Chapter 5: A Traveller's Journey

  Early in the morning, Arane got dressed into the traveller’s cloak and outfit her mother had given her. She strapped a dagger to her belt and stored the cloak’s big pockets full of long-period sustaining food and wistfully waved her parents goodbye. They smiled at her and for one moment Arane almost saw them young again. Smooth faces, alluring eyes, bright scraggle of smiling teeth. Then they were gone, and Arane was walking out of the hospital into the early morning outside, heading to a new adventure.

  Arane’s stomach growled, but she ignored it. It had only been a few hours since she left the hospital. Now, tall, slender trees surrounded her on all sides and the sun had risen high in the sky. A cool, calm breeze wafted through the trees and whisked around her, making her cloak wave and nearby trees rustle. Far away, Arane could hear the distant song of a red-breasted robin. Drinking in the calm serenity of the woods, Arane felt all her hunger drain away. She couldn’t resist smiling up to the big, wide woody and leafy world…until she got thirsty and decided to find a stream to drink from. She had water in her canteen, but she didn’t want to use it just yet.

  Stopping and standing still, Arane strained her ears. Far off, she could just hear the trickle of water gliding over rocks in a swift stream. Arane smiled, pleased with herself, and set off in that direction, dry leaves crunching satisfyingly and steadily under her feet.

  Upon reaching the stream, Arane gratefully cupped her hands into the fast-moving water and lifted the water to her mouth to drink. Cold, refreshing water travelled down her throat, calming it down. Arane gratefully drank a few more gulps of water and flopped on the grass, sighing with relief. After a few moments, Arane propped herself up, feeling lazy and drowsy. But she remembered her mother’s warning the night before: “Be sure to find shelter before night falls, for the forest is peaceful during the day, and vengeful during the night.”

  Arane looked up and studied the bright sun, well in the middle of the sky now. It was just midafternoon. Surely she could laze a bit more before scouring the forest for shelter? After a moment of thought, Arane lay down, arms wide and legs spread open on the crisp, warm grass. A delicious smell filled her nose. Arane turned her head to look at a beautiful purple carnation blooming beside where she lay. Well, it could be that way. It smelled good, anyway. Arane let the sun’s rays curl around her, lulling her to sleep.

  Sleep. In her dreams, Arane was skipping across a flowery field, stopping every once in a while to collect potential flowers into her basket. Then, as the sun was setting, Arane skipped back East—and found her cottage. Singing and happily dancing closer, Arane froze when she saw the bodies of her parents, spread out on the floor, eyes closed and a warm smile on their faces, as if they had been enjoying the sun and freely, willingly died. Arane’s mother once said that if Arane ever dreamt of it, it meant that Arane’s mother and father had died with a smile on their face. “No. NO!” screamed Arane, in the dream, when she saw the bodies, tears streaming down her face.

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  In reality, night had fallen, Arane was mumbling and crying, and eyes glowed out from the dark…

  Arane woke up with a jolt and found herself crying. Above her, the sky was dotted with stars, as if they were welcoming back her parents to their starry world. Arane recalled back when she was younger, she had been sad when she learned her mother and father were going to die. Her mother had laughed and patted her head, saying that when they died, their spirit would return to the stars and always watch over her. Finding some comfort that her parents were still watching her from up above, Arane lay and watched the stars, wondering which one was her parents. She had forgotten her mother’s warning that the forest was a vengeful and dangerous place to be if you didn’t have shelter after dark.

  Suddenly, Arane heard an unearthly growl, far away, and fought the urge to scream. She had two options: Lie in the mud and pretend she was dead and risk getting found out, or make a run for it and risk getting seen and hunted through the dark, murky woods. The sound was getting louder, closer, more haunting now. Arane had to make her choice right there and then.

  She got up, and ran.

  Bursting through the dark forest, Arane lost her way. She had no idea where she was or how she could get out of the woods. In other words, she was lost. A high, keening and triumphant call from behind told her that the thing, whatever creature it was, was on her trail. She only knew to run and run and run. And when she couldn’t run anymore, Arane looked up to the stars. Father, mother, if you can hear me. I pay my respects to your passing. Please help me to survive this night just once. An unknown creature is on my trail and I cannot run anymore.

  As if by pure magic, a wolf as black as night charged past her, clashing with the creature behind. Arane recognized the wolf as Orion. The wolf she drew. The wolf who had bit her parents. The wolf that, now, had saved her from being killed. As the wolf finished off the creature, it turned and it locked eyes with Arane.

  She froze and stared right back at Orion’s clear, bright blue eyes, that pierced her like a knife. When she couldn’t look it in the eye anymore, she let her gaze wander to the sapphire at his neck. Feeling her gaze, Orion bristled uneasily. What is her next command? Why is she not responding? Why is she looking at the sapphire on my neck?

  Arane was terrified. This was the second time she had come face-to-face with Orion. Why did he always appear? Arane looked up at the stars. Was this the help that my parents had sent me—a wolf that bit them? Arane considered her choices, but her attention got caught on the sapphire necklace. There was something extremely strange and alluring about it. It felt deadly to her, yet it rang out with familiarity and a sense of similarity. It became so interesting that soon she just plainly stood there and stared slack-eyed at the necklace.

  Unconsciously, she reached out her hand.