Blackbird

†Chapter Three† (Edited)

The smell of meat cooking brought euphoric dreams after a night filled with endless questions and tortured memories. In my dreams, I saw my sisters playing in our yard under the tree, laughing and squealing as they chased each other around. The sun was beginning to dip behind the west mountains, casting rays of golden light across the grass, and a soft summer breeze pushed against our wind-chimes, creating blissful melodies. I stood on the front porch, smiling as I watched them play, taking in the scent of dinner cooking and pine trees.

I tilted my head back, closing my eyes, listening to my sisters as their laughter faded away into crackling wood. The scent of smoke reached my nostrils, causing panic to flare up inside my chest, and when I opened my eyes again to look for my sisters, all I saw was early morning light and a fire dancing just a few feet away from me. I sat upright, looking around for my sisters when I caught sight of Axel sitting by the campfire. Over the flame was a large deer carcass, its meat covered in wild herbs. I pulled myself onto my feet and shook my fur out before I returned to my human form, staring into the flames. With reality came a war between relief and a heavy heart as I struggled to keep tears at bay. At first, I was relieved that it was only a dream, but it didn't take long for me to remember that it wasn't all in my head.

"Good morning," Axel greeted, eyeing me. "This is almost done."

I looked up at the deer, trying to distract myself from the dream. I focused on the scent of it cooking, how delicious it looked, and soon my mouth was watering. It had been a very long time since I'd had fresh deer cooked by knowledge passed down through every wolf generation.

"You okay?" he asked. "I heard you whimpering in your sleep."

I crossed my arms over my midsection, glancing up at him and at the fire, forcing back a shudder. "Yeah, I just had a bad dream," I replied softly.

He was silent for a moment. "Nightmares are probably the worst part of it all," he replied, poking at the carcass with a bark-less stick. His eyes were distant, voice flat, and his body was slightly tense.

I simply nodded, not wanting to continue the conversation. The morning air was a bit chilly without having my wolf coat to shield my skin from it, but it was a nice bite on my skin. It anchored me to reality, bringing my mind to a more solid place. "When did you kill the deer?" I asked, wanting to change the heavy energy that hung between us.

"A few hours ago. I figured we could save some of it for when we rest later today," he replied, standing up and pulling a knife from a hidden pocket in his boot. He slid the blade under the flesh and in one swift motion, sliced off a chunk of meat to inspect it before handing it to me. "Here you go; eat as much as you can. You never know what we might run into."

I gingerly took the hunk of meat from him and bit off a small piece. As soon as it hit my tongue, I let out a soft sound of pleasure, closing my eyes. Gods above, I thought to myself. It was perfect in every way; the meat was tender, nearly melting on my tongue and bursting with flavor. It was similar to how my mother would cook it, but there was something a little different in the way he did it.

Axel chuckled. "Is it good?" he asked, grinning at me.

I grinned, meeting his eyes, and felt a warmth in my chest. "It's beyond words, Axel. This is amazing," I replied, taking a bigger bite and making more sounds of pleasure. If anyone were simply listening, they would most likely get the wrong idea. "This might not last the whole trip."

"Looks like I'll be carrying the food then," he said, still grinning as he handed me more.