Page 23 of Upon a Dream

Aurora touched the girl’s shoulders and looked into her frightened eyes. “The only way for you to make it out of here alive is to stop viewing that wolf as a monster, and instead start seeing him for who he really is. Your brother.”

The girl stared at Aurora as her mind processed everything. “What is this place?” she asked.

Aurora softened her expression, hoping the friendly demeanor would help calm the girl’s nerves. “This is a place where you can rise above your fears and come out stronger on the other side.”

“But I’m not strong,” she whimpered.

“Of course you are,” Aurora said, offering an encouraging smile. “You are as strong as your love is.”

“What does that even mean?”

A low growl ripped through the stillness of the forest, and the hair on the back of Aurora’s neck rose. She turned her head and saw the red-eyed wolf lurching out from behind the trees. His movements were jerky and uncoordinated as he pushed through the pain of his injured leg and shoulder.

“Don’t be afraid,” Aurora whispered. “Just remember, he’s your brother.”

The girl’s eyes widened in shock. “My... my brother,” she stuttered.

Aurora nodded, trying to keep her voice calm as the wolf drew closer. “He’s not your enemy,” she said, her voice barely above a breath. “He won’t harm you.”

The girl hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath. “Okay,” she said, her voice still shaking.

The wolf inched closer, his mouth salivating. He walked past Aurora, his focus entirely on his sister. “Annie?” he growled, his voice barely recognizable as human. “Is that really you?”

The girl recoiled at the distorted sound of his voice, but Aurora stepped forward, placing herself between the girl and the wolf. “It’s okay,” she said. “He’s just confused.”

But the wolf kept coming, his snarls growing louder and more desperate with each step. Aurora knew she had to act fast. With one swift motion, Aurora plunged her sword into the wolf’s jugular, watching as the blood gushed out onto the snow.

Annie screamed in horror, her eyes locking with her brother’s. “Ollie!”

The wolf collapsed on the snow, and Annie dropped to her knees beside him, her hands trembling as she cradled him in her arms. “Ollie,” she whispered, tears streaming down her face. “I’m so sorry.”

Aurora yanked out her sword, allowing the wolf to gasp for air. Annie looked up at Aurora, horrified. “Why did you do that?” she screamed through her sobs.

Aurora sheathed her sword without a word. Even if she were to explain, it wouldn’t have made a difference. But it was the only way to get Annie to see the wolf as her brother. As Aurora had guessed, Annie’s fear of losing her brother was far greater than her fear of the beast. And that was the emotion Aurora needed to force out of Annie, because that was the emotion she would need to take back with her to the real world once she woke up.

The wolf’s body shuddered one last time, and then he was gone. In his place appeared a young man, his face pale and haggard, but unmistakably her brother. “Annie?” Ollie stammered as he struggled to breathe. “What happened?”

Annie’s tears slid down her face. “You were sick,” she said. “And then you transformed into a wolf.”

Confused and disoriented, he blinked several times as Annie cradled him in her arms. “I don’t remember,” he murmured.

“It’s okay,” she reassured him. “You’re okay now.”

He gazed at her with a penetrating stare. “You were afraid of me,” he breathed out in a low voice that sent shivers through her arms.

Annie shook her head frantically, trying to dispel any fear that still lingered within her. “I’m not,” she said, trying to sound confident. “Not anymore.”

Ollie’s face broke into a relieved smile, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished into thin air, leaving Annie staring at her empty arms. “Where did he go?” she asked, searching the area frantically.

Aurora placed a comforting hand on Annie’s shoulder. “That was just an illusion. Your brother is safe at home, waiting for you,” she reassured the young girl.

Annie got up, her mind in a haze, and stumbled forward. “I get to go home now?” she asked.

Aurora nodded, then gestured toward the edge of the cliff. “Yes, now you go home,” she said.

Annie approached the cliff’s edge, her toes dangling over the precipice. She looked down, a sense of vertigo clearly taking hold. “Is this the only way?” she asked.

“I’m afraid so.”

---