8. I Know You

Ellie

We were outside enjoying the lovely weather. The breeze had died down and the air was warm and smelled of pine. I thought it would be nice to prepare our dinner outside over the fire. The potatoes and asparagus were seasoned and simmering in the skillet sitting over the flames. The sun was beginning to set as I prepared the steaks, throwing a raw rib eye to Koga. He accepted it and wasted no time tearing into it. I paused to look at the colors in the sky. The clouds painted with strokes and splashes of orange, pink and purple. A canvas painted by the gods. The sun rises and falls the same direction every day, but every day still paints a new canvas between day and night. I've loved watching the sunset for as long as I could remember and so far, I haven't missed a single one. A smile stretches my lips as I take in the serenity of my surroundings. It's quiet and the sun kisses my cheeks. I close my eyes and inhale deep, greedily taking in the fresh air from the trees filling my lungs. My ears catching every bite and growl of approval from Koga. My nose eating up the pine, the grass, and sandalwood. The last scent breaks my concentration and my eyes snap open.

He's here.

Sure enough, coming into the clearing is him – the stranger I met in the woods. Only this time, he is fully clothed with a black tee, jeans, and a worn brown leather jacket. The jacket matches his eyes and hair perfectly but it doesn't hide the muscle stretching the material of his shirt.

I quickly grab the buck knife next to me and hold the blade in front of me defensively, he stops walking and his hands go up immediately to show me he means no harm. Koga stops eating as he notices the stranger, he stands up but instead of growling at him or chasing him off, he walks over to him and rubs his body against his legs happily.

"Koga, come here!" I command him but he ignores me and continues to nuzzle his snout against the stranger.

'Traitor' I think to myself.

"Koga, huh? Nice name." The man speaks, his voice warm and soothing. Keeping one hand in the air, the other reaches down to scratch behind Koga's ears.

I grip the handle tighter, "Don't touch him!" He doesn't stop.

"I don't mean him or you any harm. If I did, Koga would have me for dinner instead of that little rib eye." He says with confidence.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to make sure you were alright. You ran off so suddenly yesterday and I figured I'd give you a day to calm down."

"Sorry, but that's just my normal reaction to a naked stranger touching me while unconscious." I reply sarcastically.

"I apologize for that, you just caught me off guard is all."

'He can't be serious.'

"I caught YOU off guard?" I say incredulously.

"I was swimming in the creek when Koga found me. I thought he was lost, but we heard you screaming so I followed him back to you." I didn't even know there was a creek around here. I try not to explore too much with Koga, worried that we may accidentally run into hunter territory. I almost want to ask him to show it to me but that's ridiculous. As far as I'm concerned, he is still a threat. Even though I have a weird feeling in my gut that says to trust him, I'm not letting my guard down.

"That still doesn't explain you being naked. You can't swim in your underwear or something?"

"Have you ever walked miles in the woods with wet underwear? It's awful. I mean, I'd rather drink with hunters than do that."

"You're not a hunter?" I ask softly.

"Absolutely not." He sounded almost offended that I would even suggest it, "For someone to take pleasure in killing wolves for sport is purely diabolical. I'd rather swallow acid."

I couldn't stop the giggle from coming out at his theatrics. The sound causes the serious look in his eyes to fade away and a small smile to form. That smile does something to me, I can feel little butterflies fluttering in my stomach. I shake off my reaction and fix my glare back on him. I have to focus.

"Okay, you're not a hunter. I believe you. But something still doesn't fit." His eyebrow raises at this, "You called me by my name. How do you know it?"

He takes a steady step forward, Koga stays by his side, "You really don't remember me, do you?" His tone shows curiosity, but I can sense the hint of hurt behind the words. The question seems deeper than I am understanding. I just shake my head.

"Am I supposed to?" I say with a sneer.

"It would be nice if you did."

"Well I don't. So explain yourself." I'm running low on patience.

"My name is Marcus. I'm your friend." He says slowly like he's approaching a vicious animal. I guess at the moment I'm coming off as one.

"I've never even seen you before in my life." I hiss at him.

"That hurts, Ellie." He looks actually wounded by my words, "I'm your oldest friend. We've known each other since we were children."

"You're lying!" My knuckles turn white by how hard I'm gripping the handle.

"I'm not. I even have proof."

I raise my eyebrow at him as he slowly reaches into the pocket of his jeans and pulls out something. It looks like photographs, but I can't see from this distance. He slowly takes a few steps forward with Koga attached to his hip and holds them out for me to grab. I keep the buck knife up as I reach for them. He backs up when they're in my hand, probably to make me a little more comfortable. Points for chivalry.

I look down at the photographs and my eyes nearly pop out of my head. In the first picture is – me. I look to be about six years old, my black hair flows wildly and untamed with wildflowers and twigs stuck in it. I look happy. Next to me is a little boy, he looks to be seven or eight. He's laughing as he picks a twig out of my hair. His brown hair curls on the top of his head. Our clothes are ruffled like we'd been playing. I turn over the next photograph. The little boy is holding me as I cry. I have bleeding scratch marks all over me and the little boy is covered in dirt and what look like … bite marks.

How is it possible? I don't remember these.

I look at the final photograph and it's taken from afar. The little boy and I are sitting on a log near a lake. I'm smiling again and I'm moving my hands a lot, I look like I'm telling a story. But the boy … the boy is just smiling at me and looking at me like I'm the most precious thing he had ever seen.

I look up at Marcus. The little boy in the photos, who stands in front of me as a man. A little boy lost in my memories. Looking between him and the photos, I can hear something in the back of my subconscious. Little voices whispering.

