noun ~ a series of thoughts, images and sensations occurring in a person'smind during sleep

I was in the forest again, the smell of burning behind me was overwhelming. I tried to narrow my breathing to not inhale too much of it but it irritated my sensitive nose.

"Run, children, run!"

I spun around from where I stood and took in the familiar scene before me. A woman was running towards me, towards the forest with two small blonde children by her side. Her home, burning to embers behind her as her husband and mate lay dead on the patio. The few guards that remained were fighting off the blood suckers so she could pass through.

It was the same vision I had when I Pollux gave me his blood, only this time, I watched as my mother ran towards me rather than away. She was gasping for breath, not daring to look back as she ran through the battlefield. A vampire charged at her from the back, its long claws scraping down her back  and sides causing her to stumble and cry out in alarm and fall to her knees. A wolf guard wasted no time in launching at the leech and starting a fight with it, but it has already sunk its teeth into her shoulder.

She gasped, the children stood crying in front of her. The girl bent down and gently placed her hand upon her mother's back, her lips moving in gentle mumbles. Mother nodded and shakily got to her feet, taking both children's hands  before trying to run again.

I could see the pain on her face as she stumbled through the treeline. Her body was weakening, the two young children having to pull her into the trees. The young boy, I now see as Pollux, was checking the surroundings as young me tried to coax our mother into the forest.

As they began to disappeared out of site, I found myself walking to follow them, staying slightly behind. I felt my chest rumble with a growl as Mother finally fell to her knees in a small clearing. I kept myself hidden, lurking at a decent distance so I didn't have to look too closely. It felt like I was out of my body, floating as I watched the scene unfold. Everything was different to last time, more clarity, more detail.

"Please! Please help us!" Mother cried.

My eyes darted up as Gaia stepped into my eyeline. She seemed younger, less wrinkled and weathered as she stood in front of my Mother. She was frowning, her brown eyes flashing to a darker shade as she took in the state of the Lycan before her.

"I cannot help you, my dear." Gaia frowned.

My Mother gasped, her chest heaving as the twins cried silently. "Why? Please, my children are too young..."

Gaia smiled gently, looking between me and my twin. "I can help them, but I cannot interfere with Fate and the Moon Goddess unless I want to be punished..."

My mother seemed to understand, a shaky sob escaping her chest. Her head fell, spit, blood and tears dripping from her as she began to shake with pain. She inhaled deeply before raising to her knees to stare at the witch.

"If I am to die, can you tell me that?"

Gaia seemed upset as she nodded ever so slightly, and my Mother's bottom lip wobbled.

"How?"

Gaia grimaced, looking around her as if someone was watching. I sunk further into the shadows, keeping myself hidden.

"The venom in your system, is weakening you. If you do not stop it, you shall become one of them." Gaia spoke.

"I do not want too."

"Then you only have to ask, my dear. I can make it seem an accident, so your children will never have to know the horrors today." Gaia gestured her hands to her surroundings. "You must make that decision, I can only help in certain ways."

My mother was crying, tears flooding her cheeks but she wiped them away with the side of her hand and grasped her children's hands in her own. Everyone was crying as she squeezed them gently, pulling them into her embrace.

"It's going to be okay, my babies, I cannot have you pass like this."

Pollux was pouting, frowning at his Mother. "What do you mean, Mummy?"

"I cannot come with you. You..." She looked to Gaia who nodded. "You are to go with this lady, you hear me? Both of you."

Gaia made a noise of discomfort and Mother turned to her. "What?"

"Your daughter... she has a different Fate. I cannot take her."

Mother's face turned sour. "So you leave her here, to fend for herself? With vampires and hunters on the loose? She will not survive, her blood will be used for men's gain! She is too naïve!"

Gaia grimaced, her eyes unfocusing as the two fell silent. Gaia's arms raised, her head tilted as she spoke mumbles to the sky. I watched with facinsation as she spoke a strange language. A ripple ran through her hair before her brown eyes fell to my Mother.

"I can help that. But I cannot help her. She has her own path, she will survive, but her path is not one that should be passed through. She has a lot on her way. If I am to help, in the only way I can, she will encounter a lot less hardships than if I was to not do this. But her life will not be easy."

My Mother's own eyes flashed with understanding, the familiar green becoming more vibrant as her wolf shone through. After a moment of intense eye contact, Gaia nodded and Mother's head dropped, her eyes dulling back to normal green.

"I cannot do that, but when you meet the Moon Goddess, you must request it, with the upmost importance. You have seen her future, as have I, and you know she will not survive it."

I inhaled sharply, I was going to die? They were talking about my future, about how I would not survive? I was confused, so much information has been given to me...

"I will." My Mother promised.

"Then I will render her unconscious, but then it is up to the Moon Goddess on her choice." Gaia nodded.

My Mother smiled, a pained look crossing her features. The two children were shaking with fear, the younger version of me was wide eyed and looking between the two women with alarm.

"Mummy?" I spoke softly.

"It's okay, my baby, you're going to be okay. I will make sure of it. I will never leave you." She whimpered, kissing my cheek.

She was weakening, her body spasming with pain as she turned to Pollux. "Pollux, I know you are strong, you will find your sister in the future, and you will take care of each other. You will be a great boy, a big, strong wolf like your Daddy."

