Blood Runs Red

Chapter 4 - Angelo

I managed to get the princess back to her lands before noon, getting her cover from the sun just in time, I turned to leave after she was on her own territory "See ya princess!"

"Hey wolfy!" but she called me as she leaned on a tree so I turned back to her "The name's Anastasia."

I smiled "Angelo, Princess."

"Sure wolfy." I liked her remark more than I expected and she smiled before turning away and limping deeper into her own territory. I watched her leave before I walked away.

"Where were you the whole day? And don't tell me you were sleeping because I know you weren't there." Erika snapped me out of my thoughts coming up behind me as the moon shone high.

"Were you checking up on me in my own bedroom, Erika?" I turned to her but she was already leaning to sit beside me at the edge of the cliff.

"What else is new?" she sat beside me "Anyway, where were you during the whole day?"

Erika's my best friend but there was no way in hell I was gonna tell her that I spent the day paying my debt to the princess of the vampires by saving her life "Couldn't sleep, so I went for a stroll in the woods, nothing much."

"Did you even sleep?" she asked.

"Why do you a---" my own yawn interrupted me.

"Yeah... I wonder where I got that idea from." I wasn't looking but she was glaring at me, for sure.

"Did you come over here just to mom me or do you have any other particular reason?" I looked back at her trying to change the subject.

"Oh! Right! Do you know Jasper?" she asked with a really big smile, something very characteristic of Erika.

"Jasper Coleman?"

"No! Jasper Parks! We're meant to be! Soulmates, I tell you! Our lives flashed through my eyes!" she seemed excited but it only made me laugh.

"Jasper Parks? Isn't he the 3rd this year?"

She faked shock "Those weren't THE one!"

"Obviously!" I joked and she smacked my arm.

"Jasper is! I saw our lives flash through my eyes!" she insisted.

"You say that every time, Erika!" I laughed and she slapped my arm a couple times more.

"I do not!" she protested trying not to laugh.

"You do! If I got a gold coin for every time you say that..."

"First! That makes me sound like a slut, which I'm not. Second! I had THE vision, ok?" she clarified.

"No, you're not a slut, you just have a really tough time finding your soulmate." Then a question came to mind "If the vision is something you only get once in your life... How do you know that's it and not something else? I mean, you obviously don't know, but how do you know?"

She seemed to be thinking for a moment "I have no idea... But that's a very good question... Wait! Why do you wanna know?"

"I'm curious." I shrugged "You seem to fall in love every month, I'm curious on how do you distinguish a crush from the vision..."

It was an old belief among werewolves, everyone had a soulmate and when you looked in the eyes of that person for the first time, you'd get a split second flash of what your life would be like, it's called The Vision. But the thing is... It's something you've never felt before so... How do I know that it's not just my imagination? I mean... Erika thinks she has a different vision every month and I believe that she believes it, she's too innocent for anything else, so... How to tell the difference?

"Hey! Know who can solve this mystery?" Erika suddenly spoke and I looked at her waiting an answer "The Shaman. I'm sure she'd know how to answer us!"

"Good idea!" I got up and offered her my hand, that she took for me to pull her up.

We walked through the streets of our little town where the kids ran around, playing and laughing, and the rest of the pack going about their lives, selling their goods, buying groceries, talking, just their normal night to night lives. Right by my house was the Shaman's house, she knew everything there was to know.

"Come on in young Alpha, Erika." Her voice came from the inside right before I knocked on the door, something I'm not sure if I'll ever get used to, but we still walked in.

"May the moon be upon you, Shaman." we greeted.

"May the moon be upon us, young Alpha, Erika." The Shaman smiled at us "What brings you two here, Angelo?"

"Well grams, we have a question." The shaman was my grandmother, it was once my mother but... my grandmother was forced to take back that position.

"Go on." She pointed us to the couch where we gladly sat "What troubles your young souls?"

"Shaman, we were talking and we ended up talking about The Vision." Erika started "If it's something that we'll only feel that one time, then how do we know that's it? I mean, I've seen a few visions myself."

"Yeah. How do we know that it's The Vision, grams?" I concluded.

My grandmother sounded amused with our question "Can you two keep a secret?" we immediately nodded "The Vision is just a guide, a suggestion if you'd prefer. It just means that the person you were looking at is the best person the universe could find for you."

"Everyone knows that, grams. But how do we know The Vision from our over worked imagination, like Erika?" I asked.

"Hey!" Erika punched my arm again and I laughed a bit.

My grandmother smiled "I know that's not the answer you're looking for, but the only way to know is to get to know the person you shared The Vision with, know them better, then you decide if it was The Vision or not. And that's the secret, pups." She explained "The reason Erika always seems to have a new Vision from time to time, is that she has a very free spirit that won't settle for anyone else than her ideal mate."

"And why hasn't she had The Vision with them instead?" I was confused.

"That I don't know. The Vision is something that eludes even my knowledge." My grandmother confessed.

With our curiosity far from satisfied, we continued our conversation with my grandmother over The Vision. Strangely enough, I couldn't stop thinking of the peace treaty night, where I thought I saw The Vision... But that's impossible. Right?