Shadow Girl

Chapter Nineteen

I awoke and remembered what happened yesterday. I didn't want to go to school again, not after that. But I regretfully got ready anyway. I washed my face and did my makeup, trying to ignore the thoughts about my image going through my head like, "Oh, God, I look bad", or "what's wrong with my face", or something like that. I sighed and made myself a bagel to bring with me to the rock where Shadow was. 

I flashed back to the dream I had a couple nights ago. The one where I had seen all the wolves of the forest, and destruction tearing the scene apart. Shadow had spoken to me about Scar, who was alive in the dream, and the pack had been split in half. 

The memory was shaken from me as howls tore through the air again. What's happening? I began to run, rushing to find my wolf. I spotted wolves of many shades from white to black and each with unique eyes. Shadow was there among them, but I recognized another wolf, a male. His dark figure haunted me and for a moment I thought I had been dreaming, but it was real. The black, torn coat of Scar. Scar, the wolf I had killed. No...he's dead. None of this can be real, can it?

All of the sudden my dream was reenacted before me, but this time, it was in reality. Scar looked different, though. His eyes looked as if they were red lava crystals. They seemed to glow red, and his followers attacked Shadow's half of the pack. I hid behind a tree, watching, trying not to scream as scarlet red stained the grass that used to be dark green. 

I started feeling a little strange and I called my mom, asking if I could miss a day of school. 

"Sure, hon, are you all right? Are you still in your bed?"

"Yeah I am, and I'm just a little sick, is all," I tried to convince her and it seemed to work. 

"Okay, well I'm off to work, feel better soon, Alex. I love you, bye."

"I love you too, bye," I hung up quickly. I turned around and Shadow appeared. "Shadow, what is happening? I had a dream like this, and now I see it in front of me!"

Shadow backed up and kept her eyes on me, a small whine escaping her jaws. I followed her and she lead me, I didn't know where, but she was taking me somewhere. "Where are we going?" I finally asked. 

Shadow looked over her shoulder to me with calming eyes and I decided I'd just be quiet and follow. We approached a sparkling waterfall connected to a rushing river above us. The water trailed from a rushing river to a cascading foam when it reached the bottom of the waterfall. Behind the waterfall I saw a hidden darkness. A cave. Shadow led me behind the waterfall and into the unknown. All I could see were Shadow's yellow eyes. Shadow barked at me and I came closer to her. 

Everything turned bright as we exited through the other side of the cave. Many pink blossoming trees filled my view and there was a small pond with fish thriving and lily pads floated on the surface. A white wolf emerged from flowering vines  that covered a short and ancient stone wall with an arched entrance. I recognized her immediately as Icy, I had seen her in my dream, the new leader of Shadow's pack. Her blue eyes sparkled and her pure white coat was blinding in the sunlight. Icy held something in her mouth, a small black-and-white circle on a thin, silver chain. 

Icy barked something I could not understand and gave me the necklace. It had the Yin and Yang sign on it, but with wolves instead of how it normally looked. I put it on and the two wolves watched me expectantly.

"Alex, can you hear me?" Shadow asked calmly.

My face went white. "I swear I heard human words come out of your mouth, I think I've finally gone crazy!"

"No, silly, you haven't gone crazy. The necklace Icy gave you will give you the ability to speak wolf...and there's another thing it can do...but I want you to figure it out, it is more meaningful that way," Shadow looked amused.

I was speechless. This is definitely a dream. I closed my eyes and opened them again, expecting to wake up in my bed, but to my surprise, I was still here in this hidden place. Maybe it's not a dream...

Icy spoke this time. "This is where the new Pack will live. I came across it not long ago, and Shadow was the first one I told. We planned to tell the rest of the Pack soon after this war had ended."

"How did you know Scar would break away, along with other members of your Pack?" I asked her.

"Icy is very wise and important. She has learned everything about the forest...and she had a dream that showed her this war was coming," Shadow answered for her.

"I had that dream, too."

"What?" They both were astonished.

"Yeah, scary, right? I was talking to you and I understood you, and everything."

"Icy is the only other one who had that dream, Alex. This is very rare. If you ever had any dreams like that, ones that may reveal the future, do not tell anyone about it, unless it's me or Icy," Shadow marveled. 

"When will I find out what the other power is that this necklace this necklace will give me?" I prodded, interested.  

Shadow glanced at Icy, "Not long."

"Now, let's get going, we have a war to fight!" Icy revealed her fangs with new energy.