Chapter 1
FROM BEHIND THE VEIL
I clap my hands in my bubble as the room is filled with song. I close my eyes and start dancing side to side. The music fills my heart. It fills his too. I can tell.
I sit on his dresser and wait for him to come out of his dressing room.
I bounce and sway to the song. My bare toes tap to the fast beat. This music makes me happy and it seems to make Wes happy too.
He throws open the door with his mouth brush in his hand. He’s singing to it loudly. He’s such a beautiful singer.
He’s all wet in a towel. He dances into the room and to the room that holds his dressings.
I laugh in my veil as his backside wiggles. He searches as he dances.
He comes out and spins around, throwing his findings on his bed.
I have to float out of the way when he dances over to his dresser. He opens it and pulls out some more coverings.
I float in the air, cross legged as I dance to his song.
He takes his towel off and puts on his tiny coverings. Now he looks really silly. I like his natural state a lot. It makes my skin feel funny, but I think he looks best without all the coverings he puts on. His toned, dark skinned body is so nice to look at. I’m impressed by his muscle structure. You don’t see that on the wolves in my forest.
He spins around and sings into his fist. He dances to his bed and he puts on his bottoms and sings softly about being on the prowl with wolves. Not really something I find fun, but he’s part wolf so I can see why he’d like it. He likes wild ones. Whatever that means.
He walks back to his dresser and fixes his short, brown hair. His blue eyes sparkle. He’s so happy. He feels excited.
He’s been talking for days about this night to his brother. I’m glad he’s happy about it. Me, not so much.
He’s going to something called Feral. It’s a loud cave filled with lots of his people. The music is fun and I love watching the people dance around like a celebration, but it’s why we go there that upsets me.
I shouldn’t go, but I’m attached to Wes. I’m bound to protect him from monsters, evil warlocks and yellow haired females that call him sweetie. They really burn my insides.
He looks in his mirror. He smells so good. Like the pine covered paths of my forest. If I wasn’t bound to him, I’d still be able to find him with his smell.
So, you’re probably wondering how this happened. It was a complete accident really. I have accidents sometimes. I didn’t mean to get bound to him. I just wanted to observe him for a few days then leave.
So what’s the problem? I can’t leave him, but I can’t show myself either. I’m not use to people seeing me. I’m afraid of how he would react knowing that I’m stuck to him. My people are supposed to be a secret. Wes and the others wouldn’t understand. I can really confuse him if I expose myself. So, I have to stay hidden and I have stayed hidden for several moon cycles now.
Ok. So when did this happen?
If it was wasn’t for a tiny, female wolf hybrid, I wouldn’t have known Wes or his land even existed.
****
She was so alone. Walking through my woods. I was just walking around, dusting the spider webs and making sure the frogs were wet enough, when I heard her tiny whimper. She looked so scared. She pulled on her sand colored hair as she walked her path through my section.
I’m the protector of everything in this section of the forest and I figured that included her too.
I met her on her path and walked with her. I kept her company. She couldn’t see me or hear me, but I could tell she was relieved for me to be in her presence.
She walked for days. In the sunrise time, I’d bring her wild berries. I’d set them on a leaf as she slept. I don’t want my new friend to go hungry. It confused her at first, but she ate them and I would have my own in my watery bubble. We would eat together and talk. Well, I would talk. She would just eat.
I wondered where she was going. What would bring her deep into the heart of the forest. The only way I was going to get answers, was to follow her further.
It's against the rules and if I was found to leave my section, I could be in super deep trouble, but I felt this was important.
What I found out was not only important, but so special.
When my little friend completed her journey, she was met by a very handsome man.
I stuck to a tree as I observed them. He looked strong and large. Much larger than her and me, for that matter. I’m even smaller than my friend.
His voice was deep. I felt it in my chest, but he talked with a soft voice.
I walked around him. His tanned skin and blue eyes were so interesting to me. I felt my friend liked it too, but she was acting fearful of him. Hiding behind a tree.
I walk over to her and look at her curiously. I can feel her feelings. They’re strong for him. Inside she feels happy, but I don’t understand her need not to show it.
He asks her what her name is, she doesn’t tell him. She’s such a secret. I feel like there’s something she’s hiding from him. Something scary.
“Ok. Foxy lady it is then.” He says.
