Navy Wolf

Chapter 23

Intelligence is the silver gleam in a wolf's eye,

navigating the twists of the magical wilderness.

☾

I wasn't fast enough.

I turned away, trying to hide my face but I failed.
"Why are you crying?," I heard the voice ask, before I could wipe the tears off of my face.
"Child?"
"Yes, grandma?"
She sat down next to me, folding the covers around her shoulders. "What's wrong?," she whispered in a soft voice, her hand resting on my upper back.
"Nothing," I choked and lowered my head. I forced a laugh that came out wrong. "I'm just overwhelmed, I guess."
Grandmas brows furrowed and she nodded. Silently she sighed next to me.
"How are you by the way?," I asked, feeling so tactless, that it embarrassed me. This woman had been in the hospital and I hadn't asked her how she had been. Very insensitive of me.
"I see that I'm feeling better than you." Her voice went up at the end, as if in a question.
I smiled half heartedly.
"I had hoped to see you happier, when I returned home," she pointed out, raising her brows at me.
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault."
I was met with a smile which I returned. But I still felt sad on the inside. Even a little fake.
Grandma let out a long exhale. "Your dad is coming to get you tomorrow morning, is that true?"
I nodded heavily, resting my elbows on my knees.
"Why are you crying then?"
"I don't know, I'm just happy and overwhelmed and-" I stopped. "I guess, I was full of emotions and they spilled in tears out of me, now that I know, I'm finally going back home."
"Hmm," she murmured. I could feel her contemplative eyes on me. "Why did Kaven leave?"
My head rose up and turned toward her. "He's gone?"
"You didn't know," she responded, as if she had tested me for my reaction.

He left. He... left?!

I sat up. "Where'd he go?"
Grandma shrugged. Her gaze fixated on the horizon in front of us. "Into the woods."
I blinked a couple of times. "When is he going to return?," I asked hesitantly, scared of what I might hear.
"I don't know, actually," she responded quickly, swinging her legs back and forth. She was too short for this bench. "The last time he did this unannounced, he disappeared for a couple of days."

A couple of days? Oh my god.

I closed my eyes in disbelief.

He is indeed avoiding me.
He went away. He went away and he wasn't coming back until I was gone.

I should have never let him so close to me.

And I had hoped, he'd at least send me off with a - I don't know - smile.

I didn't even know why I hoped. Or what I had hoped for. But this realization paired with discouragement woke me up from this rosy-pink dream bubble I didn't know I was playing in.

You won't remember me after a couple of weeks.

How right I was.

He had already prepared himself for this. I was the fool who planned beyond reality. Even though I knew from the very beginning that this was going to end and that I had to be reasonable for my own good.

Which somehow I couldn't manage to remain.

Feeling like a fucking idiot, I stood up. "I should pack my suitcase."

I walked off, not waiting for a response from her. Even if she did, I wouldn't hear it. I was way too busy with my own mind and thoughts.
Trotting into my room I threw the rest of my stuff into the suitcase.