forgotten wolf animatronic (creepypasta)

Chapter 6: Echoes of the Past

Saber drifted through the dim hallways of Slenderman Mansion later that night, feeling the faint pull of memories stirring within him. The laughter and excitement from playing games with Jeff and Ben had left him feeling... well, alive, in a way that went beyond his animatronic frame or his ghostly form. For a moment, he had simply felt like a kid again.

Yet, beneath that fleeting sense of normalcy, he couldn't shake the feeling that something from his old life lingered—something he hadn't yet remembered, or maybe something he had been trying to forget. The sensation gnawed at him as he moved through the darkened halls, past the silent rooms where the other members of his unconventional family rested.

He stopped in front of an old, weathered mirror at the end of the hallway, staring at his spectral reflection. His ghostly form looked back at him, his face still carrying the youthful features of a 13-year-old boy—innocent, yet haunted. The scar over his heart pulsed faintly, the fatal wound that had bound him to this in-between state of existence.

"Who... am I, really?" he murmured, his voice barely a whisper.

He didn't hear the footsteps approaching, so silent they were, but he felt a shift in the air, a presence just behind him. Turning, he saw Slenderman, his guardian's towering form enveloped in shadows. Despite his faceless appearance, Saber felt the quiet strength of Slenderman's gaze, as though he could see straight into his soul.

"Your past is a part of you, Saber," Slenderman's voice echoed in his mind, calm and steady. "But it does not define who you are."

Saber looked away, feeling the weight of Slenderman's words settle over him. "Sometimes I wonder... if I'm just a shadow of who I used to be. I remember bits and pieces, but it's like looking through fog."

Slenderman nodded, a subtle movement, almost like an understanding. "Memory is a strange thing, especially for those of us who exist between worlds. You may remember in time, or perhaps you will choose to let go."

"Let go?" Saber asked, a pang of uncertainty in his voice. "How can I? I feel like... like there's something I'm supposed to remember. Something important."

Slenderman's presence shifted slightly, a comforting calm radiating from him. "Sometimes, the past clings to us, demanding to be understood. But you are not bound to it, Saber. Here, you are free to choose who you wish to become."

Saber took a breath—a habit he had never quite let go of, even though he no longer needed it. He looked up at Slenderman, feeling both comforted and conflicted. "Thank you... for reminding me," he said softly.

Slenderman inclined his head and then, without another word, melted back into the shadows, leaving Saber alone with his thoughts. The mansion around him was silent, peaceful, but the quiet only amplified the echoes in his mind.

As the night deepened, Saber found himself unable to rest. The pull of his memories, the faint fragments of his past, grew stronger, whispering in the silence. Drifting through the mansion, he made his way to the old attic, a place he had rarely explored.

The attic was cluttered with dust-covered boxes and forgotten relics, remnants of lives long past. Faint moonlight filtered through a small, cobwebbed window, casting a soft glow over the shadowed space. Saber's gaze drifted across the piles of objects until he spotted a small, cracked music box resting atop an old wooden chest. Something about it drew him closer, a strange familiarity tugging at his mind.

Reaching out in his spectral form, he touched the music box, and it sprang open, the delicate tune spilling into the room. It was a melody he recognized, a faint memory from his life before. As the notes drifted through the air, he felt his memories pull him back, revealing glimpses of his human life—a small bedroom, a favorite toy, the laughter of his siblings. A life that was his, but also someone else's, buried beneath years of forgetting.

The tune came to an end, and Saber sat back, letting the silence wash over him. His memories felt closer now, like puzzle pieces waiting to be put together, yet still just out of reach.

As he sat there, he felt a presence in the room. Turning, he saw Sally standing in the doorway, her dark curls framing her pale face, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"Couldn't sleep?" she asked, stepping inside and giving him a sympathetic look.

Saber nodded, watching her approach. "I just... wanted to remember something. From... before."

Sally sat down beside him, her gaze soft and understanding. "I know what that's like," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I remember little things, too. But sometimes, it's like they're just... dreams. Dreams of a life that's gone."

Saber looked at her, feeling a kinship in her words. Despite the pain of their pasts, they had both found something here—a family that had accepted them, even when they felt like shadows of themselves.

"Do you think... it's okay to forget?" Saber asked, his voice laced with uncertainty.

Sally gave a small smile, reaching out to take his hand. "I think we don't have to remember everything to know who we are now. We're here, in this family. That's what matters, right?"

Saber nodded, letting her words sink in. The shadows of his past still lingered, but he felt a strange sense of peace in Sally's presence, her quiet acceptance of the life they had now.

They sat together in the quiet attic, the faint echoes of the music box's melody lingering in the air. For the first time, Saber felt a sense of calm about his past, as though he could let it drift away, like mist fading with the dawn.

The next morning, as Saber moved through the mansion in his animatronic form once again, he felt a quiet resolve settle over him. The past was still a part of him, but it no longer had the same hold over him. He didn't need to remember everything. What mattered was the life he had now, and the family he shared it with.

As he passed the living room, he caught sight of Hoodie and Masky, both of whom gave him a nod as he entered, each acknowledging him in their own quiet way. Jeff was sprawled on the couch, giving Saber a lazy wave, while Ben was focused intently on a new game, shooting Saber a quick grin.

"Hey, Saber," Ben called, his gaze not leaving the screen. "Want to help me take down Jeff in this game? He thinks he can beat me."

Saber chuckled, moving to sit beside Ben. "I think I'll give it a try," he replied, his voice filled with a quiet confidence he hadn't felt before.

As they laughed and played, Saber felt the weight of the past slipping further away. He was no longer bound to the memories that haunted him, free to make new ones with the family who had claimed him as one of their own.

And in that moment, he knew that he had found something far more powerful than the echoes of his past. He had found his future, and he would guard it fiercely, for as long as the shadows held him.