Page 62 of Monsters of Desire and Nightmares of Passion

Entering The Valley is a risky move, a gambit I undertook of my own accord and the outcome of which is still to be seen. We could lose everything here, including ourselves.

The forest surrounds me. As I stand, I shift back into my human form and decide to rely on my human senses to find the others. Using my Shadow powers would bring unwanted attention from hungry creatures hidden everywhere. The next tree could be one of these creatures, or this rock on the ground beside me.

Worrying about Ivy won’t help. The vortex that opened into this world is not reliable, and it’s possible my mates were spit out on the other side of this changing place. The Valley is made of forgotten dreams and broken nightmares. The Shadows who live here are deplorable creatures that lost their anchor and never found a way to regain balance. This is the equivalent of the human’s limbo. Things can feel familiar, but this is merely a trick to make you relax your guard. I need to maintain my vigil, but I’m not even sure what is going to attack me.

The moss feels soft under my bare feet. I decide any direction is as good as the other. Direction are not relevant in The Valley. As I walk, the forest around me changes from green and lush to something that seems like a winter wonderland.

As soon as the landscape changes, I hear a stream of water singing in the distance, calling out to me. My throat is parched so I head in that direction and kneel in the fresh snow. Even though the snow reaches up to my ankles, my feet feel warm. The water is so clean I can see a reflection. The reflection is of a man. Is that me? I’m not sure.

I break the surface of the stream with my large hands and fill my palms with the glorious wetness. Splurging the water over my face and head, I feel refreshed.

I can’t remember why I’m here. Again, I ask myself, what is it I’m looking for?

The question moves inside my head like a swarm of bees. Ah, yes. I’m thirsty. I’m looking for water. I stop by the stream and kneel in the snow to drink water and it’s glorious.

Cold bites into my flesh, scratching against my skin like an angry beast. That must be what I’m doing. I’m cold and want to make a fire. I must be looking for wood.

My mind is occupied with the need to collect firewood and walk back to the cabin. Exactly. The cabin. That’s where I’m going. Why was I confused a few minutes ago? That makes no sense at all.

Something in the back of my mind tells me I’m looking for something or someone. Maybe. That same something tells me all the answers I’m looking for are in the cabin.

Was I not stepping on moss a while ago? No, that’s stupid. Absolutely stupid. There’s snow on the ground because it’s winter. There’s always snow on the ground in winter.

My thick jacket keeps me warm.

A sound attracts my attention. I go for my axe. My axe. Have I been wearing an axe all this time? Taking it in both hands, I take a fighting stance.

A tall man who looks familiar, but whose face I can’t really place, appears from the woods.

“Hey.” He calls out and makes a friendly hand sign. The man is tall, sports a beard, and looks as if he could break a log with his bare hands. Still, for some reason I’m not scared of him. He’s a friend, although I have no idea how I know that.

“Khal,” he says. How does he know my name? “Hey, The Valley is messing with our heads. You need to snap out of it.”

I look at him and smile. What’s he talking about? Yeah, Khal. I think that’s my name. My head is all right. There’s nothing wrong with me.

“Maybe you had a little too much vodka out there in the forest?” I joke. “You went out to hunt, right?”

The large man scratches his beard. The look in his eyes change from panicked and certain to calm. “You’re probably right.”

“Did you catch some game?” I hope he did. I’m hungry. I wasn’t hungry a few moments before but thinking about a thick stew with meat and potatoes makes my mouth water. Maybe there will be some fresh bread, too.

The large man takes his bag off his shoulder and throws it on the ground. The bodies of a few rabbits and a bird I can’t identify fall out onto the snow, staining the ground with blood, and melting the cool white surface with the heat of the lost lives.

“Yeah, I did. And you’re probably right. I think I was out hunting. Let’s go home.”

“Do you know what’s going on?”

“I have no idea what happened to me. I’m just confused. Probably had too much to drink.” The bearded man shrugs and offers me his flask.

I take a long swig from it. It burns so good all the way to my stomach, igniting a fire that keeps me warm.

“Good stuff.” I tell the bearded man. That’s when I spot a column of smoke rising above the trees. “Hey, there’s smoke. We should head home.”

The words left my lips so easily I feel as if I know this is the right way to go, and that home will be a place with warm food and a soft, delicious woman who will melt into my embrace as soon as I wrap my arms around her.

“Can you remember anything at all?” the guy with the beard asks. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Khal. I think your name is Draw. We’re heading home to our Ivy.”

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