Huffing angrily after a couple of failed trials, Marisol drifts back to sleep. When she wakes up this time, neither Cedric nor his wolf is anywhere in sight, nowhere to be seen, but she finds that clothes and breakfast have already been set out for her.
Surprised, and with a nagging suspicion taking root within her, Marisol makes her way towards the food and outfit. As she takes in the very lavish sight, she can't help feeling that something is amiss but is unable to place what it is. Her wolf, on the other hand, all but jumps in excitement, swooning at the thoughtful and kind gesture.
The fabric of the new clothes rustles with her quick movement as she hurriedly gets dressed with a knot settled deep in her stomach. A sense of premonition looms over her like a dark cloud as she takes a seat on the table, anxiety brewing within her with every bite that she forces down her throat, tight with apprehension.
She ends up pushing her plate away, half-eaten, gathering what courage she can muster and begins the stride to the door, determination warring with dread in her heart. Just as her hand hovers just above the doorknob, a low growl echoes from behind Marisol. Frozen in place, her breath is caught in her throat as she turns around ever so slowly to find Cedric's wolf standing before her, his massive form towering over her.
Her heart jumps at the sight, sending terrified shivers down her spine as memories of their past encounters flood her mind. It was just as huge and menacing as she remembers and, at that very moment, it felt as though she'd been transported back into one of her many horrifying nightmares. Fear grips Marisol, it's cold, unforgiving claws breaking through her skin and filling every single cell of her body with alarm and a sense of impending doom.
Its eyes glint with a primal intensity, the weight of his gaze almost taking a physical form and weighing down on Marisol. Every single alarm bell in her head goes off at the same time, screaming at her to flee from the danger his presence represented, but Marisol finds herself rooted in place, her breath coming out in shaky puffs and her heart pounding violently against the confines of her chest.
Time seems to come to a standstill as the wolf only stares her down and Marisol holds its gaze, locked in a silent battle of wills. Until, suddenly and without warning, it finally makes a lunge for her. A scream ripped out of Marisol's throat, and she instinctively fell into a crouch, bracing herself for the weight and pain of the impact that was sure to follow, except it never came.
Instead of the sharp sting of teeth breaking into her skin, or whatever form of torture Marisol might've imagined, what she felt was the warm wetness of what was no doubt a tongue, tentative at first, but as she dropped her hands in surprise, the wolf went at it again, until it was licking over her face enthusiastically and with no timed intervals.
Still completely thrown off by the action, Marisol nervously peeled an eye open and there was Cedric's monstrous wolf, crouching into what could only be seen as a playful bow before it made another small jump at her and resumed licking at her face, it's tail wagging eagerly, almost bringing its entire lower body with it as it swings wildly, pausing now at random intervals as if to gauge her reaction.
There's a beat of silence where Marisol struggles to make sense of it all, and then, despite herself, Marisol bursts into an uncontrolled laughter, the sound holding a mixture of her relief and amazement at the completely unexpected turn of events as it spills out into the room like a joyous symphony. She laughs until she starts to gasp for breath, tears of mirth staining her cheeks.
Eventually, the laughter subsides and Cedric's wolf looks visibly calmer beside her, albeit panting heavily with a mischievous glint in its eyes. She remains on the floor for a moment longer, reveling in the newfound sense of peace that envelopes her like a warm embrace.
Collecting herself enough to remember the task at hand, Marisol had to get to her feet again, only for the massive wolf to throw its weight over her, sending Marisol back to the floor with a small oof. She wrinkles her nose at it, patting its matted fur as she says, "Is this your way of telling me not to go?"
It makes a sound that sounds like a mixture of a snort and a whine, so, with a heavy sigh, Marisol lets herself remain trapped for a while longer. When she finally rises to her feet, Cedric's wolf springs to its feet too, alert and following her every move, with its eyes shining with an almost childlike curiosity.
If it were not for the terrible state of his appearance, she might have found that adorable. With a small smile stretching into her features at the thought, she leads them back into the hidden castle, their footsteps echoing softly in the empty corridors.
"So you don't want me to leave, huh?" She asks, walking into the throne room with the wolf following closely.
It snorts loudly in response and Marisol bends into a squat before making herself comfortable on the floor, the wolf immediately curling at her feet.