The Maiden and the Wolf---- *A Fantasy Romance story*
-----------------------------------VOTE NOW------------------------------------
*Chapter 21*
Dakota POV
I sat cross-legged on the ground, the flicking flames of the fire before me sent dancing silhouettes prancing on the ground. The fire seemed to hold a secret meaning to me, the twisting tongues of mesmerizing devastation, they called to me, welcomed me somehow.
Behind me was nothing but plentiful darkness, it was a starless night, cold and silent, eerier and impossible to sleep in.
I knew what dangerous ruthless inhuman forces lurked just beyond the protective ring of light and heat the fire cast almost like an unspoken spell.
It had taken an hour for me to convince Locke and Vell that we should camp here for the night, close to the mountains but also feet away from the hill of human bones.
Still now four long painful hours into the night I still wasn't sure why it had matter for to me so much that we didn't move on. I just had a deep feeling in my gut that we needed to wait for a while.
The horse's had been brought into the firelight to they didn't fall prey to anything during the dark hours; they stood close together and unlike us they had no problem of sleeping this evening.
Opposite me Vell sat keeping watch wordlessly, eyes averted from me, staring defiantly into the dark realm that lay inches away. The cut down the side of his face already healed, nothing but a faint red line remained.
Locke was lying between me and Vell, wrapped in his blanket, eyes closed, breathing deeply but I could tell he was awake. His eyes still moved beneath his lids betraying his forever alertness and also he gripped the hilt of his sword tightly beside him.
The child had still not awoken since she had fallen unconscious hours before, she was curved up in my cloak next to me.
Watching her sleep soundly was the only thing that was keeping my sane this evening, the longing to protect and please her was holding my heart in a steel grip almost as strong as my desire to hold Elena again.
Dimly I thought that this must be what a father felt like towards him daughter, caring and an unwavering gritty determination to keep her safe.
"So..." murmured Vell, finally breaking the silence and turning to eye me seriously, "what next?"
I shrugged my shoulders, "I guess we just carry on up into the mountains that's the only option we really have."
Vell snorted, looking down quickly.
"What?" I snapped a little too harshly.
"Nothing," Vell grunted, shaking his head as he got up, "forget it."
Carefully so not to disturb Jasmine and stepped around the fire until I stood in front of Vell, determined to get an answer out of him.
"Vell, tell me!" I said, huskily, trying to keep the scorn out of my tone.
Slowly Vell raised his head to look me straight in the eyes and opened his mouth and said defensively.
"It's just...you always say 'we' all the time-"
I furrowed my brows at him, confused; my eyes searched his face for something more.
"I don't know Dakota," sighed Vell, "when you say 'we' sometimes all I want to do is just shout at you that it's not 'we' it's just you!"
