Forbidden

|42|

Eden

It was dark here, pitch black and cold. I searched around with my hands outstretched but I couldn't see. Why was my vision so obscured?

"Hello?" I said out loud but the only reply was my very own echo which kept repeating back. I tried to call out to my wolf but there was a deafening silence left behind my plea.

"Marx? . . . Dad?" When I didn't hear anything the third time, a feeling of defeat settled in my chest and I fell to my knees, the ground beneath me oddly soft and seemed to be . . . Moving.

"Not only are you loud, you're also incredibly heavy." A deep and obnoxious voice from underneath me spoke, the tone highly condescending.

"Um... who are you?" I stuttered as I asked and the voice laughed at me, which set my temper a little higher.

"What's so funny?!" I snapped and the voice laughed harder.

"Why, you are of course. You've got to be the most interesting hybrid I've ever had the misfortune of being shackled to." I felt a sneer in the words and it clicked.

"Um.... Are you my wolf?" The voice scoffed.

"I am myself, not yours little girl." I gripped my chin in contemplation, confused as ever.

"You sound like a man..." I mumbled.

"That's because I am male little girl, just as surely as you are female."

"Then you can't be my wolf, since I am a woman." I concluded but the snarky wolf continued.

"You're an idiot...." He grumbled and I felt a blush hit my cheeks at the audacity.

"Excuse me?! That was rude!" Suddenly, wherever I was lit up as tiny little bugs that resembled fireflies began to float everywhere. I took in the sight and all I saw was nothing. The only things that were was the bugs and I looked down to see the huge wolf shape beneath my body. The fur was the exact same honey color of my own and I found myself mumbling to myself again.

"That's so weird, you look like me and I haven't seen another wolf with my color coat before." The wolf shifted under me and laid down upon his underbelly, his head turned at an angle so that I could stare into the most alert sapphire eyes I ever seen, even more so than Simon's.

"Wow! Your eyes are gorgeous!" I said without any thought and the wolf just stared at me for a few long moments until I became uncomfortable under his scrutiny.

"....So... Do you have a name?" I questioned shyly.

"Everyone has a name." Came the sarcastic remark and I rolled my eyes in exasperation, I couldn't take too many more of these insults.

"So! What is yours?!" His muzzle split into a vicious snarl.

"Watch your tone child!" I snapped my mouth closed instantly and glared at him, whatever I wasn't interested in his name anyways. Who wanted such a rude wolf?

Minutes ticked by endlessly before I felt my eyelids grow heavy, slumber lulling me away soothingly.

"Do not close your eyes, you will never reopen them again if you do." The wolf spoke as his gaze followed the fireflies and I fought with all my strength to not fall asleep.

"What's going on? Where am I?" I frantically fought the hold and I was easily losing until the wolf decided to stand on all fours and let out an ear shattering howl, blasting away all sense of fatigue from my body from the sheer volume. He shook his fur and I had to hold on to keep from falling to the empty abyss below.

"Ouch." Gingerly rubbing my temples, I glanced at the wolf.

"What was that for?" He didn't reply, just laid back down, letting the silence take dominance once more. Unable to handle the confusion and the now throbbing ringing inside of my head, I crawled over to the top of the wolfs head and sat upon his snout, determined to get answers whilst he only had a bored expression.

"Okay, no more! Where am I and how do I leave?!" I snapped and he yawned, nearly throwing me off again. I flicked the spot between his eyes and I saw it furrow in annoyance.

"You are so noisy and quite irritating." He grumbled.

"So you've told me already. Now answer me damnit!" I crossed my arms across my chest and huffed. He sighed and closed his eyes, silent. My patience ran dry and when I opened my mouth to yell, he slowly began to speak.

"My name is Areli and this place that you find yourself in, is your subconscious." He explained and I was even more confused than before.

"If this is my subconscious, then why am I here? The last I recall, I was being held prisoner with Simon." Areli nodded his head as in agreement and continued.

"And you still are, however, the witch sent your consciousness here so you would not disobey her." His paws folded over one another and he smiled, his large fangs glittering. "Right now, you are her little bitch." He chuckled and I just stared, disbelief flooding my body.

"So..... I'm doing whatever she wants right now...." I softly said and felt all fight in me leave, how could you fight a witch of Seranas caliber? A dark cloud of depression rose over my head and I bent my knees into my chest, finished. We did not speak for what seemed like ages until a single thought kept circling around in my head.

"Areli?" He opened one eye to show he was listening.

"You said that you are my wolf, so how come you didn't answer whenever I tried to phase?" I questioned with my eyes still downcast. He closed his eye again and sighed.

"I cannot." Came his simple reply.

"Why not? I thought a hybrid and their animal was supposed to be soulmates?" I whispered, my heart heavy with rejection. Wasn't something I wasn't akin to lately anyways.

"I am stuck here as well as you, except my captor is much more frightening than yours." I glanced up to see shimmering sapphire irises staring at me with a slight twinge of fear. Instinctually, my hand shot out to gently stroke his fur in a calming caress.

"Who has trapped you here Areli?" I coaxed him to answer tentatively and finally the majestic wolf closed his eyes in content but his words sent a douse of freezing fear into my own empty soul.

"Artemis."