Chapter 4
The Wolf World of Elementa Universe
Year 3022
The sounds are all around me. Making my head spin, my vision began to blur. Fighting the dizziness that threatens to spin me unconscious. My vision contracted to a single dark spot, then disappeared altogether. Leaving what felt like darkness for a moment but is now a bright void. Blinded by the sudden pull through the fog of noises.
Then it all stops. Feeling nothing.
Nothing moved, nothing changed, and nothing appeared to happen.
I was in nothingness.
I don’t know what is worse, the sound of sad wolves howls or this. Feeling a sense of terror I close my eyes, thinking maybe just maybe I’ll be back. Losing my sense of who, what, or where I was. My heart is in chaos and no power of body or mind can fight against it.
I opened my eyes, and as I did, I saw a new world around me. I turn around, mesmerized yet terrified by this new world. I caught my reflection in the store window. I could see myself but I’m certainly not aware of myself. I still look the same, wearing Silas’ sweater that’s oversized on me, and holding onto his favourite watch. I stumble on the ground, powerless. My wolf was weak, and I couldn’t sense her presence.
What’s worse not hearing your wolf speak to you since you were a child or not feeling her at all?
I look up to see a peculiar large yellowy cracked moon that is up close. So close that I could swear you could fly to the moon within minutes.
Maybe that’s why I’m weak. The moon is cracked in the middle.
I remember learning in history class about the moon and how it’s our spirit wolf’s source of energy, but without the full moon, our spirit wolves are weakened. Maybe this place doesn’t have any wolves. Just the thought of this had me trembling with fear.
I can’t let them find out. They’ll just kill me.
Skyscrapers surrounded the entire city, and flying vehicles and transit trains were hovering above. With 3-D holograms, signs are displayed all over the city.
Is this the future? Time travel is that even possible? I don’t know this place, and no one seems to be walking below. Do streets even exist if the cars are above?
I glance around and notice something that looks like a drone. It flashes its red rays toward me as if it was scanning my body. Before I knew it, flames abrupted on the drone and it exploded.
“Are you dumb!” A voice shouted from a distance.
“She’s no longer conscious!”
“Help!”
The sound was just a croak as I fell into utter darkness.
*********
I couldn’t move my body or open my eyes. All I could hear were faint voices from a distance talking amongst themselves.
“She doesn’t have a wolf.” A softly spoken voice said.
Good news Selah they are also werewolves, the bad news is I may just have lost my wolf. I thought to myself, as I continued to listen to their conversations.
“What! Impossible! Humans don’t live here; they can’t live here. Unless she’s magic. Is she magic?” A man asked curiously.
“Elder Aodh, what are we to do? Without a wolf, she’ll-..” The same soft-spoken woman asks.
“This is no regular being Drita, Bryni. She’s awake and can hear us but she cannot move her body nor open her eyes yet. I believe this is the child, every twelve years she comes back. I wonder...... ”
I heard both Drita and Bryni gasp in shock from what the Elder had just said.
“Bryni be discreet about this and call her parents. Quickly, you must go now!”
“Yes, Elder Aodh!”
“Drita, call the healers of Oceania.”
“But! Elder Aodh, it’s dangerous to travel from one-…”
“Don’t you know Drita! She’s full-grown now. The healers of Oceania must see her. They will know what to do with her for now your powers won’t work on her. Her powers are too powerful for you alone to handle.”
“Powerful? Without a wolf?” Drita scorned.
“One without a wolf in this world will die instantly, but she’s been alive for over a week now. She’s ready for her next transition.”
“But how?” Drita asks, still doubtful.
“Drita, it’s important for the healers of Oceania to come right now. Do as I say.”
“My apologies Eloder Aodh. I’ll go now.” Drita must’ve left because I heard the sounds of her heels slowly drifting further away from where I lay.
I felt a soft hand touch my forehead. “I don’t know how your journey was but you’ve held on for this long. I ask you to hold on for a bit longer, Sora.”
Sora? This is the third time I’ve heard this name. Who is she?
As I lay down, waiting.
A warm sense of soothing is induced throughout my body. I feel the humming voices vibrate and its powers to enchant, beguile, and charm my soul. The sensation invigorated my body. I’d never felt so alive. It’s an infectious sound that made me want to sputter like a parrot replicating its master’s voice.
Eventually, I discovered my own tongue to speak, and so the same sound came out of my mouth. The effect of my sonorous voice was stupendously enchanting, easily surpassing the effect of all the voices I tried to imitate. I do not know why I am signing but it’s a voice I naturally possess and feel the need to respond and tell them that I am here.
