The World Of Wolves

“This way,” Tristan said, holding his hand out for Lyra, helping her over the log he cleared with ease.  The forest around them was very dense and it didn't help it was basically pitched black outside except for the occasional firefly and divide in the trees overhead allowing the moonlight. Every time the trees did part, Lyra could see Tristan’s tall and muscular physique covered by a shirt that barely fit, his messy and black hair was getting just slightly too long as it covered his ears and she noticed he kept pushing it back, out of his face. Occasionally he would turn around and smile at her, his bright green eyes reminded her of a cat and caused her cheeks to warm up whenever she saw him staring at her.  Every girl in their group swoons over Tristan and rightfully so. By the time he turned 13, he had already taken down a wolf that happened upon their group when they were all still living in the sewers. Tristan found the current spot in the woods for the group all to hide in. It’s surrounded by thick shrubs making it hard to get to but on top of the thick terrain, there are a lot of free-growing wolfsbanes. He is basically the leader of their little village and without him, they all would have been killed or enslaved by the wolves so of course, every girl in the group wants him.  It was always odd that Tristan clung to Lyra as she was the opposite of Tristan in every way. She was feeble and pale; her ashy brown hair was mangled and brittle, and she was small in every aspect of herself. Her blue eyes were more grey than blue and she was easy to lose in a crowd with no noticeable features. Tristan had always hung around Lyra, they were inseparable growing up and even as his popularity grew, he found time for her.  “We are almost there.” Tristan stopped and turned around to face Lyra. “Close your eyes and I’ll lead you the rest of the way. Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall.”  Lyra looked at him apprehensively but took his hand anyways and closed her eyes, She felt him pull her in front of him and press her back against his chest. Her heart skipped a few beats as she felt his warm frame tower over her and slowly guided her through some shrubs, protecting her from the sharp thorns. After a few feet, she no longer felt Tristan pushing shrubs to the side, but instead, she felt a warmth surrounding her skin. She opened her eyes instinctively from the foreign feeling and was met with Tristan’s hands over her eyes.  “That’s not fair.” Lyra pouted quickly.  “Well, Ly, I knew you couldn’t resist, so I had to make sure you didn’t see it until I was ready,” Tristan whispered in her ear sending shivers down her back.  Lyra bit her lip and nodded. She sighed softly, just letting the warmth of the air around her and Tristan’s chest soothe her.  Suddenly bright lights blinded her until her eyes adjusted to the scene before her. She stood about ten feet from a cliff and beyond the cliff was a beach and a deep blue sea to the horizon. The sun was slowly rising to fill the sky with various shades of reds, yellows, and purples with its reflection dancing in the water. Lyra gasped at the site memorized by the sun itself unable to pull her eyes away until Tristan covered them again.  Lyra grabbed his hand trying to pull it down as he chuckled. “You’re going to hurt your eyes if you look directly at the sun for too long.”  “But it’s been so long since I’ve seen it!” Lyra turned around to face Tristan who looked at her with gentle eyes. Her whining came to a halt as soon as he smiled at her and caressed her cheeks.  “Happy birthday Ly.” His voice was soft and it caused blood to rush to Lyra’s cheeks.  Lyra quickly whipped herself around to hide her blushing cheeks and goofy smile. “I-I can’t believe you remembered…”  “How could I forget?! I made sure we got back from our hunt just in time and I stumbled upon the beach below, once I saw the cliff I knew it would be a view I wanted to show you.” Tristan grabbed Lyra’s hand, pulling her from the edge and toward a tree. “I don't want you to stand so close to the edge. I’m not sure how stable it is.”  Lyra smiled and nodded as they both sat on the ground leaning their backs against the tree behind them. They continued to watch the sunrise slowly, enjoying the sunshine. Tristan had plenty of time out in the sun, but Lyra rarely left the village area. The thick shrubs and treetops kept them safe for the most part from wolves, but they also blocked out a lot of sunshine. There were secluded spots that allowed the sun to get through, but those were blocked off for crops and she wasn’t allowed anywhere near those. Seeing the sunrise was more than just a gift to her.  “Thank you,” Lyra whispered as the sun finally climbed its way over the horizon.  Tristan stood up, offering his hand to Lyra. “Thank you for trusting me. I know you don’t leave our group too much and I know this isn't much-”  Lyra stood up and put her hand on his chest, silencing him instantly. