Nightly Howls

by Madeline Blake

  My footsteps quicken as I hear growing voices from the clearing. Asher dances in front of me, speeding up even more, and twists around so that he is not even looking where he is going but is staring back at the two of us. A mocking grin is on his features, annoying me to no end. “Aren’t you two going to kiss and make up before we reach the others? Can’t have any hostility in the camp.” He teasingly twists his hands into the shape of a heart and makes a kissing noise with his lips. My hands clench in anger.

  “Ella…”Nico’s low voice murmurs cautiously beside me as a spirit spear begins to materialize in my hand. “What are you doing?”

  I take deep breaths as I look downwards, surprised at the weapon I had created. The sharp edges slowly dissipate into fine particles, blown away by the wisps of the wind as I concentrate on controlling my anger.

  That’s really weird. Usually my spear doesn’t appear unless I’m at least focused on it. I wonder if the decreasing lack of control I am having over my fury has anything to do with it.

  When I look up, eyes wide, I see Asher’s own eyes locked onto my clenched palm with an unfamiliar expression on his face. I can’t quite decipher his emotions from that one expression, and I usually pride myself on my ability to do so.

  “Are you okay, Ella?” Nico asks me gently, his hand touching my arm. He has gotten so much closer over the last few seconds, sending my brain into an emotional overload.

  “I’m fine. Sorry. I don’t know what came over me,” I say quietly, causing him to step back at the iron laced within my response. I am determined to treat him normally, like any other person. I will not trifle with silly emotions I am not destined to feel.

  I look up—my mistake—to see a pair of eyes, glittering with golden flecks within a green meadow that continues endlessly throughout the horizon. They are as dark as the night, yet shine with the brightness of a perfectly cut jewel. They push you away, almost forbidding in their abnormality, yet somehow you get tugged towards them anyways, pulled in by the mysteries of their vast depths.

  I lose the lucidity of free thought for a few seconds, and then furiously snap my face away. My cheeks burning in embarrassment, I try to shut out all noises, all of Asher’s stupid reactions, and most importantly, Nico.

  I walk through the bushes quickly to reach the clearing, leaving the rest behind, and at the center is a decently sized pond. I almost scream as a figure starts to get out of the pond, heading for his clothes on the rock.

  I feel people around me as I instantly twist around and put my hands over my head. “What’s wrong, Ella?” Asher whispers close to my ear, completely back to normal.

  “M-m-man…”I stammer. “N-naked…”My eyes still stay tightly shut.

  “Oh.” Asher sounds nonchalant. “Haven’t you ever seen a naked man before?”

  “Asher... shut up,” I whine, “tell me when he has clothes on.” There is something about this awareness that shouldn’t faze me, but it does anyways. I don’t get why I’m so adverse to things that are so silly and reflect my innocence.

  “Yi!” He shouts, “Put your clothes on!” There is silence for a moment, and then I feel a rough tapping on my head. “He’s done, princess.”

  “Don’t call me princess.” I punch him in the arm after raising my head, scowling at the smirk on his face. He grabs my arm, bringing it through his own with such force that I can hardly resist.

  “Let me escort you, princess,” He says, unperturbed. His eyes are scanning the area, but then return to mine as quickly as they left. “Ella, I’m teasing.” Asher’s tone seems slightly more apologetic now, though still twisted with laughter. “Don’t be offended.”

  I want to smack him so badly on his pompous, arrogant face.

  We start walking towards the pond, I furiously tugging on my captured hand, he grinning smugly as if the expression has been plastered onto his features. He keeps my hand securely locked within his hold, and I am unable to do anything against him. I look behind me, and Nico is meandering a few paces behind me. He is looking down, but with my glance his gaze travels upwards to meet mine again. A strange panic floods over me and I quickly turn to face Asher. A strange, incomprehensible look was on Nico’s face, and for some reason the expression made me feel undeniably guilty.

  “Sorry, Ella. I wasn’t thinking,” Yi calls, now wearing torn and dirty pants. He uses his t-shirt to dry off his body. I try not to look at his glistening skin.

