Chapter 11: CHAPTER 11: WINTER

The purest of white snow blankets over a tiny village. I trek across the sea of frost trying to find a place to take shelter. A child's laughter can be heard straight ahead. 

 

What would a child be doing in this blizzard? It's too dangerous for a child to be here. 

 

After more dreadful swimming through the endless snow, I come across a little boy playing with a baby wolf.

 

"It's dangerous to be playing out here!" I yell to the boy, but it doesn't seem like he can hear me.

His laughter becomes louder and louder, yet it doesn't look like I'm getting any closer when suddenly, it stops. Not just the boy's laughter, but the blizzard as well. It is like time itself has frozen in place.

 

"You look like you're lost, little girl," says a voice behind me. I turn around to see who it is, but there was nothing there. "You're a bit different than the others," remarks the voice again. This time, it sounds like it's coming from all around me. I dash around trying to find where the source of the voice was coming from but to no end.

 

"Who are you?" I question the voice. "Where am I?"

 

"Don't you have the answer to those questions yourself?" asks the voice.

 

I turn around to find the little boy standing behind me. The boy begins walking over to me, but with every step he takes, he grows older and taller. By the time he reaches me, he appears to be in his early twenties.

 

The man takes his finger and points to my heart. "Who I am can be found here? Where you are can only be found in your family's history."

 

"What do you mean in my family's history? Who are you?"

 

The man turns around and walks away without saying another word. I decide to follow him into the woods hopefully to get some answers. As we dive deeper into the woods, a cabin emerges from between the trees. Inside it, a baby is swaddled in a blanket with a wolf as a warm pillow. A woman appears from a doorway with a knife in her hands. Her eyes were bloodshot from many sleepless nights. Creeping closer to the baby, the woman's body shakes from agony.

 

"Monster," the woman whispers. She never says anything else.

 

As I watch this unfold, the man then walks around the house to the back where another scene is happening. With a blood trail behind them, the wolf carries the baby into the woods leaving the dead woman in the house that begins to catch fire.

 

"What did she mean by 'monster'," I ask the man. He, once again, doesn't reply, but walks in the direction the wolf and baby went.

 

Following closely behind him, I watch as the woods open up to a wide field with a small cave carved into the adjacent mountainside. The wolf takes the baby into the cave for refuge from the snow and cold temperatures. It wraps around the baby as much as it could to keep it warm. However, it wasn't enough. The baby begins crying. Not only does the crying grow louder, the snow that accompanies it drops faster creating another blizzard. The wolf does its best to calm the baby down and warm it up, but nothing seems to work.

 

I walk closer to the baby, but this alerts the wolf and throws it into defensive mode. I continue closing the gap between the baby and I but at a slower pace. The wolf barks at me to ward me yet fails. Once I make it to the baby, the wolf is the only thing blocking the way.

 

"I just want to help," I announce to the wolf. Pointing over to the crying baby, I ask the wolf, "Would you like for me to make it stop crying?"

 

The wolf looks back at the baby then at me. It decides to move from my path and lets me pick up the baby. I rock the baby back and forth and hum a little song that my father used to sing to me when I was having a hard time sleeping. Not long after I start, the baby calms down and falls asleep. Likewise, the snow slows to just a light flurry until it stops completely.

 

This child... is a Winter Vessel.... 

 

I set the baby down and sprint out of the cave, weaving through the woods to find my way back to where I started. When I arrive at the blanketed village, I take a look around when I happen to stumble upon one of the residents.

 

"Excuse me, sir. May I ask where I am right now?" I inquire completely out of breath from all of the running.

 

"You are in Eshea. It's a small village with snow all-year round," responds the man.

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Exhausted, I thank him for his time and make my way back through the forest with the rest of my leftover strength.

 

Eshea? If that village is Eshea, then that must mean I'm 600 years into the past! Then that baby must be the first Winter Vessel. If that's all true, then why am I here?

 

"Because you have a purpose," replies a voice from the trees. I stop in my tracks and quickly scan the woods to find the source of the voice. It sounds just like the one from earlier.

 

"What do you mean I have a purpose?"

 

"You have an outside duty to fulfill. One that will change your very outlook on life."

 

"An outside duty? What do you mean? Please, explain why I am seeing all of this."

 

A burst of wind races amongst the trees. The chilled air makes me shield my face from the slices of the sharp leaves that are dragged along with it. When I uncover my face, the man from before stands in front of me with a massive arctic wolf by his side.

 

"Your ancestors once had a bigger obligation for the village Eshea," states the man. "However, one mistake caused your ancestors to be removed from said obligation. You must remember to not make the same mistake they did. Put your trust in those you can bet your life on. Build a new family differently. You have already taken the first step. Once you build your new family, retake the rightful position your ancestors were supposed to have."

 

"What do you mean rightful position? What happened to my ancestors?"

 

"Dig deep. Not just on the estate, but everywhere in Eshea. There you will find the clues needed for you to reclaim what originally should have been yours."

 

Before I could ask another question, the world around me went dark. I plunge into the darkness in a never-ending abyss. The sudden drop must have shaken me as I jump up from my sleep reaching out for nothing. My heart is pounding a million miles an hour.

 

‘Master! Are you okay?’ asks Delic through the mind link.

 

I grab my now throbbing head with a loud groan. ‘Yeah, I'm okay. I just had a really weird dream.’

 

‘Would you like for me to come sleep with you tonight?’ Delic genuinely suggests.

 

‘Yes, please... but only in your wolf form,’ I groggily answer.

 

Without another wasted second, Delic appears before me and tucks me back into bed. He walks to the other side and changes into his wolf form before entering the bed. As he gets comfortable and stops moving, I clutch onto his back and snuggle my face into his fur.

 

"Did something happen in your dream for you to become like this?" questions Delic. I stay silent while digging my face deeper into his fur to which he lets out a sigh of surrender. "Good night, Viola."

 

"Good night, Delic," I mumble under my breath.

 

What happened in the past? What was the position that my ancestors originally held in Eshea? What did he mean by building a new family differently? All of these questions crashing around in my head keep me awake until the twins pop into my head.

 

'Build a new family differently.'

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