The Echoes of Forgotten

Chapter 4: Between Shadows and Hope. (I)

Elara's eyes fluttered open, blinking slowly as she tried to escape the haze that was knocking on her consciousness. Her vision was blurry and the sudden flood of pale light was forcing her eyes to shut again, a sharp sting prickling behind her lids. She tried again, this time slower, and the blurred shapes towering over her sharpened into spindly silhouettes. Bare branches of pine trees stretched high into the sky, their skeletal forms stark against the bleached expanse of clouds.

Elara flinched as she saw something white falling on her face, their cold touch startling her skin as they melted on her cheeks. She tried to move, to lift even a single finger, but the seeping cold pinned her to the ground like an invisible weight. Her whole body felt like lead, her fingers refusing her mind's frantic commands. Her breathing came out in white vapors in front of her, along with a sharp ache in her lungs as the cold air entered them.

The world was painfully silent-no voices, no footsteps, just the faint whisper of wind threading through the endless expanse of trees and Elara's own shallow breathing. Elara felt it strange, the jungle she had imagined even in the vast darkness of the night, it was nothing like the one in front of her. Even in the dark, she could hear the faint whispers of the leaves, rustling slightly but definitely. Whereas, she couldn't make out even a single leaf on these trees that seemed to be reaching the sky.

Elara forced her head to turn, the motion sluggish and agonizing. The ground beneath her was blanketed in snow, smooth and unbroken save for her own imprint. Her lips parted, the words dry and cracked as they escaped. "Where.... am I?"

Has she been out for a whole season? Though her mind was sluggish but she clearly remembered that the winter was yet to come. How come it was snowing already?

Snow clung to her lashes as her vision swam again, her mind reaching for clarity, for some memory of how she'd come to lie here among the frost and shadows. But before she could process anything she heard it: A soft crunch that broke the silence, faint yet deliberate. Elara's heart raced, fear and confusion helping her to keep her eyes open that were threatening to close, something or someone was approaching.

She tried to focus, to pinpoint the source of the sound, but the pain in her head and the haze that was coming from it was making it difficult to stay conscious. Another crunch followed, it was closer this time. Elara's breath hitched as her eyes darted forward, the black around her vision was getting denser but she managed to keep it at bay, and through the haze of it she finally saw something, a figure emerging from the distance. It moved with purpose, its form blending into the grey-white surroundings but distinct enough to draw her attention.

Her chest tightened at the realization: This was no man. It was a creature, larger than any she had ever encountered. It moved with a fluid grace, its powerful limbs barely disturbing the snow beneath it. As it drew nearer, Elara's muddled mind began to make sense.

"A wolf!?" Elara breathed as the creature drew near enough to make sense of it. But it was not just any wolf. This creature was enormous, its size dwarfing that of any wolf she had ever read about or imagined. Even through the disorientation of her mind, she could see the intelligence in its piercing blue eyes. They glowed faintly in the light, exuding a wisdom and power that seemed almost otherworldly. The splinters in her throat pricking as she gulped down the cry that was forming in her throat, making it difficult to even breathe the cold, dry air.

A low growl echoed softly in her ears, a sound that was more a warning than a threat. But still, it sent shivers down her spine, her body that still had some heat left even though she was lying on a bed of snow, now froze not just from the cold but from the sheer terror.

How ironic, she thought bitterly, seeing the massive figure increasing in size with each step it took toward her. She had poured every ounce of her strength into escaping those men, keeping herself alive for Kael's sake, for the hope that had ignited her once more, only to face a predator she had no hope of evading.

Motionless and utterly defenseless, she let her eyes close, bracing for the inevitable. She had nothing left to fight with, no will to resist, though something in her mind kept telling her to move, to defend herself for Kael's sake as she had yet to find him, but she had no strength left in her, even if she wanted to fight, her body was not listening to her anymore, no amount of will power was able to lift even a single finger on her body. Her body was a broken vessel, and her spirit teetered on the edge of surrender.

"How pathetic," Elara commented on her powerlessness, her voice not even audible to herself as it came in a hoarse whisper. The wolf's breath on the other hand was slow but loud enough for her to hear. She felt it, warm against her frozen skin, the proximity of the creature making her chest tighten further. Yet, it didn't attack. The growl faded, replaced by a silence so profound that it stretched endlessly. Elara's mind, already clouded by exhaustion and pain, struggled to comprehend what was happening. She had heard tales of wolves from her brother, stories about these noble and intelligent creatures, about their loyalty, but never had she imagined one capable of restraint- of such understanding.

The wolf remained near her, its presence a looming shadow in her barely open eyes. It didn't lunge or bare its teeth. Instead, it simply stood there, as if waiting. Could it be he was thinking of her still body to be a corpse? Elara knew that there were some animals that wouldn't eat anything that was already dead, but then it should have left her alone. Instead, it stayed close to her, fanning her with its warm breath as if to keep her from freezing. Her breath came in shallow gasps no matter how much she tried to still them, her consciousness slipping further away in the comfort of the warmth the wolf was giving her, but she couldn't shake the strange feeling that was coming from this creature. It was acting as if it knew her condition and was making sure she wouldn't freeze to death. That it was watching her, assessing her, perhaps even protecting her. Her thoughts drifted as the darkness pulled her under once more. She felt herself falling deeper into the void, the world around her fading into obscurity.

The last thing she registered was the faint sound of movements, they were deliberate and careful. The wolf was no longer alone, but the newfound footsteps didn't belong to any creature. There was a human involved, Elara thought before she finally welcomed the darkness completely.

Elara's eyes opened again from the steady movements and the dull ache in her body. The cold was gone. Instead, a warmth enveloped her, steady and reassuring. Her senses were dulled and her mind was slow to process the change, but she was aware of the strong arms cradling her. She smelled a faint waft of something unplaceable as her face pressed lightly against something soft and warm brushing against her skin like a gentle caress, though the embrace she felt around her was noticeably warm but the subtle scent coming near her nose was crisp and cool, like the air after a fresh snowfall. As Elara took another shallow breath, she noticed the change in the scent, it had a warmer undertone, earthy and grounding, reminiscent of damp forest soil. Elara couldn't name the sense of safety that filled her with every waft she took, but she clung to it like a lifeline as darkness threatened to press against her mind.