  “No problem,” I mumble, feeling embarrassed. I don’t even know where to look anymore, and my eyes roam across the clearing. A small area catches my eye, and I see the tiny fruits peppered among several bushes near the water. “Is that where you guys got the fruit?” I ask, distracted by the prospect of getting food.

  “Yeah, those are the only living bushes we have found around here,” Yi says contemplatively, “seems like they only grow around water sources.”

  “Yeah, Asher said something about that. I wonder if these are plants that are just drawn to water, or if there is any other reason for their location.” I walk over to the plant, surveying the roots and the stems.

  “Even though this is a forest, this is really the only part we’ve seen so far that truly seems living,” Asher comments, his feet clomping on the gray grass as he comes over. “Isn’t it weird how everything here just looks so gray, as if we just stepped in a picture book? Even these stems and leaves on the plant has a grayish tinge to it.”

  I have to admit, Asher is right. The veins on the leaves are a deep gray, as if the very essence of this world is contained within them. Fingering the leaves with my hand, I wince as a sharp edge slices into my skin. “What the crap?” I mutter as bright red pulsates from my brand new injury on my thumb. It throbs, leading me to believe that this is not the everyday paper cut.

  “Ella,” a deep, seemingly sensuous voice in my delirium speaks. “Let me see that.” Large hands envelop my own, and soon both are stained with blood. The red drops from both of our hands onto the plant, and it tinges the leaves with somehow depressing accuracy. From where I am squatting, the leaf is almost bleeding like I am, a dark green in the roots but crimson in the edges.

  My cheeks match my fingers again as Nico wraps a small rag around my thumb. “Be more careful,” he says softly, with a worried tone. “That cut is super deep. In fact, I’m surprised the plant was able to inflict that much damage.” His hands leave mine to touch the leaf, dancing across the same edges.

  I say nothing in response, standing up quickly while ignoring the throbbing in both my heart and my thumb. “W-where’s the others?” I quickly address Asher and Yi, who are both smirking.

  “Danae is just beyond the clearing, exploring for anything of interest with Griffin. And besides her…this is it.” Asher motions to the four of us. “Well, that we know of.”

  “Last time I checked, you were missing as well,” I comment wryly. “What changed?”

  “I was found, obviously.”

  I glare at him, wondering how one person could possibly get on my nerves to such an extent. I decide not to comment on that statement for fear of an imminent explosion on my part. “So tell me about what happened to you right until you were found by the group.”

  “Well, quite simply, I woke up in this forest all alone, wandered around, and bumped into Nico while he was frantically running around trying to find you. It was quite hilarious actually.” Asher boisterously strikes a grief-stricken pose. “He literally looked like this, and his cheeks were a beautiful cherry red. Isn’t that right, Nico?”

  “Shut up,” Nico mutters, glaring at the instigator with the same annoyance I had just displayed seconds earlier. However, I felt a flicker of interest in Asher’s remark, something I probably shouldn’t feel under the circumstances.

  He catches the glimmer in my eye and smiles wickedly. “Want some of the scoop on your fellow lovebird?” He winks, and for a second his face looks almost exactly like Nico’s. My heart starts unintentionally pounding, and I forget to scold him for making Nico an
d I seem like a couple.

  “Hello lovely!” A sweet, youthful voice calls out as Danae enters the clearing, Griffin in tow. She is nearly dragging him for some reason, and is otherwise empty handed. “Hello, everyone else.”

  “What did you find?” I ask lightly, bounding over to her. He is definitely the most excited of the bunch, with Nico nonchalant and Asher disturbed over the fact that she didn’t call him a “lovely”.

  “Nothing much. Just the same forest, extending on for ages.” She shrugs, shoving some sticks together with her foot. “Who knows how far it could stretch.”

  Griffin looks up to catch my eye. At the sight of me, his tight facial expression immediately relaxes and he smiles. Caught off guard, his infectious smile brings a smile of my own to my features.

  “Well buddy,” he says brightly, stepping forward taking my hand into his own. “So glad to see you.”

  “Well buddy?” I ask, sensing a burning gaze drilling into my back. Subconsciously I shiver.

