Thorne

2

I opened the door to find a tall, handsome man with blonde hair standing on the porch. He looked at me with suspicion in his eyes, and I could tell that he wasn't sure whether to trust me.

"How did you get into this house?" he asked, his voice gruff and angry.

I looked up at him, tears welling up in my eyes, and I knew that I had to be honest with him. "I don't know," I admitted, my voice shaking. "I woke up in the forest with no memory of how I got here. I don't know where I am or how to get home. I can't even remember my own name or where I'm from. I just happened to find this cabin while I was lost"

The man's expression softened in surprise, as he scanned over my tattered clothes and the large gash on my head, and his lips indented slightly into a small smile. "Well I'm not sure how you ended up this far out in the woods," he said, his much voice gentler. "But I can tell you are being genuine, so come on."

The man led me back into the kitchen and sat me down at the table. He retrieved the first aid kit from the bathroom and began tending to my wounds, cleaning and bandaging the cuts on my head and arms that I had missed.

As he worked, I told him everything I could remember. "I woke up alone in this strange forest, and I guess I must have gotten lost hiking. Next thing I know, I found this cabin and I met you. All I can really remember is the name Anastasia. I think it's mine."

The man listened attentively, his eyes filled with concern. When I finished speaking, he sighed and sat back in his chair. "Well, Anastasia, I'm Ethan," he introduced himself. "I'm first in command of this pack."

"The pack...?"

Ethan looked at me strangely. "Don't worry, we will jog your memory soon enough." As he finished bandaging my wounds, I couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude towards him. He had been kind and compassionate, despite my lack of memory and the fact that I was a stranger in his home.

"Thank you, Ethan," I said, my voice filled with emotion. "I don't know what I would have done without you."

Ethan smiled softly and stood up, offering me his hand. "Come on, let's get you settled in the pack village. I'll call Rachel and she can help you get settled and get your head all stitched up."

I took his hand and stood up, wincing slightly as my injuries protested the movement. Ethan noticed and wrapped his arm around my waist, supporting me as we made our way out of the house.

As we walked up the winding path towards the pack village, I couldn't help but wonder what lay ahead for me. I had no memory of my past, and no idea how I was going to find my way home, but I had faith that Ethan would help set me in the right direction.

When we arrived at the pack village, he led me to an office inside a large building and made a few phone calls explaining my situation. A girl named Rachel arrived a few minutes later, her face filled with confusion when she saw me.

"Anastasia, this is my Delta, Rachel." He said, gesturing to the woman who had walked through the door. She was very beautiful, with long brown hair, and dark brown eyes to match.

"Alpha?" she asked, her voice filled with uncertainty. "Who is this?"

"She's..." Ethan trailed off, looking at me, "Well, I think her name is Anastasia. I noticed the lights on in the abandoned house and I went to check it out. Thats when I found her there lost."

"Wow, you're lucky nobody usually goes that far out in town." The woman, Rachel, exclaimed, turning to look at me. "Where are you from? Maybe we can call home."

Ethan looked at me intensely, and I looked at them both, my eyes filled with tears. "I don't know," I replied, my voice shaking. "I can't remember. I-I hit my head."

"Oh," Rachel gasped, looking a bit stunned. "Well, don't you think we should take her to the doctor?"

"Well, that's kind of what I was hoping you could help me with," Ethan explained, grinning. "Get her to her appointment and possibly find her an empty room around town or she can stay at the hospital as needed."

"Okay, will do." She agreed, and turned to smile at me. "Dr. Thompson is an excellent doctor, Anastasia. He will get you all patched up in no time."

"Thank you," I said gratefully. "And, maybe someone around town will recognize me."

Ethan cleared his throat. "Anastasia, I regret to say, as the Alpha, it's my job to know everyone who lives here. So I would recognize you if you had ever been here before. However, I'm going to make some calls to the towns nearby," he said, and looked me in the eyes, "but, I'll have you know the nearest one is 100 miles away. It's unlikely you would have hiked so far out without good reason. You are extremely lucky to have made it so far."

I nodded, feeling shocked by that information.

"Rachel, I trust you to get her whatever she needs." Ethan said and turned to me. "I will check in with you tomorrow, and as long as the doctor gives the OK, Rachel will take you to look for some job postings."

"Okay. Thank you so much, Ethan. For everything." I replied genuinely and waved him off as he seemed to have important business to attend to.

Rachel walked alongside me as we made our way to the pack's doctor's office. I was still feeling a bit dizzy and disoriented from my concussion, but I was determined to get some answers about my past.

"I'm just glad you're okay," Rachel said, giving my arm a reassuring squeeze. "I can't believe you were found all alone in the forest. A human! It's a miracle you survived."

"What do you mean a human?" I asked her. Aren't we all?

She gave me a look just as strange as Ethan had. "Let's just get you to see Doctor Thompson." She said. "I imagine it is very disorienting being in your situation."

I nodded, my mind racing with questions. "It is," I said, my voice filled with frustration. "I just wish I could remember something, anything. It's like a blank slate."

Rachel nodded sympathetically. "I know it must be frustrating, but the important thing is that you're safe now. And we'll do everything we can to help you figure out what happened."

We arrived at the doctor's office and Rachel led me inside. The doctor, a kind-faced man with graying hair, greeted us with a smile and Rachel left to sit in the waiting room.

"Hello, Anastasia," he said, looking at me with concern. "I heard about your accident. I'm Dr. Thompson. How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay, I think," I said, feeling a bit overwhelmed. "I'm just trying to figure out what happened to me."

