Wolf Soul

K.

I was calm. So calm that the feeling was one that I could feel to my very core, one that consumed me all over which shocked me. You wouldn't think that touching the skinned fur of one of your own race would elicit feelings of calm but...that's what I felt.

My vision was black but spirals of color would streak across my vision like sparks or splattered paint on a black canvas. Urges from who knows where developed and I knew I needed to touch them.

It was strange knowing what I knew but I would learn truths if I could catch the fleeting colors. I reached out, continuously stretching and stretching irritated that it was just out of reach.

I stretched my pointer finger at a smudge of blue as it flittered in front of me and elation ran through me when my finger just touched the outer edge. It quickly dissipated though when out of nowhere a flood of emotions and images from the color hit me like a bucket of hot water.

I sputtered and jerked back, stunned. The princes memories? This wasn't what I was expecting.

I cradled my hand and spotted an orange streak that was lazily making a circle around me and gingerly touched it. A flash of faces flittered through like a panorama of portraits and I scanned the faces in rapid succession, recognizing the royal family and a dozen or so faces that made no sense to me.

I took my finger away and looked around within my mind, quickly analyzing what I was looking for. Something different, that wasn't supposed to be there.

It felt like ages but in a far corner of the princes mind I soon found a black mass hiding away like a scared child. Dark, blood red sparks would shoot off of it like a sun releasing solar flares and I could tell this one was made by fear and anger.

I reached for it, trying to calm myself and prepare for the onslaught of images that would soon overwhelm me. When I finally touched it though it was different than expected. This time I could see flicks of memories and emotion as they shot through me, like cut off scenes from a movie.

The first one was of the Prince as a little boy. He was standing in front of a desk that held around 30 tiny plants on the surface. The walls were giant windows overlooking a wide valley of sloping green hills and a lake in the far distance. Glass shelves were lined up on the glass windows and held more plants with such variety I could recognize at least a dozen from the US alone.

I watched as the memory replayed, just a guest within the vision, quiet and frozen. A woman popped up from behind the desk, holding a broken pot. She was solemn, her dark eyes sad as she held it out for the prince to inspect.

Her voice was light, gentle. "Did you do this?"

The prince shook his head wanting to deny it but a strict look came over the woman's face and he hung his head in shame.

The woman sighed. "I told you not to play in here without my permission. That goes for both of you. I expect it to not happen again."

She looked right at me and I felt her eyes pierce through, like a sword was rammed through my chest and it quickly switched to another scene.

This time I was staring in a mirror and the princes face was looking back at me. One eye was black and bloody, scratches layering the skin on his face. I reached forward to the glass, wanting to help, but it quickly switched again.

The prince was older now, in his teens, standing over another boy the same age. A blade was to his throat and a voice was encouraging him from behind, ruthless anger lacing every word spoken.

"Finish him. Finish him now or everything is over!"

A fleeting moment and the sword thrust through the boys throat, like a knife through butter; without resistance.

In the back of my mind I felt that it was mesmerizing, watching the light die out of the eyes that watched him. Then I was myself again and I gasped in shock at the brutality of the kill.

My mind spun. Why was I seeing all this? Who was the woman? And the boy that was killed? I thought these were the princes memories but I also felt that there was another layer I was just skimming over. I couldn't break through it to reach the information I most needed.

I reached again, further this time. Further than I thought I'd ever go. So desperate to reach beyond what I was seeing. The resistance pulling me back from reaching it loosened for just a moment and I plunged headlong through the barrier, feeling a ripple of emotions undulate around me like a violent undercurrent.

I was back at the memory of the Prince sitting in front of the mirror, but this time I was touching his face. My hands cupped his swollen cheeks as his tears came out from his eyes and I watched and felt the fear and fury race through me to see such a thing.

"Don't worry Asdi. This won't happen again. I'll come back for you however many times it takes and we'll keep training, to get stronger and stronger."

I was so focused on with what was being said that when the force started to pull back, I barely noticed it. As the scene faded away I couldn't help but keep thinking about the one thing that made no sense.

Don't worry Asdi.

...

I thought the princes name was Geold?