  “You know…because we were in the well together. Get it?” He laughs. I stare at him pointedly. “Yeah, it’s a bad name,” Griffin says bashfully after he sees my expression, “but I like it.”

  “I don’t want to talk about wells ever again,” I groan, slipping my hand out of his. “But I appreciate the sentiment, whatever it is.”

  Danae smiles at our exchange, and my gaze turns to her. “So, it’s morning, huh?” I ask, noting her youthful appearance. She smiles.

  “Most likely.” Danae nods, and then wrinkles her nose. “Ella, you need a bath. No offense.”

  “I’ve been dying to have one all morning,” I mumble, casting a glance at Asher, who’s snickering.

  “Well, let’s not prevent you from doing so any longer. Guys, leave.”

  Murmured groans echo from the group. Backing away, Yi was the first to leave, and the rest trailed behind. Nico takes up the back, eyeing the others suspiciously. I watch until their bodies fade into the trees. “That was too easy,” I say, narrowing my eyes.

  “I’ll go keep them in check,” Danae replies comfortingly, “and make sure they don’t sneak over here. For right now, just focus on yourself. You’ve had a hard time so far, lovely.” My nose crinkles at the use of such familiarity, but in some way, it is almost relaxing to my ears. Something about the phoenae makes me feel so welcome…and safe.

  “Okay. I won’t be long.” I smile, and she disappears into the trees. Once again, I am completely alone.

  This could be my chance. This group is so gullible, and it would be so easy.

  Even as I think this, my mind flashes back to Asher’s arms as he grabbed me, and the well as I fell inside. Seems like running away brings me nothing but trouble. And given that these fruits are the only nourishment we have seen so far, I could very well starve without the group’s help.

  Quickly giving up on that possibility, I begin to remove the t-shirt around my waist. I nearly rip it in the process, but eventually it’s strewn across the grass along with my other t-shirt. Feeling a sense of exhilaration, I lower myself into the pond, which is a strange crystal blue color that does not fit at all with its surroundings. The water caresses my skin, warmth spreading through my body and disarming me of all my defenses. I lean my head against the ground while soaking in the soothing waters.

  As I rest, I reflect on our time here. I remember that in the other world the pack consisted of Asher, Nico, Yi, and two others. What were their names...?

  Wes. Right. And Drake.... no, it's Jake. I envision the two, wondering where they could possibly be. It's hard to picture them in my head, but I can barely make out Wes's golden locks and Jake's sparkling buzz cut. A pain strikes my heart, and alarm flickers across my features as I realize that I miss them.

  It really has been a whirlwind, a crazy journey from when I almost died in the forest until I almost died in a forest yet again. I lost track of time, but I am sure that it hasn't been too long since that time—a month, maybe two—and seemingly shorter considering that sheer amount of events that occurred during the time period.

  I never considered myself an adventurer or even an interesting person, yet I have been lucky, or unlucky depending on how you look at it, enough to land in a ton of situations that have been eye-opening in a number of different ways. And it all started with Nico, when he saved me from that monstrous hail. A certain haziness fills a gaping hole in my memory as I try to remember the events directly after that, such as how he introduced himself, how he came to my school. However, I somehow know it happened, and could remember certain scenes, such as when he was in my bedroom at the orphanage, and when he brought me steak in the lunchroom. I reminisce in the swirling memories, and a slight smile comes to my lips before I know it. As if suddenly realizing the depths of my emotions, I try to banish the feelings from my mind, yet they only grow stronger in response. It disconcerts me that there are things I can't remember, that things are foggy in my mind to such an extent.

  I wonder if there isn't any truth to the ramblings that the rest of my group had uttered when we first arrived. Maybe I'm the crazy one that's causing all the trouble. Maybe these people mean more to me than I realize.

  My head snaps up as I suddenly sense a presence around me. I can also hear shouting in the distance, probably Danae and Asher's voices. "W-who's there?" I ask warily, trying to cover myself in the frustratingly clear water.

  "I'm... not looking," A low murmur reaches my ears, "I promise."

