me show you, then you’ll understand how I know of them, and know them well”. He said as he then took several steps further away from me.

“Show me what Conall?” I asked as I looked at him curiously. “Or are you planning to lure them here by using me as bait for that monster?”

“Trust me, you don’t need to worry about that, especially because there’s always been one watching over you. You know that, right?”

“What?” I replied in a shocked whisper. “How…. How did you know about that?” I questioned with bafflement.

“Please, Eva. Just let me show you and I promise I won’t let anything happen to you”. He answered with a pleading look in his eyes, a look that had me more rattled by the minute.

“You have two seconds to show me whatever it is, or I’m leaving”. I stated as my patience was at breaking point

“Ok, but when I show you, please don’t run, please don’t be afraid. You don’t need to fear me”. He replied in a quiet voice which made my heart pound at his words as he took a few more steps back from me, and all I could think was, why was I the centre of all this mess in the first place!

I stood and watched him with complete puzzlement as he began taking off all his clothes, until he had nothing but his boxers on and I started to wonder if I was just part of some practical joke. He closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath, then like the sounds of branches snapping all around me, his bones began to c***k and twist around under his skin. I jolted back in horror with a loud gasp, falling onto my buttocks as his arms and legs grew longer and more muscular, his back hunched over as his spine protruded and cracked bit by bit. Tears watered my eyes as my breaths became fast and panicked. He fell onto the ground on all fours as sprouts of thick fur sprouted from every inch of his body. I shuffled backwards in fright at what I was seeing with my own eyes, realising that his form was looking a lot like the monster, and I felt as if I had only moments left to live.

His teeth turned into sharp canines as pointy ears grew and claws extracted from his feet and hands. The tufts of fur began to darken into a deep brown until it was thick and sleek all over his body. He stood there, fully formed with his eyes focused on me.

“Oh my gosh!” I breathed out in a stunned whisper, my body trembling like a leaf as I saw the brown wolf before me with white and blue glowing eyes. My chest was rapidly heaving as I stared at him and tried to blink away what I was certain must be a dream.

He took a step closer, his paws moving softly along the mud as he looked at me with a subtle and quiet whine.

“Wha…. What… how… how did you?” I stuttered with dumbfounded shock.

He took another step closer which left only a small gap between us, and I saw the similarity of Conall’s eyes.

“It… it was you”. I gasped as I shook my head with bewilderment.

“You brought me back home that night. It was you”. I spoke again as I held out my shaky hand and gently placed it on the side of his face. He dipped his head down, allowing me to run my hand along his head and the fur that surrounded his ears. “I can’t believe this is even happening right now”. I said in a whisper as I marvelled at the softness of his fur, trying to wrap my head around the fact that this wasn’t just a wolf, but it was also Conall. “I never would have….. I never would have thought this was possible”. I added as a soft chuckle of wonderment left my mouth and I smiled at him and looked into his eyes.

I got back onto my feet and felt the familiar softness of his fur and for a moment we just stood there together, looking at one another as if time had suddenly stood still and we were standing in some sort of parallel universe and not in a dark and foreboding forest. I didn’t take my hand away, and neither of us moved an inch, we just soaked in the moment as my heart filled with all this sudden appreciation and fathom that this whole time it had been Conall watching over me and my friends.