The Wolf Within

Chapter Seven: Promises To Keep; Finding Arden

I woke up in the middle of the night. Everyone was sleep, and I walked over to the lake and sat down looking at the water. I used my power to play with a fish, he was in a water bubble and was swimming in circles. It was funny.

"Hey," I looked behind me and Bailey was there, "you can't sleep either?"

"Yeah," I said, "I've just been thinking about these past weeks, traveling. I've killed a lot of people to save my friends and innocent people's lives, I feel evil."

"Why? You didn't kill those people for your own amusement, you did it to save people you care about like you said, and you saved me and Claire and I don't even know you that well," she said, "that's a hero not a villain."

"What if they were innocent?" I said.

"They weren't, they tried to kill me and Claire, that's evil," she said, "but your not, if you were evil, you would have let them eat us, or whatever they were going to do, but you didn't let them."

I stared at the water and she sat down next to me. Out of nowhere I laid on her shoulder and she hugged me back. The water was beautiful, the way it flowed, it was peaceful. I fell asleep on Bailey and had a dream. It was horrible. What if I was evil? What if the elements that are use aren't meant to be used for good? What if...I wasn't me.

Kai's POV

I heard the whole conversation.

Why didn't she tell me this? I didn't ask her to save me, I told her to run, but she saved me. And I wouldn't love someone who is evil. And I love Arden, maybe I'm in love with her. But I didn't have a chance with her. I see the way her and Bay look at each other. They are more than best friends, they are in love. Everything is complicated right now, and I don't want to make her heart get more complicated having to choose between me and Bay. But I already know that she will choose him. So why would I express my feelings?

I fell asleep. And dreamed about love.

"Everyone wake up," I opened my eyes and Bay was looking at the water. I looked around for Arden but she wasn't nowhere to be found.

"Where's Arden?" Bailey asked, "she fell asleep on me when we were near the water, where'd she go?"

"I don't know," Bay said, "but I can't smell her scent, so now I'm worried."

"Why would she just leave and not tell us were she was going?" I asked.

"I don't know," Bailey said.

Claire got up and walked over to the water. "What did she say to you Bailey?" She asked her.

"She said that she thought she was evil for killing those wolves, but I told her she is a hero for saving us and her friends," she said, "after that she seemed okay and fell asleep on me."

"We need to find her," Bay said.

"But what about going home?" Claire asked.

"Are you kidding me?" Bailey said, "your so full of yourself, we have to make sure she is safe. No matter what, she promised to get us home yeah, but she also saved us, so we have to save her, stop thinking about yourself."

That shut Claire up. She went back to her sleeping spot and sat down looking at the ground. Bailey rolled her eyes and looked back at me and Bay.

"So how are we going to find her?" She asked.

"I don't know, she hid her scent, and I don't see any footprints around us, she obviously wants to be alone," Bay said.

"But why?" I asked.

"To think, be by herself for a while, I say we stay here again, and if she doesn't come back by sunset, then we go look for her," Claire said.

"That's a good idea," Bay said.

"Lets do it then, I'll go look for food," I said getting up.

Arden's POV

I didn't run away. I was just above them, in a tree. While they waited for me in silence I could just listen to the birds in the tree. Look at the sky in peace and just listen to them talk about me if they did.

They all sat down near their sleeping spots and waited for Kai to come back. When he did he had a rabbit and some water from the lake, they made a fire and then ate while getting warm. I laid down on a tree branch that I could fit on and not fall. Looking at the sky.

"I can hold my breathe, I can bite my tongue, I can stay awake for days if that's what you want. Give you all I have," I started singing in a whisper to myself, "I'm only human, and I bleed when I fall down, I'm only human."

"Hey Claire," I stopped singing and looked down, Bay was walking to her as she wrapped herself in her blanket.

"Hi," she said.

"You feeling okay?" He asked her.

"Yeah, I'm just hoping that she comes back," Claire says, "I don't just want to go home, I'm actually worried about her, what's your relationship with her?"

"She is my best friend," Bay said, "well, more than that actually, I'm in love with her. I don't think that she knows that, but I can't live without her, she is my world, I don't know what I would do without Arden being in my life."

"Wow, I wish someone said that about me, you really do love her," Claire said smiling, "that's sweet, but I would watch out for Kai, he loves her too, and I can see that, but don't go against him, we are all friends here Bay."

"I know we are," he said, "but I don't want her to have to choose between us, not right now after everything we've been through or going through now."

"That's good," Claire said.

"I love you too Bay," I said to myself.

"It's about two hours until sunset, and she still hasn't returned, Bailey went for a swim to calm down," Kai said walking up to Bay and Claire, "what are you guys talking about?"

"Nothing," Claire said, "I'm just hoping she comes back safe."

"Yea," Bay said, "I can't help but think that she is in trouble, but for now she needs a break and we need to give that to her right now. For a while at least."

But I won't be coming back for at least another three hours. I still have to get my thoughts back to normal. Because now I know both Kai and Bay are in love with me. And I'm in love with them. But I just can't choose right now.