  I twist in my position to see Nico inching towards me, covering his eyes with the back of his hand. I try to feel irritation, but only curiosity enters my mind. I don't feel nearly as threatened as I should be.

  "I just wanted to drop off your extra clothes that you left in the cave," he says, lowering the clothes onto the ground. "I thought you might want them. They are dry now."

  His thoughtfulness surprises me in more ways than one. After only a few seconds, I sense nothing at all. He just... left.

  I don't know if I was expecting anything, but something about the encounter just left me feeling a bit empty. After this series of continuously exciting events, this bath is turning out to be a bit anti-climactic.

  I probably should get out, so I don't make them wait too long. It's been a few minutes, and I feel thoroughly cleaned, both in body and in soul. I know it’s a cliché, but it's been a long time since I have felt so relaxed.

  Putting my hands on the ground, I start to push myself out of the water. Right before I get out, I hear a sharp intake of breath, and I fall back into the pond. Suddenly shivering, I watch with alarm as Nico jumps out of the trees, heading for some unknown location. He seems to circle some random area near the edge of the clearing, as if eyeing his prey, and pounces.

  A squeal erupts as Nico grasps at air, almost as if locking it into an embrace. "Nico, that hurts!" The air gasps. I think I'm about to have a heart attack.

  "You can stop now," Nico growls, now putting the air into a headlock. "And no excuses."

  Suddenly a man starts to materialize, a wide grin on his face. As his face appears, I realize that the intruder is Yi. My eyes narrow into slits. "It was a joke," Yi says laughingly, "I was just passing by."

  Nico says nothing, glaring at him with seemingly laser vision. "Okay," Yi continues, maybe a bad joke."

  "Look, Yi. We need to learn to trust each other, to feel safe with each other, and even though you think it's not a big deal, in this you are tearing down what everyone has worked to build up." Nico grabs him and pulls him into the bushes. "Sorry, Ella!" He calls on his way out, never once looking at me.

  I stare after him for who-knows-how-long, while entertaining conflicting thoughts about him and the rest of the world, and then sink into the sparkling depths of the warm waters with exhaustion.

  * * *

  "So, what next?" Asher asks, looking at all of our faces. We stare back, as clueless as he is. Silence reigns between us, and not even the sounds of insects or birds are heard. I shift restlessly in my seat on the
dark gray rock.

  "We need to find Wes and Jake," Nico finally says with a commanding tone, "I'm sure they are around here somewhere."

  "So far, everyone has all been found within the same ten mile radius. Maybe scouting out the rest of this area will prove fruitful," Danae says calculatedly, staring at a notebook in her hand. "We still have a lot we haven't covered."

  "I say we look for water," I speak up forcefully. "There isn't a limitless amount of food near that tiny little pond, no matter how filling the fruit is. And if on that journey we find Wes and Jake, great. If we don't, we can always go back and look for them with a significantly higher chance of survival on both sides." I can see Yi and Griffin nodding after my suggestion. Nico just looks back at me with displeasure.

  “I think Ella is right. Let’s just gather up all our resources and all the fruit on those bushes, and head towards the outskirts of the forest,” Asher says firmly.

  “Is there even an end to this forest?” Danae asks wonderingly. Her question marks a similar concern for all of us. Are we really here just to die in this empty wasteland?

  Why are we even here, anyways?

  I think back to the dozens of visions I have had over the past month, searching for some clue to lead us on the right path. Castle doors, tall mountains, and endless forests flash before my eyes. I do remember seeing an ocean or lake of some kind before… but where was it?

  After pondering hard, I point to the north of us. “It’s that way.”

  “What?” Asher asks, looking at me with a dubious expression.

  “Water. I figure that since we are at the base of the mountains, the lake should be directly north of here. Although I don’t know how far away it is.”

  I can feel all of the eyes on me, making me fidget uncomfortably. “How do you know that?” Asher shoots back, and then abruptly stands up from his position on the fallen log. “In fact, do you know something about how we got here in the first place? And what here even is?” He steps closer to me, and I shake involuntarily.

  “Asher.” Nico stands up and puts his hand in front of Asher to gently push him away from me. “Don’t be so overbearing. She can’t take too much at once.”