Hounds Rising

The tray contained various herbs and spices and a hot water kettle. Carefully, Myla made her way over to the door. She set it down on a table, then knocked. She could hear someone on the other side shout.

“Come in!”

Gently, she turned the knob and opened the door slightly. She grabbed the tray and stepped inside, using her foot to push open the door and then close it. The room was dark, except for a candle at a desk across the room.

Myla hadn’t spent time in the other bedrooms, so she was amazed to see how different it was from her own with Lyla. Instead of two smaller beds, there was a large, four-post bed with many bright colors. The desk looked similar enough but was a little bigger, having shelves on each side that carried a variety of utensils for crafting and cooking. There was a bathroom, which the door was open to, but she saw a closed second door. Lastly, the room seemed taller than the tower should be, and the stones in the walls jutted out in various places. She could see Sir Nibs a few feet above her, taking a nap on one of the stones, and realized it was probably made this way to give the squirrel places to go that weren’t just the floor or furniture.

Ana was sitting on her bed, the covers over the lower half of her body, with various tools on a wooden tray in front of her. Myla could see pieces of the dragon’s scales, thread, and other items. She walked over, setting the tray on the edge of the bed, then walked over and sat down next to Ana, leaning back into the many pillows that she had.

Myla could tell by her puffy and bloodshot eyes and the congested voice that Ana had probably been crying for some time.

“When I’ve been crying, I find that honey and hot water are really helpful,” Myla stated. “I’m here to listen.”

“Thank you. I just…” Ana spoke quietly. “I can’t get their faces out of my head. I didn’t want to fight them.”

“Was this your first fight?”

“I mean, I’ve been in fights, but never like that… I’ve killed animals before during hunts, but this was so different. No one has ever wanted my life… They stabbed me!”

Ana fought back her tears. Myla could sense the emotions moving through her and stayed quiet to listen.

“I wanted to survive. I wanted to live. I was laying there on the ground, bleeding all over the floor… I reacted, went for something strong, and turned into a mammoth. The panic must have taken over because the creature took control, and I couldn’t do anything. I tried, I tried so hard to take control back, but I just couldn’t…”

“That must have been difficult.”

“Yeah… I didn’t want to kill them, I swear. I just wanted to be strong, like you guys.”

Ana pulled one of the pillows to her chest and squeezed. She closed her eyes, and Myla could sense the panic rising that she was talking about. She could feel the sadness and guilt taking over her emotions like a dark cloud. Her voice became more erratic and raised.

“Your sister was harping on me, saying, ‘You killed people!’ I didn’t want to kill them! I just feel worse!”

Ana leaned her face into the pillow, bringing her knees up to her chest. Her breathing came and went quickly as she tried to stay calm.

“Not everyone processes in the same way. One thing that I appreciate about my sister is that she faces things head-on. I often dodge and weave around them. My understanding is somewhere in the middle is the better place to be when dealing with major transitions in one’s life. Something that has brought me some solace is that I was trained to be a fighter, not a warrior. The survival skill does kick in. I can’t take back what I’ve done, but I will say I see her face less now. It takes time.”

Myla sat forward, taking a second to think. She was so used to feeling other’s emotions, but she felt more needed to be said.

“Maybe don’t try to run from it. I know Lyla’s approach will probably not serve you the best, but in a way, it will also prepare you for what you will face out there, especially with this crew. You will have to make snap decisions that aren’t black and white, and people will judge you for it. Taking time to grieve is good, but it doesn’t stop things from happening around you. I would know. You gotta put on thick skin sometimes, and Lyla’s a good person for that. She is trying to help. It’s just that the method that helps drive her is a bit abrasive for some. I don’t think you need to engage today if you’re not ready, but you will have to later if you want to grow.”

They sat in silence for some time. Myla knew that the conversation was over because of the changing emotions she felt in Ana. The sadness would be there, but it at least felt lessened, and Myla felt good knowing she had helped.

“Thank you for being willing to talk to me about this. Maybe at least knowing you’re not alone in this, all of us, will help. Is there anything else I can do?”

“I need a hug.”

Myla opened her arms and let Ana lean into her. She cried on Myla’s shoulder, trying to release some of the darkness in her heart. In time, she knew Ana would be okay. She knew that she would be okay.

The evening grew late, and the sun that was setting when she walked in had already disappeared beyond the horizon. She stood up with Ana and lit candles around the room to eliminate the dark feeling. As she walked by the desk, she noticed two pieces of parchment. One was folded in thirds, closed. The other was lying on top of it, with directions to Aramore. Myla looked over at Ana and gestured to the papers as she inquired.

“This might be a lot, so I’m going to give you this info so we can talk later, but I had a vision this morning that had you in it. It involved Aramore, and I think… garlic?”

“Well, I’ve been trying to get to Aramore. I’ve mentioned it before, but I know we’ve been busy with everything. But garlic? No. Other than just for cooking, mostly.”

“Whatever it is, I guess we’ll find out soon, our little troupe. Didn’t mean to pry.”

Myla started to make her way to the door with more questions than she had had before about the vision. What was the importance of garlic? Why Aramore? Or was it just a vision from Yla stating the next path? The lightness of Ana’s voice stopped her internal questions.

“Are you guys going to come with me to Aramore?”

Myla turned back around, hand on the doorknob.

“Maybe. I don’t see why not at this point, but that’s up to the group.”

She smiled and watched Ana’s face light up. She opened the door, gave a slight wave, then closed it behind her as she exited. Then, Myla made her way to her room, where she hoped a good bath and sleep would eliminate any of the leftover aches from her hangover.