Secluded Spring Seeking Help

The little wolf wandered around with no set destination, frequently changing direction and occasionally stopping altogether. Her movements were jerky and uncoordinated; trot, sit, get back up, place a paw forward, then withdraw it and start in a different direction. Cessair was every bit distracted. Thinking about her flashbacks and nightmares often had this effect on her. Her visions were getting worse. It seemed that her dread for these hallucinations have been feeding them; they were a parasite that guzzled the very spirit out of her. What's worse, they now seemed to be following her -- tormenting her -- in even the waking world. How long would this persist?

A vaguely familiar scent drifted by and sparked an idea in Cessair's mind. It was a pack border that she had scented. The first wolf she met since she came to Relic Lore -- Nina -- was from this pack. If she remembered correctly, the golden wolf had offered to talk to her again. Without further thought, she made her way closer to the border, also checking to be sure that she settled down at a respectful distance from it this time. She really hoped that the same wolf would show up, or, at the very least, another kind wolf who would get Nina for her. Another concern was that Nina would again have duties that would prevent her from talking too long. Neither of these, however, were big enough deterrents, so Cessair decided to stick with her plan.

The creamy-colored wolf hid herself somewhat in a bush, just in case it wasn't the same caring female as before who would appear. She poked her head out to quickly utter a cautious bark, then drew it back into the bush and tried to sit still. Hopefully, that would be enough to attract the attention of only one specific wolf, provided she happened to be near enough to hear. Cessair had doubts, but she was near the end of her rope anyway. Maybe she should specify who she wanted, and maybe a bit louder. Again, she poked her head out from the bush. <b>"Nina?"</b>

(This post was last modified: Jul 14, 2012, 12:09 AM by Cessair.)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/NinaTable.png); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top: 312px; padding-bottom: 20px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px; text-align:justify;">It was hard to keep up with the many duties given around to her by others in the pack. She had recently had to get others away from the pack in fears that her pack mates would kill them, which wasn’t a sight that Nina was looking forward to seeing. Today she was simply remarking the borders and looking out for any other lone wolves, while putting her healing techniques aside for the day. She hadn’t done much with her herbs in awhile. The amount of herbs that she started to collect after her attack was low. . .she no longer went out to look for the delicious smelling herbs, at least to her, and remained solely in between the borders and the denning area.

Assuming that Volkan or one of her other pack mates were looking after the pups she had set out, they were free to roam around the territory anyways now, so it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to make sure none of them came far out into the territory, which shouldn’t have been possible for such an early age. . .but as her healing had always taught her, better safe than sorry. And oh, how true that saying had turned out to be. . .

Just as she was about to make her way back to the denning site a voice called out. It was a bark, and if she remembered correctly it was the bark of a young pup she had met earlier. . .Cessair. A smile transformed on her face as she started to pad towards where the golden lady had heard the bark. Confirmation came to her when she heard her name being called from across the borders. It seemed the younger girl had been smarter this time and stayed farther away from the borders. Since the last time they had met, Nina had gained much of her weight back, with the help of Pakuna, Kashikoi, and Sloane, which she had appreciated highly of.

Her paws soon crossed the borders and her head lifted to the air, her nose twitching slightly as she sniffed the air. She then called out in a soft voice, much like she had before she had lost it, "Cessair, honey, I‘m here."

For a few tense moments, the young female waited for a response. A light wind rustled the leaves of the bush around her, and she started. The breeze carried the scent of a wolf, and -- could it be? -- Cessair thought it might just be the wolf she was looking for. When the familiar and reassuring voice called to her by name, her hopes were confirmed. She stepped gingerly out of her comfortably concealing bush to confront reality and hopefully get some help.

While her eyes adjusted to the wider field of vision, Cessair wasn't quite sure if she saw one wolf or two. The wolf on the left was average in size, and was golden-brown. On the right stood a much, much larger wolf who bore a charcoal-grey coat and a menacing look on its face. Cessair scented the air. She detected only one wolf, and -- was that the smell of blood? A cold chill worked its way down her spine, and she snapped her eyes shut. That sinister wolf had to stop following her! Cessair told herself to count to three and open her eyes, and he would be gone. <i>One...Two...Three.</i> Still there. He hadn't moved, except the breeze seemed to pulling at him, so that his body was slowly breaking into wisps of smoke and floating away.

