Chapter 5 5

It was here again, but this time I felt a presence around me. In my past dreams, I was always standing in the middle of the forest with whispers of things I couldn't place moving closer and closer.

This time, I could hear the whispers but instead of them coming closer, it was as though something made them stay far away from me. It was different.

As I walked deeper into the forest, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched. Suddenly, I saw two black eyes staring at me from behind a tree. I froze, unsure of what to do next. Standing still, I caught a glimpse of a shadowy figure moving towards me. It was a large dog, or perhaps a wolf with black fur and and fangs showing.

I stood there motionless, my heart pounding in my chest. The wolf approached me slowly, its eyes fixed on mine. I could see the scar on its left eye,and something in me felt at ease. Holding out my hand, I hoped to show that I meant no harm. Deep down, I knew who the wolf was, it was Kaelor, but I was unsure if the wolf and him had different minds and feelings. Taking a deep breath, I felt the nose bop my palm. Suddenly,I felt a sudden sense of relief, and I smiled and went down on my two knees. "You're beautiful" I said calmly looking into its eyes. All of a sudden, the whispers ceased and the only thing on my mind when I woke up was Kaelor.

Opening my eyes to the ray of sunlight entering into my eyes, I felt a tear drop. I wasn't exhausted, I wasn't scared and most of all, I slept better than I had ever done. Getting up from my bed, I stretched and wore the slippers that always kept at the side of my bed. Looking at myself in the mirror, I noticed that I didn't look tired at all, instead I felt energetic and wanted to do something time productive. I decided to go for a walk around the village to clear my head and get some fresh air.

First, I needed to greet my parents and let them know about my whereabouts, then I was free to walk about. Leaving my room, I closed the door after me and knocked on my parents door.

" Come in" I heard my father say from inside as I opened the door and saw my father. He was cleaning his face with a small towel and my mother was braiding her hair neatly.

"Good morning" I greeted, walking deeper into the room and shutting the door. Surprised that I greeted them first, my father dropped the towel on the bed and my mother stopped braiding her hair.

" You seem to be in a good mood, praise the gods" My mother said elated standing up and walking towards me. Standing in front of me, she used the back of her palm to touch my forehead. Scrunching her brows together, she turned back and look at my father who also stood up and came towards me.

" Did you have a good sleep?" My father asked in a weird tone. He knew that on a normal day, that question always had one answer which was no, but this time, I looked at him and smiled with no reply.

Observing my demeanor, my mother stepped back and dragged me towards their bed to have a seat.

" Was there anything different about your dream last night?" My mother asked holding my hands tightly and looking directly into my eyes with hope.

Glancing at both of them, I gulped then smiled. I was unsure of what to do about the dream I had about Kaelor and his wolf form. Part of me wants to tell my parents, but I was worried that they would see it as a form of possession from the apparent 'beast'. I needed answers, yes. It had been weighing on my mind but I didn't know how to handle it.

" No mother. As a matter of fact, I think that the concoctions are working" I lied as they both smiled happily at me.

" Really? You didn't have any nightmares? Thank the gods!" My mother exclaimed standing me up and dancing around.

To be honest, I didn't want them to get worried. How would they feel if they heard that their only daughter who was the child of their old age was apparently fated to be the bride of someone they tagged a 'beast'

While I faked a wide smile, she danced towards me and rose me up from bed turned me around her. She looked so happy that slowly, I began to regret lying to them.

' It's for the best ' I thought to myself as I danced around with her while my father smiled at the both of us.

" Before I forget, the neighboring village informed our vigilante team that they had a sighting of something that looked like a wolf last night." My father said draining all the excitement in the room.

Sighing, my mother's smile dropped.

" What do you mean they saw a sighting of a wolf? It's probably a dog right?" My mother asked scrunching her brows in confusion.

" They said that the figure looked bigger than a dog. I know that we've never seen a sighting of such but we should be cautious" He advised standing from the bed and then pecked my mother on the cheek then leaving the room with my mother and I staring at each other.

" Let's get breakfast ready" My mother instructed quietly leaving the room with me following behind.

***

" This potato tastes so fresh, when did you buy it?" My father asked taking another bite of the boiled potato and meat stew we were having for breakfast.

" I bought it two days ago at the market. I heard it was harvested earlier that day" My mother replied peeling another one for herself after dropping hers on my plate.

" It's delicious" I commented taking several bites at once making my cheeks puff.

Glancing at me, they both chuckled at the sight of my puffed cheeks .

" The well must be crowded by now" My mother stated finally joining in the eating.

" I think so too" My father nodded in agreement.

If what they were saying was true, it meant one thing. I was going to the river to fetch water.

Groaning internally, I ate faster before noon struck. I wasn't ready to fetch water under the scorching sun. Dropping my plate in the backyard, I took the clay pot we saved our water in and the small clay bowl we used to scoop the water. Going back into the house, I informed my parents that I was leaving. After they begged me to stay safe and I had assured them that I would, I left.

After walking for a period of time, I finally got to the river bank. Rinsing the pot in and out, I searched the floor for a leaf I could use to seive in case there was a stone or anything in the water. Finding a leaf that was good enough for what I needed to do, I picked it up and bent down and began to arrange it so it could cover the mouth of the pot.

" Isn't that going to be stressful?" I heard a voice ask from behind me. Without looking back, I kept on putting small holes on the leave with a sharp stick I found also.

" I'm okay with this method, thank you" I replied feeling the person walk closer towards me.

" Are you sure about that? I can help, I'm good at-"

" I said I'm okay, thank you" I replied with irritation as I stood up and turned to face the person.

As soon as I turned, I saw him, Kaelor, standing with a smirk on his face and his arms folded.

" I'm good, I can manage" I replied with a different voice from what I used earlier. Glancing up at him, his eyes glowed like the last time, the golden rings forming round his iris.

" I don't doubt that at all Zara" He said with his eyes twinkling. As we stared at each other, I stood hoping that he could feel the invisible force I was feeling .

The feeling that wanted me to move closer to him.