Chapter 2: Dream
1080 Words
She wandered barefoot into the hazy woodland. As she strolled passed tall trees, she wore nothing but a light sheet of garment that brushed the grass. It seemed strangely silent. Except for the trees around me, there are no indications of life. It was almost as if she could hear the trees inhaling and exhaling.
She squeezed her arm and discovered that it didn't hurt. 'This is unquestionably a dream.', she reflected as she kept going through the forest, appreciating nature's grandeur.
The image transformed to a big expanse of broad grass in a clearing. There was a buzzing of voices, yet no one was nearby. When she looked around, she noticed a female in the distance.
A young girl of around ten years old sat on the grass, facing the other side of the woodland. She approached the tiny girl gently. As she got closer to her, she could hear the voices more clearly. The sounds sounded far away yet very close. Perhaps the voices might be heard on the opposite side of the woodland. 'No way. I may be dreaming, but I'm not going in there,' she thought.
She came to a halt five feet away from the girl.
"Hey, do you know what's in there?" She inquired of the young lady.
After she asked the question, the murmurs got louder and eventually escalated to screaming. Due to her acute hearing, she covered her ears and swiftly touched the girl on the shoulder. The girl slowly turned around, her mouth gaping. When she glanced into her eyes, she saw that they were a deep black hue. It appeared to be luring her in. She got closer to her and was about to touch her on the cheek when she heard a noise in the distance. Her attention was drawn back by a ringing sound.
She stared at the girl in front of her, puzzled, and realized the noises were coming from her lips. It was a cacophony of inaudible shouts from hundreds of individuals that sounded frightening and in pain.
Hyacinth caressed the girl's cheek, and covered the girl's mouth, putting a stop to the hundreds of inaudible cries. The girl closed her eyes, and tears began to fall from her eyes. The sound of the phone ringing on the other side of the forest shocked Hyacinth once again, and she let go of the girl. The girl trembled and sobbed, and the shouts of hundreds of voices returned. The girl sought to hug me, but the ground opened up and swallowed me. I descended into a never-ending abyss. She couldn't make a sound out of her mouth. The light from the woodland created a tunnel illusion that gradually dwindled to the size of a quarter before completely enveloping her in darkness.
Hyacinth twisted her entire body on the left side, which was facing the window. The first beam of sunshine dazzled her eyes as soon as she twisted. To avoid the glare of the bright light, she reached for her blanket and covered her head. She was drifting back asleep when the phone in the kitchen started ringing again. She drew the pillow closer to her face and buried her head in it, in an attempt to mute the noise. The ringing stopped after a minute, only to resume after five seconds. She grunted and got up and dragged her feet downstairs and into the kitchen as she grumbled.
"What?" she mumbled as she snatched the phone and placed it to her ear. She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall.
"Wake up and start preparing what you need to prepare," Talina said.
"I am awake. We're not even sure whether it'll be today," she grumbled. As she opened the fridge near the door, she took a jug of milk and set it on the table. The connection was silent, with just static sound. "Aunt, are you still there?" she asked.
"Well, I didn't want you to panic, but honey, when you grabbed my arm yesterday and threw me to the ground, it wasn't because I let you, it was simply because I was preoccupied; I didn't truly let you win-," Talina explained. Hyacinth took a spoon and a bowl from the dish rack, as well as a box of cereal from the top shelf drawer. She pinned the telephone between her ear and shoulder and interrupted Talina and said, "Aunt, get to the point."
Hyacinth extended the telephone cable as far as she could so that she could sit on the chair and set the box of cereal, spoon, and bowl on the table.
"Take a look at your mark," Talina said.
A werewolf has the mark. This mark was shared by all werewolves to distinguish us from humans.
I examined the detailed moon shape imprint on the side of my elbow, which had faded into a new moon, implying that it was barely visible. Our markings will vanish when the moon is at its peak and is a full moon. It's as if the moon had snatched our mark.
"Holy crap! Auntie, you should have informed me last night!" Hyacinth exclaimed as she rose up and moved closer to the phone, fearful that the wire might break and end their conversation.
"I did!" Talina exclaimed.
"You didn't!" Hyacinth cried out while staring at the mark with wide eyes. She was afraid it might abruptly disappear.
"I'm sorry!" she apologized.
I puffed and inhaled deeply. I relaxed and said, "Okay. Right. The preparation. Okay. Okay. No big issue. Just have to bring up the chains. The medicine, food...".
When she looked at the clock, it was already two o'clock in the afternoon. "It's two? Why didn't you call me earlier?" Hyacinth worriedly inquired.
"I've been phoning for hours now, Young lady," Talina grumbled.
"So you've been the one disrupting my dream," she mumbled, remembering a nightmare with ringing sounds from a dream she'd already forgotten.
"Listen. I have to go, Cinth; I have to aid the new couples from the last full moon. You'll be alright.", Talina reassured.
Hyacinth hang up the phone after saying goodbyes and slumped back in her chair and returned her gaze to the pack mark. She brushed across the mark with her fingers. She was hoping it was just a smear, but it wasn't. It was really starting to fade. That day had finally arrived. The moment when finding once mate may be both a joy and a curse.
- Writer
