The Tribes Luna

CHAPTER 16

ASTRID'S POINT OF VIEW

I know my father just wants the best for me, as does Erik, but it feels like they've just dumped a bucket of ice-cold water over my head. So, here I am by the river listening to the wind rustle the grass and leaves, the long boats creaking down stream by the dock, the birds, the insects chripping. I sat down on the river bank, took my shoes off and put my feet in the water. I lay back on the soft ground, closing my eyes and I just breathed, allowing the river, the earth and air to take my worries and negative feelings far away from me and just dream of positives that are to come.

I'm not sure how long I was lying there for but it felt like only a few minutes later till the hair on the back of my neck prickled and my stomach started to knot uneasily. I could feel my ears straining to pick up any new sounds, but I heard no foot falls from either man or creature. I couldn't smell anything new either, but for some reason I could not explain why my heart rate just picked up, I just felt like I was being watched. I opened my eyes and saw Loki was up in the branches of the tree above my head, but he was looking around like he could feel something was wrong too. I decided to act as normally as possible and get myself ready to go back home to start packing. I had to resit the urge to hurry and run back home. Loki hopped down next to me as I slipped my shoes on and then on my shoulder as we started to make our way back as calmly as possible. Part of me wanted to run and cry, the river was always my safe space, but now I knew it wouldn't be that. It felt like whatever was wrong, whatever was watching me, that it knew this.

Loki was making his odd little sound, a mix between a low KAR and a growl. I could only keep calm for so long, I had only gotten a couple meters from where I was lying, before I heard something move behind me only a few feet away. Before I took off like a jack rabbit, sprinting through the trees, Loki took to the air Karring loudly, but I couldn't focus. I just wanted to run and find Erik and be safe in his embrace.

I couldn't hear anything apart from my blood pounding in my ears. It was deafening. My clothing would snag on branches as I ran past and tear, but I didn't care. I knew I was meters from my home, before something wrapped their arms around me and all I could was kick and scream as loud as I could.

"Whoa, there Angel. Your okay. It's me. Your safe."

It took me a minute to realize what or rather who I had run into.

"Erik!"

As soon as I realized it was my mate, I jumped up and clung to him like a monkey, legs round his waist, arms round his neck, I hid my face in the crook of his neck and breathed his scent in as deeply as I could and let myself relax as he held me, stroking my hair and shushing as he carried me in the direction of my home as he did I felt tears leaving my eyes the closer he got.

When we got in, he just sat down on the arm chair in the main room, still cradling me, only now I was sitting on his lap, sideways, Loki was on the back of the chair, cleaning his feathers. He continued stroking my hair, as my heart rate came back down to normal, and I was able to breathe again. It took a few minutes, but eventually I was feeling much better.

"Hey, Angel." I heard Erik's voice float into my ears softly.

I unstuck the side of my face from his shirt, cringing as I noticed the wet patch I had left, and looked up at him through my lashes, dreading how my face must look.

"What happened?" He asked gently.

"I don't know," I replied.

"What do you mean?" His brow furrowed.

"I was just by the river relaxing, but then I just felt like I wasn't alone and someone was watching me. I couldn't see, hear or even smell anything new or different. But that feeling just got more and more intense, so I tried to just leave calmly, but then I heard a branch break and everything about being calm just left my mind, and I just ran, needing to get somewhere safe." I told him, feeling like a fool.

Erik didn't say anything for a minute before he tilted my chin up to look at him.

"I don't know about what happened down at the river, but I went to go looking for you and I smelled you by the river. I think the sound you heard may of been me. Because I saw you walking through the trees, but then I stepped on a twig, at which point you bolted. I ran after you. I'm so sorry Angel, I didn't mean to scare you." He wrapped his arms around me, holding me close, I hugged him, feeling much better. "What did Mona say about what you felt down by the river?"

I pulled back, feeling even more like a fool.

"I may have forgotten about having my spirit animal." I told him, feeling embarrassed. I felt heat creep up my face and the tips of my ears burned, ducking my head down so he couldn't see my embarrassment.

"Well, why don't you try talking to her now then, Angel." He said gently, as though forgetting you have an animal inside of you, you can actually talk too is a normal thing.

I nodded, took a breath and closed my eyes focusing on talking to Mona.

"Mona? Hey, are you okay?"

"Now you wanna talk to me."

"What do you mean?"

"When you went into your survival mode you somehow completely shut me out."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't realize I had done that. I guess I'm not used to you just yet."

"I know, I understand, just get used to having someone around with you the whole time."

"So, are we good?"

"Yes, girl, we're good."

"Thank Frigg. So, do you have any thoughts about what happened down by the river?"

"The only thing I can think of is maybe somebody was watching us but in a spirit or astrol form?"

"Do you think it might have been my mother?"

"I'm sorry, no I don't. If it was, you shouldn't have felt how you did. The person watching you didn't have good intentions."

"Okay, thank you Mona."

I opened my eyes slowly, giving myself a few moments to process what Mona had told me. Taking a breath, I looked up at Erik and began telling him what Mona had told me.