I look her up and down and look at him. “She doesn’t look like a fox.” I say in my bubble. I’m confused.
The man says his name is Grey. I smile because I think that name sounds funny.
She peeks from behind the trunk. “Like the crayon?”
She talks so quiet. She’s shy like me, I guess.
He smiles and chuckles. “Like the crayon.” He nods.
What’s a crayon?
Then Grey moves to one side of the log he’s sitting on. He points to the other side. “I’ll stay right here. I promise.”
My friend looks like she wants to sit, but is still very nervous.
I wave my hands to the log and look at her. “Sit. Sit.” I say excitedly. I’m happy for her. He wants to talk with her. She should be happy too.
She slowly walks out. Greys face changes. I tilt my head to understand. He looks like he just saw a rainbow. I like rainbows.
I walk over to him and stare at his expression. I try to read his feelings. He’s all over the place, but I feel this large feeling of want. He wants to be with her.
She sits down and I squeal with delight. I bounce on my toes and motion my hands to them. “Ok. Talk. Go ahead.” I sit on my backside on the ground. I cross my legs and watch them with anticipation. “Come on. You can do it.” I encourage.
Grey asks her if she likes music. My friend doesn’t say anything.
He reaches into his dressing and pulls out a tiny, purple thing. He sets it on the log.
I lean on my hands and put my nose to the log. My large, green eyes blink at it. I turn to Grey. “What is that?” I point to it.
“You put it in your ear. Like this.” He says. He has another one and he shows how it works.
My friend does what he says.
He pulls out another thing and hits it with his finger. I walk on my knees. I look it over. It has lights on the top, but not on the bottom. I look up at him. “What is that?” He doesn’t answer.
Then as if by magic, I hear song come from his ear.
“What?” I stand and lean to Greys side putting my ear to his without touching him.
It’s so different than the song of my trees. My eyes go large and a smile fills my face.
I look to my friend then walk to her. I lean to her side. It’s in her ear too. This is amazing!
My friend is covering her mouth with her dressing as the song plays. I see a tear leave her eye. This concerns me.
I sit down beside her and lean to her. “Does it hurt?”
She smiles and a little laugh comes from behind her hands. It doesn’t hurt, it just makes her really happy.
I turn to Grey and he’s looking at my friend intently. His eyes are so filled with care for my friend. He just met her, but he wants to make her happy. I can sense he wants to be special to her and wants to give her his gifts. She likes his gifts.
I also get the sense that there’s something else going on. Like a secret between them. Something that draws Grey to my friend that only he can feel.
“Grey! You out here?!”
I turn to another deep voice coming from the place Grey came from.
I hear my friend panic and start to whimper.
“No. No. It’s ok. He's OK.” Grey starts to panic as well.
My friend looks around wildly like she wants to escape.
I stand in front of her. “Grey says it’s ok.” I try to calm her.
She gets up and runs away.
I watch her leave. I feel bad. She was so scared.
“No…Don’t leave…”
I turn to Grey and look at his face. He’s so sad. He flops his hand to his side. I look between the trees where my friend left and back to Grey. He hangs his head. He’s hurt. I feel bad for him.
“Who you talking to?”
I turn to the voice and my heart stops. My head flicks fast between the two.
The man who came from the path looks exactly like Grey. Same brown hair. Same blue eyes. Same dark skin. Same sharp facial features, but this man doesn’t look as sad as Grey does right now.
I walk in front of him and study him further. It’s funny. He looks just like Grey, but I feel different about him for some reason. I feel more curious about him than I did with Grey. My eyes travel over his large body. He’s just as strong and built like Grey. He also towers over me.
I had to find out more.
The two leave the woods and I follow. I hated leaving my friend, but I had to see where this man goes now.
They cross the edge of the woods and I stop dead in my tracks.
The great expanse is filled with large structures. It goes for acres.
My jaw drops. “Man country.” I gasp.
I’ve heard the tales of these lands from the elders, but I never thought they actually existed.
I rub my eyes and blink them to make sure what I’m seeing is real.
More men walk around and do various different things. I’m not sure what they’re doing, but it looks like fighting.
My attention turned to Grey and his double.
I look down at my toes and wiggle them in the forest dirt. I look back up to the man’s back.
I suck in a deep breath, puff my chest out, close my eyes and take a big giant step over the edge of the forest. I blow out my breath and open my eyes. I look back. This is the first time I’ve ever left the forest.
