In the heart of a sprawling forest, shadows clung to gnarled trees like ominous curtains. The air was thick with an eerie stillness, broken only by the terrified breath of a lone figure stumbling through the darkness. Her footsteps echoed, lost in the vast expanse of the trees that towered above.
Where was she? How did she get here? Just moments ago, she had been in the midst of a familiar crowd, finishing with a family dinner, after which she greeted a few pack members and decided to go for a little walk.
Nothing about the trees and shadows that loomed felt familiar. Everything felt menacing, the cold night breeze, thick with the promise of something to come, a danger that lurked. Another failed attempt to reach the pack link had anxiety bubbling within her. Her heart thumped so loud she could almost hear it over the ringing in her ears.
Her steps faltered in the darkness, fatigue creeping in and almost overtaking the urgency seered into her aching bones by the adrenaline. She spared a glance behind her, a mistake, as the inky blackness only seemed to follow behind her, close and unrelenting.
Fear claws its way up into every fibre of her being like icy fingers, squinting to take in her surroundings, the moonlight casting a shadowy light as it struggled to pierce through the thick canopy created by the entwined branches and broad leaves overhead.
Her breath quickened, coming out in shallow gasps and visible puffs, owing to the chilly night air.
Suddenly, a sharp crunch pierces through the air, echoing from somewhere on her right. She freezes at that exact second, her heart stilling in the confines of her chest as her breath remains lodged in her throat. The forest seemed to hold its breath in solidarity, something other than terror-filled anticipated hanging in the air.
Just as she sucks in a shaky breath, forcing her neck to make that move that would reveal what lurked in the darkness to her eyes, blown wide with fear, a soft growl disrupts the unsettling quiet and a shiver crawls up her spine.
Her heart rate spikes once again, the organ threatening to beat out of her chest that rises and falls without rhythm. Frozen in place once again, her entire body is wracked with tremors.
A smaller whimper follows immediately after, again after a few beats until her ears match it with a flow as it continues to sound at intervals. Against her better judgment, she found her body turning ever so slowly until she was looking straight into the darkness where the sound no doubt echoed from, drawn inexplicably to the unknown.
Strange and terrifying noises begin to surround her, whispers that seem to emerge from the trees, a cacophony of unseen terrors serenading her more and more into disorientation.
Through the twisted labyrinth of trees, she stumbled into a moonlit clearing. From the shadows illuminated by the dim light of the moon, a pair of eyes materializes right in front of her.
It squinted at the figure it seemed to be sizing up, eyes gleaming with a malignant glow, and despite being unable to make out its actual form still shielded by the darkness, she could feel the waves of sinister energy that it seemed to ripple with.
Her heart drops, and she immediately slaps a hand over her already parted lips, muffling the outburst of fear that threatened to erupt from her belly. She should have turned around and fled back into the night, taking whatever chances she had of escaping this beast, but she stood transfixed.
Something seemed to pull her closer, like a thread, or the consistent tug of a leash, it wanted her to stay, get sucked in, to get a better look at this creature that seemed to blend so perfectly into the night.
Was it a wolf? Everything about it seemed evil, ghastly, and deadly, and its whole aura screamed danger.
The beast's gaze remains locked onto her like a predator zeroing in on its prey, having sensed her about a few seconds ago. Or had it been longer - she had no idea.
Panic surged through her veins, and when it looked like the creature began garnering enough energy to pounce, she immediately ripped her eyes away and broke into a sprint for it. Thrown back into the thick darkness the forest offered, she cut through the narrow spaces between the trees, and her pounding footsteps resumed echoing through the daunting forest.
She looked back once, then twice, and after the third time, it seemed to become a habit as she continued to do so multiple times, nearly bashing her head against a particularly low branch once, only missing it by an inch but grazing her body roughly on the rough barks of the tree, her arm suffering more from the contact.
Pain surges through the no-doubt scratched skin as she continues to run after only a brief stutter in her step.
Suddenly, her foot caught on an unseen root, and time seemed to slow as her body was propelled forward by the impact, and she was sent to the wet, grassy floor of the forest with a cry of pain.
More pain seers right into her brain, but the adrenaline blocks it right out a millisecond later, and she was scrambling back to her feet, almost regaining her footing until she was sent colliding with the floor with a loud 'oof' sound this time.
All the air is knocked out of her lungs, and it takes a second for her eyes to recapture her surroundings, the pain shooting up the back of her skull, numbing and disorienting.
Before she could begin to comprehend how and why she was sent to the floor a second time, she was welcomed with a sight of why and how exactly. The beast. It was here and upon her, its hot breath fanning against her neck as its mouth seemed to remain in a permanent snarl.
A loud scream is torn right out of her throat at the realization and the forest seemed to echo with her scream, the sound of birds fleeing at the sound felt almost animated, wings flapping with urgency and the shuffling sounds created by whatever insects and critters skittering away deeper into the night. If she'd felt alone in the vast darkness before, now, without the company of all that had been, she felt so terrifyingly, alone.
