Chaos

Daunting Woods

I had another dream one night, and took note of it having realized my subconscious liked to leave clues for me to unravel.
In a dark, lonely forest like the one the house resided in, there was no civilization in sight. I kept wandering aimlessly about the trees, even as the air grew cold and dry. Fairy lights lit up the foliage with every step I took, emitting soft glows, like that of a fireflies flame. A single tree that stuck out amongst the others. It looked eerily similar to the one in Lucille's pack's territory, the one I climbed to get away. It shot up from the ground with a dense trunk upholding its  grand stature, looming over all that approached.

I ran a hand through my hair as I stared at the very tip of its thick fingers, adorned with lush greenery, flourishing in every inch of it's being.
What am I supposed to interpret from this?

A twig snapped, I turned and was met with an abrupt swing around my head. I ducked and rolled to the side quickly to avoid my attacker. When I could spare a look at my assailant, and finally stood up, I realized it was myself. Or at least someone that looked like me.

She stood before me with a daunting glare that matched my own. It was like looking in the mirror, everything I did, she did. I tied my hair up and so did she, she circled me and I circled her.

With this endless stream of copying each other, I grew restless and tried to find a means of escape. She didn't say anything, but I could tell she hated me. She wanted me to attack first but I just wouldn't; If she was truly a replica of myself, this fraud should know that would never come to pass.

That's when I heard a strangled scream from the roots of the tree behind me. I turned momentarily to check when I really shouldn't have. Knowing myself, I would take any available disadvantage present to attack and this was one of them. But she hadn't taken the opportunity, so I risked turning around entirely to run to the roots, my back turned to her.

The doppelgänger lowered her weapons, standing silently with eyes that studied my every move. I knelt by the roots and choked upon seeing the once magnificent tree turn decrepit and rotten, with holes burrowed like hollow eyes in its rough, grey bark. It was a dead tree, covered in glamour. I remember now that it had always been that way, it was my own delusion that thought otherwise.

The roots covered Lucille face, who was the source of the scream I heard earlier. I tore at the rotten branches over and over and over again, splintering my fingers and breaking my wrists with the repetitive effort. My fingers throbbed painfully for me to stop, but I couldn't. Her eyes had finally closed and the roots invaded her skin and eyes, digging its way in and tearing her apart. I felt like crying and hollering but a sound just wouldn't escape and I felt suffocated by my suffering.

I had finally resorted to trying to tear the gigantic tree apart in desperation. I hugged it and attempted to lift it the best I could, but it was useless, and I knew it was.

My look-alike had grown tired of coldly watching me suffer and, taking it upon herself, she approached me with the intention of execution. The doppelgänger drew a long sword, jagged and ruthless like herself. The blade was already soiled with past victim's blood and thirsted for more.

She swung first and I risked throwing my arm back to catch her hand on the handle. With that, I swiftly punched her in the face whilst attempting to lock her offensive arm in place, a single leg over her shoulder. With that I leaped up, twisting my body and locking her head between my feet, both of us falling to the ground.

She never grunted with the effort to breathe, she didn't grasp at my leg, never tearing the skin in efforts to hurt me and earn the chance to breathe. She simply stared at me, undeterred by her position, her eyes like silver burning embers, flickering dangerously in a dense moonlit forest.
And that's when I woke up.

But that was this morning, now i'm simply making arrangements with Azrail for departure. Meeting with him again, we begun sharing our expectations for each other both of us not able to see eye-to-eye just yet. Afterwards I met with Luna Halo and discussed where and how Lucille will be protected. The Alpha and his Luna had anticipated my reproach, and provided Lucille with a guest room within their personal home.

During all of this, Lucille remained rash in training the pups of the pack, retraining the patrol and teaching them techniques for refinement. The Alpha was similarly dealing with foreign affairs on the rogue crisis, setting the groundwork for improvement on the process of banishing pack members.

I hadn't the time to analyze my dream, so I left it there amongst the other un-coincidental illusions.

Elijah would follow me on this trip and become my personal 'aid' as he called it. He hadn't any other place to go and was willing to serve me. The idea was abrupt, but having someone to run errands in my stead was helpful. He was offered a place in Valentine's coven, but Elijah refused for reasons unclear.
Even though things had been fairly quiet since I started hunting the Mutations, I was aware the witch's activeness would only increase in my absence. Grande Duke Azrail had the contacts to speak with the Roya Pack, however conversation was scarce and lackluster information-wise. They were harsh and demanding, unforgiving winters and less sociable than their Canadian pack counterparts in the further north of Ottawa and a detested relationship with the West of Canada.

It's safe to say i've done my research, but I wasn't prepared for leaving Lucille; I would never be prepared for such a leave. The dream put me on edge, and so for the next three days, I smothered Lucille in affection and was always by her side, no matter the place and time until day of departure.