Page 15 of Branches of the Willow

I watched as Mikael tried to focus on what he was seeing upon the dais. It was too much, as it often was for me, and he had to look away while rubbing his eyes. “Apologies, the constant shifting is hard to look upon.” When he dared to glance up again, there was only one image, that of a young woman with beautiful auburn hair and dark forest green eyes.

“We forget sometimes, the spectacle that we make. You have nothing to apologize for. I am Aislynn. You shall see only my visage now, but we are all still here, always one.”

“Aislynn,” Mikael repeated thoughtfully. “You were the first?” It was a question and a statement all at once.

“That is correct,” she graced him with a beautiful smile for knowing where she stood in the hierarchy of my ancestors.

I suddenly felt like a jackass because I didn’t even know that. It made me appreciate the fact that I had Mikael by my side even more though. As they conversed, I tuned them out and absentmindedly began moving closer to the dais. There, in the little square of turned earth before them was a tiny little sprout of green beginning to push its way forth from the dirt.

“How can something grow in here with no light?” I wondered out loud. Then, a tiny little pinprick of light slipped through the top of the cave, sending a kiss of sunlight to land upon the little sprout, giving it the nutrients that it would need to grow. I was awed by the beauty of something growing out of the dark, obviously fighting to survive. The white wolves seemed pleased with my interest in the little sprout. Mikael came and put his arms around me, taking note of the tiny thing too. “Maybe when we come back it will be filled out a bit more.”

“We have hopes that your sprout will flourish, indeed.” The white wolves said amidst a chuckle. Those girls always knew more than they were letting on. It was both infuriating and endearing. Before I could ask any questions about why the sprout was there, the world began to fade out again, growing hazy, as it always did to signal the end of a visit.

Mikael clung a little tighter to me, not knowing what was happening. “Relax.” I told him before we faded away completely.

When the dream was over, I woke and immediately turned in Mikael’s arms to see that he was watching me with such an awestruck expression on his face. “Did that really just happen?”

“It did,” I told him before placing a sweet kiss on his lips. “I’m so happy that you finally got to go with me and see it for yourself.”

“Jessica, that was…” he sighed and squeezed me tight as he searched for the right words. “I don’t have words. It was amazing, but I feel that even that word doesn’t do justice to the experience when I’ve just met the entire line of white wolf rulers.”

“They’re pretty cool, when they’re not giving me a headache with their constant riddles and shifting forms.”

Mikael grinned at me then. “What was with the little plant, anyway? You’ve never mentioned it before.”

“Last time I was there, was the first time I saw that patch of dirt, and the wolves were talking about harvest, growth, and renewal. I missed a lot of what they said because it felt as though I was bathing in liquid euphoria. I woke feeling nothing but love, happiness, and…”

“Horniness?” He teased.

“Actually, yeah, I guess you’re right. That was just a few nights ago.”

“And now there’s a sprout?”

“Yes, now there’s a sprout. I wonder what they are growing in there. I didn’t think that would be possible since they are, you know, dead and all.”

Mikael laughed. “I never thought I’d be brought into a dream vision where I got to meet them either, so I guess anything is possible.” He leaned over to get a look at the clock beside the bed and groaned. “We better get some more sleep, love. I have a feeling the real world will be calling tomorrow.”

6

Business

Ourminivacationendedwith a flourish when our phones started ringing off the hook the next morning. “Well, I guess that’s mom’s way of telling us it’s time to come back to work.” I groaned as I glared at the buzzing phone on my bedside table.

“Yeah, I know, Evan woke me earlier. I told him I needed a shower and coffee first, so I have to call him back in just a bit. Why don’t you hop in while I go get coffee started?”

I hadn’t even noticed Mikael wasn’t in bed with me when the phone woke me. That meant I slept through the call from Evan too. Odd. The smallest noises usually woke me. “Hey,” I called out to him remembering our shared dream. “I wasn’t imagining things last night, was I?”

“I’m still reeling from that trippy episode. Do they shift like that all the time when you’re there?” He asked as he smiled brightly at me, having obviously enjoyed the encounter despite how disconcerting their shifting forms could be.

“Yes, they do. It was annoying at first, but I got used to it. I’m so glad I was able to pull you in. I feel like, now, at least one other person in the world won’t think I’m completely bonkers.”

“No one thinks you’re bonkers, Jess.”

“Well, I felt like I was. It’s weird having creatures basically live inside your head that only you get to talk to. Come on, admit it, that’s crazy talk!”

“Okay, fine. But I thought you looked cute when you spoke of your imaginary friends.”

“Jerk!” I smacked his ass on my way through to the bathroom to grab my shower. “Make the coffee extra strong, please! I have a feeling it’s going to be a long day.”

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