The Sentinels

11: Violation

When an incredible force slammed into my mind, shattering my walls as if they'd been merely made of thin glass, I toppled over and howled in pain. We'd been trotting through the forest, scavenging for some small game, though we hadn't been successful so far. Something seared through my brain and it felt like all my brain-cells were being electrocuted, fried and smashed, all at the same time. I was alone, so no one noticed me laying on the ground, stiff as a board.

The force crashed directly into my thoughts, blinding me in every sense of the word. I couldn't see, hear or speak. I couldn't even think properly. The mental barrier I kept up at all times, one that was supposed to protect my most inner thoughts against any kind of mental abuse, came tumbling down.

I felt vulnerable, naked and utterly violated.

What the hell is this? I thought to myself, trying to suck in a deep breath.

Then, like a light-switch being turned on, something inside of my mind clicked. My nerves calmed down, while I didn't understand a single thing going on in my own head.

Something warm flowed through my body, like liquid gold surging through my veins, touching every cell. I felt light and illuminated, warm and comfortable. As if I had just been thrown into an entirely different setting in only milliseconds. All my brain cells felt like they'd been freed from the steel-grip with which they'd been held. I could breathe.

And then I heard it.

I heard the raw version of it, a sound so deep but silky and smooth. There was not a creature in the world that could have made such a beautiful, melodic sound.

It's time, he said.

Two words, only two.

They made the pain disappear, turned it into... something warm. Something incredible. I almost forgot it had been there in the first place.

I began to panic, not familiar with all of these... feelings. It was too much. He was invading my privacy. I wasn't ready for that. Ready for him. I wasn't ready! Get out!

But he ignored me. A rush of excitement zapped through me. I was confused. What was happening to me? The connection felt different. It wasn't light and effortless, but raw and open. As if all the previous times he'd contacted me, he'd done it out of concern. And this time, he'd barged in and tore down everything in his wake, invading me without remorse.

My body went rigid when I thought about the things he might have seen.

Bring your pack to the gorge, beneath the boulder. We have important matters to discuss.

His tone left no room for argument and when I was about to give him confirmation, albeit I doubted he needed it, the connection was lost and my mind was empty. Void of the warmth. And void of the pain the connection had initially caused. If only I could explain what I had felt... Never in my life had I been lost in so many emotions, all at once, with no apparent connection. Were they even mine to begin with? And just like that, they were all gone.