The Last Corvus (completed)

Ch. 14 Isadora

Chapter 14

Isadora

I wake to find myself sitting at the foot of my bed, gently patting my foot to wake me up. I speak (the other me) and I can understand it, even though my brain knows it's French. "It's alright my sweet; you just had a bad dream. That's all," I say as I move to sit closer to the me sitting up in bed.

The other me grasps my hand, her black nightgown's lace cuff accidentally brushing my wrist, making a chill creep up my arm. Her touch is unusually reassuring and my pulse soon returns to normal. I lean towards her and she runs her fingers through my shoulder-length hair, gently tugging on my messy curls. A lock of her red hair escapes from her long braid and I curl it around my finger, luxuriating in it's silkiness.

Running my fingertips along her ear, she leans into my palm, sighing softly. Steering her towards me, she follows willingly and our lips are about to touch...

When the scene changes.

Now, suddenly, we're running through a huge field, so large I can't even see from one end to the other. The grass is springy under my bare feet and every now and then I crush a newly blooming wildflower, its stem silently crushing underfoot.

Looking to my left I see her, barefoot also and wearing a tuxedo of all things, smiling at me. Her fangs glisten in the too-bright sunlight as she throws her head back, laughing at the wind blowing through her loose hair. I can feel her hand in mine, gently urging me to go faster. My feet comply and we watch as the trees skirting the clearing blur by.

She glances behind... and suddenly stiffens, nearly tripping. Now our hands aren't clasped for pleasure; but protection. Somehow I know that if we let go we will never find each other again. Now running at full tilt, the trees now only a continuous green blur, a shadow stretches out before us. Looking over my shoulder...

I notice the mob of almost two story tall rabbits. One of their feet alone is the size of an average car. Looking forward, a white steak interrupts the green wall from the corner of my eye. We're being surrounded! We are already running as fast as we can possibly go; but yet the rabbits still gain ground quickly.

Stealing a glance at Kitty, she looks at the brink of exhaustion, as am I, but we keep propelling ourselves farther and farther. Soon we collapse, exhausted, to the flower speckled ground, the grass cushioning our hands as we try to catch our breath.

Looking up, I shake her shoulder until she does likewise. Standing before us, and on all sides, is the pack of giant white rabbits. The two in front of us step aside and permit, I assume, their leader into the large circle. This one is different from the others, with black fur and a stature equivalent to about a three story building. It's giant, beady black eyes have a strangely knowing glint as it tries to stare us down.

Kitty and I look at each other. In that one glance we both somehow know what we must do. She nods and we step forward confidently.

Both of us grabbing a different ear, we grasp hands as we start walking backward, away from their leader. It doesn't try to stop us, just stands there looking confused... or, as confused as a rabbit can look.

Reaching an acceptable distance, we both lift our feet at the same time, slingshotting ourselves upwards over the rabbit. We fly over its head and land on its back with a soft whoomph.

Digging in our heels, we sit at the nape of its neck, my arms around her warm tuxedoed waist. It rears, but we hold on as it bucks and charges across the field.