Wolfheart

~The Rabbit In The Wolf's Maw~ (4)

I followed Lanakila at some distance, I was watching her back with intensely curious eyes - I felt like she was a small rabbit that had willingly hopped into the open maw of a vicious predator. Had she really no sense of fear around me? I pondered this thought as I tailed her, after all, I could easily snap this girl into two if I so chose to.

"Whatever are you thinking of?" Lanakila suddenly inquired of me, falling into step alongside my person.
"Oh, your actions... they just perplexed me slightly." I answered honestly, looking over and down at her. The top of her blonde head was only just level with my shoulder. Perhaps I was simply tall for a person?

"How so?" She questioned, taking two strides for every single one of my own.
"You appear to trust so easily, is that not unwise?"
"It is dependent on the person I am trusting in question."
"So, I am trustworthy?"
"I believe so," Lanakila beamed at me as brilliantly as the Sun's warm rays.
"However can you tell?" I asked, effortlessly stepping over a smaller log in my path. When no answer entered my ears, I turned out of confusion. Lanakila was struggling to get over the fallen tree, and I observed as her sword belt caught on the probing branches. "Lanakila!" I exclaimed, startled, "do not move, you will fall!" I backtracked quickly, reaching toward her, taking her arms, I assisted with her liberation of the log. "Are you all right?" I asked, worried. I did not want any harm to reach my new companion.
"I am fine," Lanakila reassured me, patting my arm, the smile seemed to never leave her features. "Thank you," she added appreciatively.

I could not discern how many hours coasted by us, but soon the darkness of night was lurking at our backs as the setting Sun was forth-putting its last, auburn rays before us. Its colourful beams were tainted slightly as they attempted to pierce through the surrounding foliage.

We had walked for miles, perhaps, and soon we slowed. Lanakila had been telling me all about her companion, Hanon. Apparently this other young woman sported very lengthy, hazel-brown hair that fell well down past her waist. Her eyes were as green as the tree leaves around us, and she was taller and stronger than Lanakila herself - or it was said.

"However did you and Hanon come to get separated from one another?" I asked, assisting the young lady as she started a fire. "We are on a mission together, see?" Lanakila informed me, prodding one of the burning logs closer to the rest of its brethren. "A quite unexpected event occurred, which left the pair of us apart. I do not really know how to explain it," she narrowed her eyes, glaring at the fire for all she was worth, as if it was its fault that she was no longer with this 'Hanon'. "We were walking together one moment, and the next, the world was black to me. It was as if I could no longer control myself..." She looked down at her hands, and I took note that they were shaking slightly... she was so much like a frightened rabbit it made my wolfish instincts writhe. "And then I awoke, and Hanon was no where to be seen. I imagine I must have hit my head and fallen somehow..." Lanakila shrugged, carelessly tossing another log onto the roaring flames. I had never seen fire before, it was rather frightening to say the least. The young lady had had to describe it to me afore I had felt more comfortable around the wild, crackling element.

"I suppose," I sat down beside her, finding it ever so strange that I was resisting the urge to wear my fur, and see how Lanakila would react. However, I felt as though she would not be overly wary of me - she seems to me, to be such a silly rabbit.

"How did you come to be in these woods, Gray?" Lanakila glanced up at me with her bright eyes.
"I would rather not elaborate..." I looked away, refusing to meet her gaze.
"As you wish," the lady sighed. I continued to avert my eyes, but my ears were ever attentive. I heard her undoing the sword belt and lying it off to the side, and sensed her relaxing next to me.

Quite out of thin air, I felt suddenly cold and rigid, despite the powerful flames dancing some distance away from me. My body would not move, and I shuddered from head-to-toe when a rumbling, haunting voice rang around in my head, "Tyryn." It breathed my name, my true name, slowly. I tried to fight it, but I was absolutely powerless. My heart contracted and squeezed, and my lungs filled with blistering cold oxygen, "Tyryn," the voice growled softly, and I knew, in the split, fleeting second that it spoke my name the second time, that I had no hope of regaining control of my body. Blast this collar!