Midnights

Chapter Fifteen

Anna Lia

I stared at the Wolf. I wanted to phrase my question correctly, I wanted to ask the right one. But instead I just blurted out,

"How can you talk to me?" It wasn't supposed to be my first question but it was the one I was most curious about.

The Wolf, who had been staring at those mountains again, snapped back to look at me. "We're in my realm. I can speak freely here...I can think freely here."

Think freely.... "What does that mean?"

The Wolf huffed. "When I'm in your realm...everything is harder. It's like being drugged....my ability to speak is taken from me. I can't even think straight....my thoughts come in....blurry...in bits and pieces." He looked back towards the mountains. "The only reason I speak was because I borrowed magic from this realm. I can only do it at midnight on your plane."

I guess it made about as much sense as anything did this night. "So then...Why?"

The Wolf turned to me, cocking his head to the side.

I gulped. I was suddenly nervous. I hated the feeling, it didn't come to me easily. "Why...why do you need me?"

The Wolf's eyes widened a bit. I believe he was coming to the same realization I had earlier; realizing the chance he had now that I was in the same realm as him. He opened his massive jaw, then shut it. He whined a bit before saying,

"I...I don't know."

I was confused. "What...but..." inpatients  rose inside me. "You mean...after all that?!" I threw my hands in the air. "Then what was it all for!"

The Wolf growled at me for the first time, low in the chest. "Hey, I'm not the one that brought you here."

"I'm not just talking about this," I gestured around us. "You attacked Peter!"

"He was hurting you!"

"Because he thought you were going to eat us!"

"Why would I do that?"

"Because you're a wolf!"

"But I'm not!"

I stared at him. "What..." 

"I'm not...I'm not a wolf."

I didn't know what to say. I mean he was standing in front of me in this form, clear as day, in the from of a wolf. I could feel my eyebrows come together in confusion. I had never thought of it before; are the spirits I see...are they in their true form? Or just the forms they take when they die? 

I had never seen what I considered a human spirit before. I had only seen...creatures. Sometimes resembling animals like the ones we have on our plane. Other times creatures that looked human, but were off in some way. Some would have blue skin, others horns. I didn't think I had ever seen a human spirit before. But now I wondered...

"What...are you?"

The Wolf sighed. "I...I don't know...I don't remember. I only remember that I'm not..." He looked down at himself, "...this. Listen," he looked up at me, his purple eyes pleading. "I haven't been following you for no reason. I need you...I just don't know what for."

"But what does that mean," I wanted to help. I felt the need to help him deep inside of me. I could feel this need run through every part of me, warming my heart. 

"I need to find something. I don't know what it is though...but with your eyes...maybe you can help me."

"I...I can try," I didn't mention the fact that it would be hard to find something for him without knowing what it was. 

His tail wagged once. "The thing I need, its in your realm. It's been hidden with magic, though. When I realized you could see us - spirits, I thought, maybe, you could see what someone hid from me."

I shrugged. I was a part of this now. I knew that. There was no way that I could just go home to Mother and Father now. "Like I said...I can try. But first, how are we going to get back to my realm?"

The Wolf turned again towards the mountains. "I...I know where a door is. I know the person who guards it. We can get back through there."

I followed his gaze, realizing. "Wait...the door in on top of the mountain."

The Wolf nodded.

Well. It's not like I thought this was going to be easy.