Dr. Thompson nodded and began examining me. He first gave me some numbing cream and stitched up the gash on my head. Next, he began checking my vitals and asking me a series of questions about my symptoms. He seemed particularly interested in my concussion, and asked me a lot of questions about my memory loss.

"It was the strangest thing," I told Doctor Thompson, trying to put my experience into words. "I woke up in the forest, and I had no idea how I got there or who I was. I was so confused and scared, and I just started walking. That's when I saw the face."

I paused, shivering at the memory. "It was a man's face, and it was frozen in the ice. He had short, dark hair and a strong, serious expression. I don't know how long I stood there, staring at him, but it felt like an eternity. I felt like he was trying to tell me something, but I didn't know what it was."

Doctor Thompson frowned, his brow furrowed. "Anastasia, it's possible that this was a hallucination, brought on by your memory loss and the stress of your situation. Hallucinations can be very vivid and real, and it's not uncommon for people to see faces or other familiar things when they're experiencing them."

I shook my head, tears welling up in my eyes. "But it felt so real," I insisted. "I don't know how to explain it, but I just know that it wasn't a hallucination. It was like he was trying to communicate with me, to tell me something important."

Doctor Thompson gave me a sympathetic smile and squeezed my hand. "I understand that it's difficult to accept, but it's important to try to stay focused on the present and not get too caught up in these kinds of experiences. With time and therapy, your memories may start to come back and we can try to make sense of what happened to you."

I nodded, my heart heavy. I didn't know how to make sense of anything, but I knew that I needed to keep searching for the truth, no matter how hard it was.

"Well, It's possible that your concussion could be the cause of your memory loss," he said, frowning slightly. "But it's also possible that there could be other factors at play. We'll need to do some more tests to determine the cause. Next time you come in, we are going to do a CT. In the meantime, get some rest and drink plenty of water."

I nodded, feeling a sense of relief at the thought that there might be a way to regain my memories. "Thank you, Dr. Thompson," I said, feeling grateful for her help. "I'll do whatever it takes to figure out what happened."

Dr. Thompson smiled and patted my hand. "We'll do our best to help you," she said, her voice filled with kindness. "Don't worry, Anastasia. And, I will get you set up with a therapist soon. Likely by the end of the week"

After the examination, Rachel and I left the doctor's office with a list of instructions and follow-up appointments. I was relieved to know that the cause of my memory loss might not be permanent, but I was also feeling a bit overwhelmed by the prospect of more tests and appointments.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked, sensing my hesitation.

I nodded, trying to put on a brave face. "I'm just a little overwhelmed, that's all. "

Rachel gave me a sympathetic smile. "I understand. But you have to remember that you're not alone. I'm here to support you and help you through this. And you have to be patient. Regaining your memories might take time."

I nodded, feeling grateful for Rachel's words of encouragement. "You're right," I said, taking a deep breath. "I'll just have to take it one day at a time."

Rachel nodded, linking her arm through mine. "That's the spirit. Now, let's get you settled in. I'm sure you could use some rest."

I nodded. Rachel takes my hand and leads me outside. I admire the sight of the buildings' exteriors. Vines climb up the sides of the orange walls and the patio. A small circular table sat on the deck surrounded by some beautiful potted plants. I could see how everything had been made with such care and attention to detail. She let me know that this pack was well known for its beautiful architecture and that every item was handmade and unique.

"It's an important part of our culture." She explained. "More and more packs these days tend to grow their own food and gain access to their own water supplies, but for us it goes deeper than that. Every item we have here is handmade by one of our people. All of our food is made from scratch, our clothes are sown by a seamstress, our water is sourced from the lakes and rivers."

"That's amazing." I replied. "Have you guys always done things this way?"

"Yes, we have. It's one of our gifts from the moon goddess." She paused. "I hope you don't mind a little bit of a history lesson."

"No, not all, I'd actually love to hear about it." I smiled, assuming the moon goddess must be a part of her religion.

"Well, good, because you're talking to just the right person! I've studied our history so deeply, and with today's politics, I hope our leadership goes back to pushing towards continuing our famous sustainability and independence."

"What do you mean?" I inquired. "Do you suspect others will encounter problems?"

"Well, honestly, it really seems that way," she said. "With the way they trade right now, if one pack falls, the rest of them will too. We had pretty much cut contact with all of the other packs, but Ethan has been starting to build some new connections with them. Although it seems much easier to do it the way they do, it certainly has its risks."

I nodded, and we began walking further into the village.

As Rachel and I approached the pack village, I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at the sight before me. The village was nestled in a clearing in the forest, surrounded by tall trees that reached towards the sky. In the center of the village was a large, open area where pack members gathered for meetings and events.

We walked past rows of adobe houses that looked like they had been built centuries ago. The houses were adorned with intricate carvings and colorful mosaics that glimmered in the sunlight. Children were playing in the streets, and adults were chatting and laughing as they went about their daily tasks.

Rachel led me to a small adobe house at the edge of the village and opened the door. Inside, the house was warm and cozy, with a fireplace in the living room and a small kitchen in the back.

"This is where you'll be staying," Rachel said, gesturing to the bedroom. "I'll leave you to rest for a bit. If you need anything, just let me know."

I thanked Rachel and watched as she left the house, closing the door behind her. I walked over to the window and looked out at the village, feeling a sense of relief wash over me.