To the Next Hour

Chapter Two - Holo

((Written by Zippy105

I yawned and stretched, my bones aching from the fall I had taken and from the weight of the wolf which had pinned me to the ground. I kicked the soft covers off of me and rubbed my eyes before sitting up. I looked over the edge of the bunk bed down at the quiet girl. She was peacefully dozing off, snoring softly.

I titled my head, wondering where she had been last night. I also thought of that wolf who had almost gotten a good meal... if it hadn't been for Ember ruining everything.

Shafts of sunlight drifted in through the window, moats of dust floating leisurely around with them. The small room had become stuffy from lack of ventilation and made it hard to breathe. I jumped off the edge of the bunk bed and ran over to the window, quickly opening it and sighing as fresh air washed over my face. I watched the swallows swoop down and dip upwards with a few flaps of their small wings.

My stomach rumbled, bringing me out of my fantasies of eating one of the chubby little birds. I tore my gaze away from the beautiful outdoors and looked back at my sleeping roommates.

Time to be obnoxious, I thought. I took a deep breath of air and screamed at the top of my lungs. The Japanese girl darted up straight away, knocking the book out of her hands, while the overweight girl slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes. The quiet girl didn't stir, merely letting out a small snore in response.

I huffed and walked over to her, shaking her shoulders and screaming directly in her ear. She grumbled and shifted around, pulling the covers further over her face. I ripped the covers off of her and grabbed her arm, trying to pull her out of bed. I managed to make her fall off the bed and onto the hard floor with a bit of physical exertion.

"Ah-what the?!" she grumbled, opening her yellow eyes finally. I flinched back. I recognized those eyes. She was the wolf who tried to eat me last night!

"Hey! You saw the cat too?!" I shrieked excitedly. "You were the wo-" She stood up and covered my mouth with her hand. "Mmhmm!" I mumbled.

I grabbed her arm and dragged her to the window, forcing her to jump out with me. I began to babble on about what I had seen last night and asked about the whole wolf thing. She never answered. But that was okay, I didn't need a response.

Soon we were on the ground again and walking off into the woods. The girl never stopped struggling to get away, but I was too excited to let her go.

"EMBER!?" I screamed, causing the girl to cover her ear with her one free hand. After a little while of calling with no response, I began to give up and turned around to head back to the orphanage.

A flash caught my eye, and I spotted a cute little bird flitting around. It had deep blue and tangerine orange feathers and the cutest little black eyes. I let go of the girl's arm and raced after the bird as it fluttered away, dappled sunlight gently filtering down upon my face and leaving specks in my vision. I breathed in the sweet scent of the forest, relishing the feeling of my racing heart and the freedom that came with it. The sounds of insects and dripping water from last night's storm filled my ears, along with the pursuing girl who was, for some reason, still following me.

I followed the bird until it landed in a small clearing filled with warm, satisfying sunlight. Digging my heels into the soft soil, I abruptly slowed and sat down in the foliage. The bird rooted around in the dead fauna looking for insects. It chirped and looked up at me, and I swear it looked me directly in the eyes. The bird was so close to me, I could catch it in a heartbeat. But for the first time, I didn't want to harm a cute little avain. I watched it for a while, enjoying the feeling of the sun on my skin. Suddenly, something darted out of the bushes and grabbed the bird. Feathers and blood splattered on the dead leaves that still remained from the previous autumn.