The Forests Floor

Buried Memories

Anastasia awoke, though her eyes remained shut. Her mind still rested in the soft dark folds of sleep. She grunted softly at the soft grey light, that the early morning sky eliminated. Turning over she nuzzled closer into the warm arms that held her.

Wait.. Arms? Her eyes bolted open as the last cobwebs of sleep whithered away and she jumped fron the couch, pulling down on her sweatshirt to cover herself. The figure that had been holding her rose slowly. " Why so quick to jump up? Don't you recognize me?" he grumbled.

" Who the hell are you? Where did the dog go? HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE?" She yelled, panicking.

He sat up taller allowing the light to hit his face. He had surgical bandages wrapped around his eyes and dark brown, course hair. He was missing his shirt, revealing a built body, lean with muscle and littered in deep scars.

" It hurts to know you don't remember me, just because my form is changed. I've been with you for so long.." he whimpered.

She stood still, mind racing.

" You know, I never left your side.. I just hid from veiw. Watching you grow up and caring for you."

Anastasia turned to look out the window,  digging through her memorys.

" Remember that time when you were 12, You were coming home late from a school football game, and you walked by two men in a darkened alley? They began following you. You kept crossing the road to stay in the light of the street lamps, but they kept following untill fear had you consumed and you began runnimg blindly? They were so close to getting my baby.." He growled angrily at himself.

"But remember what happened next? One of them had you by the hair, you were crying, but suddenly you heard the other awful man cry out, horrified. His partner released you and began running, but he didn't get far. I couldn't let him get away.. Not knowing what he planned to do to you.." The boy looked away deep in the abyss of his memorys.

She gasped, remembering.

The giant wolf who'd guided her to safety when she was small, the wolf nobody else could see. The creature who cuddled her close after a nightmare. The boy who she met in the woods one day while camping with a foster famy, she remembered that day so well.. They had spent it creating a fort ontop of a ridge, running through the woods, playing in the river, roasting marshmallows over the bonfire singing along with The Ramones then ending the day curled up in her sleeping bag talking. She remembered that conversation..

*Flash back*

" You're the best!" Little Anastasia giggled, hugging Wolf close.

He smiled widely, embracing the hug.

" Anastasia? " he whispered

" Yeah?"

" Do you think we'll be friends for ever?"

" Of course!  You're my best friend. I love you so much. You've always been with me.." She yawned " You'll always be my friend, even when we're not together"...

* Back to the present *

She turned slowly, tears welled up in her eyes. His unseeing eyeless face looked down at her, a small smile pecking at his lips. She remembered. Wolf stood up and opened his arms. Tears dribbled from her eyes before she saw his opened enbrace, she ran into it, hugging tightly then whispered, " I'm so sorry, all my memories of you were locked away, Wolf I'm so sorr.." He hushed her " You don't need to apologise Anastasia. You remember now and that's all that matters... I still love you.. and now you're mine. I promise you, I'll never disappear again."