??A Howl In The Night??
?She’s mine?
?Chapter 39?
What Comes After
I’m not sure when I even woke up, but it seems as if someone just flipped the switch and freed me from whatever state I was in. Because the last thing I remember is falling into a chasm of death and now I’m sitting in a patch of grass, staring at the awfully blue sky.
Blue sky. It looks nice today. Almost too bright for the…
Wait. Is it?
I feel the grass with my fingertips, the gentle rushing breeze tickling my nose. Am I really back in the real world?
I jump to my feet, looking around the forest, hoping to catch a glance of another human being. Anyone who can confirm that this is my new reality. Hopefully… the one I want to see most.
Yes, this is the real world.
I shake, looking back and forth in a frenzied attempt to find the source of the whisper. It’s the same voice that has followed me in my dreams and throughout my quest. “Who are you?” I called out. “Show yourself!”
Nothing happens at first, but then something around me shifts in the blink of an eye. The air begins to swirl together, forming a sheer outline that solidifies into a pale, beautiful being wearing a long robe and adorned with broad, delicate wings. Its face is thin, with white eyes that lack pupils, framed by long white eyelashes and small lips. Thick white hair tumbles from its head to its waist, rippling with curls and adding femininity to its, or her appearance. I probably should be more scared, but I feel like I’ve seen everything by now. And there’s so something so comforting about her presence, giving me some indication that she wouldn’t hurt me.
“I have been your guide over your journey. I guess you could call me Fate, as you have been describing me for quite some time. Please, don’t be frightened,” she says, smiling lightly. “You have done well.”
I frown, stepping close to her. With shaking fingers, I run my hand down the side of her wing. The soft feathers convince me that I’m not hallucinating. This is actually real. “So everything that happened… was your decision?” I ask slowly.
“No, it wasn’t my decision, but a part of something even greater than me. My only purpose was to make sure that the prophecy was fulfilled.”
“Okay,” I mumble, my hand falling back to my side. “So you have been in my head all this time? What was even the purpose of the entire prophecy then?”
“Well, I wouldn’t quite say that I was in your head, but I guess you could call it something like that. I just whispered to you, or created circumstances that allowed everything to happen that needed to happen. I knew the basic plot line, but every detail and every choice wasn’t already planned, as you possess your own free will.” She sighs, somehow managing to make that simple action look angelic. “The prophecy allowed for the Shifters—the souls—to decide their own identity within the threat of an inevitable future. How they responded and grew within the given circumstances will dictate their own judgement. Your friend Ray is a clear example of reaching beyond his confinements to obtain something that resembles a quality of life.”
My eyes widen as she mentions his name. “Tell me… why am I here when I clearly died? And what happened to Ray… and the werewolves?”
“You didn’t clearly die because I carried you out of harm’s way. Throwing yourself into the chasm was pretty heroic I’ll admit, but you dying had nothing to do with the completion of the prophecy so I made an executive decision. As for your friends, well, it depends.”
“Depends?!”
“As soon as the crown was consumed, the world was flooded with light. In that single moment, every being was called to the place where he or she belonged. For different people, that means different things. Ray wasn’t actually a part of the werewolf society, so he actually moved on to judgement with the rest of the Shifters. In general, the werewolves you know and love still exist but have been scattered, stripped of their powers and given the freedom to find a new purpose for themselves among the humans. Today, you have this freedom as well. You have broken your chains, and now you must choose as the Shifters have chosen.”
I stare at my hands, squeezing them into a fist. So.. I’m never going to see Ray again. That fact saddens me, but I know I can’t feel too depressed because I know he wanted and needed a resolution. He should have the right to his own happiness. “I’m normal now, right?” I hesitatingly ask, trying to get her to keep talking so I can get as many answers as possible.
“For that question to be answered, you must define normal. Mona, I believe that you are special. Extraordinary even, and you have the power even now to change the world. You don’t need supernatural abilities to do so either. So believe in yourself, and gather up the people who care about you the most, because now you belong. Embrace your new destiny, not just for what it will be but for what it is.” She smiles widely, lifting her hands into the sky. “Last of all, I’d like to thank you. And as a little parting gift, head to the south for a little while and you’ll find him. I know you’ll be looking.” Her body starts to rise as well, and I subconsciously reach out only to find that only seconds later she is far beyond my reach. After a single blink it seems like she faded into the clouds, only a particle of mist in the endless, blue sky.
The whispers are gone. I feel slightly lonely, but at the same time liberated by the possibilities that this change offers. There is no one to pave the way for me anymore, and I can go in any direction that I choose. Even if Fate was only a figment of my imagination and I’m actually going insane, I can’t bring myself to care.
Instantly I turn and start running to what I know to be the south. Call it intuition, or for all I know it could just be a silly guess.
But as I run over the peak of the hill and then tumble down the slope, I can make out a figure running my way in the broad clearing. And I would know him from a mile away.
And suddenly, nothing seems to matter anymore. All my questions, doubts, and suspicions instantly disappear as a pure ecst@sy consumes my heart. And even if I don’t have powers anymore, my legs still seem to run a mile a minute as I know that he is on the other side waiting for me. This was never goodbye.
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