Arya

I begin the long journey in search of civilization.

I dodge and duck under several low hanging branches along my chosen path. I don't have a clue where it leads - just hoping it leads to some form of civilization.

The sun filters through the trees, reaching down to warm my skin.

A memory flickers, blurry but unmistaken - the last time I had seen the sun in all its splendor.

I hadn't been alone - I hadn't felt lonely. Someone was with me. A man?

It lingers, close enough to tease but completely out of reach.

I shrug it off, focusing on the forest looming around me.

The wet ground is covered with dense vegetation all fighting to be seen by the sun.

Anything could be out here - monsters, people...

Claw hadn't just taken me out of the Blink, he took me away from the Demon Realm. This is the freedom I had always wanted - why don't I feel happy about it?

Why don't I just run away and hide?

"Fantasy! Fantasy! You ran from me once, but... it'll never happen again". Fang whispers in my head.

The mark on my neck burns. My hand instinctively rubs the spot.

"Get out of my head! Leave me the fuck alone!" I yell.

My voice echoes through the trees, sending a flutter of birds into the skies.

She laughs, a dark and villanous sound. My knees go weak, threatening to buckle beneath me.

"I might be in your head, but you're in mine too. I can hear your thoughts, feel your pain. Lean in to the bond and you'll hear me as well".

Lean in? Over my dead body.

She laughs again, clicking her tongue.

"You'll fight me all the way, won't you? If you look inside my head, you might find things to like about me".

I scoff.

"Like about you?" I ask as I stomp along.

My voice fades into the air, reminding me that I'm physically alone.

"There's nothing to like. Four thousand years of slavery is enough to tell me everything I need to know about you".

She goes silent.

Anxious for her response, I stop walking.

When she doesn't respond, I keep moving.

Something creeps behind the tree on my right. I tense, my hands instinctively reaching for a weapon that isn't there.

I hear a low growl.

A fleet of birds swarm overhead, briefly casting a shadow over me.

My eyes dart around for anything I could improvise as a weapon.

No rocks in sight, only decayed tree branches and shrubs.

It moves again, stepping out of its hiding place.

From its shadow, I can tell it's huge. If I could transform into my demon form, I won't have anything to worry about, but as it is, I have to run.

I slowly start backing away, not sticking around long enough to find out what kind of beast it is.

As I move backward, it moves forward.

Adrenaline shoots in, heart hammering, blood roaring, breath skipping.

Deciding to take the risk, I end the waltz dance, running as fast as I can.

I keep glancing up at the trees, trying to measure which one I would be able to climb within seconds.

Unfortunately, none of their branches are hanging low enough for me to climb in a swift swing.

Perish the thought, running is the only option.

Hooves thunder behind me, the vibration pulsing into my bare feet.

The rocky ground bruises my bare feet but I can't seem to feel it.

The hooves sound closer now. Much closer.

Suddenly, a memory pops up - not when I was running from the Annihilator but that of another chase. I had been running with someone else - the same man.

I nearly slip along the steep descent. Jerking my mind out of my fraying thoughts, I register the cliff lurking ahead.

I can no longer make a detour at this point. I have to jump.

What if there's no water below?

I pull the brakes as I reach the edge of the cliff, risking a glance behind me.

It's coming, fast and furious.

A large wolf. Not just any kind of wolf, a Dire wolf with white fur and yellow eyes.

Its teeth are bared as it snarls, its nostrils flared.

Without wasting another second, I jump. My dress flies up in the dancing wind, exposing my legs to the bite of the chilly wind.

The wolf howls loudly. The howl is answered by other wolves in other parts of the forest.

It isn't alone.

I shut my eyes, not wanting to know what lies below. I brace for impact of whatever form.

Then, I crash into water. The surface of the water slaps against my skin, sending ripples and violents splashes around.

I descend into the dark water. My eyes are wind open now, arms flailing.

I can't swim. I never could.

I struggling to the surface, coughing out water violently. The air here is fresh, not burdened by dust and dirt.

I pull it in greedily, indulging my deprived lungs.

The sun is bright, its rays unhindered by tree branches. The light is almost... too bright.

I shield my eyes from its blinding rays, taking the opportunity to glance around.

The water is caved in by rocky mountains on each side. The water flows out through a slight opening in between the rocks.

The wolves howl again, cutting through the silence.

I look up at the hill. The wolf is not alone, two or three others are standing beside it.

I've never seen Dire wolves before. I used to hear about them, even saw pictures, but it remained more of a myth than reality.

Movement from the top of another hill catches my attention. More wolves are trying to roll away a boulder.

I watch with curiousity.

As soon as the boulder rolls down the hill, waves of water descend with full velocity.

I try to swim away, but my attempts are drowned as the water roars. A large wave hits and I get lost beneath the surface, unable to claw my way to the top.

The water stings my eyes, rendering my vision almost completely useless. Every once in a while, I manage to fight my way to the surface, but the waves keep sinking me again and again.

My mouth is filled with the salty taste of the sea, as I'm forced to swallow it.

Death by drowning - that's a new fate.

The air in my lungs begins to deplete and I fear I may not last as long.

Forcing my way to the surface, I draw in a long breath between violent coughs before the water submerges me again.

Then, in the flurry of movement, my head bumps into something hard.

The water begins to redden as my blood trickles into it. My consciously begins to slip away gradually as I float along the surface of the water.

The tide hits again and I black out completely.

---

I force my eyes open, gasping with fear - I still think I'm drowning. Before me is a crackling fire, radiating warmth towards my limp limbs. Meat is held over the fire by a spit. Liquid drips from the meat in measured rhythms.

I look around. There is no one about.

Did someone rescue me?

Sharp pain courses through the back of my head. I touch it cautiously.

When I bring my hand close to the firelight, it's stained with blood.

I hadn't been imagining it, I had been drowning.

A furry quilt is dangling over my shoulders. I run my hands over the strange fabric.

A twig snaps in the shadows. I freeze, reaching into the fire for red-hot firewood.

Holding it up as a weapon, I rise to my feet. The fur quilt slips off my shoulders but I don't bother picking it up. My attention is fixed on the person at the other side of the fire.

It feels good to finally have a weapon.

I advance forward carefully. The only audible sounds is the cracking of wood devoured by the flames and an owl hooting in the distance.

"Show yourself!" I call out, my voice fading into the night.

The person or the thing doesn't move again. I almost even believe I had imagined it.

Then, a man walks into my view. I can make out his features perfectly in the dark.

His strides are cautious, his eyes wary.

He nods at the glowing wood in my hands, gesturing for me to put it down.

I ignore his gesture.

He doesn't move further, his jaw tightening at the challenge.

"Who are you?" He asks.

I point the wood at him.

"I'm the one asking the questions here". I say, giving no place to hide from my scrutiny.

His gaze narrows.

"You're not from around here". He mutters.

I can hear his accent distinctly now - he doesn't sound like anything I've heard before.

When he first spoke, it has been so faint that I might have imagined it.

The fire crackles, sending sparks flying.

"Where is here?" I ask.

He raises a brow - like I asked the most silly question.

"This is Vadi. Where are you from?"

I blink. I've never heard of Vadi before.

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