The little female did her best to wrench her gaze from the specter and address the golden wolf, but she stole occasional glances at the dematerializing beast. Cessair knew what she wanted, but couldn't find words to properly express it. She needed to get rid of the visions that were plaguing her with increasing frequency, but what could any wolf do? <b>"Can you... help me?"</b> Her stammering, Cessair realized, wasn't all that definitive. Still the words were slow in coming. She managed to weakly add a bit more. <b>"I want to... stop... seeing things..."</b> That wasn't much better in terms of being specific, but Cessair couldn't think of any thing else to add that would clarify, so she peered miserably up at the female and hoped she would understand. The larger wolf still stood next to her, slowly fading away.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/NinaTable.png); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top: 312px; padding-bottom: 20px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px; text-align:justify;">The female’s green eye watched in concern as the small pup exited from the brush, if anything, looking worse then they had when the two of them had first met. The golden female watched the small creamy girl in wonder, something was wrong, for Nina was no longer greeted with Cessair’s voice, but a blank stare. And the worst of it was, the little girl was glancing back and forth between her. . .and air? The healer’s paws instantly approached Cessair, giving the small girl a small nuzzle of affection. She felt as if she needed to protect the small girl and to watch out for her. . .and that was what she would do. If anything happened to the yearling, then Nina would surely find out what the cause was and who needed to pay for the crime.

When the small wolf’s words finally came, Nina’s concerns were correct. She had told Cessair to seek her out if she needed help, and here she was, surely seeking out the help of the healer. Her ears pricked at her words. Seeing things? She didn’t know if she could have any herbs help with that, but if she needed tension relievers or stress relieves then the golden brown lady could easily help with that. It was as if Nina was growing her own guardian angel wings for the female. No one would be able to harm her when Nina was around, she wouldn’t allow it.

And that was why she needed to know more. When her voice came out it was gentle and encouraging, "Well, Cessair, what are you seeing, if you don’t mind answering. . . I might be able to help."

As the last of the menacing wolf finally swirled away with the wind, Cessair became aware of a sensation she hadn't felt since she had been with her mother. It was safety. The golden wolf gave her a gentle and comforting nuzzle, and the little girl knew at that moment that she would be protected. Even if her tormentor was something no one else could see...

The next instant felt like an hour as Cessair was transported to her past in another flashback. This one was good, though. She saw herself as a bumbling puppy in a peaceful noonday hollow. There was a big tree with a hole in its roots, which must have been the den. Her brother Rowan suddenly came running out, also a pup. Little Rowan tackled little Cessair, and their mother emerged from the den and lay down to watch. Cessair watched her brother wrestle with her, and marveled at their innocence. She could see what she was like before the flashbacks and nightmares started; before she was forced to grow up all too fast and strike out on her own. Her puppy tail was wagging furiously, and her puppy face was adorned with a grin of delight. While the joyful image lifted, Cessair couldn't help but wonder where that carefree little pup had gone.

Nothing had even moved when Cessair arrived back in the present. She was relieved to realize that not more than a second had gone by over the course of the vision; it would have been rather embarrassing if she suddenly lost consciousness for a while in the middle of trying to talk to the kind wolf in front of her. Now that she was back, though, she set about trying to figure out how to describe her problem to Nina. <b>"I keep seeing this... wolf... from my nightmares. He follows me into the waking world now, and I can't get away from him..."</b>

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/NinaTable.png); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top: 312px; padding-bottom: 20px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px; text-align:justify;">Her ears strained forward to hear the female’s voice, but nothing came out of it. Silence hung over the two of them for a few moments, and the young girl’s eyes seemed to cloud over, in what seemed to be like a memory. She was her protection right now, and she would remain the young girl’s protection until she was asked to release it. Soon, the female’s eyes came back to reality, and when her voice reached Nina’s ears, newfound worry washed over the older woman. She was seeing another wolf? Nina had heard of illusions, but not ones that followed you around day and night.

Her brown rump plopped on the ground and her head raised protectively over the young pup. She would try to help the younger girl to the best of her abilities. "Do you know the wolf? Or is it just someone random?" This was an important fact to the story. It would be much easier for her to help the younger female if she knew the wolf. . .and if not, then perhaps some stress reliever would be in order for the young female. She hadn’t heard of these particular symptoms before. . .she herself had them after her attack. . .only she had known who the wolf had been. It was her brother.

