Forever Luna

parallel

adjective ~ occurring or existing at the same time or in a similar way

CHARLIE

Weeks bled together again, though the memory of the warlock lingered like smoke. I didn't know whether to believe his message or bury it, but Aldren's warning had taken root. It was inescapable. I could almost hear his voice in the wind.

The cold clung to us like a second coat. Calida had grown quieter these past few days. She didn't bare her teeth at me this week, and when I caught her gaze, there wasn't hatred there, just a weary sort of detachment. I'd take it. Detachment was better than fury.

And I got to keep my fingers.

We were hunting again. The last meal had been a stingy meat carcass Calida stole from a lone wolf. It was barely enough to keep us both moving. I padded beside her through the frost-hardened trees, our breaths puffing white into the air, my stomach growling in the background.

Suddenly, Calida's ears flicked, her nostrils flaring

Before I could even register it, she broke into a sprint. I followed, muscle memory kicking in as our paws hit the frozen ground. The rhythm of it... the rush of cold air in my lungs, the quiet thunder of our stride, stirred something every time. The bond screamed and cried, begging for the attachment to come back.

Calida veered left, cutting off the path of a small deer, and I swung wide to flank it. The creature burst through the brush quickly, but not fast enough. Calida leapt first, her body hitting with a force that sent the deer crashing to the ground. I joined her, teeth finding purchase in its throat. It screamed, much like the pain buried deep within my own soul, but a heartbeat later, it was over.

Surprised at a second meal only hours after the last, I let her drag the prey to a safe spot. We had been following the river for months now, as if searching for a purpose. It had grown into a habit, and I couldn't quit it.

Calida didn't growl when I drew near, my head lowered and eyes averted from her own. Her muzzle was stained red, her teeth tearing into the deer with vengeance. For a moment, it almost felt normal to see, but then she surprised me again.

She tore a piece of meat and threw it at me with a sharp huff. It hit my chest, slopping to the ground, blood splattering up my paws. I blinked, confused, and she growled at me with annoyance. So, not wanting to piss her off with my disrespect, I gobbled the flesh down, dipping into that instinctual part of my mind that managed this better.

Afterwards, as Calida rested, I quickly shifted to human, knowing I had a fire to light. Bare as the day I was born, I shuddered against the icy temperatures, my body aching and tired. If I didn't shift back regularly, I'd lose the ability. I had to exercise my human form, no matter how emaciated it was becoming.

Negleted.

I was neglecting myself.

Sticks gathered, I made fast work of starting a fire as the sun set. Calida lingered near me, tail low but unthreatening. Her fur shimmered faintly in the fading light of the sun, and as the fire warmed my skin, I sighed with contentment.

"You remember," I mumbled, rubbing warmth into my stiff hands. "Don't you? There's something there tonight."

She tilted her head at my voice, one ear twitching, then huffed softly and turned away.

"Close enough," I murmured.

The cold bit at my skin, so I shifted back to my less-than adequate fur. Shivering, I stayed by her side, letting the silence stretch. For the first time in weeks, I wasn't afraid she'd turn on me. I even dared to lean back against her flank, flopping onto my side like a puppy. She didn't move away, and that tiny mercy nearly undid me.