Of Frost and Flames

Chapter 1

Early mornings had always been a struggle, yet Cahira got out of bed every morning to get her morning exercise in. Puddin was sleeping at the edge of her bed as she slipped out from underneath the covers, careful not to wake him up. She gave his head a gentle scratch before stretching as she went over to the bathroom. She stripped out of her pajamas and stepped into the shower. The hot water against her skin soothed her nerves. The night before its toll on her, with the fight with her dad.

"You can't just go wherever you want to, Cahira."

"Dad, I'm an adult. I could move out of here if it came to it. Why can't you trust me with my own life?"

The day before, she had visited the graveyard to visit an old friend after work, not thinking of saying anything to her parents about it. When she had gotten home however, her dad had raised his voice at her, acting like she was still the little kid that they needed to watch out for. Cahira hadn't wanted to deal with it, so she went to her room and locked the door behind her, listening to her parents getting ready for their night shifts.

Cahira sighed as she stepped out of the shower and looked at her reflection in the mirror. It seemed twisted somehow, and for a slight second, her eyes seemed to flash another color. She shook her head and walked out of the bathroom, Puddin already waiting for her by the door.

"My loyal companion," she smiled.

He barked in response and did a small spin. Cahira chuckled. She went to grab her clean clothes and pulled them on, a pair of sweatpants and a sweater. Puddin grabbed his leash from the desk next to the door and waited patiently.

"I still can't figure out how you learned that," Cahira frowned, grabbing her cap, and heading for the door, "maybe you're just smart."

She shrugged, unlocking the bedroom door, and quietly walked down the hallway. At this hour, her parents would still be fast asleep after coming back from their shifts. And after the night before, she did not want to wake up either one of them. Once she was outside, she grabbed the leash that was meant for Puddin and tied it around her waist but didn't put the clip on his collar. She knew he preferred to not be tied down like that. They walked down the street, following their usual route. The town was still sleeping at the hour, beside a few people walking either home from a shift or being like her and taking advantage of the peace the early mornings brought.

The trees replaced the buildings, and the street was replaced by a dirt trail that had been trampled down by hikers. Cahira loved this part of town, the wildlife was respected by the people and protected by the city. Puddin seemed to also like it, the way his tail was wagging and his tongue sticking out of his mouth. It was adorable to look at. As they got deeper into the forest, Cahira slowed down to a halt, taking a moment to look around them. Puddin roamed close by to take in the new smells from the day before.

"Good morning, Cahira. Tell your father he forgot the package and need to pick it up before the day is over."

Cahira looked over as the mailman walked past her, his stick in hand and a small nod of his head.

"I will, thank you," she called back as he continued further down the trail.

One of the few people she tolerated when it came to light conversations. He had been working with the mail ever since she could remember. It gave her such joy in seeing him still doing what he loved doing, even if it was early in the morning and he sacrificed so much to be able to do so.

"Come on, Puddin. We shouldn't take too long."

As she turned to look at her dog, she stopped. He wasn't where she'd seen him last. She looked around the area, searching between the trees for his golden fur. She almost gave up when she spotted the wagging tail down by the lake. The redhead went off the trail and went down the hill to the lake. What could have possibly caught Puddin's attention that he was running after it so eagerly? She ignored the branches and rushed down the way her dog had taken. The forest became thicker, and she couldn't get away from the branches.