Nydewin

Chapter 3

Chapter 3 

The next morning, I woke to the sounds of birds singing happily and the sun shining brightly into my bedroom window. I laid there awhile, allowing myself to listen and enjoy the sounds of the birds. Only getting out of bed when my stomach started protesting.

I had slept dreamlessly and felt well rested, despite the events from the night before. It was while I was cooking breakfast that I started to think about the fox and wondered if he might still be asleep. I leaned out the kitchen window slowly to find that the fox indeed still slept. I decided then, that I might reward the fox for saving me I served him a bowl of leftover omelette. I walked outside quietly, so as not to wake the fox, thinking that I would not wake him for breakfast.

My efforts were unsuccessful however, like any hungry animal, the fox woke just as I was taking a bite of my own breakfast. Staying curled up, in a little ball of fluff, the fox looked up at me shyly.

“Hungry?” I asked smiling down at the fox.

The fox became very alert, sitting straight up, ears pricked, his tail twitching.

I nodded smiling at the fox “Very well.” I said, before putting the bowl down in front of him.

I continued to eat my own breakfast and watch the birds play in the tops of the old forest trees. A memory vision flashing through my mind.

Grandma had once told me that if you listen hard enough that you can hear the forest talking. I was seven at that time, but I remember telling her that even the animals could talk. I had never seen so many emotions pass over her face so quietly before. I remember how happy I had felt in that very moment, but only now did I see the fear in her eyes.

I shook my head, coming back to myself in the present. Looking down at the red fox, who was staring up at me with his beautiful blue eyes, that now up close looked too human.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were a pet once that has been dumped.” I said sipping my coffee.

The fox’s ears flattened against his head, and he made a small soft growl.

“Okay, so you are just no good at hunting then.” I replied

The fox snapped his head in the direction of the forest, as if dismissing me. His response making me supress a chuckle.

“I bet you wouldn’t do any better in my forest either.” The voice was harsh and filled with annoyance.

I looked around for the owner of the voice, my eyes settling on the fox, who now looked up at me with a strange expression. Shaking my head and took another sip of my coffee.

“You heard me, didn’t you?” the vice spoke again.

And again my eyes settled on the blue eyed fox.

“Must be coming down with something.” I thought to myself.

“You’re not hearing things.” The voice responded

I stared down at the fox, imagines from last night, passing through my mind.

“It was just a dream.” I said out loud

“It wasn’t a dream.” The voice replied sounding impatient

I could feel my hands shaking, as I looked down at the fox “You.” I said, not able to bring myself to say anything else.

“Yes Amelia.” The fox gave me what could only have been sly smile “Why are you acting like you haven’t spoken to a fox before?”

“Because I haven’t” I snapped

“Haven’t you.” The fox looked at me knowingly

A memory flashed, back to when I was younger. I was sitting under a weeping tree, next to a creek, with a fox pup in my lap. That memory then gave way to another, where I was laughing and playing with the fox. It wasn’t the same fox that stood in front of me now though. This small fox was dark red with two white soaks on his front feet.

“How?” I asked not certain what I was asking. I could feel myself starting to panic

“You will learn, all you need to know from your memories.” The fox came closer and started to rub his body against my leg. “your hidden memories are starting to reveal themselves, soon you will know the truth.” His voice was soft and soothing now

“I don’t understand.” I said shaking my head

“Oh Amelia, you will,” the fox stopped his gentle calming touches “your powers are being reawakened, soon it will be time to go home.”

“Home, but this is my home.”

He looked up at me pity in his bright blue eyes “I know you believe that, but in time you will understand why this place isn’t your home, not truly. For now, rest and don’t fight the memories, it will cause headaches.”

Before I could say another word, the fox was bounding back off into the forest. I sat there, coffee still in my hands, trying to figure out if I was going mad. As I finished my coffee, I could feel the beginnings of a migraine coming on. I went to bed shut the window blinds, only to be assaulted by wave after wave of memory visions. Every time I awoke from a memory vision the migraine would lessen, however I was never awake long enough to absorb the new information.

