The Call of the Woodland Spirit

Chapter 17

"She's ice cold. Keep the blanket around her."

"A bruise is starting to form.."

"Poor thing. She's young, too. Was it really a good idea to go sledding in this winter? If there's one of them, the pack isn't far behind. You're lucky the dogs didn't bail on you, Suga."

"I know wolves don't travel alone, Blake. But... I've never seen one this close to the fjord in all my years..."

A great sigh echoed through the inside of the cave. The third voice was much quieter.

"She's trembling.. it's all my fault."

"Arashi, stop—"

"Shh, shh! She's waking up."

My eyes opened, and three faces stared down at me. I recognized two of them instantly. Suga, her face extremely pale, had managed to rid herself mostly (but not completely) of the snow that had fallen upon her. Her eyes twinkled with relief as I caught her gaze. I turned my head slightly to consider the other familiar face with a wince at my aching neck. It was Arashi. He had also turned really pale and his eyes were watery. To my deep despair, I wondered if he had shed tears. The moment he realized my eyes had cracked open he let out a few, easier breaths.

"Oh, thank goodness.." he mumbled, trying his best to crack a smile as I met his eyes, but failing. "I was so worried. I thought you weren't going to wake up." I gave him a shy, embarrassed smile, trying to loosen his tight features. He didn't drop the sorrow in his face. I then noticed I was sitting, almost laying, against something. Several blankets were swaddling me, tight around my frame. I turned. I had been resting my head on a rock wall—well—more like a huge boulder that grew outward from the wall. I was sitting on another very uncomfortable rock, this one in a slightly smoother shape and one of which was.. part of the ground.

Wait..

I looked around, curiously and slightly confounded. I was in a huge, hollow cave, the only source of light being somewhere near the top, where rocks angled to allow shafts of light in. It was still bright enough to see everything clearly, but peculiar. What is this place?

The ground was rock. Hard, unmovable, rock. I tapped it with my foot. Yup.

The walls were curved, almost like a dome above us. Although it was probably a perfectly natural cave, it was quite nice. Icicles hung from the rocky shafts above, and snowflakes drifted in gently with the sunlight. I tried to stand, but a pair of hands lightly pulled me back down.

"Careful."

I looked curiously at the third figure. It was a tall man I had never seen before. He was sitting on a larger boulder with Suga. The mysterious man had fluffy golden hair and dark, deep eyes. He scratched at the beanie on his head, which made his eyes seem infinitely darker.. but they were kind, and had a gentle twinkle in them.

He smiled as he caught me staring. One of his arms was around Suga. "Hey there," he said, his voice good-natured and friendly. "How are you feeling?" His tone was hopeful and maybe even a little curious. I, not knowing how to handle the moment, nervously fidgeted with the sleeve of my jacket. I couldn't say anything too comfortably, as he was a perfect stranger to me. I turned to Suga and Arashi instead. Arashi was sitting cross-legged on a flat rock a foot or two away, and he tried his best to smile whenever I looked at him, but to no avail.

Suga on the other hand, was trying to calm herself down as she leaned with all her weight on the mysterious man beside her. Their hands were tangled together all too familiarly. Ah, I thought. Her husband. Where did he come from all of a sudden?

Suga's husband tried again, asking me how I felt with an large amount of patience I had seen very rarely. This time, I bit my lip and finally met his eyes. "I'm feeling alright, I guess. My head just aches.." I trailed off, waiting curiously for his response.