A dialect that I never heard of but spoke fluently, my mother tongue. I wonder how many more of their languages I know.
As I wondered, my eyes fluttered open to an achromatic white hospital room. At least the only thing that suggests I was in a hospital is the bed that I’m lying on. There are no equipment or machines that I was plugged into. Just people staring at me.
Both men and women that surround me now move back with their heads slightly bowed. I noticed that some looked like the man from the ocean in my dreams. They had similar tribal markings around their arms and their complexion looked native, in different shades.
A woman came forward, wearing a dress of fine sky-blue silks that popped against the deep bronze of her skin. Her hair is styled in a voluminous afro and has brilliant amber eyes that glowed when meeting my eyes. There is a herculean-sized man who is right behind her with a similar deep bronze complexion and tribal markings, long brown hair tied back in braids. His lambent, meltwater-blue eyes glowed and he flashed me with an amiable smile.
Another man who hesitated at first but slowly began to approach my side, what stood out from the rest was his intensely icy blue eyes, and his sandy beige regal face were all very attractive. I felt a sudden wave of emotions start spiralling out of control.
This couldn’t be … I thought as I felt my heart knock against my ribs like a caged bird. My eyes were only focused on him now, but something just didn’t feel right about this. It’s not the way my sisters described it nor how my mother and father said it would. It feels somewhat forced but yet I’m here claiming him as mine.
Mate.
His smile broadened from ear to ear. The woman and the man step aside, giving him more space to come closer to me.
“She remembers. You remember.” He said softly, almost in a whisper.
Before I could withdraw from this desire that had crept into me. His face comes closer and gently kisses my forehead. The rush of helplessness, the sinking yielding, the surging tide of warmth from his lips that has left my forehead.
“Can it be.. possible.. Elder Aodh, does she recognize us?” The man asked with concern.
Fighting back my senses from the matebond, I looked to my left and saw the man they called Elder Aodh.
He is tall and wears a red velvet satin robe that makes him look thinner, with silver hair and a silver long beard that down to his waistline. His face did not look faded nor timeworn but rather youthful for someone to be called an Elder. Though I knew all too well that he could be over a hundred years old. He clenched his right hand that was holding his cane and gave me an attentive look. His green eyes are sparkling intensely.
He knows much more about me, I can just feel it.
I didn’t break eye contact.
After some time he grinned before breaking eye contact first and responded, “I don’t think so.”
“But she remembers me.” My mate said.
Mate? Is he my mate? Absolutely cannot be. Something isn't right about this match.
“Hmmmm….. yes but.. does she even know her name?”
The woman approaches me and holds my hand that is lying on the bed.
“Sora.”
Her voice is rich and pleasant when she says that name. A name that felt welcoming but foreign to me. She notices my discontent and asks instead, “What is your name?”
At first, I opened my mouth to speak but closed it. I looked around, others stood patiently waiting. It must’ve been their magic because I felt a surge of sudden comfort.
No longer hesitant, I spoke with volume, proudly pronouncing my name “Séh-lah.”
The woman wiped away the one tear that tickled her cheek. “That’s a beautiful name. Who named you that?”
“Baba, my dad.”
The man next to her clenched his jaw but remained impassive.
“I think for now we must let Sor- I mean Selah rest. It’s been a long journey for her. We should not push any further.” Elder Aodh said.
His eyes were now clay-like and piercing.
I gave a dazed look. I could swear his eyes were green just a minute ago.
He gives me a wink and dismisses everyone out of the room.
The man stands still. “Come Kanza, she’ll be alright.” The woman whispered to him.
“How can I leave, Aponi? We just got her back. How can I leave?” He speaks with heaviness in his heart that even though I don’t know him, feels steeped in guilt.
I must mean something to them.
He reminds me of my father, and I wonder how he would feel once it’s confirmed to the entire pack that I am gone.
A bit like this man is feeling right now I assumed.
My mate squeezes my hand one last time and says, “I’ll come back for you, Sora.”
I didn’t utter a word, I dared not say a word till I knew what, where and who I was dealing with. The woman named Aponi gives a concerning look and Elder Aodh mumbles a few words which seems to assure her and they walk out of the room.
Once they had left I tried to shake the exhaustion that is slowly creeping back in. I needed to be awake and think of a plan. I wanted to leave. This place wasn’t normal. How can I have a mate and not even remember his name? What would Silas think about this? Silas!
A lot was running through my head but I could no longer hold on to the fight. A familiar humming voice began. The more I tried to resist the humming voice got louder, more powerful and enchanting. Soothing my entire body back to oblivion.
“Sora, Time’s up!”