A Romance Sort of Thing

Chapter 13: Koi

I was frozen in place. Paralyzed as I stared into the darkness. The area-dungeon- began to spin as the energy pulsed through me like lightning bolts. Please... I sputtered out. I don't want to turn dark, I tried to say but the words failed from my weak voice.  The energy was becoming too strong, too powerful, too painful. I tried to pull my hand away but my muscles wouldn't even budge.

Then I noticed my veins were turning black. It looked like oil working its way up through my arm slowly and creepily. Just when the pain was becoming unbearable, it started to ease. The black disappeared from my veins quickly as if it were fog on a mirror. I fell backward onto my bum as my muscles were instantly functional again.

I held my arm that was touching my wolf. It was still throbbing and shaking. My wolf stood up slowly shaking her fur out and threw back her head to howl. It was a mesmerizing howl, reminding me of a sweet cello. I just watched in awe while listening to her beauty.

Something on my right shoulder began to burn. What the hell? Ouch!  I yelled as I looked to see what was burning me. A symbol appeared, like a tattoo that was suddenly branded onto my skin. There appeared, on my skin, were two Koi fish circling each other. One white and one black. Yin and Yang. What the hell was happening?

Forgetting my arm as the pain began to dissipate, I looked up at my wolf. She was all black with white on the tips of her fur. It made her look old. She had white socks that I hadn't noticed before. Her eyes were no longer black but an icy blue. What happened?  I asked, hoping she could communicate with me and I wasn't just talking to myself. We are now one. Our minds are now combined. We face the same light and the same darkness, together, she replied walking up to me.

Now can we run? Can we play? I have been locked in here for ages!  She starts prancing around, like a pup that was begging to play. Despite feeling overwhelmed, I had to figure out how to shift, that was the point of this. What do I do?  I asked her.

She stopped to look at me and cocked her head sideways; it was just about the cutest thing ever. Go back out of your mind, we are now one, she finally said. Following her directions, I found my present self, my consciousness back through the internal tunnels. Finally, I was able to flutter open my eyes.

All I could see was bright gray and a glooming figure over me. I blinked a few times to clear my vision, my breathing was heavy. The figure over me cleared and I realized Zayden was holding me. I was laying with my head on his lap. He had one hand underneath me and the other cupping my cheek. His warmth instantly radiating through me, comforting me.

"Zayden? Why am I laying here?" my voice strained.

He held an expression of worry and concern. I shifted my body a little, realizing I was drenched in sweat. Just fantastic, Zayden seeing me sweating like I just came out of hell. I couldn't help but notice how comfortable his presence felt. I felt pulled towards him much more than before.

"You fell over, moaning and screaming" his voice was shaky. "I felt that you were in pain, and then your arm," he picked up my right arm.

He moved it at an angle gently to expose the Yin and Yang Koi on my shoulder. I scrambled to sit up, noticing my body felt weird. I had the energy I haven't had before.

"I found my wolf" I muttered as the thought of energy, specifically, dark energy, lingered in my thoughts.

Zayden just stared with wide eyes.

"That's great, but I am not sure what happened when you found her. I have never seen anyone react that way," his voice filled with worry, "I don't know what that symbol means, the witches may be able to tell us more," he suggested, pointing at the Koi on my shoulder.