"Marcus, please don't ever leave me." I can hear a voice belonging to a little girl whisper.

'How?' I'm so confused.

"Our fathers worked together. My mother took those photographs." I didn't realize I said it aloud.

"I'm … I'm sorry, I don't remember you." I can see a glint of hurt in his eyes, "How could you remember me?"

He gives me a sad smile, "Ellie, I would be a fool to forget you." The way he's looking at me now, the same way the little boy looked at me in the photo. Like I'm the most precious thing in the world to him. My heart warms and my stomach flutters. I can't help but believe him. How could I forget him?

I smile at him and put down the buck knife, "Listen, I was just preparing dinner. I don't know if you've eaten yet but if you haven't … would you like to join me? Join us?" I say, gesturing to Koga and myself.

He smiles and my heart does a flip, "I would love to."

I grab a couple more steaks from inside and return to preparing the meat.

"I'm sorry I hit you yesterday. But at least your nose is looking good."

"Lucky I'm a fast healer. You know how to pack a punch." He says so with pride in his voice. Pride that I instantly feel from his praise.

The two of us chat nonstop as I cook the steaks. He said he likes his steaks 'bloody as hell' and I smirked. A good-looking man who knows how to have a proper steak. I have to will my heartbeat to slow down. Once I set the plates, we both decide to have our dinner outside next to the fire under the moonlight with the stars dotting the sky. A very romantic and intimate setting that I couldn't find it in me to fight. Marcus was incredibly easy to talk to and I found myself comfortable in his presence. I wanted to know more about him, learn about the man and maybe remember the boy he once was. He told me his parents used to live here but with the hunters and more people moving into rural areas from the city, they decided to move away with the rest of their family. He's all alone out here – just like me and Koga. Maybe now that we've met, again, he won't be so lonely anymore. I smile at that thought. We had just finished our dinner when he decides that it was his turn to learn about me.

"How did you end up here?" He gestures to the cabin.

"When I was a teenager, I met an old man named Herman. He had a wolf dog, Kano, who looked just as old as him, but he didn't act like it. He had spunk. Growled and barked at every person to walk by, except for me. I was the only person he was relatively kind to. Blew Herman away. I would come over every chance I had to keep the old man and Kano company. It also gave me a place to go away from my father. He knew what went on, so he told me I can always find a safe place at his house. And when I ran away, Herman grabbed my bags, put them in his truck and brought me here. He told me that if I wanted, this could be my home. He had no children and his wife had died ages ago along with any next of kin. When he died, a lawyer came here and told me that Herman left this place to me in his will. Been here ever since." Telling the story brings fond memories of Herman and Kano. They were both grumpy old men, but they were family and they treated me like such.

"Why did you run away?" He asks softly.

The question brings back an unwanted memory. The night my father beat me until I couldn't see out of my left eye and I could feel my broken rib cage pressing against my lungs. I knew that night that the only person that could protect me was myself. So I grabbed what little belongings I had and went to Herman's, hoping he would let me crash on his couch until I knew where to go next. But when he saw how I looked, he saved me. Gave me my sanctuary. And I will be forever grateful to him.

"That doesn't matter. You don't want to hear that story." I tried to let him know that I didn't want to talk about it without being rude but he just nods his understanding.

"How did you and Koga meet?" I'm grateful he changed the subject. I look at my sweet boy and run my hand through his beautiful black fur and remember when this beautiful beast was a pup in my arms.

"Not long after I got here, I felt something calling to me from the woods. I couldn't understand it and I couldn't question it either, if that makes sense." He nods but doesn't interrupt, "I was just wandering when … " I pause, looking at Koga with sadness, "His mother was – killed. By hunters." I say it softly and still choke on the words. I've never spoken aloud what happened to Koga's mother. Especially in front of him. I look at Marcus to find the same sadness in his eyes. "I found Koga, hiding in a bush not far from his mother's body. He was shaking and whimpering. Just a small pup. A sweet boy." I'm crying now, my heart breaking for my sweet boy. I chose to leave my parents. He didn't choose what happened to him. I just hope that even though I am not his mother, I gave him some resemblance of a pack. I feel a hand on my shoulder and see Marcus. The sight of my tears look like they're tearing him apart. He opens his arms and I just fall into them. He caresses my hair and rubs my back as sobs rack my body. I can feel Koga's head laying on my lap. He licks my leg. I can almost hear a small voice in the back of my head.

'It's okay, Momma.'

My vision suddenly goes white and I'm no longer in Marcus' arms. I'm in a clearing under the moonlight. I know this place, but I don't know how. I call out to Marcus, to Koga. But no one answers me. I look up to the moon and hear a voice, it sounds ethereal and feminine.

'You didn't deserve this, my child. I cannot undo what has been done and for that, I am so sorry.'

A name comes to mind. A name that I know. A name that I once cherished. I prayed to her.

"Moon … goddess …"

'When you remember …. '

I don't hear her voice anymore. I open my eyes to find Marcus holding me by the shoulders, shaking me lightly.

"Ellie? Ellie, are you okay?" He looks worried.

"Wha-what happened?" I look around and I'm right where I was before I = blacked out? I don't know what to call it.

"Your eyes … they were – white. You were unresponsive." He looks at me as if waiting for an answer, an answer I can't give. "Where did you go, Ellie?" Did he know what was happening to me?

"A clearing. I heard a voice – coming from the moon." His eyes widened a fraction. "This hasn't happened to me before. Am I going crazy?"

"Not at all, Ellie."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know you." He says with the utmost confidence, I can't help but believe him.