Land of Wolves

LOW.1

indelible

The sound of teeth chattering in the morning cold woke the petite woman from her night of rest. The once thick blanket made of wool was now tattered and frayed, much too thin to be deemed useful, and provided little to no warmth for her small bones. Yet, she held it close to her as though it made the difficult beginning of sleep easier to get through. In the air, there was the familiar, lingering smell of mildew. And, with each breath she took, she was forced to inhale the musty scent. Already, a cough had started to itch at the back of her throat.

Her cracked lips parted, gaining momentum for her daily routine.

And so, with a gentle and caring touch, she clasped her small hands around the circumference of both her thighs and pulled them into her underdeveloped chest. The pain that flooded her veins and locked her legs had her chomping down on her bottom lip, digging her incisors into the delicate skin until blood was drawn and it had started to dribble out from the corner of her mouth. An indent that would last days, or weeks, or possibly months. The metallic taste stained her tongue. And, her whimpers of pain were hidden beneath the cracking of her knees and the slamming of her jaw.

Her hands were compressed tightly to her legs, nearly splitting the thin protective layer of tissue that covered her disfigured bones with her sharp, papery fingers as she tried to maneuver them over the bed. The extra weight from her four sets of limbs combined acted as an anchor that carried her upper body forward. Until finally, with much work and continuance, her legs dropped and her feet hit the floor with a throbbing echo.

Her body, and life, were filipendulous.

On pure instinct, her head fell into her hands, and she simply sat there. Silent. Her eyes of powerful oceans, a comparison that she couldn't quite understand at the time for she had never once viewed such a captivating portion of Earthara, welled up with tears, liquid and energy that she could not afford to waste, and her body crumbled as a sob racked her fragile frame.

'Good morning' she told herself with the illusion of being cheerful, for she was thankful to wake up even though there were not many days where she felt alive. And, she wiped at the trail of tears with the back of her hand, feeling her knuckles dig into the fragile spots of her face and leaving a temporary sting.

Her narrow hands gripped the headboard of the bed, which was merely a slab of wood that rested firmly between the wall and the dilapidated mattress, and she held onto the permanently damp timber as she pulled herself up. Groans of pain slipped past her lips, and she squeezed her eyes shut to bask in the ache that always came with the morning.

Then, for however long it would take her, the next step of her regime was to stretch out the pieces of her body until she was sore enough to convincingly claim that she had been running miles upon miles for the last handful of hours. The idea of knowing if she had improved or not was not something that she could easily grasp since her body had not changed in years, and counting the time was nothing but a bother as she was stuck staring at her knees bending into themselves and watching as her feet uncontrollably turned into each other. They were a distressing distraction. Ten minutes. Twenty minutes. Thirty minutes. The length was not important, but what was important was that she was able to get it done. Next, it was the walk around her room that was more than tiring, yet gave her excitement. And, as she travelled, she touched each wall lightly as though she was racing for a prize. The transient emotion of joy made her feel better about her decelerating limp.

However, she was quickly reminded of reality. The corners of her bedroom reeked of a strong fungus that made her eyes water the closer she inched towards them, and, to top it off with a disgusting sight, they were heavily coated with a thick grime that had piled up in the edges. It was a mountain that continued to expand. Not to mention how the entire floor had its fair share, also. Clumps of hair, dust, and dirt littered the everlasting living space.