Everything Anew

Chapter Four

I reached 100 reads today, and that pushed me to edit this chapter and publish it, so thank you for the millionth time. 

^~^

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Chapter Four

Lila

Forest surrounded me; the sounds of birds chirping made my ears perk up. The soft soil beneath me kept the impression of my paw prints as I dug them into the dirt, getting a feel for the earth. The snap of a branch redirected my attention ahead of me, seeing a deer staring at me with intensely wide eyes. It watched, waiting for me to make the first move that would inevitably begin a chase, but instead of darting forward, I remained where I stood.

Its large eyes questioned me, body stiff with panic before it finally realized it's natural instincts told it to run. I watched it dart into the opposite direction, shifting through the trees until the sound of its hurried steps faded into the distance. A small part of me felt I was more similar to the deer, than as my own wolf.

Sometimes the only way of communication from the human body, to our inner wolf was through dreams. Words weren't exchanged, but emotions and images were. I felt the longing and sadness within my chest as I looked out into the colourful forest, picking up on every sound with my sensitive ears, and smelling the world around me.

A loud thump startled my body into looking behind me, expecting a rabbit to dart off from the nearby shrub, but the sound returned as I searched to see where it was coming from. The third knock finally made my eyes flutter open, finding myself on the floor amongst blankets, rather than a woodland surrounded by trees.

Noticing the sound was coming from the door, I managed to sit myself upright while answering. "Hello?" I called out in a groggy voice.

"May I come in?"

I got up and ran a hand through my disheveled hair in an attempt to make myself presentable, feeling how smooth it was from my shower yesterday. Before letting them in, I decided to speak to them a little more. "Who are you?"

The man cleared his throat and replied in a deep voice. "Markus Randulph. I came by Nathan's orders to give you something to eat and drink."

Hearing the word 'food' instantly made my stomach growl, and when I took a deep breath in, I could smell the warm eggs and bacon through the door. I hesitantly placed my hand on the doorknob and opened it.

A tall man stood a few feet from me. His long dreadlocks were as dark as the night sky, while his skin was speckled in freckles and beauty marks that reminded me of stars. His brown eyes watched me calmly as I realized I was silently staring. I quickly decided to look down at the plate in his hands instead where I eyed the food from afar, keeping myself at the threshold of the room.

"Did you manage to sleep well?" Markus asked while glancing in the bedroom, noticing the sheets were strewn along the floor.

I tried my best to show no sign of embarrassment, but my cheeks defied my attempt. "There isn't a lock on the door, I didn't feel comfortable..." I trailed off, knowing I had no reason to explain it to him, but a part of me still felt ashamed for it.

"Ah. I'd do the same in your position. Here, step out and I'll place the food on your nightstand."

I did as instructed while Markus entered the room, placed the food down and stepped out a moment later. When he went to leave, I took a step forward and put a hand out. "Wait." I said, faltering when he turned towards me. "I...thank you. I'm just not used to this."