Forest Mutation (Book Two)

Chapter 28: Past Wounds

The robin and rabbit disappear once the storm gets worse. There's rocks on all sides now, surrounding Diaval as he gets further and further in, with the sky remaining as an inverse river high above him. He shivers and desperately wishes that he still had his cloak, his hands rubbing circles against his arms.

The rain starts to come down, pounding against the rocks and against Diaval's body. The ground beneath him becomes slick with mud and his shoes become swampy, his pants and socks clinging to his skin, which only serves to make him feel colder. He hunches over, holding himself as tightly as he can.

There's a loud crack that rattles him to his core. A flash of lightning splits the sky and a clap of thunder comes in quick succession like a well-conducted weather symphony. The earth trembles and Diaval goes stock still, unable to move his feet even if he wanted to. Boulders crash down the mountainside and land directly behind him, blocking off his only known exit. He startles and stumbles forward a few steps as he looks toward the raging sky. More rocks are falling.

He tries to run, but he's got no traction against the mud. He's practically running in place, one step forward and two steps back. He slips and falls hard on his butt, mud splattering him in the process, and he exhales heavily. His hair slips into his eyes, a soaking blindfold to add to his difficulties.

Another sharp cracking sound resonates from above and Diaval knows that he can't get out of the way in time. If there's more boulders coming to crush him, he's doomed, but he's so exhausted already from the running and the anxiety and everything else that he can honestly say that maybe a little rock crushing could be relaxing right now. He could use the sleep.

As the rocks get nearer, a stab of fear rolls through him and he suddenly wants to get out of the way, but it's too late now. They're coming. Three, two—

There's a roar and Diaval is jolted from his place, the wind getting knocked out of him as a dark, furry blur pins him to the ground. The boulders smash into the mud right where Diaval had been sitting, harmless as cotton balls.

Diaval stares at the animal above him. It's a wolf, a very black wolf with familiar green eyes. He blinks a few times, unmoving, and the wolf shakes out her coat and makes a snorting noise. She's still hovering over him, caging him with her legs.

"Destiny?" he asks, his raspy voice drowning in the downpour.

The wolf doesn't answer. She gets off him and starts nuzzling her nose into his side, making him frown. Why is she acting so strange and so animalistic? Sure, Destiny has tendencies, but not like this.

He gets to his feet and the wolf keeps nudging him, this time with her muzzle against the small of his back. The pressure is odd and he automatically curves away from it whenever the cold wetness of her nose makes contact. He looks down at the wolf and comes to the realization that she's a lot smaller than Destiny, and by a lot, he means by a sizeable and noticeable margin. This one is the size of a regular wolf and lacks the scars that Destiny's wolf form has.

His heart sinks and he didn't even realize that it had been lifted up in the first place. His friend isn't here after all.

"Who're you?" he asks as the wolf pushes her broad head against his elbow. "Why d'you look like Destiny? Is she in trouble?"

The wolf keeps pushing him and he obeys her. He turns his gaze to the path ahead of him and feels his shoulders sag as a moan leaves his mouth, one that says "oh, come ON" better than words can. The mountain ravine is blocked off by, you guessed it, boulders, and the rock walls are so slick with rain that there's no possible way to find handholds and climb over.

"End o'the line," Diaval sighs. "Knew it..."

The wolf walks past him, right up to the wall. She sits down on her haunches and tilts her head back, howling into the sky, and the noise echoes, twisting and drifting as if carried by the hand of an invisible child at play. Diaval looks around, wondering whether there's another path that he missed that could take him home.