Page 12 of The Hidden Falling
Six
Rhea
Isitontheedge of the water, watching the water flowing down over the edges of the large, circular opening above that mirrors the size of the pool below. The moonlight shines down on the water, making it glisten like a thousand tiny stars are stroking the surface, rippling in a wave of color with the splashes. Small blue-green wisps float around the edges, gliding through the air between the few lilk trees that are inside here, playing with each other in a dance only known to them. Some are as small as the palm of my hand, while a few others are bigger. I gaze at their smoke-like power trailing behind them as they fly before the essence of that power disappears behind them into nothing.
I love being in the cave I have claimed for myself, my own hidden paradise. It’s peaceful listening as the water flows down in soft crashes and the soothing swish of the wisps by my ear when they get close and fly past. They don’t bother me when they swirl around or hover nearby. I take comfort in their gentleness. They know when I come here, I’m respectful and mean no harm. Mostly, this is the only place you can see them, apart from the few times out in the forest.
The first time I found this place a couple of years ago, it was by accident. We hadn’t been this far north in the Eridian Forest, and I was curious, so I went off on my own. I reached the cliffside and was about to move on when I saw an opening within the rock. When I went inside and followed the tunnel, I never expected it to lead to a hidden cave with its natural light flowing from the opening above, or for it to contain lilk trees standing strong and healthy. It was majestic, and one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen.
The moment you first come across pure beauty, it never leaves you. You just stop and stare and take every little detail in. Then you tuck it safely away in your memories for all time, cherishing it. The moment I first saw this cave was one of those times.
Not many people know of this place, and the few who do, don’t come here often as they know I’ve claimed it as my own. Well, with the wisps. But I’m very territorial over it as wolves are when something belongs to them. I’ve made a home away from home here, with some tables at the sides and a few chairs. My carvings are displayed in crevices that act as shelves in the rock walls, proud, precious, and in clear view. I even have some bedding if I want to spend the night here, which I do when I can.
I close my eyes and give a gentle touch to my wolf, stroking her across her head and then down her nose in my mind. She doesn’t let me do this as often as she should, but spending this time together here calms her as much as it does me. She loves it here, feeling more content than she ever has. I have a feeling it’s because we are hidden away but not trapped, the opening above makes it feel like we are out in the open. She needs her alone time to refresh, even if she is still a grumpy wolf. Apart from Kade, Josh and a few others, she simply tolerates everyone else. She wants to be a part of the pack, but also to be on her own or just with her family. It is a predicament sometimes.
She hasn’t come out for fourteen years, no matter how hard I try to encourage it. I received her, and then lost her to the safety my body offers. She lost her freedom, and I lost my wolf in the physical sense. She’s still there inside me, I can still feel her emotions and she gives me a boost when she’s in a giving mood, albeit reluctantly, but with a nudge from me she will if it’s absolutely necessary. I miss her though, even though I only had her completely for a short time. It wasn’t a pleasant experience, but being able to go wolf is what makes you well, wolf.
Without being able to shift, I feel like I don’t belong… anywhere.
“What am I going to do with you, Runa?” I say aloud, my voice echoing around the space slightly as I feel her move beneath my skin.
I don’t even know what she looks like. I can’t see her clearly in my mind, just feel that she is there. The one time she did come out, I was too busy keeping alive rather than taking a look at my paws.
I lay back, feeling the rich earth beneath my fingertips as I watch the wisps fly over me, chasing one another. I sometimes pretend they are the essence of the ones we’ve lost, staying close to home. Many have died over the years, especially when we first started accepting people. It was rough with only a few of us having to try and learn to survive out here. We made a lot of mistakes.
I made a lot of mistakes.
I became obsessed for a little while with our safety, hunting on my own, keeping members inside the settlements and refusing to allow them to leave the protection circle the lilk trees provide. The ones we lost were either buried on the farthest edge of Eridian or lost them to the creature that killed them. I still feel guilt from their deaths, amongst other things. It wasn’t until Taylor and a few others joined that we trained to protect ourselves properly. He taught us a lot about safety precautions and how to hunt correctly. You could say we owe him our lives, because we really were in bad shape when he arrived. We lived out of crude shelters and ate scraps, barely getting by. He saved us all, and since then, we have saved many and none. Unless they lost themselves, walking to the end of the valley and jumping into the Unforgivable Sea.
Solvier protects us within the circle of lilk trees as best as he can, but he cannot protect us from our inner demons.
I hear movement to the left of me, and I turn my head just as Kade steps into the cave, looking around until he spots me. He gives me a small smile and walks over to me slowly, almost hesitantly.
He’s gone from a snot-nosed kid to a six-foot tall eighteen-year-old made of pure muscle. His golden blond hair has gotten thicker on the top since the last time I saw him, and his blue eyes, a slightly different shade than mine, look tired.
I sit up as he plops down next to me, both of us watching as the water hits the sides of the pool and splashes some unsuspecting bugs. Runa comes closer to the surface as we sit in silence, lost in our own thoughts. He’s distanced himself from me, still spending more time as a wolf than human. He just brushes me off when I ask about it and says he’s fine, but I know something is bothering him. I usually wait it out until he tells me, but my patience is running thin. I’m worried. I even went looking for Solvier again, to see if he had any words of wisdom, but he’s been nowhere to be found lately. He does this every so often, but I could really do with some advice on how to handle this.
“You okay?” I ask Kade softly, leaning my head on his shoulder. I pick at the end of my shorts, twirling some loose thread around my finger as I wait for his reply and make a mental reminder to ask Edward to send more material to make some new clothes.
“Yeah, I’m good, Rhea,” he says with a sigh, bringing his head to rest on top of mine.
A few wisps fly past us, and I watch as Kade lifts up a hand. One of the smaller wisp flies down, circling his hand and hovering above his palm like it’s perching there. I giggle as he wiggles his fingers, and the wisp bounces like it affects his position. It doesn’t, but it amuses me anyway.
“Where have you been? I’ve not seen you in a few days,” I whisper, trying not to disturb the playful wisp.
“Here and there.” He shrugs, jostling my head. “Done a lot of hunting and roaming, getting used to all the new smells around Eridian.”
He’s been doing that for weeks now. “No trouble?”
“Nothing I can’t handle,” he replies vaguely.
I lift my head off his shoulder to look at him, but he just stares at the wisp, not giving me his eyes. After a tense silence, he turns to look at me with a troubled gaze and a grim look on his face which makes me immediately alert.
“What is it?” I whisper, knowing I’m not going to like what he is about to tell me.
He hesitates for a few seconds while grinding his teeth, before finally telling me. “I spotted a few Rogures this morning. Don’t worry though, I took care of them,” he rushes to add when he sees my eyes widen at his mention of Rogures.
I shoot to my feet in one move, my panicked eyes looking down at him. “What do you mean you took care of them?” I shout, horrified at what he’s telling me. The wisp flies off with the others, darting behind the trees at my raised voice. I would feel bad for scaring them off, but I’m too preoccupied with my panic. “How many were there?”