Pollux sniffled, wiping the tears from his face as he nodded at Mother. She then looked to Gaia, a torn expression on her face. Gaia stepped closer, reaching out her hand to Pollux. Pollux looked between the two elders before he looked to young me, and he frowned, his lip wobbling. So young...

"Its okay, Polly, it's going to be okay." Mother cried, falling back onto all fours as her back contorted.

Pollux took a frightened step backwards but did not take the witches hand. Mother looked at Gaia from where she had been staring at the ground. Raven suddenly appeared from beside her, peaking her face around her own mother's back. Her eyes were a dark grey, not the familiar black I was used to and I observed her with wonder as she seemed to make eye contact with me. She jumped back behind her mother with eagerness and I frowned to myself.

"You can erase their memories, correct?" She asked, with a fierceness.

Gaia swallowed but nodded her head. "I will, it will leave them unconscious, but that may be better for what you have planned with Her."

Mother nodded, giving us a final once over before sighing in defeat. "I love you, my babies."

"Mummy..." Pollux cried.

She gave him a small smile, before he eyes cast to me. "It's going to be okay."

I watched in horror as Gaia's arms raised and a tree began to crack and spark. It was suddenly engulfed in flames and as much as I wanted to run and stop it from happening, I found myself routed to the spot. Mother pushed Pollux into the waiting arms of Gaia and was about to push me when the tree suddenly cracked and splintered, falling seemingly slowly towards the ground. I stumbled forwards in surprise, closer to the flames.

My Mother, the bravest one I have come to witness, did not move as it began to come towards her. She knew her fate, knew our fate's... She watched the tree in all of its glory, watched as it fell and decided to lay herself to the ground, her eyes closing as both of them met their end. Both tree and Lycan collided, the twins both screaming out in alarm and pain. I watched as the flames grew, Mother silent despite the fact she was dying in flames.

The rest of the trees began to join in a harmonious fire, each of them weeping as they too met their end. The whole clearing became alight with fire and I watched with horror as it spread and the smaller version of me, who somehow had fallen to her bottom in surprise, began to be caught in the cross fire.

She rolled, screaming out for her mother and in pain of the fire that licked up her skin. She began to crawl, to search for somewhere to diminish the flames. She was screaming, becoming weak as she collapsed and rolled down a slight incline. I watched as her small body rolled, flames dying down as she splashed into a small stream. She was sobbing, blisterings appearing on her skin instantly as it turned bright red. She splashed, screaming for help as she searched for an anchor.

As if by fate, a large log, big enough for her to cling onto, fell from one of the trees and landed beside her. She clung to it, hugging it for dear life as she climbed ontop. I felt my heart aching as she began to loose consciousness. Knowing what was to happen next, I turned my heartbroken, transfixed eyes to where Gaia was still standing.

Gaia was looking at the young girl float away, an expression of sadness on her face as I disappeared from view. She then looked to the flames, her fingers raising to her lips before kissing them and gesturing to the burning body of my Mother. Pollux was shaking, screaming and Gaia turned to him with sorrow. She chanted something, causing Raven to hold his shaking body as he tried to escape. Within an instant, his body went limp and his head rolled. Gaia took him from Raven, her ten year old arms not strong enough to hold him up.

She chanted something, her eyes turning white and blank as she murmured some words of a language I had not heard. I saw a whiteness envelope them before Gaia's head fell back to its normal position. She turned to her daughter who gave her a tight smile of understanding. A portal began to shimmer behind them and I felt my heart breaking as the familiar scene of Pollux being taken came before me. But once again, just as they disappeared, Raven's eyes found mine and she held my gaze until they disappeared.

The shimmer enveloped the entire clearing as I fell to my knees but before I could hit the ground, I found myself falling.

My eyes flew open in surprise, my body jolting. I was shaking, cold with sweat in bed. The room was dark, the sunrising through the curtains. I was breathing heavy, my hands clutching the sheets as I began to sob.

Warm hands were holding my face, a faint mumbling running through the blood rushing in my ears. Phoenix's face appeared, blurry but recognisable as I blinked, trying to clear the fog.

"Breathe, Nova..." His voice was muffled, filled with worry.

Breathe?

Breathe.

I felt my chest deflate before inhaling deeply, regulating a rhythm through the panic. I blinked rapidly, my mouth shaking as I tried to form words. When my vision began to clear, and my ears began to focus on the sounds around me, a small cry left my lips.

"Phoenix... It was horrible." I cried.

He was shaking, filled with worry as he held my face in his hands. His thumbs wiped my tears away, lips coming to plant a kiss on my nose.

"It's okay. You're here with me, it's okay." He breathed.

I fell into his arms, sobbing as the dream flashed through my mind. I allowed Phoenix access, pulling him into my mind as the thoughts swam ruthlessly. He inhaled sharply,  but rubbed my back with comfort as he watched my thoughts.

What was that dream? Why was it so different? So many questions...

•••

Hello everybodyyy hope I got your brains working and exploding on this gloomy Wednesday day

I enjoyed writing this chapter, I love throwing you curveballs and delving more into the pathway of this book!

Question of the Day:
Describe yourself to me. Go on do it. Pretend this is a dating profile. You have two lines 😝

wc : 2215

Finding Luna © 2021 XDeafening_SilenceX on W a t t p a d