An Intangible Pattern - Fate Bound.

New Home

*

She awoke with a start the following morning. She had been dreaming again. She was lying on the kitchen island while her mother set plates around her. Noah was sitting at her feet staring down at her.
She looked out the window at the lightening sky and listened to the dawn chorus, breathing deeply to slow her heart rate.
She tried to fall back asleep but it was no use, she was too tightly wound.
She got up and decided she needed to move her body so dressed and crept out of the house trying to avoid waking the others.
She gently closed the latch and walked through the garden. Morning dew covered the grass and the scent of roses hung strongly in the air. She breathed in and understood immediately exactly what had attracted Cat to this place.
Cat and Alex had not been wealthy growing up. Their father had walked out when Alex was four and her mother raised them alone. There was not a lot to go around but they were lucky enough to have secured a council tenancy in a small semi-detached bungalow. Their mother spent most of her time working as a seamstress and Alex had assumed the role of taking care of her sister at a young age. Noone had asked her to, but her mother always praised her for being so grown up, so she tried her best to be helpful.
The house was very utilitarian, such was the case with most social housing; it looked like every other house on their street, had a small concrete garden, low ceilings and always seemed to be dingy and dark no matter how clean it was.
As children Cat and Alex would dream of living in a castle and talk about what it would be like to have a large garden full of flowers. As they grew older, they began to develop artistically and Cat in particular had tremendous creative flair. She painted on her walls until her room was a kaleidoscope of color, she insisted that Xmas lights be hung all year round to brighten the place up. They started collecting interesting crockery and painting old pots bright colors until the garden was filled with flowers and the dull concrete was obscured from view . She did not worry about things like money, mess, rules or responsibilities, she just decided she wanted to do something and she would somehow make it work in one way or another.
Where Alex's mind would crash up against obstacles, Cat would only see opportunities and she both loved and envied her for it.
Alex took responsibility for the practical concerns of day to day life but Cat brought light and color when they had very little.
It was little surprise when she later followed a career in interior design and she would laugh now at how tasteless her early attempts had been, but some of Alex's fondest memories revolved around her sister's ability to transform their surroundings with nothing but poster paint and cardboard.
Looking around her now, Alex was not surprised that she had somehow managed to fall into her dream home with her dream husband. It wasn't entirely luck, she admitted to herself, Cat was just someone who knew what she wanted and didn't let anything set her back for long. People naturally gravitated toward that kind of optimism and brought opportunity along with them.
She followed the rough stone path through the rose beds to the bottom of the garden. There was a moon door opening in the wall that led into the forest. It was one of the more magical things about this place, it marked the boundary between the carefully tended and sunny garden to the untameable shadows of the wilderness. She slipped through the gate and breathed in the scent of pine needles. The sun was rising now and rays of light shot through the trees. A roe deer and her fawn looked up at her and bounded off into the forest. Their presence was reassuring, it meant she was the most threatening thing here.
She picked along the deer track until it intersected with the main footpath, then began to run. Pine needles carpeted her footfalls as she ran, letting the momentum carry her away from her anxiety. For a moment she could hardly believe she had thought these woods were threatening, she felt at home here enveloped in the soft silence.
She stopped for a moment to catch her breath and looked around. In the undergrowth the first flush of mushrooms were beginning to emerge and she slowed down so she could pay more attention to her surroundings. The more she looked the more she saw: there was so much life around her, so many interesting sounds, textures, smells, all the things she missed when she was stuck in her own head. She strolled on, reluctant to leave that moment of simple presence and rounded the corner where the woods opened onto a clearing overlooking the valley. The sun caressed her skin and she closed her eyes and spread her arms allowing it to warm her.
Something wet and cold pressed against her hand and she started in surprise. Looking down, her gaze met the soulful brown eyes of a red setter. She glanced around and saw a man nearby staring serenely out, over the valley. He still seemed unaware of her presence until the dog gave her hand another nudge and woofed softly. She scratched its head gently as the man looked around to see what the dog was barking at.
"Oh, sorry about her," he apologized.
"It's ok, what's her name?"
"She's called Saoirse, don't worry, she's very friendly."
Saoirse once again pressed her nose against Alex's hand and a frown passed across the man's careworn face.
"Sorry if this seems intrusive, but are you an omega by any chance?"
Alex felt suddenly uncomfortable and looked more closely at the man. He wore a beanie hat and a turtleneck jumper under his waterproof jacket. Hiking boots and trousers gave weight to the conclusion he was simply a dog walker. He was small and thin, his face was gaunt and bore signs of a difficult life, but his eyes conveyed kindness and concern: he didn't seem to be a threat.
"I am," she answered warily.
"I didn't mean to frighten you," he said in response to her defensive tone and posture. "I'm an omega too. Saoirse here has a very good nose, she's just warning you that you are going to go into heat soon. She normally tugs your sleeve when it's very strong."
Alex looked in astonishment at the dog, crouched down and gave her a good scratch around the ears.
"That's amazing! How did you train her to do that?"
"She's a service dog so she's been specially trained, there's a woman in Manchester sanitorium who breeds them."
Alex's face lit up and she looked up at him hopefully.
"Do you still have her contact details?"
"Sure, but there's a high demand so you might find yourself on a waiting list. She tends to prioritize..." he stopped short then took out his phone, a notepad and stubby pencil. He scratched down an email address for her and handed her the scrap of paper.
"Thank you so much!" breathed Alex. Hope swelled in her chest, and tears pricked at her eyes. A dog like Saoirse could completely change her life, she would know when it was coming, no more guesswork. She'd have a warning before a situation could spiral out of control. "You have no idea how grateful I am."
He smiled kindly at her, "She completely changed my life, I don't go anywhere without her, but she's also a good friend." He patted the dog affectionately.
"She's lovely," said Alex giddy with excitement. She wanted to rush home immediately to ask about getting a dog just like her.
The man smiled and started down the path toward the valley. He turned and gave her a last look, "You should head back soon, miss. It's generally quite safe out here, but you will want to take a suppressant shortly, she's never wrong."
"I will, thank you!" She called after him and turned back and ran to the house.
She took the suppressant as soon as she got back to her room and only then realized she hadn't even asked the man's name. He seemed to know the area well so she guessed he was one of the neighbors. She hoped she would run into him again, he seemed like a nice person and it was always good to meet other omegas. She would ask Cat about him later, she decided.