The Darkness Within

26 - Waking Up

Ciara found herself to be floating in familiar darkness and listened to it as it sang. It was beautiful, and she loved hearing it. The words it spoke were in another language, one that she did not know and that did not exist, but she understood anyway.

Before, it had sung to her of pain and revenge, it had fueled her anger and showed her the path to a power that allowed her to be freed. Now it sang of happy memories as if it was trying to counteract the endless and growing pool of despair within her.

It showed her memories of playing with her childhood dog, her beloved Scout. It showed her memories of her lover; the two of them racing against each other at track meets and practice with neither of them ever able to truly gain the upper hand, the two of them playing games they created on the frequent bus trips to other towns, the two of them staying up to the silent hours of the night sharing secrets and loving whispers in her bed, holding each other with a loving touch. It showed her memories of the rare home-cooked meals her mother would serve and the two of them would eat together, laughing and enjoying each other's company.

It skipped the memories that had suffering in them, showing her only the ones with love and light and happiness. And, when seeing those precious moments made her even sadder, it spoke to her and comforted her. It reminded her that she had been loved and that she would be loved again.

As if to prove it, the darkness showed her newer memories. Herself curled up in a lowly-lit cave with a black wolf-pup in her arms looking up at her with animal-bright green eyes, playing on the frozen lake with Tala before the werewolf pup fell from the cliff, eating with Grey Forest pack at the table with her best friends and the pack's leaders, running through the snow with Tala and the werewolf pups, exploring the library with her newfound friends, various pack members thanking her for the leatherwork she did for them and the true joy her craft brought them, Evelyn holding her as she cried and always being there when she needed.

Finally, it showed her memories of Lucienne. There weren't many but the ones that she was shown made her feel warm and happy inside. The memory of Lucienne holding her as she cried the first night they had met, soft and glowing white eyes staring at her with so much tender care the next morning and then lovingly tucking her in when her exhaustion hit, the female noticing her nervousness when they met her mother and gently holding her arm to calm her.

She felt herself drifting to consciousness as she grasped what the darkness was trying to teach her.

Treasure the happy memories and make peace with the painful ones.

⥐

Ciara woke feeling better for the first time in a long time. Her body ached, yes, but it was not the fatal and torturous pain that threatened death with every breath. Now it hovered lightly under her skin- skin that she could feel had been replaced in some parts- like she was simply resting from a day's exercise.

She did not trust her immediate feeling of safety.

Had the demons healed her only so they could start again? Had the mousey-female not been able to prolong her lingering life and they had been forced to bring her to a proper healer? Was this some sort of new trick to make her break? Make her feel safe before once again ripping the rug out from under her?

She was warm, dry, and in minimal pain, but the moment she realized that someone was holding her hand, she had flinched away. In doing so, she fell off whatever small bed she had been placed on.

There was a startled noise from the other in the room and Ciara could feel a threatening growth of power in the room. The air heated and the ground shook and Ciara found herself to be crawling away from whomever this angry and powerful being was, her body started shivering when a growl reverberated through the room.