Falling into Mythica

Chapter Ten

VIDA’S POV

I stood rooted to the spot in horror as bones continued to cráĉk and pop, and then all went silent. I wasn’t sure if I should open my eyes, so I kept them closed and stayed completely still.

Finally, something cold and wet touched my cheek, causing me to jump back, and my eyes flew open as I did. I was standing face to face with the largest wolf I had ever seen, not that I’d ever seen a real live wolf before.

“K… K… Kenneally?” I stuttered. The massive wolf shook its head no. “Oh, um th… then y… y… you must b… be H… H… Harou?” I continued to stumble over my words, but it was just so hard to believe this massive furry beast was once Kenneally.

The beast nodded its head and almost looked like it was grinning. “Fun Fact. When Werewolves mark their mates, they have the ability to mind link, which, as it sounds, means the ability to talk to each other in their minds, which is particularly handy when in wolf form,” Elida said, like she was teaching a child.

I turned to look at her, nodded once in acknowledgement and turned back to study this massive wolf standing before me. My voice seems to have disappeared completely now.

His head was level with my own, and his fur was the most unusual colouring, almost like a tortoiseshell cat. It had patches of dark brown, almost black and reddish-orange fur, with four white paws and a white patch over one of its eyes.

He edged towards me, clearly wanting my attention. “Can I pat you?” I asked the slowly creeping wolf. He nodded rather enthusiastically and ponced right up to me, once again touching my cheek with his snout.

I slowly reached up my hand and stroked his massive head. His fur was surprisingly soft. After a minute, I heard a strange noise that sounded somewhere between a growl and a purr.

I stopped and removed my hand, unsure if the large beast was upset with me and not wanting it to attack me, but to my surprise, he whimpered and nudged my hand.

Elida giggled, “I guess he wasn’t ready for you to stop yet,” she said as Harou kept nudging me. I laughed and went back to patting him. It was somewhat therapeutic, and I found myself relaxing.

After quite some time, he took a step away from me. I guess he had had enough and was ready to go for his run. He gave me a quick lick on the cheek, turned and took off at high speed through the trees.

“Werewolves are extremely fast and agile creatures. I assume he will be gone for a while, so shall we return to the house?” Elida asked as I wiped the wolf’s slobber from my face.

“Yes, actually, would you mind if I took a shower? I don’t have any clean clothes, but I really need to wash off the grime from the last couple of days.” I said and sniffed my armpits. Yep, they stunk.

“Oh, of course, my apologies. I believe Beta Kenneally arranged some clothes for you. They should be in the main bedroom closet.” She said. This man had thought of everything.

“Oh great, I’ll go have a shower and be back soon,” I said, but she interrupted.

“There is a bath in the main bedroom ensuite. Why don’t you have a soak? I’m sure you will feel much better afterwards.” Elida said, and I must admit a bath did sound wonderful. It had been so long since I had had one, as my bathroom back home only had a shower.

“That sounds like an incredible idea if you don’t mind,” I replied. Elida smiled and shooed me off in the direction of the main bedroom. I didn’t miss the irony of the tiny fairy shooing me, much like I had shooed her when we first met.

I made my way to the master bedroom, and even though I knew no one was there, I still knocked before entering. Naturally, it was empty.

I looked around the large room. It was very inviting. It had a row of floor-to-ceiling windows with heavy blinds that were pulled back to show a fantastic view of the forest. There was a large bed in the middle of the room against one wall and a set of drawers off to the side.

After a quick investigation, I found two doors. One led to the closet, where I found some clothes, and the second opened into the massive ensuite. I couldn’t help but wonder how much Kenneally was paying for a place like this.

The bathroom had a glass shower and a triangular corner bath. Despite this realm being very different in many ways, I was pleased to find that some things at least were the same.

I got the bath running, added some bath salts that were sitting nearby, and after double-checking that the bathroom door was locked, I stripped off and carefully climbed into the bath.

The water was warm and felt amazing after two days without a proper wash. I leaned back against the tub and closed my eyes as the tub continued to fill.

Once the tub was full, I turned off the water and scrubbed myself within an inch of my life before once again leaning back and closing my eyes. The scent of the bath salts mixed in with the warmth of the water was making me tired, so much so that I must have dozed off.

I awoke to nearly cold water and the strangest sound. It was a loud rhythmic swooshing sound, and it was coming from above the house. I could hear things blowing around outside. Was this some kind of strange weather phenomenon?

I quickly got out of the bath, pulled the plug, haphazardly dried myself and threw on the clothes I had found in the closet. They were surprisingly simple and comfortable.

I made my way quickly downstairs and found Elida staring at the door. “Do you know what is causing that sound?” I asked, and she turned to look at me.

“I’m not one hundred per cent sure, but I believe it may be one of the many flying species we have here in Mythica,” she said and went back to staring at the door.

“Well, should we go out there? Why is it flying over this place? Could they be the original owners and think we are squatters in their home?” I babbled as I slowly edged towards the window to see if I could see what it was.

“I don’t believe it is the owners, but I am having difficulty trying to distinguish what kind of being it is out there; my magic is rather limited as a fairy, so I don’t have much in the way of defence. It might be wise to wait for Kenneally to return,” Elida said.

“Do you think it could be something that has smelt me out and wants to eat the lone human?” I asked, starting to panic.

“I highly doubt that, Vida. If it were some creature just hunting you for food, they would not be biding their time as they are. No, I don’t believe this person means any harm, but I still feel it might be best to wait for Beta Kenneally to return.” Elida consoled me.

The longer I waited, the more curious I became. Armed with the knowledge that this creature was not hunting me for food, I felt more inclined to go and see what it was.

I took a few steps towards the door, and Elida flew in front of me, stopping me. “Are you sure you want to do that, Vida? We have no idea what is out there.”

“You said it was not hunting me for food, so it can’t hurt just to stick my head out and see what kind of creature it is, right?” I said to her. I could tell she wasn’t completely sold on the idea, but she moved out of my way nonetheless.

I slowly and carefully opened the front door. The wind this creature’s wings were creating was really very strong. I quietly stepped out onto the porch and looked up to see if I could see the beast yet, but I was unable to see anything.

I crept slowly towards the stairs leading down into the front yard and descended the steps as quietly as possible. Once at the bottom and clear of the porch’s roof, I once again looked up.

What I saw before me had my mouth drop open, which was a stupid thing to do with all the dirt flying around. I coughed as dirt flew into my mouth, and I quickly clamped my hand over my mouth as I looked up at the gigantic white dragon hovering over the house.

Moving quicker than a flash of light, the enormous beast flew behind me and landed on the grass. All I could do was stare as the massive beast began to shimmer and shrink.

In a very short amount of time, there was a fully clothed large man standing before me, staring me right in the eyes. He was also one of the people from my dream. “So it is true then, you human, are my Fated,” he said in a deep, sexy voice. But all I could do was stare.