Cessair still had little idea what this compassionate female could do for her, but she felt that at least sharing her problem with another wolf would make the attacks subside a bit. A barely-noticeable smile sprouted on the girl's face as she thought about this wolf who was helping her. Because she didn't know what pack life was like, she assumed that the golden female was a busy wolf who was accountable for many responsibilities. Besides that, she surely had matters of her own to deal with. The copper-eyed wolf felt indebted to Nina, but she had nothing to offer in return.

It had been a while since Cessair felt like anyone really cared about her. As a chilling breeze made its way over and beyond the small female, she wondered how things would be if she joined a pack. To be surrounded by wolves like Nina who cared -- at least some of them, anyway -- was a thought that was too good to be true. Cessair had noticed that this wolf, although it hadn't been entirely too long since they first met, already looked so much healthier. Maybe joining a pack could do the same for her? But she wouldn't know how to act, and she would miss the freedom she enjoyed as a loner.

The kind female shifted protectively over Cessair and asked another question. Answering would help her along the road to recovery, Cessair knew, but still she hesitated. It was difficult for her to think about. Usually, it would give her a flashback, or another strange apparition, but this time there was only an innocent memory. She remembered how her mother shouldered her and her brother into a bush just before the sinister wolf appeared. She remembered her mother's labored but calm instructions to run. She remembered obeying. Cessair's eye watered a bit; surely a <span class='word'>mote</span> carried by the breeze had landed in it. After wiping her face with a paw, she finally replied with some agitation, her already hushed voice fading to almost a whisper. <b>"Yes, I know him. Knew him... It is the wolf who killed my mother..."</b>

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/NinaTable.png); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top: 312px; padding-bottom: 20px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px; text-align:justify;">Her eyes blinked calmly at the smaller female as she spoke once again and her head lowered slightly. Killed the small girl’s mother? When the two of them had first met Nina had wondered where the young girl’s mother had been when they had first met. And the older woman’s mind briefly wondered onto the fact of how long the tiny girl had been traveling by herself. Her eyes darkened at the thought, and the golden medic couldn’t think of anything else to help the girl.

Their small conversation briefly continued though, "How long have you been seeing this wolf?" The question was simple, and held slight curiosity in them. It would help her highly to see if the illusions had just began. . .for if they had, then Nina might be able to help the young female. She had a few tricks up her paw to forgetting about something. . .but then she had never had such a tragic incident happen to her when she was younger. For all she knew, her mother could still be alive.

Deep in thought, Cessair turned her eyes up to observe the sky through a canopy of leaves. Nothing in particular really stood out, but her eyes needed a break from staring at nothing in particular. The golden female's last question repeated in her head several times like an echo before it finally registered. When <i>did</i> she first start seeing the murderous wolf outside of reality? Her mind began to wander through the archives of her memories, starting with the most recent and working its way back in time. It was a while before the young wolf finally settled on the night she lost her brother.

Cessair was mildly delighted to have taken control of her memories without interference from a flashback for once. Such an occurrence was rare. Maybe just talking about her past was all she needed to be cured of the visions. Turning her eyes back down to Nina, Cessair formulated her response. She realized that it had been at least a minute or two of silence since the question was asked, but surely searching through half-a-year's worth of memories was a good enough excuse for the delay. This time, the little wolf spoke with a bit more confidence. <b>"I started having nightmares about him somewhere around six months ago, but it wasn't until recently that they've become a real problem."</b>

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/bluepups/NinaTable.png); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top: 312px; padding-bottom: 20px; padding-left: 15px; padding-right: 15px; text-align:justify;">The golden brown female soon posed her head away from the sun, so that she could see the younger female. A deep thought seemed to be passing through the young girl and Nina couldn’t help but feel a large surge of pride running through her. This yearling was actually trying to find a way to help herself and it was helping the golden lady in the process of trying to help her. Most wolves had been complaining to her about how their problems were. . .but this sweet girl seemed to have more sense then the others. She then reached out to give the small girl an encouraging lick on the cheek.

And soon the young girl came up with more courage and spoke to Nina. It seemed as though this young girl wanted to rid of the illusions more than anything. Her one good eye took in her face as the words were said and Nina’s head curled around the small girl in a protective manner. Six months was a long time to be under the terrible illusions of murder. Especially if you had to watch the horrible crime. With a small, defeated sigh Nina spoke, "I don‘t know what to tell you anything but to talk to someone when this happens. Other than that, I could give you some calming herbal remedies. . .but that is really all I can think of."