I look ahead. It’s for the greater good. Besides. I’ll only be gone for a few days. The forest can survive without me.
I put a hop in my step and run to the men. Joining their pace behind them.
“You ok?” The man asks Grey.
“I’m fine.” He grumbles. He’s so miserable. Did my friend hurt him that much?
“Grey. You’re not fine. There’s something going on with you. What’s wrong?”
“Leave it, Wes.” He scowls.
His name is Wes? I like it.
“Grey. I can’t. Since the fight in Black Rock, you’ve been acting weird.” Wes stops Grey.
“Look. I told you before. It’s just migraines and I’m ok. Now leave me alone!” Greys voice is sharp as he walks away.
****
I found out later that Grey was suffering from what’s known as a fate bond. I still don’t know what that is, but from the sounds of it and from what I seen, it drives the men here crazy.
Anyway, Grey and my friend were bound to each other. Mia is her name and she’s a creature known as a Phoenix wolf. A special being who protected a pond of water.
The pond was kept by a group of red wolves. Though to me, they were warty toads. The felt evil to me and as it turned out. They were. They took Grey prisoner and killed Mia. They also killed Grey again.
But by magic I don’t understand, Mia and Greys life forces were brought back by the pool. Unfortunately, that release an evil monster known only as Kay-Os. He took the life forces of a lot of people. Grey and Wes fought valiantly. They were heroes.
I’m not one for fighting, but what these boys do, is a lot like what I do. They protect the things and people they love.
The place they live is called the Unit. It’s run by several leaders who are called the Alphas. They met a special person named William. He’s a large wolf hybrid and very old. He beat back Kay-Os and destroyed him. This made him very sad because Kay-Os was his brother. He didn’t want to take his brothers life force away, but it had to be done. I don’t think I could make the same choice if I had to do that to one of my sister or brother.
Anyway, Kay-Os was fighting with red wolves and Wes had to fight them. They were taking over the Phoenix City and the Unit wanted it.
They battled for days over it and the Unit won. It was a grand day indeed.
There was so much more after and I got so swept up in Wes' world, that I forgot about my duties to the forest. I haven’t even recharged myself in the four moon cycles I had been gone and I was starting to feel it.
I had to leave Wes, but I didn’t want to leave without doing something first.
****
To understand how Wes became my charge, you should probably know some things about my people.
We don’t interact with people because of the power we hold. It comes with a lot of rules.
One of those rules is very important…and I kind of forgot about it while I traveled around with Wes.
After a long time of watching Wes and Grey interact with themselves and their friends, I had grown attached to him. He’s just so interesting as wolf hybrid. It makes me happy to see him happy so I wanted to show him just how I felt.
I brought him an acorn. Not just any old acorn. A very special one. I was so excited to give it to him, I kind of scared him by accident. To make up for it, I put the acorn in a spot he was sure to find it. The toe of his boot.
Now, receiving gifts from someone like me can either be a blessing or a curse depending on how you feel at the time. When he found my gift, I felt his feelings. He was scared, mad and annoyed. This disturbed me and I was about to take it back when…
“Thanks a lot.” He growls and throws it in his locker.
My eyes shoot open. “Oh no. He said it.”
Yes. Wes thanked me for the gift.
My sparkles rise around my bubble and fire out like an arrow aimed at his chest.
“No! He can’t thank me when he’s mad!” I clench as I try to pull my sparkles back. I arch back, grit my teeth and my heels slide across the floor to him as I pull, but they’re too strong. I throw up my hand and try to block Wes with my power. A shield erects around him, but my sparkles smash through it with determination. They hit him and coat him all over in a shimmery blanket. I flop my hands to my side and tilt my head.
“Oh shoot.” My worried face looks over him as he glows and a ball of light floats off him and it floats to my chest. It’s absorbed into me and I arch back as he fills me. My body glows gold as the charge bond is created.
When it dies down, I look around the room.
I start to pace. “Ok. Don’t panic. It might not be that bad. He’s mad now, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he can break my bubble. I just need to keep him happy. That’s all. It’ll be easy…I think.” My brows go up as I see him eyeing the spot I’m standing in. “Darn it!” I close my eyes and disappear.
So that’s it. That’s how I became attached to Wesley. One tiny mistake sent me on the best adventure of my life.