Heart's Desire

Griffin

Her gaze locked with that of the person across the room. Griffin. He looks different than before. He's human. "Kat, why are you here?" His voice echoed as he spoke. He sounded like Griffin but something had changed him.

"Griffin, what is going on?" She asked while placing her hands on the ground to push herself up. As she stood, she looked around at her surroundings. "What is this place?"

She turned back to Griffin, his expression darkening. "You're in a collective subconscious somehow. The last thing I remember is making it back to the cottage and seeing your blue eyes before the darkness took over."

Kat's eyes filled with tears again. "Griffin, are we dead? Is that what this place is?" Her heart started to race. What about the cottage, the darkness, and the spirits in danger? She thought to herself. "Is there a way we can go back?"

Griffin took a deep breath. "I'm not sure right now, Kat. I've been looking around and it seems that we are stuck in some sort of mental prison. I have heard the voices of other spirits we have lost to the haze but can't reach them." He looked down to the ground with the face of defeat. "I've tried everything I can think of and I still can't help them. They can never hear me."

When he looked away, Kat took a step toward him and reached for his hand. She felt such a strong sense of familiarity with him, even though she was no longer reaching for a lion's warm coat, but a human's hand. His eyes locked with hers and she noticed they were the same golden amber as before.

"We have to find a way out of here. I was able to hold the haze back from the cottage but I have no idea how long that will last." Kat explained. Griffin raised an eyebrow. "And how were you able to do that?" He asked.

"Well, I.. may have used the crystal wand to help." Kat sheepishly responded. Her face turned a soft pink when she noticed the smirk across Griffin's face. He gently squeezed her hand and said, "It's okay, Kat. You had to do what needed to be done."

"I know but you told me to never use it unless it was a last resort and now look where I am. If I had taken more time to find another way.." Griffin put his free hand to her lips.

"Stop, you did the best you could in a situation that no one else has ever had to be in." He reassured her and dropped her hand to walk to the opening of the cave. Kat followed him and tried to look out. She saw nothing but open darkness and no way out.

"We have to find a way. Fox was still in the cottage and I don't know if the wand will hold it back." She exclaimed with fear. Kat started to walk around, feeling the walls and searching for anything that could help. As she made her way around, Griffin sighed deeply. "You won't find anythi-" He stopped as he noticed her halt and reach into a narrow crevice.

Kat's hand grasped something small and yanked it out of the hole. She quickly ran to the entrance and Griffin met her there. "What is that?" He asked while Kat held it up for them both to see.

"It looks like a pendant of some sort, made of a large emerald and set in gold filigree. What could this be?" She glanced up at him and noticed his eyes grow wide. He began to look around her hands, his white hair falling in front of his eyes, and Kat doesn't understand why.

"I don't see anything but I'm wondering if it can only be seen by you." Defeated, he ran his hand through his hair, knowing that he can't let his emotions take over now. "Maybe you're the key to all this. To this cerebral prison."

Kat gazed longingly at the stone and felt a sense of understanding wash over her. The emerald began to vibrate as her thoughts whispered to her, put it on. As she began to lift her arms over her head to place the pendant around her neck, Griffin stopped her with both hands around her wrists.

"Kat, what are you doing? You have no idea what that will do!" She yanked her hands away and said, "I have to try! I can't let the forest die and if that means endangering myself well.. that's what I signed up for when I came here."

As she lowered the pendant to rest against her chest, her vision began to tunnel with white light until she could no longer see Griffin.