Page 25 of Wolf's Whisper

"Yes?"

I caught a smile playing on her lips and shook my head. Compared to her over the top brother, Ashleigh was so much more down to earth and subtle. Instead of voicing all the thoughts running through her mind, her expressions were painted on her face like delicate brushstrokes.

"What?" she inquired, gently nudging me with her shoulder.

"Nothing," I smiled back, catching the flicker in her eyes.

"Okay, if you say so," she grinned, like she knew exactly what was going through my mind.

I squinted my eyes, trying to figure out what the twinkle in her eyes meant. “You’re mysterious."

"Me? Not at all, I’m an open book."

"Yes, like an open book with invisible text."

Ashleigh threw her head back, her dark curls dancing around her face. "You really think too highly of me. I’m just a simple woman."

With the laughing lines still on her face, she turned to me. Her hand gently grazed over my cheek as she gently brushed a strand of hair away. With a much softer voice, she added: "No, out of the two of us, you’re definitely the mysterious one."

I snorted. "I really am an open book. Ask me anything,"

Ashleigh pulled up an eyebrow. "Anything?"

"Anything," I confirmed.

"Why do you keep calling me Ashleigh instead of Ash, like everyone else?"

"I don't like nicknames."

"Why not?"

People had asked me before, and while I usually made up an excuse, the kindness in her eyes compelled me to tell the truth.

"When I was little... When my older siblings found out I inherited the wolf, while none of them didn't... They used to tease me. A lot." I paused, wondering if I wanted to breathe new life back into that awful nickname. "They called me..."

"You don't have to tell me," Ashleigh interrupted, her eyes far softer than the ones I used to feel.

"Thank you..." I breathed, not realising how much stress I had been holding in my body. Bringing up old memories always made me realise how much my family, apart from my mother, had hated me.

Ashleigh gently smiled, her eyes glimmering with something I could not place. "We should get that snow and go back," she muttered, her voice slightly cracking.

Before I could ask what got her so emotional, she turned on her feet and bent down to scoop up as much fresh snow as she could. The conversation was clearly over, so I dug my own hands into the cold powder and in silence, we filled the pot.

The world was so quiet it was almost hard to believe a storm was coming. There just was something about Ashleigh that made me forget about the rest of the world. All the urgency, the rush, the impatience of this world seemed to fade into the background.

I almost forgot about the storm, my family, or even the Winter Stone. All I wanted was to spend the rest of my time with her.

Not yet ready to accept that my priorities had been shifting around ever since I met her, I pushed that thought to the back of my head and tore my eyes away from her. Instead, I glared up into the sky and noted how the thick, dark clouds were collecting above our heads.

"We should head back," Ashleigh said, as she followed my concerned gaze. I nodded as I grabbed the pot. I didn't feel like getting caught in a whirlwind or a snowstorm.

With the cauldron filled with snow, we hastily retraced our prints in the snow to the cave. I could make out a small, red glow from behind the fallen and I rejoiced, knowing there was a fire I could warm my hands on.

"Wait..." Ashleigh's cold hand found my wrist. I stared up at her, again amazed at just how blue her eyes were. They were just so clear and bright, it made my head a little dizzy.

"I just..." I tilted my head to the side, patiently waiting as the woman in front of me seemed to search for the right words.

After a short pause, her eyes focused and she brought her face down to mine. "You can tell me anything, okay?"

I nodded wordlessly, knowing well enough that initially she had wanted to say something else, but had chickened out. I made a mental note to ask her about that later, but right now, the rest of the group was probably waiting for us.

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