The Girl and The Wolf (Part 2)

They both moved with swiftness, deeper into the darkness. Talia clasped Hirow's hand tightly as her mind tried to ward off fears lurking in the shadows. The sky that night was absent of all light. Neither looked for direction; the only goal was to escape the fear that gripped them both. Before long, the first light of day came, and a wave of exhaustion swept over them.

Talia collapsed on her knees and hit the rocky dirt below. Hirow laid back staring at the sky and was graced with the soft hues of dawn. After a moment's hesitation, he shot back up and looked around.

"I wonder how far off the path we strayed?" He shrugged, "It doesn't matter anyway, we can still see the Kings mountains."

Taking out the history of Gladia he flipped to the back. Talia heard the rustling of pages but remained fixed on the mountains. "What do you need to look at now?"

"There are maps in the back, and although they are dated, the geography should still be the same."

He shut the book and stood up, "Okay, let's get going."

"Let's sit down for a little longer. We've been traveling all night."

Hirow began to walk off impatiently, "It's not much further. We can rest later."

"I don't think anyone is near," she pressed, "it's fine you should rest."

"We can't, not until I'm sure we are safe." He glanced behind checking for any signs of movement. "Everything is too open. I don't know who or what can see us."

"Doesn't that mean we can see them too?"

"Well yes," Hirow stammered, "but let's just go a little further there's a forest not too far from here. I would love to relax, but I can't do that right now."

Talia stood up and groaned, "I guess that's fine but we can't keep going like this, both of us are going to collapse before long."

Only one path leads to the forest. It was small and not often traveled. Knowing these two facts, Hirow had picked it since it was unlikely they would meet anyone. Once a thick line of green appeared over the horizon Hirow couldn't help but let go of some of his anxiety. It was twilight now, and the golden light deepened the shadows of each tree. The darkness grew the further they strayed into the forest. Hirow saw it as a welcoming shelter, but Talia only remembered that cold voice.

"Hirow," Talia called out, "we should start a fire. I can't see a thing."

"I can't either, but I think we should hold off on that for tonight."

She tripped over a branch and caught herself on the soft forest floor. "In the name of the Gods when will you stop being so paranoid," she fumed.

"Talia, are you okay," he shouted into the night.

"Yes."

Reaching out a hand, Hirow helped her back up, "Where did you learn that phrase?"

"What phrase?"

"In the name of the Gods," he said. "I've only heard people back in Celestate say that."

"I guess I picked it up when we were there."

They both froze, hearing rustling among the trees directly ahead of them. Hirow slowly bent his knees to get lower to the ground and motioned for Talia to do the same. The sound stopped for a moment but then resumed. Hirow looked around and tried to gauge how close the noise was. Everything ahead was pitch black. Not wanting to admit it, he bit his lip to remain silent. Talia was right, he thought. Lighting a fire would be helpful, but whatever this thing was would know they were here too.

The rustling continued but had made its way to their left. It seemed to be getting closer.

"Should we run," Talia whispered.

"There's no point in that when we can't see a thing."

"And whose fault is that?"

"You're the stupid one for asking if we should run in the first place," Hirow responded with a sharp tone.

"Well, sorry for trying to," Talia paused.

A blinding light suddenly appeared to their left, then grew softer. Hirow raised his arm to block his eyes from the sudden flash. This sudden development piqued his curiosity, and he looked up to identify the source of the light. All he could see was a faint glow between the thick trunks of the trees. Talia began to stand up and took a step toward the light.

Hirow reached out his hand and missed her fingers. "Talia, wait, we still don't know what it is."

"I'll be careful. I'm just trying to get a closer look."

Hirow groaned and stepped back in fear of her getting caught and revealing his location. "Just make sure to keep your hood up. No matter who they are, they can't see your white hair."

Talia stepped forward, keeping behind the trees. The outlines of each trunk were very distinct from one another as the glowing light penetrated far into the forest. Gripping the nearest tree she peaked around its trunk. Not far ahead, she saw a golden creature that resembled a wolf. She had seen one about two days ago, but this one didn't look anything like it. It had a long tail that flowed like a river and appeared to be floating in an ethereal way. The body of the wolf looked like it was made of molten gold that would dissolve at the slightest touch. Talia removed her hand from the tree and prepared to step forward when she heard the voice of a little girl call out.

"Lumy. Come here."

The wolf turned around and faced a little girl who couldn't be more than seven. The girl stumbled forward, and the wolf came closer as she placed her hand gently on its back. Talia leaned to the side of the trunk to see if anyone else was around. She froze as the girl suddenly turned to face her.

"Who's there," she called out.

Talia glanced back at Hirow, unsure of what to do. He remained crouched in the foliage, remaining quiet. A lot of help he's been, she thought. Stepping out from the shadow of the tree and into the clearing she approached the girl.

