Two Sides of The Moon - Chapter 7: Chapter 7

-Jack-
Sleeping indoors was... odd. I was used to hearing my pack around me in the cold, windy factory, or the sounds of nature whenever I slept outside. It was so quiet and warm in the little cabin. So warm, in fact, that I had to open the window for a bit in the middle of the night.
I spent the entire weekend indoors. I only stepped outside to use the outhouse. I didn't even get bored, even though I had absolutely nothing to do. I spent a lot of time sitting on the floor in the corner of my living room, thinking...
Oliver's treatment had kept the infestation at bay, so I was free to have my own thoughts. I went through a lot of memories, trying to find some kind of closure. I was unable to look into the future just yet, so all I had was my past. I couldn't change anything, no matter how hard I wished I could, and in the end, I didn't even get my closure. At least Henry was gone, and my father would get what he deserved, but I had nothing to do with either of those.
So... How to move on?
On Monday morning, the tiny cabin started to feel a little too small. I had slept surprisingly well, so I had a little more energy than normally. After I ate breakfast, watching out the window the entire time, I started feeling a little encouraged. Less scared.
Maybe if I stepped outside for a moment? Just to take a look at my yard, even though there wasn't much to see since everything was covered in snow. A small walk around the place. Just for a moment...
It took me an hour to finally find the courage to actually step outside. When I closed the door and put the key into my pocket, I turned into a wolf. The wolf spirit in me was stronger, after all. I took my time to scout my yard, wondering how it would look like in the spring when the snow would be gone. I cleared out a bunch of dried branches that had fallen from the trees while I was at it, piling them up next to the front door so I could use them in my fireplace.
Once I was done, I sat on the porch for a moment, listening in to the sounds of the town, sniffing the air to get familiarized with the scents. It was peaceful.
I had to admit, I was glad Rayleigh had forced me with him. The idea of returning to my little cave nearly broke me. I had already grown way too attached to my home...
Home...
I couldn't even remember my last home. My real home. Back when Mom was still alive, and my father hadn't gotten crazed by his hate and anger.
I forced those thoughts out of my head. Nothing good came out of them. I kind of understood my father for going crazy, because those same feelings, anger and hate, were trying to suck me in as well. We lost so much when the rogues attacked. We lost everything. I would've shared the fate with my father, if...
I sighed. Arch... Without even knowing it, he had pulled me out of that path.
The moment he slipped into my thoughts, I felt worse. The images Henry had planted of him in my head tried to emerge, and I shivered. I feared that if I thought about him, the maggots would rise again. I didn't want to get swallowed by the infestation again, not now that I was feeling somewhat normal. Whatever was normal for me.
I didn't want to go back inside just yet to do nothing, so I got up and slowly made my way to the gate. I pulled it open but didn't step outside just yet. I didn't want to say I was scared, but... I kind of was. Not even kind of. I could smell so many people around me... Not too close, but I'd run into them soon enough.
There was no hurry, so I took my time. I really wanted to go explore a bit. The wolf in me was done sitting around. The human would've been happy to hide under the bed for the rest of his life. The first step was the scariest, but obviously, nothing happened, so I found a little bit more strength to take a few more steps outside my gate.
At first, I stayed by the fence, but soon, my curiosity won over the fear, and I started wandering away from my plot. Even sooner, I started to enjoy being outside. It was clear that Oliver's treatment was finally working. I felt more... me again. And even though I still carried the fear in me, it wasn't as bad as before.
I stopped to look at my home. I had gotten pretty far from it, though it was still clearly visible behind the trees. Seeing it made me feel a bit odd. Good kind of odd. Like... Like it was reassuring to see it still there. I guess that was how it felt like to have a place to go to when things got rough or scary.
A safe place.
With that thought in mind, it was easier to go even further. It took me a moment to find the closest building, and when I carefully approached it, it became clear that it was some kind of kindergarten. I could see a few adults watching over five or six small kids who were playing in the backyard with tall fences surrounding them. When I started walking around it, keeping my distance, I saw other buildings behind that one. One of them looked important, like some kind of office building.
I didn't feel like going any further, but I still didn't want to go back home either, so I found a quiet place under a big spruce and lay down to watch the people. I was sure they knew I was there, but I was left alone. I entertained myself by trying to guess what the important building was and watching the kids at the same time.
After a while, I had to acknowledge the fact that I was feeling rather peaceful. I'd thought I could never be close to anyone again, but there I was, and the fear was not. Had the infestation really affected me that much? The difference was almost shocking.
Maybe I still had hope.
Suddenly I could hear a distant sound of cars approaching, and a bit later, three big pickup trucks drove past me. I could smell meat as they passed me by. They stopped in front of the second building, the one that looked like an office, and the people exited the cars. One of them was the Huntress.
"All right! Good job, everyone!" she said cheerily as she approached the back end of her vehicle. She pulled a big tarp off, revealing a big pile of dead animals under it. "Let's haul them in and call it a day!"
Ohh... That had to be some kind of headquarters for the hunters.
The kids in the next door got excited at the sight of the hunters – or the food they were carrying in. I had to admit they were good at what they did. The amount of food they had caught was impressive.
And seeing it all made me a little bit hungry.
