I had sat with Elijah for what felt like hours, watching over him as he slept–his battered body finally succumbing to exhaustion. His labored breathing and the gentle rise and fall of his chest were the only reminders that he was still with us. After I’d finished my vigil, I turned to walk back to my sleeping bag when I saw Alex sitting upright in his sleeping bag, his eyes distant and troubled. The silence between us was palpable for a long moment before he finally spoke in a low, hesitant tone.
“Can’t sleep?” he asked, his voice rough from the cold night.
I managed a tired smile and nodded. “Yeah… I can’t. My mind just won’t shut off.”
Alex’s eyes searched mine, as if seeking some reassurance or understanding. “I hope you don’t think I’m being heartless,” he began cautiously, “because, you know, I wanted us to leave him behind.”
My heart clenched at his words. The memory of Elijah’s betrayal–how he’d hurt us all–hung over us like a dark cloud. But even as I recalled the wounds of that betrayal, I couldn’t bring myself to abandon the man I’d once loved, the man who now lay so broken and defenseless. I met Alex’s gaze steadily and shook my head.
“No,” I said softly. “I understand how you feel, Alex. Believe me, I do. Elijah hurt us all, and I know you’re hurting too. You have unanswered questions and seeing him again made tge pain we all felt fresh. But I can’t just let him die out there. We made a promise to ourselves and to each other–that we’d stick together, no matter how dark it gets.”
He sighed, the weight of our shared past evident in the creases on his face. “I just don’t want to see you sad, Stormi.”
Without a word, I rose from my sleeping bag and stepped over to him. I pulled him into a gentle, reassuring hug before placing a soft kiss on his lips, I got into the sleeping bag with him and the warmth of that moment was enough to lull us into a light sleep, and eventually, exhaustion claimed us both.
That night, I dreamed. It began as a soft, surreal vision that felt both intimate and disconcertingly real. In my dream, I found myself following,the boy from my dreams, older now, moving through the farmiliar woods of tge uncharted realm. His hair was longer, tied back, and his face was more defined–sharp angles, piercing eyes filled with purpose. I couldn’t quite tell if I was chasing him or if he was leading me somewhere, but there was an undeniable urgency in his steps. His features were familiar yet transformed by time; he was older now helonger was he the frightened child I once knew, darting through the woods in terror with his little sister- he had become something entirely different, something determined.
As I trailed behind him, the forest around us shifted and deepened, its ancient trees arching overhead like silent sentinels. The air was alive with whispers, and soon, a soft, musical voice began to weave through the rustling leaves–a voice reciting a riddle that i’d heard so many times. The words carried a cadence that resonated deep within my soul:
Whispers from the ancient Willow’s boughs,
In a cavern’s shadow where history allows.
By the moonlit lake, reflections guide,
Symbols hidden in ripples, where secrets abide.
Guardians of the night, statues stand tall,
Midnight echoes in the pack’s sacred hall.
Within the ancient forest, the howls reveal,
A path to follow, a destiny to unseal.
At the mountaintop ruins where stars align,
Chapter 191
Celestial convergence, a gateway to find.
Decipher these riddles, a cosmie quest,
To the Moonlit Nexus, where the Keystone rests.
The sound of the riddle sent shivers down my spine, each line a fragment of a prophecy that seemed to hold the key to everything we’d been fighting for.
I paused in my tracks, the words echoing in the cool night air of my dream. Then, as if summoned by the verse, I turned to see a magnificent, massive farmiliar white elk standing before me. My breath caught in my throat. I remembered that very elk–the one I had once saved from a trap.
Its antlers were unlike any I had ever seen–spreading out like the branches of an ancient tree, adorned with delicate, vibrant green leaves that glistened as if kissed by moonlight. Its eyes met mine, and it was like we had a silent exchange.
The elk stepped forward with a regal gait, and the boy approached the creature cautiously, one hand extended as if to comfort it. “Old friend,” he murmured in a voice that was both low and reverent. “I need a favor.”
Chapter Comments
LIKE
POST COMMENT NOW