"Hi, my name is Talia. What is yours?"

"It's Anna nice t- to meet you," she stuttered. She looked up to observe her surroundings. With a shake of her head, her eyes which were covered by her bangs became visible. They were completely clouded with a milky white color.

"Talia, where do you come from?"

She paused thinking about her answer, "I recently came from a village in the west."

"Do you want to pet my wolf?"

Talia was taken aback by her straightforwardness. "Okay."

She stepped forward carefully once nearer to the wolf she turned back and noticed that Hirow was out of sight. This was just a little girl. There is no reason to be cautious of her. She placed her hand on the wolf's back, surprised to find that it was solid. It felt warm and pulsating with life.

"You're a bright and beautiful person," Anna said.

"Thank you," Talia smiled, "but what do you mean by bright?"

"You're glowing brighter than any person I've seen. That's what my wolf shows me. You're much brighter than that boy over there."

Talia glanced over. Hirow was still out of sight. "How do you know there's a boy over there? I can't see him."

"I can't see him either. It's Lumy who shows me where he is."

"And how does your wolf do that?"

"His name is Lumy. He's different from other wolves."

"Sorry," Talia apologized, "How does Lumy do that?"

Anna tilted her head down and squinted her eyes as she pondered the answer. "Since I created Lumy, I see what he sees. I'm not completely sure how he does it but my Mom explained he sees life flowing through everything."

"And you said I was brighter than any person you have seen."

"Yes, you must be different from other people."

Talia thought about what she said then turned back and called for Hirow. She scanned the line of trees waiting for him to appear. He stepped out with caution.

"That creature, what is that?"

"It's Lumy," Anna responded enthusiastically. "Is he your friend Talia, that boy?"

"Yes, his name is Hirow." She motioned for him to come closer.

As he moved closer to the wolf it seemed familiar. The way its light moved was exactly like what Haddrung had described, but it was here now and showed none of the malice of that same light.

Talia faced back towards Anna, "So, why are you out in the woods this late?"

"I was going out to get firewood and I got lost." She looked up at Talia, "Mommy finally trusted me to do it and all I did was worry her."

"Don't worry we can help you," Talia reassured.

Hirow gave her a concerned look and she shot back an irritated one to match.

"Yeah, we can help you, as long as you have a place we can stay."

"Hirow!" Talia scolded, "You don't just ask something like that it's rude."

Anna began to giggle, "It's fine. I'm sure my mom will let you stay."

"Then it's settled," Hirow said, "I'll go grab our bags, and we can get going."

Hirow went back into the forest, and Talia knelt to face Anna.

"So, Anna, is there any way you can help us find your house?"

"Well, I know it's near the edge of the forest, and I think I came from that way." Anna pointed toward the East.

"Okay, you can take the lead." Talia stood back up, "Sorry, I can't help more."

"It's fine," she grinned, " It's just nice to know I'm not alone."

Hirow re-emerged from the trees carrying the two sacks on his shoulders.

Talia motioned for Hirow to come over. "Anna said her house is to the east."

"We better hurry and get there. It's going to be dark soon."

Talia perked up, "Yes, we should." She didn't want to admit it, but the darkness still haunted her. The thought of sleep still made her nervous, but wandering around a landscape of darkness was a much more terrible reality. They began to move forward as Anna kept her hand on her wolf at all times. She looked back to see if Hirow was worried. He surprisingly seemed to be at peace, but his gaze was fixed on the luminous creature. In silence, they continued forward. The sounds of the forest seemed louder than ever now they had settled down. The leaves swayed in the wind providing a comforting blanket to the rest of the noise.

Talia looked into the darkness ahead and spotted a single point of light. Then another appeared and another until a whole host of these lights filled the forest. They moved without urgency hovering in a single spot from time to time.

Anna spoke up during the silence, "The Cellatins are amazing creatures. Aren't they."

Talia reached out to touch one just as it evaded her grasp, "Is that what they're called."

"I've never seen any creature like these. They're like the lamps at the Ethereal Gathering, only smaller," Hirow said with a sad tone that weighed on each word.

"What's an Ethereal Gathering," Anna asked.

"It's a tradition of my village where we release lamps over a lake in remembrance of our loved ones." Hirow trailed off and grew silent. Talia glanced back and noticed the worried look had returned to his face. She had an idea of what he was thinking yet she didn't know what to say to cheer him up. For her Celestate had been but a brief tragedy, but for Hirow it was so much more. Hirow's eyes sparkled with light from the Cellatins, yet his eyes did not have the wonder she had grown to know over the past few days. Anna squeezed Talia's hand and lead them further into the woods. They continued in silence once again.