Other Fan Fiction ❯ Familiar ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )
[ A - All Readers ]
Valaina, Zash, and Lori weaved between tall oak trees, splashed through several creeks, and walked half the forest before reaching their secret spot. They came to a small cave entrance covered in roots and vines. If you hadn't known any better, you would have just passed it up without another glace. But they do know better.
The trio crawled through the opening. The cave grew enough to where Valaina and Lori could stand without hitting their heads. The cave had a creepy feeling on the inside. On the walls are pictures, symbols, and words none of them could understand. You could hear the faint drip drip drip of water in the distance.
Lori had to feel her way around to the oil lamp they leave in the cave for light. “Ow!! What the hell was that?” she yelled, grabbing her foot.
“Sorry! I didn't see you there.” Valaina said, lighting the lamp. “I didn't know you were going for it too.”
Zash led the way through the cave, as usual. Through twists and turns, the three made their way. They knew this cave like their own homes. It's been their spot forever. Valaina watched Zash as he led the way. `This is the place where we first met,' She thought. `You saved my life that day.
Valaina couldn't help but smile as she thought of that memory. It was how she met Lori and her mother too. Valaina had found the cave while she was searching for firewood. She went in the cave and tripped over a rock. She fell on her side, clutching her broken ankle. If breaking her ankle wasn't bad enough, Valaina hit her head on the cave floor. The impact knocked her out. She had probably lay there for half a day before she was rescued. Valaina's rescuer was non-other than Zash himself. When she woke up, she was on Zash's back. He was taking her somewhere, but she had no idea where! Valaina started to have a panic attack. She was hyperventilating and thrashing, trying to get off his back.
“No! Put me down!” she yelled, pounding on his head as hard as she could, “Don't hurt me, please!” She started to cry, thinking of how long a life she still had to live. She was thinking of her horse, Buckweet. He would starve if she died. Her cow, chickens, and pig would die as well. “Please! Just put me down!”
To her surprise, the wolf stopped, and she eased off of him. Valaina tried to stand, but fell back down. Zash sat on his haunches, and watched her try again and fail again. He never broke eye contact.
“Stop looking at me.” She said, grabbing a tree, “You can go. I can get home just fine, thanks.” Just as those words left her mouth, Valaina fell backwards and scraped her arm. “Great. This is just fucking fantastic. As if things can't get worse, I'm talking to an animal!” Valaina started to cry again.
Zash walked over to her and nuzzled her leg. She looked at him. He had grey and white fur. His coat looked quite well kept for being a wild animal. The thing she noticed the most was his eyes. They weren't what Valaina thought they would be. They looked so strange. She never saw an animal with blood red eyes. Stranger than that, they didn't scare her. Quite the contrary, actually, they calmed her down.
Valaina gave in, “Alright. I'll let you help me.” Zash barked, and stood. She crawled on his back, and held him tight. When she was all settled, Zash took off running like a missile through the woods. At some point, Valaina fell asleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Valaina woke up, she was lying in a bed. The pain in her head, ankle, and arm were gone. “That's strange…” Valaina also noticed that her clothes were changed. Hospital garments. “I wonder where that wolf is. That's so weird…” Valaina looked out the window. It was just past daybreak. As she zoned out, someone came into the room.
“Hun, you should really be lying down.”
The sudden talking startled Valaina. She whipped around so fast, her head hurt. “Ow.” She said, grabbing her head. The woman that came in took her arm and led her to the bed.
“Here, sit down.” The woman said. She started examining Valaina's ankle. “The bone seems to be healing fast. It's set right. Hm..”
“Miss, was there a wolf with me when I got here?” Valaina asked. She figured it would be better to get straight to the point.
“What? Oh, yes, but I shooed it away. That animal won't be back again.” Valaina was sad. She didn't know why, either. Maybe it was the fact that the canine saved her life, or that she didn't do anything in return. Now she knew she was insane. Wanting to thank an animal.
After the doctor finished examining her, Valaina laid back down. Who knows how long she was staring at the ceiling? Next thing Valaina knew, she was awake again. She must have slept all day because the sun was just about to rise. `I have to get back to the farm. I got back to town but my animals will die anyways if I don't come home.' Her mind was made up. Valaina stood up, put her clothes back on, and walked out the door.
“Leaving so soon? Are you sure you feel up to walking?” The doctor asked.
“Yes ma'am. Thank you so much for taking care of me.” Valaina gave her biggest smile and continued out the door.
Valaina had just stepped off the porch when she heard a voice.
“I hope your feeling better. My mother said you had a cut on your arm that was pretty deep.” The girl talking to her was about her age; 7. She had bright red hair, just past her shoulder. Her eyes were big and as green as the grass beneath her.
“I'm fine. Thanks.” Valaina said. She really needed to get back home. The other girl stood up, and brushed off her skirt.
“My name's Lori. Where are you going so soon?”
“Nice to meet you. My name is Valaina. I have to go home. My animals might starve.”
Lori walked with Valaina and said, “It's your job to take care of the animals? What about your parents?” With that, Valaina stopped. Her face fell. Her parents died 2 years ago from a disease outbreak.
“Whats wrong?” Lori asked. Valaina then told the story of how her parents died. It took the whole way home to finish.
“Wow this place is beautiful!” Lori said. They were standing next to Valaina's house. Beyond was hill after hill of luscious green grass and trees bigger than ever. A single river snaked its way through the vast valley, ending where the land met sky. Valaina stared, too.
“Yea,” she said, “it is.”