The memories were all so similar, me playing, talking, laughing with all the wild animals in the forest behind grandma’s house, the only thing that really changed was the creature I was talking to and the scenery. There was something that I did notice never changed though, I was never over the age of twelve.

It wasn’t until I was experiencing the last memory vision that I willed myself to go back to the night that I was standing in the middle of a storm with grandma. I wanted to know what we were doing. I needed to know what was happening to me.

 “Amelia my dear,” It was grandma “Your twelfth birthday is less than a week away.” She sounded sad.

“I know grandma.” I could hear the sorrow and fear in my own voice.

“She will come for you,” she paused to catching her breath “If we don’t bind your powers, she will be able to find you, even over the boundary.”

“how do you know? She might have forgotten about me, about the prophecy,” I could feel the tears threating to spill down my cheeks “I don’t want to lose my powers.

Grandma sighed heavily. “I’m sorry child, no-one so young should have these kinds of responsibilities on their shoulders.” She smiled sadly down at me, before adding “The full moon is only three days away.” She turned to leave before turning to look at me again “It won’t be forever,” she then turned to go inside.

I felt the tears spill down my cheeks as I thought about noting being able to talk or play with any of my furry, feathery friends.

I woke to complete darkness, my eyes and cheeks wet with tears. I lay there, still and quiet, as I let understanding wash over me. A noise at the bedroom window grabbed my attention, turning on the bedside lamp, I found myself looking at the blue-eyed, red fox, sitting on the ceil.

Rolling my eyes, I walked over to the window and opened it carefully.

“You know watching someone sleep, is stalkerish.” I said

“Only if they don’t know you are there.” He replied smugly, before he jumped on the bed and made himself comfortable.

“Hey!”

The fox opened one eye and looked up at me.

“Would you deny a small, defenceless, starved creature a good night’s sleep?” He asked

I snorted at the fox before answering “Defenceless? I think not!” I pointed to the opened window “Out!”

The fox only shut his eye and curled into a smaller ball.

I sighed “Fine.”

I heard the soft laughter in the fox’s mind voice, as I procced to get back into bed. Despite having a predator sleeping at the foot of my bed, I feel asleep quickly and slept dreamlessly for the rest of the night, only waking up when the light of day was too bright to continue sleeping.

It wasn’t until I started stretching out and kicked a warm lump at the bottom of the bed that I remembered that there was a stray, wild, fox in my bed. I sat straight up, only to find that the fox was exactly where I left him.

“I know you are awake.” I said out loud.

The fox stretched very cat like, yawning. He then sat on the end of the bed, his tail swishing side to side, blinking at me.

“What?” I asked, feeling very naked in the light of day.

I pulled the blanket up to my chest.

There was some amusement in the fox’s mind voice when he spoke “Shy aren’t you?”.

“Get out!” I snapped at the fox

“No need to yell.” He replied smirking at me. I glared at the fox, as he jumped out the window “Someone isn’t a morning person.”

I shook my head at the fox, as I dressed for the day. Entering the kitchen my stomach growled loudly, only then did I realise that I hadn’t eaten since the morning before. With a plate full of food, I went outside to find the fox waiting patiently, on the makeshift bed that I had made up for him. I looked from my plate to the fox and back, realising that I might have made a mistake feeding the thing in the first place.

“I suppose you want some of this?” I asked as I sat.

“Only if you have enough to share.” He replied eyeing the plate hungerly.

“Why can’t you hunt like other animals?” I asked forking some eggs into my mouth.

The fox gave me a somewhat discussed look.

“What?” I asked through a mouth filled with food.

“You don’t have to speak out loud for me to hear you.” He replied

I raised an eyebrow at him

I heard the sigh, even as I saw the eye roll.

“Like now, I am speaking to you by projecting my thoughts into yours. If our minds are connected, we will be able to communicate, just as I am with you right now.” He explained.

“Cool” I said with a mouth full of food

Frowning at me the fox said, “Try it now, it is un-lady like to speak with food in your mouth.”

I laughed a little at the fox’s words. Only to be rewarded with what I could only describe as a hiss. Which shut me up quickly.

