A journey of peace - GOU book 1

Chapter 7

Nicole lost her sense of time as she was stumbling through the woods. She was going in a good direction, but she felt more and more exhausted in the morning. Her eyes were burning and she felt weak. After about an hour of trying to walk she gave up. Her legs gave in, and she collapsed by the roots of a large tree. She knew what was going on, she just didn't want to believe it. For an entire week, when she woke up she could smell the significant scent of someone sick.

"But I'm a shapeshifter. We don't get affected by the virus," she said to the silence around her. A wolf cub ran up to her and licked her hand. As she reached out to pet it, the mother showed up and growled at her.

"Momma, she's sick" the cub sat down and looked at her mother.

"Exactly why she should keep her hands away from you" The mother kept growling at her as if she was an outsider. She knew that, in a way, she was, but she also wasn't.

"But momma," the cub really wanted to help Nicole, but her mother cut her off.

"No, Kyria. She is a human. You should keep your distance from them" Nicole finally understood why the wolf was so hostile toward her.

"Excuse me, but" she tried to sit further up. "I'm not a human," She said when her headache subsided.

"You understand us?" the wolf closed her eyes and smelled the air. "Sorry. Your scent was hidden behind the scent of the sickness" she said after a minute of silence.

"I know" Nicole looked down at her hands. "I am sorry for scaring you." She thought for a moment and looked up. "Can you stay here for a while? I miss talking to someone."

"We have to be off, but if you'd like, our pack wouldn't mind you coming with us."

"I can try, but..." she tried to stand up, and after a few minutes of not collapsing, she looked down at the two wolves. "Okay, going to be fine for a while. I am going to be slow though."

"Don't worry. There are cubs with us." The mother smiled at her. "My name is Erlina, and this is Kyria."

"My name is Nicole. Thank you"

"This way," they started walking through the shrubs until they reached the pack. After a brief explanation, the pack accepted Nicole's presence and started walking again.

Nicole had no idea how, but she somehow knew she was going in the right direction. The wolves tried to keep her talking, as per the advice of Erlina. By the time night rolled around, Nicole had talked about her entire life story.

"We stop here" The leading male yelled out. "The ones who need any help from our healer should go to the cave over there." the alpha continued when everyone stopped. Nicole felt dizzy and almost fell as they stopped, seeking the help of a tree to stay standing.

"I am going to tend to the shapeshifter after that, so anyone should come now," Erlina said, seeing Nicole's difficulty to stay on her feet.

"Erlina, it's okay." Nicole started to feel like an intruder. "I will be fine. You should take care of your pack, not me." She looked at the tired wolves

"If you want to live, you need someone else to look after you" Erlina's voice was firm, talking like a mother talking to her cub.

"but..." Nicole wanted to object, but Erlina swapped her leg, forcing Nicole to sit down as her legs gave out.

"No buts, go inside the cave and start a fire" She pointed her head towards the cave.

As Nicole went, she saw four wolves lining up to Erlina. Her mind was fuzzy from the fever, and after she started the fire, she started drifting off into sleep. She still felt Erlina put something on her to keep her warm and heard her quiet whisper. She couldn't make the words out though, as her hazy mind finally fell into a dark sleep.

Her sleep was restless even though the wolves made sure she was as comfortable as she could be in a cave. At night, she woke up to a sound. She felt more awake than all week before, so she took a walk in the forest. Her lungs filled with the air, but she couldn't make out any distinct scents. As she realized that, she inhaled sharply, and her heart skipped a beat. Her shock was delayed as she heard the sound again:

"Help!" It felt like a mixture between a human cry and the roar of some animal.

"A very big animal," Nicole thought. The forest started to be covered in a thick fog as she walked forward. The cry was heard again, and Nicole started running towards it.

Suddenly, out of the darkness, a hand grabbed her, forcing her to a halt.

"Not yet," a female voice said.

"Nicole!" the voice of Erlina pierced the scene, and the forest started fading around Nicole. Slowly, she drifted back to reality.

"Erlina?" she asked as she opened her eyes.

"You need to eat something," The wolf said, standing up and walking towards the fire.

"What time is it?" Nicole felt even more tired than when she went to sleep, and she couldn't forget her little dream adventure either.

"Almost noon." Erlina smiled

"What?" Nicole sat up. "Oh no." She said, grabbing her head as it started hurting and the world swirled around her.

"Hey, we decided to stay here for a few days." Erlina pushed Nicole to a wall so that she could rest her back against it. "Someone lives in this forest, and she can help you, but we need to find her first. Until we can get her here, you can be taken care of. You can survive, but only if you stay put." another wolf pushed a piece of bark towards her full of water.

"But..." Nicole lifted the impromptu cup and stared at her reflection. "What if I don't want to survive?" She was talking more to herself than anyone else, but to her luck, she was surrounded by wolves

"Then I will take care of you anyway." Erlina had understanding in her eyes. "Whatever you went through, you have to deal with it, and as long as you are sick, you won't be able to see any other way out. Zahra will help you with the rest." Erlina picked up a container filled with cooked meat and edible plants and brought it to Nicole after explaining.

"Who is Zahra?" The name sparked an odd familiarity in Nicole.

"A seer who went away before the dragons. We will have to leave this world soon, and she knows how to help you out." Erlina went towards the cave entrance. "Now eat. We collected some herbs and baked some meat for you" Nicole looked at the food prepared for her and slowly started eating. She wasn't hungry, and she felt empty, but as she heard the name, something sparked a willingness to live in her. She had to find out who Zahra was, not to mention her dream. After eating a very small portion, Nicole felt way too nauseous to force any more food down. Instead, she lay down and drifted back into sleep.

A/N:

This and the next chapter was pre-written so I'm not waiting to publish them. Sorry for ending on a bad note with the next chapter. I will try to publish another chapter quickly but no promises.