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”  Tristan smiled as he began guiding Lyra back toward the group. She took a moment to look back at the view and smiled before following Tristan into the dense shrubs once again killing most of the light around them.  She followed him for about thirty steps and the forest around her began to sway and her head became light. Her vision tunneled and her stomach dropped. She reached out toward Tristan barely getting half of his name out before her knees gave out and she found herself tumbling toward the ground. The last thing she saw was Tristan turning around, fear plastered on his face before everything went black.  Suddenly Lyra’s vision was filled with glimpses of greenery and a blue sky until it focused to see the village in flames. Bodies of all those in the group were scattered, some torn to pieces and unrecognizable. The smoke was dense, making it hard to see anything even a few feet in front of her, but she made out a tall shirtless man. She couldn't make out any features through the smoke, but she knew he wasn’t just a wolf, but a Lycan. Just as quickly as the burning forest came into view it changed to a large tree with a small stone tower of about six stones. They were covered in moss and the grass around the tree was very overgrown. Lyra glanced to her left to see a large wall of shrubs, thorns, and a few free-growing wolfsbanes, and to her right was a large meadow filled with hundreds of wildflowers. Again the man previously hidden in the smoke was standing there, but Lyra had a clear view. He was tall and had a beautiful warm tan. His dirty blonde hair was pushed back and held in a small bun complimented by a slightly overgrown stubble. He looked exhausted, even from the distance she could see the bags under his hazel eyes. He looked at her as if he could see her when the view changed to bright lights and a large crowd of people surrounded her. They all wore smiles and danced and cheered and slowly the views of the party began fading into black.  Lyra came to, in Tristan’s arms, disoriented by her surroundings. They were still in the forest, but he was running and jumping quickly she couldn't focus on anything around her. She moved, putting her hand on Tristan causing him to stop immediately.  “Ly! Are you okay? What happened?!” Tristan said, kneeling down and gently placing her on the ground but still supporting her back. “You took so long to come back, I thought something was wrong! I even tried shaking you, but you didn't budge. You were going pale and your breath was shallow, I thought…” Tristan’s voice trailed off.  Along with being weak, Lyra also suffered from seizures, at least, that’s what their group’s doctor called them. She had them for as long as she could remember; she would lose consciousness and get glimpses of various visions. At first, she thought they were just dreams and that's exactly what the doctor called them, but her father called it insight. He and Tristan would listen intensely to all of her dreams until one day she saw her father get torn apart by a wolf during a hunting trip. She begged him not to go, but he just laughed her off and said nothing was set in stone. She was 8 when he died. He left her and her pregnant mother, and after his death,  Lyra’s mother, Laura,  became very distant. She immediately silenced Lyra anytime she brought up her dreams and became more and more irritated anytime she lost consciousness. It got so bad Lyra was blindfolded and locked in a cellar for a week with very little subsistence in order to try and prevent any more ‘dreams’. With Tristan becoming the group hero and her father gone, no one listened to her anymore and she quickly became the scapegoat without any kind of protection. She learned quickly to keep to herself and keep any visions she saw to herself. After a while, even Tristan began finding the visions off-putting and quickly dismissed her if she brought it up.  Lyra pulled herself to her feet, pushing Tristan’s hands off her. “I’m sorry,  I’m fine. We should get back.”  Before Lyra could even take a step Tristan grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. “Ly, you looked like you were going to die! You were barely breathing and you’re still pale… I should take you to Gavin.”  Lyra tried to pull from Tristan’s grip but to no avail. “He won’t do anything, Tristan. It was just a seizure. I’ll be fine. We have to get back before you’re missed. You have training today, don’t you?”  “Ly-”  “Tristan please, I promise I’m okay. I just need some rest and I can get that as soon as we are back.” Lyra interjected quickly. They stood in silence for a moment, until Tristan let go of her wrist and she began walking.  “What did you see?” Tristan asked stopping Lyra.  She whipped around and stared at him, but he was unable to make eye contact. She sighed and forced a smile, gently grabbing his hand. “Nothing. I promise.” Her stomach dropped and nausea found its way to her as visions of the burning village came into view. “Let’s go before they start looking for you.” Tristan smiled and began guiding her once again through the dense forest.