Wolf at Heart

Chapter Thirty One: Discussion

Opening my eyes, I found Ash looking at me. For a second, I was frozen, and he jerked back when he realized I was awake. Ignoring what had occurred, I mustered up the courage for what I needed to do next.

"Hey," I said, my mouth dry from exhaustion. "I want to ask you something --"

"Before you do," Ash cut it, "I found your other, uh, knife in your set. It was in the mud so I kind of polished it a bit." He handed me the one I'd thrown to warn Dakota.

"Thanks," I coughed out, placing it on the table next to the bed. "So...what I wanted to ask was if you knew any side effects of using our abilities."

After all, we'd been forced into this world with barely a thought on our heads.

Ash frowned in concentration. "Well, the usual element control only drains energy. For others, like how I can show people visions, afterward I get flashbacks of my own life. How strong the urge is depends on how important the vision is to the future. Or how long the vision was. Usually, I can resist it. Why?"

Fidgeting, I nervously replied, "See, after I healed you, I kind of saw some of your memories." I hurried on. "I tried not to, but I only saw three moments on your life..."

I was just digging my own grave at this point.

Though his face remained passive, I saw him tense up from where he was sitting. "Which three, if you don't mind me asking."

The request was ridiculous. Of course he should know. It was his life. I had no right to deny him the knowledge.

But at the same time, a part of me didn't want to. Like I knew a secret part of Ash that only we shared. It was absurd, but I couldn't help it. I didn't know much about Ash anyways.

"The first memory was of you as a child. You went to go pick herbs from your garden or something. The second was the Ceremony when you called a raven. The third was the gang of Avians trying to threaten you after they injured your wing," I told him reluctantly and waited for a reaction.

Ash relaxed slightly and I was disappointed by what the movement meant. None of the memories were any of the more significant ones. He was still a mystery to me.

A mystery I cared very much about.

Carefully keeping my face passive, I asked, "Where are we anyway? What happened after I got knocked out?"

The room around me was lush with expensive furniture and velvet all around. I already had a sneaking suspicion who's house we were in.

I'd visited it with someone years before, so I knew it at first glance.

It was hers.

"We're at Sora's house," Ash said, confirming my initial thoughts. "Her family also offered some new...outfits..." His expression told me what he thought of their 'generous' offer.

I swung my legs over the bed, catching sight of what Ash meant.

"Sora said that if we were going to show our powers to the world, we might as well 'do it in style.' Her family had them tailored months ago when Sora had found her ability," Ash explained, stepping back to let me examine it.

It was pretty much the same outfit I was wearing, styled in the normal Lupine fashion, but there were a few differences. This cloth was brand new and looked like it had just been made. On top of the normal clothing, there was a cloak with a wide hood.

As much as I didn't want to admit it, I loved the new clothing.

Everything else had been replaced too. My satchel had an ebony replica, all my items already transferred. Boots of the same tone reached up to just below my knees. A thin grey shirt also helped to keep the warmth in. Long mahogany-brown pants ran all the way down to my ankles. The one thing I got to keep was my old belt from the Lupine camp.

Though the style of clothing was just like how the Lupine would craft it, the belt really was Lupine-made.

Turning to Ash, who was watching me closely, I wondered where his was. "Did you get a new outfit too?"

Grimacing, he nodded. "I'm not putting it on until the last minute."

Still getting the feel of the fabric, I shooed him out. "You might not want to, but I do. So out. You can come back in when I'm done."

After he obediently shuffled out reluctantly, I changed into the clothing. It was surprisingly comfortable and fit perfectly. Staring at the mirror, I stopped to look at myself for once.

The girl in the mirror seemed older than she really was. Her lips still naturally turned up, but her eyes were more distant. As if searching for something on the horizon.

This girl was scarred on the inside.

Shaking my head to clear those thoughts, I opened my door to let Ash in.

He was absent-mindedly leaning against the wall outside in the hallway. Ash glanced up as I stuck my head out the door.

"You look nice," Ash said, making my heart jump unexpectedly. Then he added, "Like a fairy tale mage or something."

Scowling at him, I shot back, "You're about to get a faceful of water from this 'fairy tale mage'. Come on in, I'm done."

Ash got up and walked inside, using his foot to close the door. He calmly locked it then turned, facing me and crossing his arms. Nervously fidgeting, I wondered what he was up to this time.

"Now that we're alone," He said, locking me in his gaze. "Tell me what Sora did to you."

My eyes shut for a moment on their own accord.

"There's no one else here, Melody. You can speak your mind."

I took a shaky breath.

That's what this was about.

It was worse than seeing my parents again. The memory was worse than any of that combined.

But at the same time, if I never let go, it'd haunt me for the rest of my life. I had to tell someone, and Ash had done more than enough to earn my trust. If I wanted to get closer to him, to have him trust me as well, I'd have to open up too.

That didn't mean I'd enjoy this any bit, though.

Taking another deep breath, I began quietly.

(Side Note: The next chapter will be a flashback. We'll finally find out what happened between Sora and Melody. I'm still working on those drawings of the characters, so give me a few. I can't seem to draw Melody correctly, though, she's too perfect ._. I might not be able to show a picture of her, sorry! Nothing I draw looks right I guess. I hope you guys understand. And about that other point of view, I'm not sure when I can include one, but I'll have one of Ash and Dakota for sure.)

Here's a quick sketch of Raymond. You guys can think of him any way you want, but here's how I picture him when I write. He looks so happy T^T