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Deep inside his mind Mitch discovered a world of imagination that he never knew existed. His imagination is running rampant flitting furiously from one thing to the next. He knew that he needed to get control of it soon or he would be lost forever in the deep morass making up his imagination. He saw in his mind imagined images of his children beset by swarms of darkness-spawned creatures, more of the same hideous creatures slaughtering whole worlds, warriors bathed in pure light destroying hordes of evil creatures spawned by darkness on and on it went. Suddenly, the images slowed becoming more real, more solidified. Claws of darkness slashed him across the face blood trailing behind them ripping huge chunks of bloody flesh from his body. Searing pain, unending pain, lancing through his body like fire, he is dying, near death ever so near death, unimaginable torment, make it stop he screamed the sound of his voice echoing through his mind. When is the suffering going to end? A beautiful face, who is she? Someone, please tell me who she is. I must know who she is only she can save me from this torment! Her smile, her eyes I see love in her eyes, pure love and light. Her love is for me I can feel it! Why does she love me? Do I love her? Yes! Yes, I do I feel love growing inside me getting stronger. I love her. I love the way she laughs, the way she walks, her smell, her lips against mine. I love her! Leadyl he screamed her name repeatedly, her name echoing through his mind, tearing the darkness apart lessoning the pain as it did so.
After a time he noticed a murmur of distant voices very faint at first, growing louder the more he forced his imagination to hear them better. He heard his name from a voice that he recognized but could not quite place it so he concentrated on the voice suddenly recognizing his sister’s voice. He became excited and elated at the same time then dejected thinking that it might not be her and how could it be anyway she is dead or lost. He fought that depressing thought and concentrated even harder on the voice until he knew for sure he heard Danielle's voice. Gradually, he began to hear more things, wood popping in a fire, evening birds making their calls in to the night and the voice of his sister right next to him.
He knew that he was back, when the hard ground under him felt like stone and two warm hands were holding his tightly as if they would never let him go. The smell of food cooking over a campfire made his stomach churn with hunger but still he kept his eyes closed wanting to feel the moment and reorient himself to the normal world. Lying on the ground, he listened to his sister talk to Leadyl as if they were old friends. How long was out he wondered to himself. His mind drifted back to the smell of food and he realized he is starving, again he wondered how long he was like this. Then in complete shock, he realized he is lying naked on a ground blanket with another blanket on top of him. His eyes flew open in shock startling the two girls who screamed then laughed, suddenly seeing him awake and apparently totally embarrassed his face a bright crimson.
“Well it looks like you have finally decided to return from wherever you have been for the last three days and what a long three days it has been,” his sister giggled. When she giggled in that manner, it meant she had something on him and it would be immeasurably embarrassing for him.
“I am glad you are back with us Mitch,” Leadyl said kissing him gently on the lips. By that time, his friends and new acquaintances realized he was finally awake looking at him with grins on their faces as if they knew what was coming next.
“Tell me what has happened and why am I without clothes?”
“Well, brother you have asked a two-part question that I will definitely answer both parts of the question,” Danielle said with a laugh with the others joining in. Leadyl on the other hand, is holding her hand over her mouth trying not to laugh and failing miserably at it. Danielle continued unabated, “again in case you missed it you have been out for three days Mitch. So, meanwhile you're bodily functions,” she paused trying not to laugh. “Let me merely say we have seen a part or I should say parts of you that only Leadyl may have enjoyed looking at and she had the distinct honor of bathing and washing although all of us had a hand in bathing you.”
He looked at Leadyl and she was blushing equally as he is at this point and his sister continued unabated like a river filled with winter snowmelt. When he is ready, he will get sweet revenge on her he thought maliciously. “Do you know you weigh a ton? Anyway, not only did I save your bacon from that wraith thing we have had to carry you to the river and throw you in then pull you out so you did not drown. The funny part was by this morning we actually thought about letting you; well actually, I was the one for drowning you. You can thank Leadyl for saving you this time. We have been force feeding you water and broth made of chicken and rabbits that may be why your stomach is growling like a hungry wolf,” Danielle concluded with an uproarious laugh contagious enough to get Leadyl to join in.
This has to be one of those stories you had to be there to find any humor in any of it Mitch thought when he heard a growl oddly not coming from his stomach. Turning his head, he looked into the tiny face of a wolf cub about to bite him on the nose. The amazing thing is listening to his sister talk to the cub with a high-pitched whine then multiple octave changes from lower to higher with different tones and inflections. A complete change came over the cub were a moment ago it wanted to bite him now licked him on the face and with its tail wagging climbed on his chest still kissing him in the face. By that time, he is laughing and petting the cub. Danielle whined again and she got off him sitting on the ground next to her.
“While I am getting some clothes on would you be so kind as to explain what happened right then?” Mitch questioned climbing to his feet quickly wrapping the blanket around looking for his cloths. He spotted them piled neatly with his small clothes on top of his pants and jerkin his sword lying next to them. Grabbing his clothes in one hand and holding his blanket in the other he made for some bushes at the outer edge of the clearing to get dressed.
“Why are you being modest all of us have seen you at your best already?” Danielle asked teasingly.
“I was not awake then to know any better but I am now. So go-ahead and tell me about the wolf cub I am very curious how it is you sound like a dog when you talk to it.”
“Aethelwine is her name and I told her to bite you at your slightest sign of misbehavior. When you heard me talk to her, I told her you are my brother and she accepted as part of the pack. How she came about being here is a wonderful story that I will tell you about later, I am sure we are going to be talking long into the night.”