Wings

Chapter 22: Reina

 I couldn't sleep that night. Dinner was good and all, and yes, I was tired, but I simply couldn't sleep in my lonely tree. The trees we chose basically had curves in them so one to two people could lay in it. They were massive.

I climbed out of my tree and quietly tip-toed towards Gail's tree. I climbed up into it and poked her softly. "Gail? You awake?" I asked.

"Mhmm." She said.

"I can't sleep." I felt sorta foolish saying it out loud to one of my best friends. She rolled over to face me.

"What's wrong? I know something's bothering you, Reina, you don't have very good façades." For the record, a façade (fa-sss-ah-de) is like a mask that you wear to cover your true emotions, like a two face. She continued, "You know you can't hide your emotions, so you can just tell me. We're friends."

I paused. "Nothing," I lied. "Just can't sleep."

I felt myself wavering under her penetrating gaze. "Reina, tell me the truth." She relented slightly. "You can trust me. We've been friends for a good few years, and I'm here for you."

"I-I think someone was—" I was cut off by Tyler, who had come over.

"Keep it down, would you? It's enough as is, sleeping in a tree." He scowled at us and walked away.

We turned to each other and shrugged. "Anyways... Maybe I could sleep in your tree...." I trailed off, unable to continue.

"Ooh, I get it. You're in a new environment, torn from your home, you're uncomfortable, possibly scared, and you just want someone to hug and to stay with until you're alright." When I nodded she literally leaped at me, embracing me in a comforting motherly way.

"Thanks," I whispered. We took different branches, but our backs were still touching. I sighed and fell into an uneasy sleep.

I dreamed of voices invading my head; soft, gentle murmurings. I tried to block them out, but I couldn't. One, in particular, was calling my name, calling for me to come......

I snapped awake to the most beautiful music I had ever heard. It was so... Entrancing. I couldn't tell if it was in my head or if it was real. The music was so beautiful... I just had to find out where it was coming from!

In a trance-like state, I felt myself starting to move. I first jumped off the tree, then made my way farther into the woods. The music was getting louder, louder. The moon seemed to get even brighter as I entered a small clearing. In the middle was a strange wood carving. I bent down to pick it up, and it transformed.

Right before me was a cheetah.

"Do you hear the music?" I asked dreamily. It nodded, looking sorta panicky. "Well, no need to worry. You're a male. Can I call you Beta?" He nodded and growled nervously. "No need to worry. The music is quite beautiful. Oh, how I wish I could find the source!" I was aware that I had started walking dreamily into the woods again to find the source. The cheetah followed.

For some reason, it didn't bother me. It didn't even register in my mind that a cheetah was responding me to, or the fact that I WAS TALKING TO A FREAKING CHEETAH.

I kept walking, even when the music got to the point where I thought my ears would burst. I took three steps with Beta on my heels, growling, before he jumped onto me, knocking me to the ground. He started paw-slapping my face, and the dreamy state faded. Eventually, I realize there was A FREAKING CHEETAH PAWING MY FACE. So, naturally, I started to scream, until I realized what he had done. He got off me and let me stand up.

"So you understand m-me?" I asked.

He nodded.

"Can you speak?"