Suddenly, the Huntress stopped in her tracks and sniffed the air, turning her head quickly to catch the scent she was searching for. Then, before I could even move, her eyes landed on the tree I was hiding under. She seemed surprised, but quickly gathered her composure and turned her back on me, but I managed to catch a glimpse of her smile before it vanished from my view.
Again, it was my curiosity that won, and I stayed where I was. I rather stayed out there to watch what they were doing than just sit in my house and watch the walls. I had the feeling Aurora would try to come talk to me as soon as she was done, but that... that didn't really scare me anymore. She had done so much for me already. She'd kept me well fed, so I owed her a thank you.
It took a while, but eventually, the hunters came back out. They took two of the cars and continued driving towards the town, but Aurora's was still there. I was getting nervous as I waited and staying there was getting increasingly difficult. I was about to leave, when she finally stepped out, carrying a basket with her, and locked the door behind her.
Then she lowered the basket onto the ground and turned into a wolf. I watched her walk down the stairs, but she stopped when her paws touched the snowy road. She looked at me. I immediately felt less brave. I pressed my head on the ground between my paws when she carefully made her way across the road, heading towards me.
She stopped ten feet away from me, wagging her tail. It was difficult for me. The rational side of me knew she didn't want any harm, but the rest of me was getting scared anyway. I didn't feel threatened, but I was still afraid.
Aurora watched me for a moment and then slowly walked closer. I wagged my tail, keeping my ears pinned back and trying to look as small as I could. She stopped, and instead of coming to me, she walked to the tree next to mine, and lay down. I was grateful for that. I guess I still needed more time and space, after all.
She turned to watch the kids, keeping her head held high and front paws crossed. I followed her example and looked away. It took me a long while before I got used to her presence, and even then, her every move made me flinch.
It was safe to say I made the right choice by deciding to not go to school that day... I wasn't sure if I could ever go back there. There were so many bad memories. I'd fallen so far behind too while being possessed. I didn't remember much about the time Henry had been in control of my body. He'd only let me out if he wanted to torture me. My only silver lining was the fact that he had hated every second of having to act like a school kid.
I closed my eyes and let out a deep sigh. Was I ever going to forget him? No... I doubted it. Not him, nor the nightmares he'd left behind. At least Oliver was able to keep them at bay, but now he was gone too, and I was supposed to let another Spirit Walker help me.
Aurora moved, so I peered at her. She had pressed her head on the ground and was now looking at me, wagging her tail. I didn't know what to do, so I stayed still. She waited for a moment, but then whined quietly and crawled a little bit closer. I still stayed still. She kept crawling closer a few times, stopping to wait for a moment before doing it again.
When she was as close as I could let her, I shifted a little further away from her, and she stopped trying to come closer. She was pretty close already. I was uncomfortable, but it was nothing I couldn't handle.
I just wished to know why she was so interested in me. I had a few questions I wanted to ask her, but I wasn't ready to do that yet. Why did she bother? Why was she taking care of a runt from the enemy pack? She was the Huntress. One of the leader figures.
And what did she mean when she told me she had carried my spirit with her?
Maybe she knew I was uncomfortable, because a little while later, she stood up and took a few steps towards her car. She stopped to look at me over her shoulder. I didn't move, so she took another few steps and turned back to human.
"I have something for you," she told me and went to get the basket from the porch. Once she came back down, she stopped in the middle of the road. "I'll take this to your place, okay? There's food for you and new clothes. And..." she trailed off as she grabbed something from the basket. "I found a couple of books you might like."
Why was she bothering? I lifted my head up, feeling a little braver again, and she smiled at me.
"I'll go drop these off," she said, and started walking towards my cabin.
I waited for a moment, but I felt like following her. She wasn't dangerous, after all, just scary. And I didn't want to be scared. I kept my distance, but I still followed her close enough to see her as she walked slowly through the road, and took the path leading to my home. I wondered if I had been given this particular cabin because her hunters were so close, or if it was just pure coincidence.
I stopped to a halt when Aurora walked up the stairs to my cabin, and lowered the basket right next to the door. Then, she turned around and smiled at the sight of me.
"If there's anything you need, just let me know," she said.
I guess she hoped I'd turn back to human so I could speak, but I didn't feel comfortable doing so. She waited for a moment, her smile getting a sad hint to it. She walked down from my porch and stopped again.
"You are safe here, Jack," she said quietly. "I will protect you. You have my word."
I believed her, yes, but it was more complicated than that. I guess she knew that, too.
"I've seen your spirit. I held it in my arms for a split of a second. It was so small... So weak... For a moment, I thought you were lost," she spoke, her eyes sad. "I wish there was more I could do for you. I'd give you my strength in a heartbeat if it were possible. I know you don't trust me, but I am here for you."
At that moment, I wanted to turn back to human just so I could tell her I appreciated everything she had already done for me. But... I couldn't. I just couldn't...
But there was something I could do. I took a few careful steps closer to her, hoping she would understand I trusted her. Her smile immediately turned brighter.
"You have undeniable strength in you," she said with a warm voice. "Oliver told us that you're already growing stronger. I can see that."
Oliver was right. I did feel stronger. If I weren't, I wouldn't be here. I just wished the infestation didn't return to take that strength from me...
"One day at a time, am I right?" she asked.
I wagged my tail as a yes.