“Try!” The fox hiss frustratedly.

“This is stupid.” I said giving the fox a sausage from my plate “I don’t even know how to tell if our minds are connected.”

“For training purposes, I will make the connection. For now, you can concentrate on talking without sound.”

“I am completely losing my mind, or this is a dream.” I thought to myself, as I ate some egg

“stupid girl this isn’t a dream, and neither are you losing your mind.”

I frowned at the fox “You didn’t say you could hear my personal thoughts.”

“I and anyone else that is connected to your mind, can hear all your unshielded thoughts.” The fox sounded smug.

“how do I shield my thoughts, then?” I asked

“That will be our first lesson of the day.” The fox said, eyeing the last bit of bread in my hand.

I throw the bread to the fox, who ate it greedily.

“This is happening all so quickly.” I said out loud

I heard the fox sigh “I know and I’m sorry you had to find out about your powers like this.”

“How do you know so much?” Something about the fox had been nagging at me.

“My family were ordered to watch over you.” The fox answered, seeming to feel that was enough for now

“None of this is making any sense.”

“It will in time, you just have to trust in yourself,” he answered

“I don’t even know your name.” I said handing him the last of my breakfast

“Cormac.” he answered as he scoffed the remainder of the food.

I sipped my tea, looking out into the forest. Allowing myself to take it all in. I wasn’t sure how I should be feeling about all this, I just knew that I shouldn’t be feeling so calm and excepting.

“why are you here?” I directed the thought to the fox.

The fox looked at me not answering.

“The truth please.” I asked,

Sighing heavily the fox answered in a very calm, and direct way, that made me feel somewhat uncomfortable. “I am here to take you back to Nydewin” he paused “A beautiful realm, filled with beautiful and dangerous magical and non-magical creatures.” The fox held my gaze, in a way that no matter how hard I tried to look away, complied me to be still and silent “Over a month ago my father had a vision that you would need help, and that without a guiding hand you would never be able to pass through the portal, before the queen killed you.” The fox paused, as he looked searchingly into my eyes “For weeks now I have been watching you, getting to know you and your routines, hoping that I could get you alone, to tell you the truth. However, I realised quite quickly that, you didn’t have any of your powers and without them, I would not be able to communicate to you.” He sighed “I was starting to think that I had made a mistake that you weren’t the witch that I had been come to help, that was until the night of the storm, when your powers started to break through.”

I was starting to feel dizzy from all the information. Shaking my head to break away from the trance the fox had me in.

“Amelia?” I could feel the fox’s mind, wrapping around mine, I could feel the concern, the fear, the sorrow emanating through the connection.

Just then I remembered something my grandmother once taught me. I started to imagine a clear bubble, as strong as a brick wall, and wrapped myself in it, pushing the fox’s mind away from my own. I sat there a moment, taking in the quite of my own mind. Grandma had taught me this, so I could sleep at night, when the forest was too loud.

I looked down at the angry looking fox and smiled “Your mind voice was getting too loud.” I argued.

The fox then made what sounded like a grumble. Which made me laugh. Another memory of grandma telling me that I could keep the block up, and still communicate I only had to open the first layer of my mind. So, I tried. I imagined the bubble getting smaller, until I felt the fox’s mind enter my own.

“Better?” I asked the fox with my mind voice. Thinking I should probably practice.

“How?” The fox asked, sounding a little taken back

“I remembered Grandma had already taught me, and when I started doing it, it was like I never forgot.”

“what else do you remember?” The fox asked, sounding somewhat impatient

“I don’t know, it just comes back to me when I have need of it.” I answered

“Very well then, training will be easier than.” The fox looked away as if he was talking to himself more than me. A few moments later he looked back at me “I have something to do, training will start tomorrow.” He started to walk away

“How are you supposed to train me? you are just a fox.” I asked before he could leave

He looked back at me “There is more to me then you know,” I could feel the excitement and teasing in his mind voice “See you later.” Before I could reply the fox disappeared into the forest.

“Cormac.” I whispered the name out loud.