Wolf's Echo

Chapter 1

One

A strange sensation pulled me upwards and for a moment, I swore I heard different voices whisper my name.

Akira... That was me. Why were they calling for me? Who were they? Should I answer? But I couldn't talk, my voice was broken, my body battered. I wasn't even sure if I still had a body.

"Akira."

This time I was sure I heard it. My name. Someone was looking for me, but where were they? How could I find them?

"Akira."

There it was again! What did they want? How could I follow the voice?

"Akira."

Hey, that was a voice I knew... A voice I'd remember anywhere and everywhere. Ashleigh. Yes, I'd answer her call. But how? Where did my voice go?

"Akira!"

Air. Fresh air filled my lungs, expanding my chest as it awoke the life in me. It burned my windpipes, but I welcomed the pain. This was different, everything felt different. I ached, but the buzz in my head was slowly clearing up. My pounding heart slowed down and I could move again, even if it was just a little bit.

"Akira!"

Two warm arms wrapped around me and I happily leant back into them. Yes, Ashleigh. She was here.

"You called for me," I murmured, falling into her embrace.

"Of course, I did. Damn it, you scared me to death!"

"Too loud," I mumbled, wondering how Ashleigh was so soft and warm. Was it even possible for one person to be this comfortable to lean into?

"Sorry. Are you alright?"

I ignored the hammering in my skull and brought my arms up. Needles ran over my bare skin, but I didn't care. I just needed to see my arms, needed to see myself, even if it was just part of me.

"It didn't work?" Filled with disappointment, I stared at my hands. My human hands. Pain shot through my body and I didn’t manage to keep the sadness out of my voice.

"I'm sorry,” Ashleigh whispered, her breath warm in my hair.

I breathed in her comforting scent and painstakingly turned my head towards the rest of the group. To Aspen. He threw me a guilty smile and hid behind Regan. Not that I blamed him, Ashleigh was spewing fire with her eyes.

"You were supposed to let go of the magic," she screeched at her brother.

He ran a shaky hand through his hair and grimaced. "I did."

"Did you?" she spat, the venom rolling from her tongue.

"Just a little bit," he pouted, pulling his eyebrows up in an adorable whine.

I shifted my weight and flinched as pain shot through me. "Just a little bit?" I asked meekly, recalling how my wolf burst through the inner lake. If I released her, why didn’t I turn?

Darren and Danny exchanged a worried glance and JP bent down to gently pat me on the knee. "Y-You did... A l-little bit."

"What does that mean?" That made no sense. How could I have shifted just a little bit?

"W-Welll..." JP scratched the back of his head and averted his eyes. Oh no, that was never a good sign. He was usually the one who found the right words to tell me bad news.

"Ashleigh?" I turned in her arms, facing her blue eyes. "What happened?"

"Aspen, that's what happened," she grumbled, still glaring at her brother. Pff, good for her for being angry. But I didn't want her to be mad, I wanted her to care for me. Even if that was a needy thought, I didn't care. I was aching, my whole body was strained in ways I never imagined I could hurt. And all I wanted was for her to make it go away, for her to kiss it better.

"Ashleigh," I whimpered, embarrassed how weak I sounded. But I couldn't be helped, I felt cold and lost like a child.

"I'm sorry," she apologised, finally tearing her eyes away from Aspen. With gentle fingers, she brushed a strand of hair from my face and a soft kiss warmed my cheek. Even the butterfly kiss hurt me, but I gladly took it. "How are you feeling?"

"Confused," I admitted, trying to ignore the pain shooting up and down my spine. That couldn't be a good sign.

"What happened to me?"

"Ummm..." Ashleigh's words froze on her tongue as she looked at her brother again. This time, I could tell they were having an internal conversation. A conversation I wasn't part of.

"Guys?" Why wouldn't they tell me what happened? Why couldn't I remember it properly? I shut my eyes and tried to recall what happened. Carefully, I dug into my chest and felt around for my wolf. Was she still there?

A low growl chased me back and I pulled away. She was definitely still there, but the familiar wall around her was too. At least now, I could envision the cage around my wolf, unlike before. A little confused, I ran my hand over the invisible glass trapping my spirit animal. The smooth surface brought goosebumps to my skin and I relented. There wasn't a scratch or any other indication that she broke through it. Did I imagine it all?

Pain shot through my neck and my wolf whimpered.

No, I didn't imagine it all. The strain on my body told me it happened. That my wolf had broken through her bounds. At least, for a moment.

The bone-chilling howl echoed through my head again and I remembered the rush of adrenaline and ecstasy as she became free. As we became free.

And then... Pain. Just pain.

I brought my hands to my head and tried to jog my memory. There must be something else, apart from pain... A dash of fur. A whiff of blood. A flash of white. And then more white, a lot of it. White-hot pain that seared through my entire body as it fried my whole system and erased any memory I had. "Guys? What happened"

"Will someone tell the poor girl what's going on?" Danny exploded, her impatient personality in my favour for once. She threw her red hair over her shoulder and gave JP a little nudge. He turned to her and the two had a silent conversation, not unlike Aspen and Ashleigh. Except that I knew they were just exchanging thoughts like regular people. They didn't have that connection that only wolves had.

"O-Okay, I'll t-tell you," JP finally gave in, nodding at his woman. He crouched down next to me and ran his hand through his hair.

I smiled, even though it made me hurt my face. "That's sweet, JP. But I want Ashleigh to tell me," I replied stubbornly, not entirely sure why I was being so infuriating. I wanted to know what happened to me, so if he wanted to tell me... Why not listen?

"Akira..." she whispered, her breath brushing across the shell of my ear.

"I want you to tell me. Please," I begged, turning in her arms so I could comfortably rest against her chest.

"Okay, I'll tell you. But stop moving, you'll only make it worse."

"Make what worse?"

She pressed her finger gently on my lips. "No talking."

Wordlessly, I nodded. Or at least, I tried.

"I'm not exactly sure what happened. None of us really know how the magic in our amulets works."

"That's true," Danny quipped in, pulling her own necklace from underneath her shirt.

"They're all different," Darren added, revealing his own piece. Regan nodded and placed his hand over his chest.

"We know a couple of things about the magic. It's old, very old. Even you must've felt that. Apart from that... It can only bind with one wolf, but it doesn't really listen to anyone. It has its own mind and it only listens to the... strongest wolf. And its loyalties can change at any time."

Aspen snorted as he kicked a tree. "Trust us, we've seen it happen."

Regan pulled a face, which was rather uncharacteristic for him, but I figured that story could wait for another time.

"And every time you use the magic to shift, you have to give it something in return," Ashleigh added as she gently wrapped her arms back around me.

"Give it what?" I croaked, trying to jog my stupid memories. Why wouldn't they tell me what happened?