The creature's weight pressed down on her, seemingly displeased at the sound she had just emitted. Fear clawed at her insides, tearing it apart to make a home for itself in every single vein and seemed to be the only thing flowing in place of the blood she could no longer feel flowing.
It was suddenly hard to breathe. This creature -whatever it was - was leaning in, bringing the darkness with itself. As it breaches more and more into her space, the darkness continues to envelop her, with the last bit of energy in her, she struggles, trying to claw at something, anything, in a desperate attempt to find the light, to survive.
Then, abruptly, she jolts back to reality. Marisol swallowed the thick lump of anxiety that had formed in her throat, her head snapping at her surroundings, only to find herself alone in her bed, sweat-soaked and disoriented, the remnants of what had been a nightmare clinging to her like a ghostly fog.
Still jumpy from the nightmare she'd only just awoken from, Marisol startles at the sound the door to her room makes as it swings open. Nicole rushes in, eyes scanning the room before speaking as her eyes landed on her, chest rising and falling rapidly.
"I felt your distress through the pack link, Marisol. What's wrong?"
Almost immediately, Liam dashed in and ran to her side.
"What's wrong, Mare?" He soothes, his voice taking on an affectionate tone.
Marisol looked from one parent to the other. Their presence was a welcome distraction that had taken her mind completely away from the panic and anxiety the nightmare had left behind, and she was grateful for it. But instead of closing her eyes and inhaling their scent and relaxing on it like she really wanted to, Marisol rolled her eyes.
"Are you both for real right now?" She hisses, looking between them. "Mom, Dad, I'm not twelve anymore. Why would you come running because of a dream?"
Nicole exchanged a look with her mate, who in turn opts to glare down at his feet, puzzled.
"Dad, are you going to continue running to my rescue at every slight chance?"
Liam sighs loudly, a hand going to ruffle the strands of his hair and render them even more out of place.
"But -" he began, taking a tentative step forward.
"But nothing. This is just both of you being overprotective and oversensitive."
"Are you sure you're okay?" Liam asks tentatively, his brows furrowed with worry.
Marisol rolled her eyes again, huffing. "Dad, it was only just a dream. Seriously, you're being overprotective, and you know I don't like you both hovering so much. I'm fine. Just leave me alone," she replies, her tone sharper than she'd intended, but they didn't seem to catch it, either that or they were doing a good job at pretending they didn't.
"We just care about you, Mare. If something's bothering you, we want you to know you can talk to us about it."
"And I appreciate it, mom," Marisol insisted. "But I'm not a kid anymore, and I'd like to believe I can handle something as simple as a dream on my own. Now, please, just leave me alone."
Her parents exchanged glances again, this time, heavier with worry and reluctance. They could sense fear and danger through the bond. It was why they'd come running in the first place.
'Are we being over-protective?' Liam asked his mate through their link.
Nicole shrugs, licking her lips, 'Maybe? She's an adult now, you know? And she's right. It was a dream, a bad one, no doubt, but she wasn't in any real danger.'
"Are you both really talking about me right in front of me like I'm not here? " Marisol whines loudly, gaining their attention again, "Just.... give me some breathing space!"
"Alright, okay," Nicole conceded, putting her hands in the air in surrender. "We'll leave now." She says, already retreating until she is at the threshold. Liam, however, refused to budge.
"If you need anything, you'll let us know, right?" He asked, eyes fixed on her.
"Have I ever withheld anything from you?" Marisol retorted.
"Okay," Liam nods, swallowing. He looks up at her again, lingering for a moment before reluctantly retreating alongside her mother.
Alone once again, Marisol breathed out a heavy sigh. Thinking back to her nightmare, she glanced around the room once again, half-expecting the distorted glimpses of the nightmare to materialize, finding a home in which the light from the lamp cast shadows in her room but thankfully, there was nothing of the sort.
Her parents weren't overreacting. She'd been extremely terrified. But there was no way she could tell them about her nightmares.
She wouldn't be able to stand their prodding and dramatic questioning if she did. Having spent every other day of her life with them, she was certain of the way they would react should she make the mistake of telling them about it, they would make a big deal out of it.
But thinking about it with a semi-clear head, was this not already a big deal as it stood? Didn't it deserve to be blown out of proportion, considering that this exact nightmare had become more frequent in the past few months and that she was always seeing the same creature in one bizarre scenario or the other?
Marisol lay back in bed, staring at the ceiling and trying to force calmness back into her body, which was still humming with traces of unease. The echoes of her dad's concern, visible in his expression and words, tugged at her conscience, but she resisted the urge to be vulnerable and give in to their pestering.
Instead, she pushes back at the fear and unease, burying it deep within and resolving to face it alone should it ever find its way to the surface again, as if challenging the shadows in her dream to another duel in the confines of her mind.
She felt tired and even drowsy, but she wouldn't dare sleep. Not when the possibility of having another nightmare still loomed. After a few minutes, she stretched and tumbled out of bed. There was a lot to do.