𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐓𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬

Wolves in our Dreams

"I can finally breathe again." Sera sucked in another breath of air. She could feel the cool wind seep deep into her lungs, waking up her skin. "I don't see how you survive these."

Elias stood several paces behind her; his hands on his knees, chest heaving. He rose slowly and Sera could see a bright red flush as blood raced to his cheeks.

"How do you do it? Run like that without so much as breaking a sweat?" He asked, joining her on a nearby bench.

"I've run from more than one suitor in my life," she replied with a light laugh.

They sat in silence for a moment, soaking in the night air and each other's company. It was a while before either one spoke.

"Have you still been having those nightmares?" Sera asked, picking at the skin around her nails. The light from a nearby light post cast a low glow on her hands turning her nail beds red. She quickly hid her hands in the folds of her skirts.

Elias let out a deep breath and his shoulders tightened. "I had one last night," he answered softly.
"Was it still the same?"
He nodded, refusing to meet her eyes. "I woke up in the meadow outside our house this time, dirt under my nails, and my clothes were gone."

Had he told this to anyone else they would have insisted he see a doctor or sent him to the nearest in-patient facility.

But not Sera. Elias had been having these nightmares, if that's what you could call them, for the past seven years. Sera had been hearing about them for that long.

Elias would dream of a large black wolf-like creature, too big to be the wolves that he could hear behind his house. It had large yellow eyes, like his but brighter, and its fur was so dark it looked like a shadow.

But more importantly, he could see its teeth. Each time the creature came to him with its teeth bared; canines bigger than his hands, shining in the moonlight.

The creature would howl and Elias would startle from his sleep as if the thing was right beside him. He never woke up in his bed, he was always miles away from home, naked and dirty.

"I just wish I knew what was happening to me," he said, running a pale hand through his dark hair. "I'm afraid of what will happen if my parents find out."

Sera reached over and took his hand in hers. "Nothing bad, you are their son and heir."
"I'm a freak." Elias mumbled under his breath. "Who else dreams of large black dogs and wakes up in the middle of nowhere without their clothes? Freaks."

"You're not a freak, Elias. You're just experiencing something unusual-"
"That's just another word for freaky."
Sera ignored his comment and continued. "It could be a supernatural phenomenon!"

She bolted to her feet, her dark curls surrounding her like a coily cloud. "You could be gaining special powers! Like...like a warlock." She clasped her hands over her mouth, nodding frantically.

Elias sighed heavily. He had grown accustomed to Sera's constant rambling about witches and warlocks. He knew she still believed she saw the Devil take her mother and sister all those years ago.

He did however not believe in feeding into her delusions, but it was best to let her continue believing in them if it helped her cope with her loss.

"I'm certain I'm just dealing with sleep issues. People sleepwalk all the time, so it's much more probable that that's what is happening to me." He answered, cutting her off.

Sera's face fell and she sat back down beside him. "But that answer is so boring, don't you want something exciting to be happening to you?"

Elias shook his head. "I would give anything for this to not be happening to me. I just wish to be normal again, like you."

Sera bit the corner of her nail and stared into the distance. She would give anything to not be normal. Normal was boring, normal meant that she was stuck here in this dreadfully boring town.

If she could trade with Elias she would in a heartbeat.

"I think it's best we go back inside, don't want anyone to miss us." He stood and tugged down his coat. "We don't want them thinking we've been doing anything scandalous." Elias wiggled his eyebrows as Sera stood up and took his hand.

"Oh my, scandalous indeed," she replied with a laugh.